The Forest Service is providing $20 million for 30 research projects on new technologies that can help restore degraded forests, grasslands and watersheds.
Funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Forest Service spending “also supports shared efforts between agency scientists, tribes, states, academia, and non-government organizations,” according to a USDA release.
“An important component of meeting the responsibility of improving forest health is to follow the science. It has never been more important to do so in an effort to protect communities from the risk of devastating wildfires,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“To mitigate the consequences of the climate crisis with resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Forest Service will follow the science in restoring the health of our forests.”
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Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said “the health of the nation’s lands is vital because thriving ecosystems contribute to the economic and social benefit of this nation and to the quality of life for people. By conducting research studies, we can add to our already in-depth scientific data and improve or build tools to better help land managers make the right decisions for the land and for people.”
The Forest Service dedicated funding earlier this year to research on wildfires. This round of funding is part of a plan to better protect the nation’s natural resources.
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