Helping the forests: Program creates jobs and stops fires in Oregon

(JULY 28, 2023) The Oregon Department of Forestry has a program called the Federal Forest Restoration Program that helps reduce the risks of wildfires and create jobs for local communities. They invested money in improving the forests and selling some timber to pay for these projects. The program has supported 377 jobs and added $30.5 million to the local economy.

The program also gave money to 12 groups that worked together to make restoration plans for over a million acres of federal forests. They did activities like thinning the forests and burning some areas to make them healthier and safer from fires. This work created many jobs and helped the environment.

In the future, the program wants to do even more to protect the forests. They have big goals, like restoring thousands of acres of forests, selling more timber, and working with many collaboratives to make the forests better. They want to prepare for projects in areas that really need help and keep making the forests stronger and safer.