CLE ELUM, Wash. – The US Forest Service announced $34 million in grant funding to conserve privately owned forested land in Washington and Oregon on Monday.
According to the Forest Service, the funding is part of the broader Forest Legacy program, which uses federal funding to purchase or lease privately owned forests.
33,000 acres of forest land will be preserved through the new grant funding. Most of that land is in Klickitat, Kittitas and Kitsap counties.
Deputy Regional Forester Laura Schweitzer touted the protected land expansion as a win for both the environmental and economic health of Washington State.
“These are important investments in our nation’s future. We are conserving over 33,000 acres of vital forest ecosystems while also reinforcing the economic backbone of rural communities,” Schweitzer said.
Forest Legacy grant funding is awarded annually and conserves about 168,000 acres of private forest lands according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
