EUREKA - U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell announced last week the Agency’s plan to participate in the nation’s economic recovery program. The Forest Service has received $1.15 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The first group of Forest Service projects nationwide created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), totaling $98 million, have been selected. These initial projects will create 1,500 jobs, giving the Agency the early opportunity to put people to work. The remaining projects, totaling $1.052 billion, will be announced shortly and will create an additional 23,500 jobs nationwide.
Under the language of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Forest Service will create as many jobs as possible to support communities and to get money flowing through the economy again. All funds will be spent on specific targeted projects that are, or soon will be, ready to go.
According to Forest Supervisor Tyrone Kelley, the Six Rivers National Forest’s first ARRA project is Forest-wide Roadside Brushing in Siskiyou, Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity counties. This project will integrate immediate job creation with public safety, infrastructure maintenance, and hazardous fuel reduction. The brushing not only increases sight distance, which improves driver safety, it reduces roadside fuel loading, and coupled together, improves access during a wildfire incident.
”In the first request we asked for funding that could be used Forest-wide in the next 12 months, working with partners through cooperative agreements and contracts to complete the much needed work on the Forest road system,” said Kelley. “Working through our cooperators we will be asking them to expand their employment roles as much as possible in order to complete the work in the next 12 months,” continued Kelley. In addition, the ARRA requires a high level of productivity, competition, accountability, and reporting. “We are pleased to be able to do the work that will help protect the Forest, provide better access for Forest users and create jobs,” said Kelley.
Other Forest projects will be considered for ARRA funding, in addition to the roadside brushing project, which would provide expanded job creation opportunities.
”The Forest Service anticipates playing a key role in our nation’s economic recovery,” said Chief Kimbell. “We are grateful for the confidence Congress has shown us and look forward to demonstrating how the Forest Service can create good jobs during difficult times,” Kimbell added.
Many of the most affected communities of the economic downturn are located near national forests. Rural jobs will be created in areas needing restoration work with shovel ready projects related to fire prevention, roads, bridges, buildings and recreation facilities.
Information on the overall U.S. Forest Service role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can be found at: http://fs.usda.gov/recovery. Information on the total federal effort can be found at http://www.recovery.gov.
Email This Page!