The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend nearly $500 million on projects to reduce wildfire risk in 11 areas in Western states, the department said Thursday.
The new funding, $490 million, comes from Democrats’ budget, climate and taxes law that passed last year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters. The funding will allow the U.S. Forest Service, an agency within USDA, to treat more than 27 million acres across seven states, including Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
The announcement came one year after Vilsack announced the first round of wildfire mitigation spending, which included money to be used in Colorado, and the Forest Service’s 10-year strategy.
The funding for the first round of projects mainly came from the 2021 infrastructure law. It marks the beginning of the second year of the Forest Service’s 10-year strategy and brings the total spending on the strategy to $930 million.