VIDEO: Utah, Idaho, and Nevada will be receiving additional funds from the USDA Forest Service to help reduce wildfire risk. In 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service started a competitive grant program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that would provide $1 billion over five years to reduce wildfire risk.
The funds from this program are meant to go to communities that have limited resources but have a high or very high wildfire hazard potential. In 2025, USDA Forest Service received over 570 applications from 40 states, three U.S. territories, and 48 tribes of Alaska Native Corporations. In total, the grant applications requested $1.6 billion. After careful review from panels made up of representatives from Tribes and state forestry agencies, 58 proposals were selected. Those proposals span 22 states and two tribes, and $200 million will be awarded across all selected projects.
“These grants are about putting resources in the hands of those that know their lands and communities best, so that they can better protect their families, businesses, infrastructure and the future of our shared landscape,” said USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. “Keeping forests healthy, resilient and productive doesn’t come from the top down, it comes from us standing alongside the people and communities we serve, and supporting practical, science-based management that ensures the future of the forests as well as rural prosperity,” Rollins added.
