The U.S. Forest Service and non-profit group were awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act for fuels reduction on over 2,000 acres near the town of Burney in Shasta County. That work, which includes shredding of trees and vegetation, is to protect the community from wildfire as well as improve wildlife habitat.
But with only a third of the project completed, those efforts are on hold, according to Mule Deer Foundation regional director Randy Morrison. His group was recently notified their funding is under review.
鈥淭here are several non-governmental organizations like ours that partner with the Forest Service to do fuels reduction projects throughout the West. And we're all really in the same boat,鈥� said Morrison.
He said he expects the funds will be released once Washington takes a closer look at the project.
鈥淎ny projects that are鈥� reducing fuel, especially in areas where there's a wildland and urban interface, are incredibly important and should be, and I believe are, bipartisan,鈥� said Morrison.
The project near Burney isn鈥檛 the only wildfire-related project in limbo.
The Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative, a non-profit that works on forest health and wildfire resilience projects, has Environmental Protection Agency funding for an educational program also under review. The group鈥檚 Southern Oregon Wildfire Resilience Education for All Project teaches primary to high school students about wildfire science and preparedness. The program, which also supports those working towards credentials in firefighting, has reached over 1,500 students according to the group.
鈥淲ho could be against education on wildfire? I guess our federal agencies,鈥� said SOFRC executive director Terry Fairbanks.
She said funding with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management is also uncertain.
The Lomakatsi Restoration Project, an Ashland-based non-profit group that works on wildfire mitigation, has had funding for workforce training programs affected by the spending freeze too.
A spokesperson with the United States Department of Agriculture said the agency, which includes the Forest Service, is following administration directives to review all contracts.
鈥淚n the meantime, active management activities鈥攊ncluding hazardous fuels reduction projects and prescribed fires鈥攁re being conducted under the agency鈥檚 other funding authorities, including annual appropriations," according to a statement. "Protecting the people and communities we serve, as well as the infrastructure, businesses, and resources they depend on to grow and thrive, remains a top priority for the USDA and the Forest Service."
