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A total of $ 1.15 billion was authorized for use by the Forest Service under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act allocated $650 million for repairing and/or replacing roads, bridges, trails, facilities, and abandoned mine work under the Capital Improvement and Maintenance (CIM) banner.
$250 million was designated for Wildland Fire Management (WFM) activities such as fuels reduction and forest health protection on Federal lands.
Another $250 million was set aside for wildland fire management and other activities on state and private lands with up to $50 million of these WFM funds to be used for wood-to-energy grants to increase biomass utilization from Federal, state, and private lands.
CIM projects include:
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Abandoned Mine Lands Remediation
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Facility Improvement, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation
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Facility-Related Ecosystem / Watershed Enhancements related to road and trail maintenance
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Roads and Trails Maintenance and Decommissioning
WFM projects on Federal lands and in cooperation with States, local governments, tribes, and private lands owners on their lands include:
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Ecosystem Restoration, Research, and Rehabilitation
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Forest Health and Invasive Species Protection
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Hazardous Fuels Reduction Activities
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State Fire Assistance Projects
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Biomass Utilization Grants
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Wood to Energy Grants
 The purpose of the economic recovery legislation is to create as many jobs as quickly as possible—to get money flowing through the economy again. The Forest Service is guided by that same purpose. As we implement this legislation, we will begin our work promptly and, for most activities,complete it within 1 to 2 years.
Forest Service units were requested to ensure that projects submitted for Recovery Act funding met as many of these criteria as possible and were requested to submit projects in ranked order:
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Create or retain jobs in economically distressed areas
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Create or retain sustainable jobs
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Create or retain jobs that help sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands
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Leverage other resources to create more jobs.
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Create jobs that invest in or leverage the investments of partners, in wood-to-energy or biomass projects, or other Administration initiatives intended to help transform urban and rural economies
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Create jobs that contribute to sustainable operations, including reducing footprint of infrastructure and/or greener operations of administrative and recreation sites, roads, trails, fire and other facilities
Click here>>> to read information on the Evaluation and Review process used to choose Forest Service Recovery Act projects.
These projects will help to restore natural resources while improving public safety and creating job opportunities in economically distressed areas.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has said, "President Obama's efforts will provide for public health and safety by creating job opportunities in economically distressed areas while restoring natural resources. The ARRA has provided the USDA Forest Service a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in natural resources of America and put people to work.”
“These projects will address public health and safety by providing for healthy ecosystems, clean water supplies, reduced wildfire risks to communities, and recreational opportunities for all Americans.”
Project Announcement Dates, Types and Amounts
3/9/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Trails, Roads, Facilities, Abandoned Mine Lands
$ 62,957,200
3/9/2009
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
Ecosystem Restoration - Research, Hazardous Fuels Reduction – State & Private Forestry, Hazardous Fuels Reduction
$ 32,588,100
5/5/2009
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
Hazardous Fuels
$ 223,694,000
5/14/2009
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
Forest Health - Invasive Species
$ 38,057,000
6/2/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Roads
$ 203,468,500
6/2/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Roads Only Related Ecosystem / Watershed Enhancement
$ 25,012,000
6/15/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Biomass And Wood-To-Energy
$ 56,929,000
6/23/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Abandoned Mine Lands
$ 19,884,000
7/21/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Trails, Facilities, Related Ecosystems, Watershed Restoration
$ 274,051,900
8/18/2009
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Trails, Facilities, Related Ecosystems, Watershed Restoration and Abandoned Mine Lands
$ 49,036,400
8/18/2009
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Hazardous Fuels/Ecosystem Restoration on State and Private Forestry Lands, Biomass Utilization Grants on Federal Lands, Fuels Research, and Hazardous Fuels Mitigation
$ 45,607,000
9/9/2009
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT
Forest Health
$ 89,321,700
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