WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced Tuesday a funding opportunity under the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program to reduce wildfire risk, expand and create market opportunities, and support local jobs.

This program is available to local companies and partners that remove hazardous fuels from national forests and transport the material for processing into wood products or services.

“The timber and wood products industry helps maintain healthy and sustainable forests,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Thanks to historic funding from the Biden-Harris administration, this funding opportunity enables local communities to create and retain jobs while helping the USDA Forest Service implement sustainable forest management practices that reduce wildfire risk and support the Wildfire Crisis Strategy.”

Removing hazardous fuels from forests can reduce wildfire risk, protect watersheds, and improve forest health and resilience. Hazardous fuels are typically woody materials with little commercial value. Although these materials can be turned into useful products or services, transportation costs are often prohibitive. Without transportation assistance, these materials are often burned in place or not removed from national forests, increasing the risk of insects, disease, and wildfires that threaten ecosystems, communities, and critical infrastructure.

The grants were made possible by the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and support wood processing facilities across the country and the rural economies that depend on them. In 2023, these grants helped move nearly 59,000 tons of hazardous fuels from nine national forests to facilities that produced stripped poles, firewood and animal bedding.

Applications for this funding opportunity will be accepted for 30 days. Public information sessions will be offered later to assist organizations in completing the application and answering questions. Project selection will be announced later this year. For more information, visit the Forest Service website.

USDA impacts the lives of all Americans every day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, more equitable markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and income streams for farmers and producers through climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capacity in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by breaking down systemic barriers and building a workforce that better represents America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov.