On March 20, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing $197 million in 100 project proposals benefiting 22 states and seven tribes, as part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program.Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program helps communities, tribes, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native corporations plan for and mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. The Community Wildfire Defense Program assists at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, with planning for and lowering wildfire risks on tribal, state, and privately-managed land.The program comes at a time when the United States faces an ongoing wildfire crisis, and these grants support the Forest Service’s plan to confront the crisis across all lands.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');“The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation plans to use the $250,000 to develop a Community Wildfire Protection Plan covering lands owned by the Nation. This plan will empower the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation to prioritize projects under several goal areas, including restoring and maintaining landscapes, creating a fire adapted community, and improving wildfire response,” stated Emergency Services Specialist Tessa Chapman.This plan will help establish goals and objectives for serving Tribal citizens through mitigating wildfire impacts to tribal lands and infrastructure. The plan creation will involve community outreach and input. Chapman also shared, “having the plan completed will open many doors for the Nation. It is a great step towards Tribal growth and resiliency.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });