U.S. Forest Service earmarks $9 million for wildfire mitigation projects in Montana

The U.S. Forest Service is investing nearly $200 million to reduce wildfire risks on tribal, state and privately managed lands spanning 22 states.

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program prioritizes places that are at high risk of experiencing a fire and are low income communities.

The initial round of funding comes from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law.

More than $9 million is set aside for work in Montana. The largest chunk of that allocation will be used for wildfire fuel reduction projects in Lincoln County.

Funds will also be used for mitigation work around 1,000 homes in southwest Montana and in the Blackfoot Watershed.

The federal funding will also help Treasure County update and modernize its wildfire planning efforts.

The Forest Service is expected to announce another round of funding later this year.

Fireline

Fireline probes the causes and consequences of the increasingly devastating wildfires burning in the U.S. It taps into the experience of firefighters, tribal land managers, climate scientists and more to understand how we got here and where we're going.