Placerville, CA (February 2, 2012) Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a second round of Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program projects designed to expand the number of forested acres to be treated to reduce fire threat, help local economies and accomplish critical forest restoration objectives. The Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone Project will receive $730,000 in funding to begin work on Stanislaus and Eldorado National Forests restoration projects this year.
The Forest Service is accelerating the pace and scale of restoration work on National Forest Land to address a number of threats to the health of forest ecosystems, watersheds, and forest dependent communities. These restoration efforts will economically stimulate local communities by creating a more vibrant forest products industry, providing over 200 jobs, and attracting more visitors to local rural areas.
"The dedicated people who make up the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group deserve our thanks for helping us define and present this project for national competition. This was a collaborative effort. Only ten projects were selected nationally," said Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy. "Now, it's time to line up the projects and get to work."
"I am grateful for today's notice that all the hard work our collaborative group has done has been recognized. Support for the restoration projects we proposed will help protect the public, improve forest health and provide an economical boost to our local communities," said Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski.
The project proposal outlines work to be completed over a ten year period and describes various treatments covering 38,500 acres across the Stanislaus and Eldorado National Forests. The long-term commitment by the Department is subject to annual appropriations.
Some of the many activities identified in the winning project proposal include: forest thinning and fuels reduction, biomass and small-diameter tree removal, restoration of culturally sensitive sites, reforestation, meadow enhancement, watershed improvement, and many more restoration and job creating activities.
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