Money awarded for wildfire risk reduction efforts in Kootenai National Forest

The Department of Agriculture is putting $9.8 million toward wildfire crisis mitigation in the Kootenai National Forest through the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

The money is part of a larger package coming from Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. 

The department is allocating nearly $500 million to wildfire mitigation efforts, including $400 million for ongoing efforts on 21 priority landscapes, areas demarcated by Forest Service officials to track legislative spending. An additional $100 million is going toward tribes, communities and partners who are a part of the New Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program to treat areas outside of the priority landscapes.