U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said action will be taken against insect and disease dangers that weaken forests and increase risk of forest fires. Nearly 100 national forests in 35 states will receive aid to improve and restore the national forests and reduce the threat of wildfire.
The designations are made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill and will support the Forest Service’s ability to work with partners to restore areas within the National Forest System that have been affected by insects and disease, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The 2014 Farm Bill amendments to the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2013 allow the Forest Service to work on treatments of insects and diseases in designated areas to increase restoration across the National Forest Service.
Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/farmbill/ for more information about the insect and disease designations and the benefiting forests by state.