Another wave of stimulus funding was announced recently by the Secretary of Agriculture for 105 projects, funded at more than $94.6 million, located on federal, state, and private lands. To date, USDA has announced $1.03 billion of the $ 1.15 billion - or 89% - of funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for Forest Service projects. A few state examples below (visit http://fs.usda.gov/recovery for a full list of projects):

The Alabama Forestry Commission will receive an ARRA grant worth $1.757 million as part of a Regional Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative.

The nearly $5.2 million in federal stimulus money going to the Arkansas Forestry Commission will pay for six forestry projects, many involving cleanup and repair of damage from an ice storm last winter.

North Carolina state forestry officials will receive more than $6 million in federal economic recovery funds to reduce the spread of wildfires and help restore some of the state’s once-abundant longleaf pine forests.

Bill Crapser, Wyoming state forester, said the federal stimulus money coming to Wyoming will mainly go to reduce the danger of wildfires in areas where communities are bordered by federal land.