July 8,  2023 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports on June 29th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $188 million investment through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda which focuses on the conservation of the most economically and ecologically significant forestlands across the nation.

The funding will support 34 projects to conserve more than 245,000 acres of working forests that are critical to rural economies in 22 states and one island territory, as part of the agency’s Forest Legacy program.

Of this funding, $100 million comes from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provides an additional $250 million for similar projects next year, and $88 million comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Two projects in California were selected. The Trinity Timberlands Project received $3 million to protect over 12,000 acres of private working forestland in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Bushy Mountain, Eel River peninsula Project received $10 million and will conserve three miles of the Eel River located in Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Trinity counties.

ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.