Leveraging federal funding for prescribed fire on private land near Jacksonville

447972763_880829007423558_274920966955613874_n

Published June 10, 2024

Through Lomakatsi’s long-term partnership with the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region 6, we recently received $2.5 million in federal funding to support ecological fuels reduction and forest health treatments on private land. This includes $2 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the USFWS Partners Program, and $500,000 of Congressionally Designated Spending through the US Forest Service, with support from Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Ron Wyden. These investments build on additional non-federal funding raised by Lomakatsi and partners.

Last month, we were excited to use some of this investment to conduct a prescribed understory burn on 22 acres of private land as part of the Jacksonville Community Wildfire Protection Project, within the greater West Bear effort, a project of Rogue Forest Partners. Lomakatsi contracted Grayback Forestry, Inc. to lead the underburn, for their expertise and capacity implementing prescribed fire across private and public lands.

448215821_880828817423577_7738372296371102954_n

This successful underburn just outside of Jacksonville is the culmination of years of planning and a substantial amount of ecological thinning and hand pile burning on the land to prepare it for beneficial fire. It also provided an opportunity for training, with Lomakatsi fire management personnel and 10 of our seasoned Rogue Valley crew members supporting the burn and building on their experience applying fire with drip torches under the guidance of Grayback Forestry.

Prescribed fire is the most cost effective, ecologically-beneficial method of maintaining forest restoration treatments over time. We thank the US Fish & Wildlife Service Partners Program and the US Forest Service for investing in this important work as we continue to partner toward community and ecosystem resilience. A special thank you to Grayback Foresty for their critical prescribed fire leadership and expertise, and to Applegate Valley Fire District who supported the operation with personnel and a water tender.