Colorado State Forest Service Receives $10.7 Million in Stimulus Funds

The Colorado State Forest Service, an agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, has received $10.7 million in stimulus funds to solicit proposals that will create and retain forestry-related jobs in Colorado.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Colorado State Forest Service received a $6.25 million grant that will be distributed on a competitive basis to organizations that want to create or retain jobs to help implement high-priority forest restoration and fuels mitigation projects. A second grant for $4.465 million will help fund jobs affiliated with developing and implementing community wildfire protection plans. A portion of the funds also will be used to create and retain jobs in Colorado’s wood products industries.

“The Colorado State Forest Service and the state of Colorado are fortunate to receive this significant award,” said Jeff Jahnke, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service. “The jobs created and retained through Recovery Act funding will benefit Colorado’s citizens and the economy while reducing wildfire hazards, improving the health of our forests and revitalizing wood-based industries.”

“As one of the few land-grant universities that operate a state forest service, we are honored to have the Colorado State Forest Service selected as a steward of these funds,” CSU President Tony Frank said. “It is a testament to the trust the U.S. Department of Agriculture holds in CSU and the value the Colorado State Forest Service provides to the people of Colorado. Our mission of outreach and service to the state also fits with President Obama’s goal to create a sustainable workforce for the future.”

The deadline to submit proposals is 5 p.m. MDT on Sept. 30. A selection committee will review the proposals and projects will be chosen no later than Oct. 23.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is implementing provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to put Americans back to work and rejuvenate the nation’s economy. The Recovery Act provided USDA with nearly $28 billion in funding. Of that total, $1.15 billion was allocated to the U.S. Forest Service for project work in forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, construction and maintenance of facilities, trails and roads, green energy projects, and grants to states, tribes and private landowners. The U.S. Forest Service then provides funding to states on a competitive basis.

For more information about the Colorado State Forest Service Recovery Act grants, visit www.csfs.colostate.edu/pages/recovery.html or contact Terrie Craven, CSFS ARRA program manager, at (970) 491.8466 or terrie.craven@colostate.edu.

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