Oregon Public Broadcasting

Federal stimulus money will soon pay for workers to thin Northwest forests  considered at risk for major wildfires.

The U.S. Forest Service has awarded more than $12 million to 10 rural counties in Oregon and Idaho. Inland Northwest correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

Nan Christianson from the Forest Service in Missoula, Montana says this is the first group of stimulus projects that her agency will fund.

Nan Christianson: “The goal is to reduce hazardous fuels on the ground before you have a really tough fire season there.”

In this case, “there” refers to six counties in central and southern Oregon and four counties in north Idaho. Forest Service officials estimate the projects will employ 100 people in Oregon, 55 in Idaho.

Christianson says the Idaho counties received some of the first stimulus money because they proved they are, in her words, “chainsaw-ready”.

Nan Christianson: “Each of the counties there have completed community wildfire protection plans. They know what their priorities are and where they need to get the work done.”

Oregon was also awarded about $3 million to hire high-school and college-aged youth to do forest conservation and maintenance work during the next two summers.