Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $12 Million In Support of the Tribal Forest Protection Act
Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help incorporate indigenous knowledge in resilience and restoration projects
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2023 – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced more than $12 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be invested in fiscal year 2023 to complete projects in support of the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA). Projects have been selected to support a range of activities focused on forest and grassland restoration. Work will include vegetation management, hazardous fuels risk reduction, and cultural and ethnobotanical surveys on indigenous landscapes.
These investments come on the heels of the Forest Service’s release of “ Strengthening Tribal Consultations and Nation-to-Nation Relationships: A USDA Forest Service Action Plan .”
The Forest Service recognizes its unique, shared responsibility in ensuring decisions related to federal stewardship of lands, waters and wildlife consider how treaty rights and spiritual, subsistence and cultural interests of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations are considered. The agency’s tribal action plan provides a framework for advancing existing laws, regulations and policies, and provides steps that can be applied through existing programs and processes based on four focus areas: Strengthening Relationships Between Indian Tribes and the USDA Forest Service;
Fulfilling Trust and Treaty Obligations;
Enhancing Co-Stewardship of the Nation’s Forests and Grasslands; and
Advancing Tribal Relations Within the USDA Forest Service. Announcing these agreements reflects the Forest Service’s commitment to put the Tribal Action Plan into action and make investments that support the plan’s goals.This work focuses on improving relationships and working together […]