Amador County – The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week awarded $730,000 to the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group for its 10-year plan to manage El Dorado and Stanislaus national forests.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a second round of projects for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, including the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group’s “Cornerstone Project,” as one of 10 winners across the country.

El Dorado National Forest Public Affairs Officer Frank E. Mosbacher said the projects are “designed to expand the number of forested acres to be treated to reduce fire threat, help local economies and accomplish critical forest restoration objectives.”

Mosbacher said the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone Project will receive $730,000 in funding to begin work on Stanislaus National Forest and El Dorado National Forest restoration projects this year.

“The Forest Service is accelerating the pace and scale of restoration work on National Forest Land to address a number of threats to the health of forest ecosystems, watersheds, and forest dependent communities,” Mosbacher said. The “efforts will economically stimulate local communities by creating a more vibrant forest products industry, providing over 200 jobs, and attracting more visitors to local rural areas.”

El Dorado National Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy said the “dedicated people who make up the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group deserve our thanks for helping us define and present this project for national competition. This was a collaborative effort.” She said “only 10 projects were selected nationally,” and “now, it’s time to line up the projects and get to work.”

Notification of the award was given Thursday, Feb. 2. Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski said she was grateful that “all the hard work our collaborative group has done has been recognized.” She said support for the restoration projects “will help protect the public, improve forest health and provide an economical boost to our local communities.”

Mosbacher said the Cornerstone Project proposal “outlines work to be completed over a 10-year period and describes various treatments covering 38,500 acres across the Stanislaus and El Dorado National Forests. The long-term commitment by the Department is subject to annual appropriations.”

Some of the activities identified in the winning project proposal include forest thinning and fuels reduction; biomass and small-diameter tree removal; restoration of culturally sensitive sites; reforestation; meadow enhancement; watershed improvement; and other restoration and job-creating activities.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.