The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), or Recovery Act, was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. The primary goals of the Recovery Act are to create and retain jobs, and revitalize the economy in the United States.

CSFS Announces Recipients of Economic Stimulus Funds

The Colorado State Forest Service is awarding much-needed economic stimulus funds to 15 organizations and businesses that will create or retain more than 200 forestry-related jobs in Colorado between now and Sept. 30, 2011. Some of the jobs will last the entire grant period; others will be seasonal positions that perform on-the-ground work, which can be affected by the weather. Many positions funded by ARRA grants are expected to be sustained beyond the grant period. For more information, see the Announcements section to the right.

Community Wildfire Protection, Forest Restoration, Fuels Mitigation and Forest Industry Projects

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 foresty-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 create and retain jobs in Colorado's wood products industries.

On Aug. 31, the Colorado State Forest Service released its Requests for Proposals and the deadline to submit these proposals to the CSFS was Sept. 30. Projects will be selected no later than Oct. 23.

Recovery Act Funds Provided to States Through USDA Forest Service

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 amount, $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.