The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its priority list of deferred maintenance projects under the Great American Outdoors Act.
USDA submitted the list of 556 projects to Congress in a funding request for fiscal 2021.
“Each year our nation’s forest network connects approximately 300 million Americans to federally managed public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act gives us an historic opportunity to make significant improvements to our visitor facilities, roads, bridges, trailheads, campgrounds, and other recreational sites and to secure and improve access to public lands for generations to come,” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue stated.
The list requires $285 million in funding, $179.1 million to non-transportation projects and $105.9 million to transportation projects. The projects encompass 38 states and Puerto Rico.
After a careful analysis of all project proposals, USDA said the Forest Service worked with local communities and stakeholders to identify shovel-ready projects that, if fully funded, will give federal land managers resources to take aggressive steps in repairing and restoring facilities and infrastructure the American people depend on when visiting their national forests and grasslands.
“USDA is hitting the ground running to implement the Great American Outdoors Act,” Perdue stated. “We are working with states, local communities, and partners to enhance the quality of the visitor experience in a way that boosts local economies, creates employment opportunities, and reduces our maintenance backlog.”
The list is available on the Forest Service’s website. USDA said funding the projects would help the Forest Service reduce its $5.2 billion deferred maintenance backlog and improve access and visitor experience by repairing and restoring roads, trails, bridges, recreation sites, and other facilities on national forests and grasslands.
“Working with state and local governments and other partners in a Shared Stewardship framework, these projects will benefit from millions in partner contributions that will further bolster the funding provided under GAOA,” USDA stated.
The Forest Service analyzed project proposals based on seven criteria:
- Reduce deferred maintenance
- Promote management of America’s forests
- Improve visitor experience
- Contribute to rural economic development
- Improve visitor access
- Ensure health and safety
- Leverage partner contributions and resources
