DENVER – Investments to restore healthy, functioning forests will benefit wildlife, safeguard water sources, and help protect western communities from unusually large wildfires. The National Wildlife Federation applauds the Biden Administration for expanding its efforts to restore forests across 11 landscapes in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

“Restoring our nation’s forests – especially older, complex forests—will help tackle the biodiversity crisis, ensure clean drinking water, promote carbon sequestration, and reduce the size and severity of wildfires and the flooding that often follows,” said David Dreher, senior policy manager for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “We thank the U.S. Forest Service for collaborating with Tribal Nations and local communities to determine the most ecologically-appropriate ways to restore these landscapes and urge administration officials to continue that partnership going forward. The future of our forests, water, and wildlife depends on their success”