Virginia Announces Over $52 Million in Forest Service Good Neighbor Agreements for Hurricane Helene Recovery Over 10 Years
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced in Richmond on October 27 that more than $52 million will support projects across Southwest and Western Virginia through Good Neighbor Agreements signed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS). The agreements, signed through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, provide federal funding over a 10-year period for projects on federal, state and private lands, primarily within the Hurricane Helene disaster recovery area in Southwest Virginia.
'Two years after Helene, we know there is still significant work to be done to rebuild and strengthen communities across Southwest Virginia,' Spanberger said. 'This $52 million will support critical local infrastructure, bolster our outdoor recreation economy, and help make the region more resilient to future disasters.' State Forester Terry Lasher said the partnership with the Forest Service will assist Virginia and its forest landowners with ongoing recovery efforts, and DCR Director Nikki Rovner said the agreement provides critical resources to repair and rebuild trails and recreational infrastructure damaged by Helene at Grayson Highlands and Douthat state parks.
Planned projects include $13.9 million for recreational infrastructure recovery, restoring approximately 400 miles of trails and related facilities including hazard tree removal, drainage improvements and repairs to roads, bridges and trailheads; $15.5 million for native forest vegetation regeneration treating about 500 acres per year; $9.5 million for wildfire hazard mitigation and prescribed burning, mechanically treating 250 acres a year and burning at least 1,000 acres per year; $5.3 million for ecological restoration of state forests; $3.2 million for invasive species control treating 1,000 to 5,000 acres per year; $3.5 million for dam safety at the City of Lexington's Moore's Creek reservoir; and $1.28 million for community forestry work in gateway communities, with at least 12 projects planned. The scope of work runs through 2036.
U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith said they helped secure the federal disaster relief funding behind the $52 million, which will restore damaged forests, repair critical infrastructure and better protect communities from future disasters.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 弗吉尼亚州格雷森高地州立公园（资料图，本次补助将修复该园受Helene损毁的步道）。Ken Thomas 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia (file photo; its Helene-damaged trails will be repaired under the agreements). Photo by Ken Thomas, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
