CONTRIBUTED BY:

Bonnie Stewart,

David Steves

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President Obama’s agriculture secretary Thursday outlined an “accelerated restoration” strategy for managing 193 million acres of national forests, along with plans to spend $40 million for 20 thinning, logging and restoration projects.

Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement included five new forest thinning and restoration projects in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington which will receive a combined $9.7 million

“We are committed to restoring our forests and bringing jobs to rural America,” Vilsack said. “Whether the threat comes from wildfire, bark beetles or a changing climate, it is vital that we step up our efforts to safeguard our country’s natural resources.”

Here’s a look at the five new Northwest projects Vilsack announced:

Lakeview Stewardship Project: Thin about 500,000 acres of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in eastern Oregon. $3.5 million.

Southern Blues: Thin 272,000 acres in the southeast Oregon’s Malhuer National Forest. $2.5 million.

Weiser-Little Salmon Headwaters: Thin and harvest 190,000 acres of the Payette National Forest in Western Idaho. $2.45 million.

Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative: Restore 39,430 acres of forestland in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. $324,000.

Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020: Thin 124,396 acres of the Colville National Forest. $968,000

Vilsack’s agency said Thursday’s announced plans will expand by 20 perecent the number of forest acres that are thinned or otherwise restored. Activities planned for those forestlands over the next three years include fuels reduction, reforestation, stream restoration, road decommissioning, replacing and improving culverts, forest thinning and harvesting, prescribed fire and a range of other techniques.