LaMalfa Applauds $80 Million in Forest Service Funding to Boost Timber Products, Improve Rural Economies, and Better Manage Forests

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the U.S. Forest Service is awarding $80 million in Wood Innovation Grants to promote wood products manufacturing, expand forest management, and fuel economic growth across America’s timber producing regions.

“This funding supports the kind of work we’ve been calling for: harvesting timber, reducing fuels, restoring local mills, and finding new uses for American wood,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “Years of federal mismanagement and red tape have turned our forests into firetraps. We’re finally seeing real steps to reverse that. These projects will strengthen rural economies, create good jobs, and help get our forests back to a healthy, managed state. I want to thank Secretary Rollins and President Trump for their leadership in making this happen.”

With this funding, the Forest Service is moving forward on 189 project proposals across the public, private, and non-profit sectors in 39 states and the District of Columbia. These projects will:

• Expand markets for mass timber construction, including workforce housing
• Upgrade lumber production infrastructure to boost local processing capacity
• Scale up biochar and wood energy using advanced pyrolysis technology and new kilns
• Help convert forest restoration byproducts into usable materials, reducing hazardous fuels and making forests safer

These Forest Service grants directly support jobs in harvesting, milling, and wood manufacturing, while advancing new uses for wood—a renewable, domestic, and cost-effective resource that’s vital to America’s construction and energy sectors.

This announcement builds on USDA’s $200 million timber investment in May of this year and is part of a broader strategy to promote economic opportunity and long-term forest health by streamlining regulations and speeding up project approvals.

The full list of funded projects can be found here.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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