FLA Funds Hazardous Fuel Reduction on Priority Landscape

In 2025, FLA is deploying more than $300,000 in combined funding from the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support hazardous fuel reduction on private lands surrounding the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The Okefenokee and neighboring private forests have long faced a high risk of wildfire.  The surrounding communities are also historically underserved and high-poverty, which, when combined with limited markets for small-diameter wood, makes active forest management economically challenging.

This project leverages a unique blend of federal resources to help landowners spray herbicide, conduct pre-commercial thinning operations, maintain firebreaks, and conduct prescribed burns. These on-the-ground actions reduce understory vegetation, in turn creating more resilient forests, improving wildlife habitat, and mitigating wildfire threats to nearby communities.

FLA remains committed to assisting private landowners not only through advocacy but also by funding practical, results-driven work through our ongoing grant programs. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and local landowners to safeguard forests and strengthen the landscape around the Okefenokee.