Ashland, OR – The National Forest Foundation (NFF) and the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project (AFR) are jointly funding the next round of fire safety and forest restoration work in the Ashland Watershed, the source of the city’s drinking water. The City of Ashland and the NFF each dedicated $175,000 exclusively to work on the ground this calendar year, work that Lomakatsi Restoration Project is already implementing near the popular Toothpick Trail.

With the completion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (economic “stimulus”) funding in 2013, project partners City of Ashland, U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and Lomakatsi Restoration Project have been seeking additional funds to finish the 7,600 acre AFR footprint. The NFF and AFR Partners share the goals of reducing risk of severe wildfire on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and protecting the municipal water supply, quality of life, wildlife habitat, and the local communities’ “backyard forest”.

“As a community, we knew it was the right thing to invest in our watershed, and the NFF has given generously and doubled this year’s investment to further our important work,” said Mayor John Stromberg.

The NFF worked collaboratively with the City of Ashland and project partners to provide funding and leverage resources to have a greater impact on landscape watershed protection and restoration.

“We believe that dollars invested in proactive forest stewardship will reduce the risk of significant impacts and costs associated with catastrophic wildfire. With Mayor Stromberg’s leadership, Ashland is innovating in collaborative conservation and helping to care for the public lands that improve the quality of life for residents and the quality of experience for visitors,” said Bill Possiel, NFF President.

The National Forest Foundation is a congressionally chartered nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, and the only conservation organization wholly focused on addressing the challenges that face our National Forests and Grasslands. Together with local partners, the NFF facilitates and implements forest and watershed restoration projects, carbon offset and tree-planting projects, and public engagement / volunteerism opportunities. Across programs, the NFF builds collaborative relationships that ensure effective, proactive conservation solutions.

AFR is a ten year stewardship project designed to reduce the risk of severe wildfire in the watershed and to protect water quality, older forests, wildlife, people, property and quality of life.