(NAFB.com) – USDA’s Forest Service Tuesday announced it will invest $16.2 million to restore forests across tribal, state and private lands. The funded projects mark the first time the Forest Service will make Landscape Scale Restoration program grants directly available to federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations to restore priority forest landscapes. The Forest Service selected 64 proposed projects for fiscal year 2023 to help Tribes, state agencies, local governments, and partners restore healthy, resilient, climate-adapted forests, including $3 million to restore landscapes on tribal lands. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore says, “These grants are critical for improving the nation’s forests that provide a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the American people.” The Landscape Scale Restoration program also supports the Forest Service’s ten-year strategy to protect communities from catastrophic wildfires. The Forest Service reviewed project requests from federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations, and selected 11 projects for funding.