USDA Announces $115.2 Million to Boost Timber Production and Wildfire Protection

Funding will help sawmills and wood processing facilities expand operations across 9 states

Mar. 24, 2026 at 5:35pm

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $115.2 million in funding across 9 states through the Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program. The goal is to help sawmills and other wood processing facilities establish, reopen, expand or improve their operations, which will support sustainable timber harvesting and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires in rural communities.

Why it matters

Wildfires have already caused significant damage in parts of the country, and this investment aims to strengthen the domestic timber industry's capacity to manage forestlands and remove dangerous fuel sources that contribute to wildfire risk. By supporting local wood processing facilities, the USDA hopes to drive rural economic prosperity and protect lives and property from future blazes.

The details

The funding will assist projects in 9 states, including Kansas, where a local company called Berg Reinvigorations in Montgomery County will use the loan program to make building improvements, purchase equipment, refinance debt and cover other costs. The Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program is a partnership between USDA Rural Development and the U.S. Forest Service, designed to address the wildfire crisis by investing in sawmills that can clear out dangerous fuel sources from national forests.

  • The USDA announced the $115.2 million in funding on March 24, 2026.

The players

J.R. Claeys

USDA Rural Development's Rural Business Cooperative Service Administrator.

Gimmie Jo Jansonius

Director of Rural Development in Kansas.

Berg Reinvigorations

A company in Montgomery County, Kansas that will use the loan program to expand its operations.

Tom Schultz

Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

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What they’re saying

“We cannot allow wildfires to devastate and destroy our rural communities. That's why the USDA is taking this bold action to stop the destruction of our forestlands by investing in sawmills and wood processing facilities that support sustainable timber harvesting.”

— J.R. Claeys, USDA Rural Development's Rural Business Cooperative Service Administrator

“Wildfires have already been devastating for parts of Kansas, and prairie and range management is not enough for wildfire control. This investment will assist in forestland management and create and keep jobs in Kansas.”

— Gimmie Jo Jansonius, Director of Rural Development in Kansas

“The value of National Forest Systems lands is demonstrated by providing various forest products, such as timber, lumber, paper, bioenergy, and other wood products. The American forest products industry is critical to maintaining the health of the nation's forests. The Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program is one of many ways the Forest Service partners with the timber industry to maintain rural jobs, processing facilities, and an outlet for wood that needs to be removed from national forests.”

— Tom Schultz, U.S. Forest Service Chief

What’s next

The Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program is available to qualified lenders whose loan applicants want to establish, reopen, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood processing facility that processes ecosystem restoration byproducts from USDA Forest Service National Forest System lands.

The takeaway

This investment by the USDA aims to strengthen the domestic timber industry's capacity to manage forestlands and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires in rural communities. By supporting local wood processing facilities, the program seeks to drive rural economic prosperity and protect lives and property from future blazes.