This agreement restores fire adapted forests and reduces wildfire risk on the ancestral lands of the eastern band of cherokee indians will develop and deploy a tribal wildland fire module for…

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians received a $3.92 million Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Forest Service, Region 8 (Southern Region) under the Good Neighbor Authority program (CFDA 10.691), awarded September 19, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2030. This agreement supports forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction on ancestral lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina through the development and deployment of a Tribal Wildland Fire Module. The initiative will enhance tribal and Forest Service capacity to conduct hazardous fuels reduction and implement prescribed burns across landscapes affected by Hurricane Helene.

The deliverables include the establishment of a dedicated tribal wildland fire mitigation capability to support ongoing forest management operations, restoration of fire-adapted forests through hazardous fuels treatment activities, and monitoring protocols for fire-adapted landscape management. By building tribal workforce and operational capacity alongside federal partners, the agreement aims to increase the pace and scale of restoration work while addressing post-disaster recovery priorities in western North Carolina. Generated efficiencies and lessons learned will be reinvested into regional forest health and watershed restoration goals consistent with Good Neighbor Authority program objectives.

This agreement restores fire adapted forests and reduces wildfire risk on the ancestral lands of the eastern band of cherokee indians will develop and deploy a tribal wildland fire module for hazardous fuels mitigation in areas affected by hurricane helene, increasing both tribal and forest service capacity to conduct hazardous fuels reduction, implement prescribed burns, and monitor fire-adapted landscapes.