This agreement supports an active management program to restore and improve national forest system lands in pope county

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R9-Eastern Region awarded a Cooperative Agreement to Pope County Treasurer for $351,292 on March 11, 2026, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Restoration/Revegetation program (CFDA 10.717).

The agreement supports active management and restoration of National Forest System lands in Pope County, Illinois. Pope County will conduct road maintenance and reconstruction on up to 10 National Forest System roads covering 27 miles to support timber sale hauling routes on the Shawnee National Forest. The county will implement a newly established timber program to harvest an estimated 2,600 thousand board feet of timber on 175 acres, including sale preparation, boundary marking, contract development, and execution of two timber sales.

Performance runs through March 10, 2036, with work conducted in Illinois. The cooperative agreement is part of a broader Forest Service restoration program funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which dedicates $560 million toward restoration and revegetation of National Forest System lands to restore healthy, diverse, and resilient ecological systems while minimizing severe fire risk on critical watersheds.

The initial agreement will fund road maintenance and reconstruction projects of up to 10 national forest system roads covering 27 miles to support active timber sale hauling routes on the shawnee national forest. This project funding will initially support the county in implementing a newly established timber program to harvest an estimated 2600 thousand board feet of timber on 175 acres. The timber program will include sale preparation, boundary marking, contract development, and sale of two timber sales.