This agreement will implement critical work to increase active forest management to improve the health and productivity of the monongahela national forest

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 9 (Eastern Region) awarded a cooperative agreement totaling $746,501.14 to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources on March 31, 2026, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Restoration/Revegetation program (CFDA 10.717) to conduct forest restoration and invasive species management on the Monongahela National Forest through March 15, 2036.

The recipient will execute two phases of work. Phase One comprises forest-wide botanical surveys across areas where ground-disturbing activities will occur to support environmental analyses for management projects aligned with the Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and authorized under Good Neighbor Authority. Phase Two, as funding becomes available, involves restoration, enhancement, and protection activities targeting non-native invasive species treatment to restore ecological communities, protect threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant populations, and reduce the probability of increased invasive species infestations from vegetation management projects.

Work is performed in West Virginia. The program aims to restore healthy, diverse, and resilient ecological systems to minimize severe fires on critical watersheds, rebuild ecosystems, protect wildlife habitat, and restore streams, rivers, and watersheds in high-risk wildfire areas.

Projects include botanical surveys required for environmental analysis of management projects, identification and treatment of nonnative invasive species, fish and wildlife habitat improvement, and other activities to improve or restore forest, rangeland, and watershed health. Cooperator will conduct resource surveys, evaluation, project planning, and the treatment of non-native invasive species (nnis). Phase one - forest-wide botanical surveys. Cooperator will conduct botanical surveys predominantly on areas of interest where ground-disturbing activities will occur to support current and future environmental analyses for projects across the monongahela national forest. The identified projects will meet the goals and objectives identified in the monongahela national forest land and resource management plan and will be authorized under good neighbor authority (GNA) implementation instructions. Phase two treatment of nnis. As funding becomes available, the cooperator will conduct restoration, enhancement, and protection activities associated with the treatment of non-native invasive species (nnis) to restore and enhance ecological communities, protect threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant populations, and to reduce the probability that vegetation management projects will lead to increased nnis infestations.