MEDFORD, Ore. – The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is being awarded $100,000 to protect Medford’s main source of drinking water from potential wildfire damage.
The U.S. Forest Service said the money will be used for surveys on thousands of acres of forest land in the Big Butte Springs Municipal watershed.
The program will eventually include restoration work on 20,000 acres.
After survey work is done, forest managers will focus on thinning and habitat restoration in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in Medford’s watershed.
The money was awarded by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Federal Forest Restoration Program.
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