Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $3.75 million to Lostine Forest in Wallowa County and $5.56 million to Madrone Ridge Forest in Jackson County. The Senators secured this federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations Act through the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Forest Legacy Program. These Oregon projects will help conserve nearly 12,000 acres of working forestland, improve wildfire resilience, protect fish and wildlife habitat, and expand public recreation opportunities. …Through its Forest Legacy Program, the USFS partners with states, Tribes, and local organizations to conserve privately owned working forestlands through conservation easements and land acquisitions. These two awards in Oregon are part of a larger $80 million investment provided by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations Act to support 15 projects conserving more than 34,000 acres of working forests in 11 states.