The Climate Trust Awards $3.8 Million for Vital Reforestation Projects in Oregon and Montana
On October 29, 2025, the non-profit organization The Climate Trust made an impactful announcement, unveiling $3.8 million in funding dedicated to reforestation and wildfire recovery projects in Oregon and Montana. This funding will be directed through The Climate Trust's Enabling Reforestation and Afforestation Success (ERAS) program, which seeks to address critical forest restoration activities that often lack sufficient public and private financial support. The initiative aims to create demonstrable, scalable models of collaboration between public and private sectors, targeting carbon market partnerships to fund reforestation efforts.
The projects encompassed by the ERAS funding are designed not only to improve reforestation outcomes but also to mitigate wildfire risks for areas with newly planted trees. Reforestation activities typically face financial challenges, yet they can yield significant environmental and community benefits. Notably, some of these projects will be associated with carbon financing to promote tree planting, exemplifying how public-private partnerships can effectively support reforestation initiatives, especially in the dry and slower-growing forests of the West.
A significant aspect of the ERAS program is its backing from the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Landowner Support Program, which is expected to sequestrate approximately 325,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide across about 5,900 acres.
Several projects receiving funding under the ERAS program include:
1. Wildfire Recovery and Fuel Reduction on Tribal Lands: This initiative will focus on treating 1,100 acres of wildfire-affected land on the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Reservation. The project aims to decrease hazardous fuel loads and improve the safety for planting crews by removing burnt and dangerous overstory trees, while the harvested wood will assist in supporting a community fuelwood program. Controlled burns will be employed to further reduce wildfire risks in adjacent stands.
2. Reducing Community Wildfire Risk & Improving Habitat: The Western Rivers Conservancy is tasked with conducting thinning and pile burning on 180 acres within their Paulina Meadows property, situated near La Pine, Oregon. This project will reduce hazardous fuel loads while improving the habitat for the local ecosystem through ponderosa pine enhancement plantings.
3. Cougar Peak Fire Recovery Initiatives: The fast-moving Cougar Peak Fire of 2021 significantly impacted over 86,000 acres in southeastern Oregon. In response to this disaster, ERAS funding has been allocated to Collins Timber Company to facilitate their forest restoration work, particularly for areas hindered by safety concerns regarding reforestation due to the presence of hazard trees. The funding will also support prescribed burning and other necessary fuel reduction activities, diminishing the likelihood of future wildfires.
4. Building Wildfire Resilience with Small Forest Owners: Elsewhere, The Climate Trust is collaborating with Montana Forest Consultants to provide essential funding support to six private forest owners. This initiative focuses on restoring lands burned in previous wildfires and treating areas that remained unburned, thus bolstering overall wildfire resilience.
The Climate Trust has a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, having committed or generated an impressive $107 million for carbon projects since its inception in 1997. With a total of 129 projects completed and a remarkable reduction of 11.2 million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions, its role as a non-profit carbon offset project developer and financier has never been more critical.
In summary, The Climate Trust's recent funding initiative will play a pivotal role in bolstering reforestation and wildfire recovery efforts, highlighting an evolving model of environmental partnership aimed at ensuring the health of our forests and communities. For further information, visit The Climate Trust's official website or contact Julius Pasay, the Executive Director, at 503-238-1915.
The projects encompassed by the ERAS funding are designed not only to improve reforestation outcomes but also to mitigate wildfire risks for areas with newly planted trees. Reforestation activities typically face financial challenges, yet they can yield significant environmental and community benefits. Notably, some of these projects will be associated with carbon financing to promote tree planting, exemplifying how public-private partnerships can effectively support reforestation initiatives, especially in the dry and slower-growing forests of the West.
A significant aspect of the ERAS program is its backing from the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Landowner Support Program, which is expected to sequestrate approximately 325,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide across about 5,900 acres.
Several projects receiving funding under the ERAS program include:
1. Wildfire Recovery and Fuel Reduction on Tribal Lands: This initiative will focus on treating 1,100 acres of wildfire-affected land on the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Reservation. The project aims to decrease hazardous fuel loads and improve the safety for planting crews by removing burnt and dangerous overstory trees, while the harvested wood will assist in supporting a community fuelwood program. Controlled burns will be employed to further reduce wildfire risks in adjacent stands.
2. Reducing Community Wildfire Risk & Improving Habitat: The Western Rivers Conservancy is tasked with conducting thinning and pile burning on 180 acres within their Paulina Meadows property, situated near La Pine, Oregon. This project will reduce hazardous fuel loads while improving the habitat for the local ecosystem through ponderosa pine enhancement plantings.
3. Cougar Peak Fire Recovery Initiatives: The fast-moving Cougar Peak Fire of 2021 significantly impacted over 86,000 acres in southeastern Oregon. In response to this disaster, ERAS funding has been allocated to Collins Timber Company to facilitate their forest restoration work, particularly for areas hindered by safety concerns regarding reforestation due to the presence of hazard trees. The funding will also support prescribed burning and other necessary fuel reduction activities, diminishing the likelihood of future wildfires.
4. Building Wildfire Resilience with Small Forest Owners: Elsewhere, The Climate Trust is collaborating with Montana Forest Consultants to provide essential funding support to six private forest owners. This initiative focuses on restoring lands burned in previous wildfires and treating areas that remained unburned, thus bolstering overall wildfire resilience.
The Climate Trust has a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, having committed or generated an impressive $107 million for carbon projects since its inception in 1997. With a total of 129 projects completed and a remarkable reduction of 11.2 million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions, its role as a non-profit carbon offset project developer and financier has never been more critical.
In summary, The Climate Trust's recent funding initiative will play a pivotal role in bolstering reforestation and wildfire recovery efforts, highlighting an evolving model of environmental partnership aimed at ensuring the health of our forests and communities. For further information, visit The Climate Trust's official website or contact Julius Pasay, the Executive Director, at 503-238-1915.
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