$52M for Hurricane Helene Relief

Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced more than $52 million to support projects across Southwest and Western Virginia through Good Neighbor Agreements signed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS).

The agreements — signed through the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest (GWJNF), the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) — provide federal funding over a 10-year period to advance projects on federal, state, and private lands, primarily within the Helene disaster recovery area in Southwest Virginia.

“Two years after Helene, we know there is still significant work to be done to rebuild and strengthen communities across Southwest Virginia,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “This $52 million will support critical local infrastructure, bolster our outdoor recreation economy, and help make the region more resilient to future disasters. I’m grateful to Senators Warner and Kaine, Congressman Griffith, and our federal partners for their continued support. My Administration will continue to work to make sure these communities receive the support they deserve.”

Good Neighbor Agreements provide a framework of cooperative efforts between USFS and the Commonwealth to implement restorative efforts to enhance forestlands, adjacent areas and watersheds. With these GNA agreement, DCR, DOF, and USFS will partner to address some of the most pressing concerns facing the national forestlands and state parks in Virginia.

“The lasting impacts Hurricane Helene had on such a large portion of our forests, as well as our entire ecosystem, has resulted in far-reaching consequences for Virginia,” said State Forester Terry Lasher. “We appreciate the partnership and continued cooperation of our partners at the U.S. Forest Service. The workload in front of us is astounding, and this funding will assist Virginia and its forest landowners with these ongoing recovery efforts.”

“Virginia’s state parks are vital to our quality of life, supporting outdoor recreation, local economies, and connections to the natural world,” said DCR Director Nikki Rovner. “This agreement provides critical resources to repair and rebuild trails and recreational infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene at Grayson Highlands and Douthat state parks, helping ensure these special places remain accessible and welcoming for generations to come.”

The projects identified in this scope of work, which will run through 2036, will leverage financial resources, forestry expertise and capacity to accomplish project management, planning, analysis, implementation, and assessment of recovery projects to restore ecological systems, infrastructure and economic connections to communities.

“Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Southwest Virginia, communities across the region are still working to rebuild,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner. “I was proud to help secure the federal disaster relief funding that made this $52 million possible. This investment will help restore damaged forests, repair critical infrastructure, and better protect communities from future disasters. I’ll keep working with partners at every level of government to make sure Southwest Virginia gets the resources it needs to fully recover and come back stronger.”

“I’ve been proud of what we’ve done together to rebuild from Hurricane Helene, but there’s still more work to do. I’m proud to have helped secure this $52 million in federal funding to support reconstruction efforts in Southwest and Western Virginia,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. “This funding will help protect the region from hurricanes and other natural disasters, restore outdoor recreation spaces, develop local infrastructure, and boost local economies.”

“As an advocate for Helene recovery in the Ninth District, I believe collaboration between public officials, agencies and others promotes the restoration of our region’s infrastructure and federal lands,” said U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith. “Through these Good Neighbor Agreements, $52 million will go towards projects that support active forest management, trail reconstruction efforts and pedestrian safety implementation. I am proud to continue working with all concerned to restore our region’s federal lands.”

Planned Virginia Good Neighbor Authority projects will include:

(Funding available within a 10-year timeframe)

• City of Lexington Moore’s Creek Dam — $3.5 million: Support concerns over dam safety for the reservoir to protect people and property downstream.

• Recreational Infrastructure Recovery — $13.9 million: Support will be provided to restore, rebuild and relocate approximately 400 miles of trails and related recreational infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene. Work will include trail reconstruction, hazard tree removal, drainage improvements, erosion control, and repairs to roads, bridges, trailheads and other facilities across impacted counties, including Grayson Highlands State Park in Grayson County and Douthat State Park in Alleghany and Bath Counties.

• Ongoing Wildfire Hazard Mitigation and Prescribed Burning — $9.5 million: Damage has drastically altered Virginia’s forest structure, leaving a high volume of uprooted, downed and damaged trees. Treatment plans call for mechanically treating 250 acres a year and conducting prescribed burns on at least 1,000 acres per year.

• Ecological Restoration of State Forests — $5.3 million: Several state forests, such as Moore’s Creek State Forest, Old Flat State Forest, First Mountain State Forest and Matthews State Forest, will be used to implement projects focused on aquatic and terrestrial watershed restoration to improve water quality, and overall aquatic health. Funding will also be used to assist the City of Lexington to address concerns with the Moore’s Creek Reservoir Dam threatening downstream private lands. Project work will address various USFS needs in the Ewing Mountain area of Grayson, Wythe and Carroll counties, and Potts Creek in Alleghany County to improve road and stream crossings across the GWJNF and adjacent state and private lands.

• Native Forest Vegetation Regeneration — $15.5 million: Forest management practices will initiate regeneration of native forest vegetation. This will include a variety of forest management projects and treat approximately 500 acres per year. These efforts will improve the ability for forest inventory to identify further treatment areas. Projects will include nursery and seedling expansion to benefit affected areas such as oak regeneration, red spruce, chestnut, pitch pine, shortleaf pine and Table Mountain pine.

• Community Forestry Work on Gateway Communities and Lands — $1.28 million: Support will be provided to gateway communities and adjacent USFS lands. At least 12 projects are currently planned in the affected area.

• Invasive Species Control — $3.2 million: Invasive plants and insects, such as the spongy moth, will establish in spaces caused by downed and damaged trees. Annual treatment plans call for treating 1,000 to 5,000 acres per year.

Visit the DOF website for more information.