Colville Tribes receive $3.9 million for reforestation of wildfire-raked lands

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation has received $3.9 million in federal appropriations for reforestation work across its sprawling reservation.

In 2015, during the most severe wildfire season in Washington history, many of the tribe’s timberlands burned. Commercial forestry is a large industry for the tribes, contributing a significant amount of its budget.

The appropriation comes from the U.S. Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs, at the request of the Colville Tribes and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

“Our communities were deeply affected by these wildfires,” said Michael Marchand, the tribes’ chairman. “This funding will go directly toward our resources, land and traditional stabilization of a healthy forest. That includes many types of trees, huckleberries and jobs for the men and women who are stewards of this land.”