Forest Service announces $182 million in retroactive Secure Rural Schools payments to support counties, schools and wildfire preparedness


(Washington, D.C., February 20, 2026) -- The U.S. Forest Service today announced it is issuing $182 million in retroactive Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments for 2024, delivering critical funding to eligible states and counties with National Forest System lands. These payments help sustain public schools, maintain local roads, strengthen wildfire preparedness, and support other essential services in rural communities.

“For many rural counties, SRS payments aren’t optional – they’re essential,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “The Forest Service’s annual payments provide reliable, predictable funding that rural states and counties depend on. These payments strengthen local schools and infrastructure while honoring the partnership between national forests and the communities that surround them.”

The 2024 payments include Title I and Title III allocations, which help fund education, transportation infrastructure and critical community services in rural areas. They also enhance wildfire readiness at the local level by supporting Firewise Communities programs, reimbursing counties for emergency services on national forests, and supporting the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans — making communities safer and improving coordination with Forest Service wildfire response efforts.

Because SRS had not yet been reauthorized when 2024 payments were issued, the Forest Service initially made payments under the 1908 revenue-sharing framework, as required by law. With reauthorization, the agency is now reconciling payments to ensure counties receive the full amounts owed under the program.

Since 1908, 25% of Forest Service revenue from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, recreation fees and other sources have been shared with states and counties containing national forests. By the 1990s, long-term reductions in timber revenue significantly reduced these payments, prompting Congress to enact the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to provide more stable funding for at-risk local services.

Over the past decade, the Forest Service has distributed $2.6 billion through the SRS program.

For more information about the Secure Rural Schools program, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/secure-rural-schools https://sierrawave.net/forest-service-announces-182-million-in-retroactive-secure-rural-schools-payments-to-support-counties-schools-and-wildfire-preparedness/