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Forest Service funds help Indigenous families in the Mountain West heat their homes

KUNR Public Radio | By Kaleb Roedel

Published November 25, 2024 at 4:03 PM PST

On the far left of this image are stacks of tree logs. In the center and left are pieces of logs chopped into firewood. — This is a station at the Navajo Nation Chinle Chapter where logs from national forests are chopped into firewood for tribal families to heat their homes in the winter.

The U.S. Forest Service is spending another $20 million to remove flammable underbrush and logs from forests to reduce wildfire risk. Some of the funding will be used to turn that chopped timber into firewood for Indigenous families in parts of the Mountain West to heat their homes.

The National Forest Foundation’s Wood for Life project is similar to a food bank. But instead of food, it delivers firewood to tribal families – at no cost.

The nonprofit is receiving $225,000 to remove logs from forests in Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. That will produce firewood for half a dozen tribes, including Shoshone Bannock, Shoshone Paiute, Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Ute Mountain Ute, and Navajo Nation.

Rosanna Jumbo-Fitch, the Navajo Nation Chinle Chapter president, said thousands of families in her community receive wood through the project.

“It's a huge benefit because it's used for warming the home, cooking, and everyday needs,” Jumbo-Fitch said. “And our biggest population that we serve is our elderly population, those that are 65 and older.”

Nationwide, in counties with a high percentage of tribes, more than 30% of households rely on firewood to heat their homes, according to Census Bureau data. Those levels are double in Apache County, Ariz., where more than 60% of households are heated by firewood. The Apache and Navajo reservations cover about 66% of the county.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.