US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health

The Cities4Forests initiative mobilized $115 million to restore 320,000 acres of forests and watersheds across 15 US states, utilizing innovative financial tools like the Forest Resilience Bond and green bonds. These efforts aim to mitigate the $900 billion in annual losses caused by wildfires, which now burn over 7 million acres annually. Key projects include restoration in the Tahoe National Forest, the Upper Weber River watershed, and around Lake Maumelle, collectively supporting 260 jobs and avoiding over 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

• The Cities4Forests initiative and its partners mobilized $115 million to restore and protect over 320,000 acres of forests and watersheds across 15 US states, benefiting the water security of more than 3 million people.
• To address federal funding gaps, the initiative developed several innovative financial mechanisms, including the Forest Resilience Bond, the Utah Resilience Fund, and the first certified green bond for watershed protection in the US, the latter of which raised $32 million for Lake Maumelle in Arkansas.
• The restoration efforts have resulted in the avoidance or removal of more than 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of over 2 million cars, and have supported 260 jobs.

APA

World Resources Institute (2026). US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/us-communities-reduce-risks-wildfires-improving-forest-health

Chicago

World Resources Institute. US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health. 2026. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/us-communities-reduce-risks-wildfires-improving-forest-health.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health |date=3 March 2026 |url=https://www.wri.org/outcomes/us-communities-reduce-risks-wildfires-improving-forest-health |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2026communities, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.wri.org/outcomes/us-communities-reduce-risks-wildfires-improving-forest-health}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }