News Brief
Federal pandemic aid has helped a lot of industries recover from the pandemic, like airlines and live music venues. But now, loggers and timber haulers can get help, too.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending up to $200 million to help organizations and individuals who were forced to slow or stall logging operations during the pandemic.
Shawn Keough is executive director of the nonprofit Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho.
“This is the first time in our collective memory where assistance of this nature has been available through Congress specifically for loggers and timber haulers,” she said. “We’re excited by the historic nature and the recognition at the national level that we count, so to speak.”
Keough said some companies got PPP loans to keep employees last year, but that didn’t cover operational costs like fuel and equipment.
Many also profited when at-home projects boomed, but that wasn’t enough for some to recover.
Each entity can get up to $125,000, depending on how well they did in 2019 versus 2020.
Loggers and timber truckers can apply for this assistance through the Farm Service Agency from July 22 to Oct. 15.
For more information or help with getting the aid, go here or contact your local Farm Service Agency office.
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, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM 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.
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