INDIANA — Nine Indiana counties will receive retroactive payments from the U.S. Forest Service through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) for 2024.
According to the agency, payments to the Indiana counties total $240,813.
The counties receiving funds are Crawford County, Lawrence County, Martin County, Orange County, Dubois County, Perry County, Brown County, Jackson County, and Monroe County. These counties qualify for the funding because portions of the Hoosier National Forest lie within their boundaries.
According to a Forest Service news release, the 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. The funding also enhances wildfire readiness at the local level by supporting Firewise Communities programs, reimbursing counties for emergency services provided on national forests, and assisting with the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Officials say these efforts improve safety and coordination with Forest Service wildfire response teams.
Because the Secure Rural Schools program had not yet been reauthorized when 2024 payments were originally issued, the Forest Service initially made payments under the 1908 revenue-sharing framework, as required by law. With the program now reauthorized, the agency is reconciling payments to ensure counties receive the full amounts owed.
Since 1908, 25% of Forest Service revenue from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, recreation fees, and other sources has 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 Secure Rural Schools program.
More information about the program is available at the Forest Service website.
