BRDFORD — The U.S. Forest Service recently announced it will issue $248 million in Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments for 2025, 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.
During the past decade, the Forest Service has distributed $2.4 billion through the Secure Rural Schools program.
In Indiana, the Hoosier National Forest spans nine counties, all of which will receive SRS funding based on timber receipts and special use permits. These counties also receive annual support through the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which helps local governments offset reduced property tax revenue from federally owned lands. Together, these programs provide consistent and reliable funding that helps communities maintain critical services.
For 2025, Indiana counties will receive the following combined SRS and PILT allocations:
- Brown County – $84,858
- Crawford County – $97,220
- Dubois County – $24,311
- Jackson County – $85,506
- Lawrence County – $49,626
- Martin County – $28,427
- Monroe County – $119,206
- Orange County – $152,007
- Perry County – $210,401
For more information about the Secure Rural Schools program, visit the Forest Service website.
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
