Page 6 - Private Forestry News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Many rural counties in the United States face the dual challenges of lagging economic growth and increasingly severe effects of climate change. While urban areas are not uniformly prosperous and rural areas are not uniformly poor, rural communities on average lag behind their urban counterparts on most key economic indicators from poverty rates to labor force participation. Rural areas represent 86% of persistent poverty counties in the U.S., while over 50% of rural Black residents live in economically distressed counties. These challenges have been intensified by economic losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing inequalities and highlighted urgent infrastructure needs. At the same time, catastrophic wildfires, record heatwaves, drought and other severe weather events linked to climate change threaten rural communities and livelihoods.

United statesNew mexicoWest virginiaSouth dakotaEconomic innovation group distressed communities indexEnergy programRenewable energyUs forest serviceWeatherization assistance programUs department of agricultureDepartment of transportationEnergy efficiencyRural energy savings programEnergy efficiency conservation loan programDepartment of energy smart grid investment grantRural energy for america program