Press Release: Gov. Evers Approves Over $328,000 in County Forest Road Aid to Help Improve Nearly 940 Miles of County Forest Roads Across 24 Rural Counties

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 03/11/2026 05:00 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Approves Over $328,000 in County Forest Road Aid to Help Improve Nearly 940 Miles of County Forest Roads Across 24 Rural Counties 
Governor’s announcement builds on longstanding efforts to maintain local roads, support rural economies statewide 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced $328,300 to improve nearly 940 miles of county forest roads in 24 rural counties across the state to maintain local roads and support rural economies statewide. Each year, county forests generate approximately $40 to $50 million in timber revenues, resulting in approximately 16,000 jobs and $4.6 billion in forest products production. This announcement builds upon Gov. Evers’ efforts over the last seven years to prioritize fixing Wisconsin’s local roads to ensure the state has the 21st-century infrastructure needed to support a 21st-century economy. Since 2019, the Evers Administration has improved over 9,600 miles of road and 2,400 bridges statewide.

“Ensuring safe, reliable 21st-century infrastructure is essential to the overall success of our rural communities, families, and economies,” said Gov. Evers “These investments will continue to build on our administration’s work over the last seven years to fix the darn roads across our state, all while supporting our forestry, agricultural, and outdoor recreation industries, bolstering local economies, and ensuring folks can get from point A to point B safely and efficiently.” 

In addition to their impact on statewide industry, Wisconsin’s county forests also provide abundant recreational and tourism opportunities for residents and visitors alike, including more than 9,100 miles of managed snowmobile trails, 1,700 miles of managed ATV trails, 460 miles of cross-country skiing trails, 400 miles of horse trails, 400 miles of bicycle trails, two National Scenic Trails, and thousands of miles of forest roads, along with a wealth of hunting and fishing opportunities. Maintaining these roads ensures outdoor recreationists can safely and securely access these resources, ultimately bolstering the state’s $12 billion outdoor recreation economy.

WisDOT administers the state’s County Forest Road Aids program, which was established to help Wisconsin’s counties pay for the improvement and maintenance of public roads within county forests. To qualify for state funding under the County Forest Road Aids program, roads must have at least a 16-foot surface width and a 20-foot roadway width, be located within county forests, be part of a comprehensive county forest land-use plan, and be open and used for travel. The road cannot be a state highway, county trunk highway, or town road, and cannot be part of the larger General Transportation Aids program.

“Vital state funding programs like County Forest Road Aids help give county governments the tools they need to maintain the local roads that are essential to economic development and good quality of life in our communities,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “WisDOT is proud to work with our county partners to continue to improve these forest roads and make good investments in our local transportation infrastructure.”

Improving and repairing Wisconsin’s local roads, most especially in rural communities across the state, has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration. The final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers last year included additional funding for County Forest Road Aids, raising the program funding by approximately $15,000 over the biennium. Additionally, the final budget also continued support for the successful Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, which was created by Gov. Evers in 2023, with a $150 million investment to continue repairing and improving Wisconsin’s rural roads to help farmers and producers and the state’s agricultural and forestry industries.

A complete list of the funding by county can be found in the table below and on WisDOT’s County Forest Roads Aid webpage.  

Table detailing the distribution of $328,300 in state funds and miles of road eligible for repairs in 24 Wisconsin counties
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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