When Kyle McClure was a kid growing up in rural Melrose, he formed a connection with the wooded land surrounding his grandfather’s property. Today he  looks back fondly on the time he spent there , playing with friends and exploring the 300 acres of oak, ash, and cherry maple trees.

Like many Americans, Kyle left his rural home town for some time. Years later, however, he  chose to return and raise his young family in Melrose. Not long after, he realized  the woods that drew him back were in need of attention. His grandfather’s acres were now threatened by Buckthorn, an aggressive invasive plant  that grows so thick  it chokes out a forest’s undergrowth. Buckthorn slowly kills a forest, by snuffing out new growth and leaving the mature trees more vulnerable to wind damage. 

Smothered by the buckthorn, new saplings didn’t have a chance to grow on Kyle’s grandfather’s property. And after losing 12 acres of mature trees in a single wind storm in 2021, the forest needed new young trees to grow. “We’ve had intense wind storms, so trees fall more frequently,” McClure said. “The wooded landscape in Minnesota over the next 50 years will look fundamentally different than it has.”

Kyle’s wife, Ginny, likens the buckthorn situation on the property to a “slow death for the woods.” So, to make sure their daughter has the chance to form a connection to the woods likeher dad did, the McClures turned to local Natural Resources Conservation Service officials. Together, they prepared and submitted a grant request through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – a program that received a substantial boost in funding from the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden. 

The McClures were awarded the grant, which amounts to about $300 per acre. And they’re currently working their way through 150 acres of wooded property that needs to be cleared and restored. The work involves clearing away storm-damaged trees, treating the buckthorn so it will die, and then planting oaks in areas where they’ve been taken out, damaged, or stifled. 

While they work, their daughter tags along, periodically offering Kyle and Ginny a fresh bowl of pretend acorn soup that she stewed in her imaginary forest kitchen. “She is aware of what we’re doing and in some ways why we’re doing it,” McClure said of his daughter. “I just feel like it’s been a good way to honor and continue a legacy my grandpa had.”

The funding, McClure said, has certainly helped him and his wife tackle a project that at first seemed insurmountable. But, beyond the funding, McClure said the structure that the grant provided, by offering deadlines and goals, made it easier for him and his wife to wrap their heads around it all. 

“Programs like EQIP are letting us get rid of the bad stuff, while rebuilding a more positive ecosystem,” McClure said. “Cllimate change and biodiversity loss, can make you feel helpless. Having a space where we can demonstrate healthy, and safe land stewardship is nice.”

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed by the 117th Congress and signed by President Biden is a piece of federal legislation that aims to reduce inflation by lowering the cost of prescription medications, investing in domestic energy production, and promoting clean energy, among other objectives