Forest Service releases state-by-state budget impacts on firefighting efforts
June 09, 2014 | 06:37 PM
The U.S. Forest Service, a division of the Agriculture Department, today released a report showing how limited federal firefighting budgets have impacted states over the last two fiscal years (FYs 2012 and 2013).
The state-by-state report provides examples of how funding for local wildfire preparedness, forest restoration and other activities in nearly every state has been used to fight fires “when wildfire suppression budgets did not fully cover firefighting costs," the Forest Service said in a news release.
The Obama administration has proposed a new way of establishing the budget for fighting forest fires.
The wildfire season is 60-80 days longer and burning twice as many acres as compared to three decades ago, the agency noted.
In the early 1990s, the Forest Service spent less than 15 percent of its budget on fire suppression. Today the agency spends 40 percent or more for fire suppression, meaning that it has had to shift resources away from forest restoration and management, research, state and private forest assistance and other activities “that help maintain our forests and reduce future catastrophic wildfire.”
“With longer and more severe wildfire seasons, the current way that the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior budget for wildland fire is unsustainable," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“Until firefighting is treated like other natural disasters that can draw on emergency funding, firefighting expenditures will continue to disrupt forest restoration and management, research, and other activities that help manage our forests and reduce future catastrophic wildfire.”
▪ USDA Forest Service — Fire Transfer Impact by State and Territory
▪ Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act Suppression Expenditures for Interior and Agriculture Agencies
The state-by-state report provides examples of how funding for local wildfire preparedness, forest restoration and other activities in nearly every state has been used to fight fires “when wildfire suppression budgets did not fully cover firefighting costs," the Forest Service said in a news release.
The Obama administration has proposed a new way of establishing the budget for fighting forest fires.
The wildfire season is 60-80 days longer and burning twice as many acres as compared to three decades ago, the agency noted.
In the early 1990s, the Forest Service spent less than 15 percent of its budget on fire suppression. Today the agency spends 40 percent or more for fire suppression, meaning that it has had to shift resources away from forest restoration and management, research, state and private forest assistance and other activities “that help maintain our forests and reduce future catastrophic wildfire.”
“With longer and more severe wildfire seasons, the current way that the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior budget for wildland fire is unsustainable," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“Until firefighting is treated like other natural disasters that can draw on emergency funding, firefighting expenditures will continue to disrupt forest restoration and management, research, and other activities that help manage our forests and reduce future catastrophic wildfire.”
▪ USDA Forest Service — Fire Transfer Impact by State and Territory
▪ Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act Suppression Expenditures for Interior and Agriculture Agencies
