The U.S. Forest Service chief stepped in front of a Washington D.C. committee earlier this month to lay out where his agency would focus its predicted $4.77 billion budget: restoring resilient landscapes, building thriving communities and managing wildland fires.
The U.S. Forest Service chief stepped in front of a Washington D.C. committee earlier this month to lay out where his agency would focus its predicted $4.77 billion budget: restoring resilient landscapes, building thriving communities and managing wildland fires.
"The budget calls for a fundamental change in how wildfire suppression is funded," U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said in his testimony. "It proposes a new and fiscally responsible funding strategy for wildland fire, contributes to long-term economic growth, and continues our efforts to achieve the greatest benefits for the taxpayer at the least cost."
Restoration investments in 2015 are expected to result in: 2.7 million watershed acres treated; 3.2 billion board feet of timber volume sold; 2,000 miles of road decommissioned; and 3,262 miles of stream habitat either restored or enhanced.
Tidwell said the U.S. Forest Service will continue to reach into urban communities to help people benefit from urban forests-which span a total of 100 million acres across the nation.
Considering the damage wrought by wildland fires in the past decade, the 2015 budget would treat wildfire funding more like other natural disasters. Wildland fire suppression would be funded at a level equal to 70 percent of the estimated 10-year average suppression costs, which should cover the costs for suppressing 99 percent of wildfires, the agency said.
"We can achieve these priorities through partnerships and collaboration. Our budget priorities highlight the need to strengthen service through cooperation, collaboration, and public-private partnerships that leverage our investments to reach shared goals," Tidwell said. "Through strategic partnerships, we can accomplish more work while also yielding more benefits for all Americans, for the sake of all generations to come."
