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June 22, 2022
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for
Forest Service and Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (FS)
Figure 1. FS and DOI Wildfire Appropriations,
and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for
FY1994-FY2022
wildfire response and management across the federal lands
within their respective jurisdictions. Both FS and DOI
generally receive annual discretionary appropriations for
wildfire management activities through Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations laws.
Wildfire management funding for DOI is provided to the
department-level Office of Wildland Fire. Wildfire
management appropriations fluctuate annually but overall
have risen markedly since FY2000 (see Figure 1). For
more information, see CRS Report R46583, Federal
Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and
Source: CRS.
Issues (FY2011-FY2020).
Notes: DOI = Department of the Interior; FS = Forest Service.
Figures are adjusted to constant dol ars using the Office of
In total, Congress provided $7.449 billion in FY2022
Management and Budget’s GDP Chained Price Index.
wildfire appropriations to FS ($5.585 billion) and DOI
($1.864 billion). The combined total includes $4.091 billion
in the agencies’ Wildland Fire Management (WFM)
Wildfire Accounts and Activities
FS and DOI each have a WFM account. Within their
accounts, $2.450 billion pursuant to the wildfire adjustment,
respective WFM accounts, both agencies receive funding
and $907.8 million to other FS accounts for wildfire
purposes. The FY2022 combined total also reflects $5.768
for preparedness and suppression activities. DOI also
receives funding through its WFM account for fuel
billion in regular-enacted appropriations, including the
reduction and other wildfire activities (e.g., site
wildfire adjustment, and $1.681 billion in emergency
supplemental appropriations. Some of the supplemental
rehabilitation, assistance programs, research, facilities
maintenance). FS also receives appropriations for fuel
funding was provided in the Infrastructure Investment and
reduction and other wildfire purposes, but most of this
Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58, Division J) for wildfire risk
reduction purposes.
funding is provided through other appropriations accounts.
Another difference between the agencies is that FS has a
FY2023 Budget Request
separate budget line item in its WFM account for salaries
and expenses.
The Biden Administration requested a total of $6.525
billion in FY2023 discretionary appropriations for wildfire
Starting in FY2020, FS and DOI receive additional funding
purposes for FS and DOI (see Table 1), an increase of
$757.1 million (13%) relative to the FY2022 regular-
for suppression through the wildfire adjustment (2 U.S.C.
§901(b)(2)(F)), also known as the wildfire funding fix, a
enacted appropriation. The request included $3.878 billion
in the agencies’ WFM accounts, $2.550 billion pursuant to
budgetary mechanism that allows for an upward adjustment
the wildfire adjustment, and $96.4 million to other FS
of the discretionary spending limits to accommodate a
accounts for wildfire purposes.
specific amount of additional funding for suppression.
These additional funds essentially are exempt from the
For FS, the Administration requested $4.985 billion in
spending limits. A precondition for using the adjustment is
that Congress must appropriate a baseline amount of
FY2023 discretionary appropriations for wildfire purposes.
This included $2.679 billion to FS’s WFM account, $2.210
funding within the limits. The baseline is equal to the 10-
billion pursuant to the wildfire adjustment, and $96.4
year suppression obligation average as reported in FY2015
million to other FS accounts.
($1.011 billion for FS and $383.7 million for DOI). For
each of FY2020-FY2022, Congress appropriated the
baseline suppression funds to the agencies’ respective
For DOI, the Administration requested $1.540 billion in
WFM accounts and appropriated the funds provided
FY2023 discretionary appropriations for wildfire purposes.
This included $1.200 billion to DOI’s WFM account and
through the wildfire adjustment to a separate account for
$340.0 million pursuant to the wildfire adjustment.
each agency, known as the Wildfire Suppression Operations
Reserve Fund. The wildfire adjustment is available annually
FY2023 Supplemental Appropriations
through FY2027, and the maximum amount available under
Through IIJA, FS and DOI are set to receive $570.0 million
the adjustment increases annually as established in the
combined for FY2023 for wildfire risk reduction purposes.
statute.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
Table 1. FS and DOI Discretionary Wildfire Appropriations ($ in millions)
FY2022
FY2023
Account
Regular
Suppl.
Total Enacted
Request
Suppl. Enacted
FS, Total
4,411.5
$1,173.6
5,585.1
4,985.1
307.4
WFM, Total
2,005.1
552.2
2,557.3
2,678.7
36.0
WFM Salaries and Expenses
822.1
480.0
1,302.1
1,154.3
—
WFM Preparedness
172.0
—
172.0
192.0
—
WFM Suppression
1,011.0
—
1,011.0
1,011.0
—
WFM Other/Unallocated
—
72.2
72.2
—
36.0
WFM Hazardous Fuels
—
—
—
321.4
—
Wildfire Adjustment
2,120.0
—
2,120.0
2,210.0
—
NFS Hazardous Fuels
187.4
277.8
465.2
—
102.8
Other
99.0
343.6
442.6
96.4
168.6
DOI, Total
1,356.1
$507.6
1,863.7
1,539.6
262.6
WFM, Total
1,026.1
507.6
1,533.7
1,199.6
262.6
WFM Preparedness
370.5
75.9
446.5
477.2
42.3
WFM Suppression
383.7
—
383.7
383.7
—
WFM Fuels Management
227.0
307.6
534.6
304.3
156.4
WFM Other/Unallocated
44.9
124.1
169.0
34.5
63.9
Wildfire Adjustment
330.0
—
330.0
340.0
—
Total, FS and DOI
5,767.6
$1,681.2
7,448.8
6,524.7
570.0
Sources: CRS, with information from the explanatory statements for P.L. 116-260, P.L. 117-43, P.L. 117-58, and P.L. 117-103.
Notes: Suppl. = supplemental appropriations provided in P.L. 117-43 (FY2022) and P.L. 117-58 (FY2022 and FY2023); WFM = Wildland Fire
Management; NFS = National Forest System. Column totals may not add due to rounding.
Preparedness
activities are funded within DOI’s Fuels Management
Preparedness includes the range of tasks necessary to
activity (WFM account) and FS’s Hazardous Fuels activity
ensure readiness for wildfire response. Prior to FY2021, FS
(National Forest System account). FS requested moving the
and DOI both used preparedness funds to maintain baseline
Hazardous Fuels activity back to its WFM account for
personnel and provide training and education; manage
FY2023.
infrastructure, equipment, and resources (e.g., aviation
FS and DOI also receive funding through other accounts
assets, engines, communication equipment); develop,
and programs that may be used for activities related to fuel
maintain, and advance technological tools to enhance
reduction; thus, funding provided to each agency’s
decisionmaking capacity; and prepare and execute fire
respective Fuels program does not comprehensively reflect
management plans, cooperative agreements, and
the total funding available for these activities.
interagency coordination. Starting in FY2021, however,
many of these activities for FS are covered in the salaries
Other Wildfire Activities
and expenses WFM budget line item.
FS and DOI receive appropriations for several other
Suppression
wildfire-related activities. For DOI, funding is provided
within the WFM account for postfire rehabilitation, wildfire
Suppression is the work associated with extinguishing or
science and research, and facilities maintenance. For FS,
confining a fire. Suppression appropriations are used
budget line item funding is provided to other accounts for
primarily for wildfire response, including funding aviation
wildfire assistance programs, wildfire science and research,
asset operations, conducting other support functions in
burned area recovery, and postfire restoration activities. In
direct support of wildfire incidents, and funding postfire
previous years, however, some of these activities did not
emergency stabilization activities. Baseline suppression
funding is provided to FS’s and DOI’s respective WFM
receive line item appropriations and were funded through
allocations and other indirect sources.
accounts, and funds provided pursuant to the wildfire
adjustment are transferred to the WFM account as needed.
Issues for Congress
Fuel Reduction
For FY2023, issues for Congress included determining the
amount of funding for wildfire accounts and activities and
Fuel reduction is the manipulation or removal of wildland
the terms and conditions of such funding, as well as
fuels (e.g., vegetation) to reduce potential wildfire risk.
whether to enact related Biden Administration proposals.
Federal fuel reduction funding may be used for projects (or
treatments) on federal lands, to provide assistance for
projects on nonfederal lands, or to otherwise accelerate and
Katie Hoover, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
incentivize fuel removal from federal lands. Fuel reduction
IF12142
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
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