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Updated October 11, 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 Discretionary Wildfire
and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for
Appropriations, 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 dollars using the Office of
In total, Congress provided $7.549 billion in FY2022
Management and Budget’s GDP Chained Price Index.
discretionary wildfire appropriations to FS ($5.685 billion)
and DOI ($1.864 billion). The combined total includes
$4.091 billion in the agencies’ Wildland Fire Management
Wildfire Accounts and Activities
(WFM) accounts, $2.450 billion pursuant to the wildfire
FS and DOI each have a WFM account. Within their
adjustment, and $1.008 billion to other FS accounts for
respective WFM accounts, both agencies receive funding
wildfire purposes. The FY2022 combined total also reflects
for preparedness and suppression activities. DOI also
$1.781 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations,
receives funding through its WFM account for fuel
some of which was provided in the Infrastructure
reduction and other wildfire activities (e.g., site
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58, Division J) for
rehabilitation, assistance programs, research, facilities
maintenance). FS also receives appropriations for fuel
wildfire risk reduction purposes.
reduction and other wildfire purposes, but most of this
FY2023 Budget Request
funding has been provided through other appropriations
The Biden Administration requested a total of $6.525
accounts. Another difference between the agencies is that
billion in FY2023 discretionary appropriations for wildfire
FS has a separate budget line item in its WFM account for
purposes for FS and DOI (see Table 1), an increase of
salaries and expenses.
$757.1 million (13%) relative to the FY2022 regular-
enacted appropriation. The request included $3.878 billion
Starting in FY2020, FS and DOI receive additional funding
in the agencies’ WFM accounts, $2.550 billion pursuant to
for suppression through the wildfire adjustment (2 U.S.C.
the wildfire adjustment, and $96.4 million to other FS
§901(b)(2)(F)), also known as the wildfire funding fix, a
budgetary mechanism that allows for an upward adjustment
accounts for wildfire purposes.
of the discretionary spending limits to accommodate a
Legislative Activity
specific amount of additional funding for suppression.
On July 20, 2022, the House passed H.R. 8294, an omnibus
These additional funds essentially are exempt from the
appropriations measure with $6.538 billion in funding in
spending limits. A precondition for using the adjustment is
Division E for FS and DOI wildfire purposes (see Table 1).
that Congress must appropriate a baseline amount of
On July 28, 2022, S. 4686 was introduced, reflecting a
funding within the limits. The baseline is equal to the 10-
Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft text with
year suppression obligation average as reported in FY2015
$6.419 billion for FS. Regular FY2023 appropriations were
($1.011 billion for FS and $383.7 million for DOI). For
not enacted by the start of the fiscal year, but a continuing
each of FY2020-FY2022, Congress appropriated the
baseline suppression funds to the agencies’ respective
resolution provides funding at the FY2022 levels through
WFM accounts and appropriated the funds provided
December 16, 2022 (P.L. 117-180).
through the wildfire adjustment to a separate account for
FY2023 Supplemental Appropriations
each agency, the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve
Through IIJA, FS and DOI receive $670.0 million
Fund. The wildfire adjustment is available annually through
FY2027, and the maximum amount available under the
combined for FY2023 for wildfire risk reduction purposes.
adjustment increases annually as established in the statute.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
Table 1. FS and DOI Discretionary Wildfire Appropriations ($ in millions)
FY2022
FY2023
Total
H-Passed
Suppl.
Account
Regular
Suppl.
Enacted
Request H.R. 8294
S. 4686
Enacted
FS, Total
$4,411.5
$1,273.6
$5,685.1
$4,985.1
$4,992.2
$4,964.7
$407.4
WFM, Total
2,005.1
552.2
2,557.3
2,678.7
2,678.7
2,604.7
36.0
Salaries and Expenses
822.1
480.0
1,302.1
1,154.3
1,154.3
1,154.3
—
Preparedness
172.0
—
172.0
192.0
192.0
192.0
—
Suppression
1,011.0
—
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
—
Other/Unallocated
—
72.2
72.2
—
—
—
36.0
Hazardous Fuels
—
—
—
321.4
321.4
247.4
—
Wildfire Adjustment
2,120.0
—
2,120.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
—
NFS Hazardous Fuels
187.4
277.8
465.2
—
—
—
102.8
Other
99.0
443.6
542.6
96.4
103.5
150.0
268.6
DOI, Total
1,356.1
507.6
1,863.7
1,539.6
1,543.1
1,503.3
262.6
WFM, Total
1,026.1
507.6
1,533.7
1,199.6
1,203.1
1,163.3
262.6
Preparedness
370.5
75.9
446.5
477.2
477.2
477.2
42.3
Suppression
383.7
—
383.7
383.7
383.7
383.7
—
Fuels Management
227.0
307.6
534.6
304.3
304.3
267.0
156.4
Other/Unallocated
44.9
124.1
169.0
34.5
38.0
35.5
63.9
Wildfire Adjustment
330.0
—
330.0
340.0
340.0
340.0
—
Total, FS and DOI
5,767.6
1,781.2
7,548.8
6,524.7
6,535.3
6,467.9
670.0
Sources: CRS, with information from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and other budget documents.
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
incentivize fuel removal from federal lands. Fuel reduction
Preparedness includes the range of tasks necessary to
activities are funded within DOI’s Fuels Management
ensure readiness for wildfire response. Prior to FY2021,
activity (WFM account) and FS’s Hazardous Fuels activity
both FS and DOI used preparedness funds to maintain
(National Forest System account). FS requested moving the
baseline personnel and provide training and education;
Hazardous Fuels activity to its WFM account for FY2023;
manage infrastructure, equipment, and resources (e.g.,
H.R. 8294 and S. 4686 reflect this proposed change. FS and
aviation assets, engines, communication equipment);
DOI also receive funding through other accounts and
develop, maintain, and advance technological tools to
programs that may be used for activities related to fuel
enhance decisionmaking capacity; and prepare and execute
reduction; thus, funding provided to each agency’s
fire management plans, cooperative agreements, and
respective Fuels program does not comprehensively reflect
interagency coordination. Starting in FY2021, however,
the total funding available for these activities.
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
Suppression is the work associated with extinguishing or
within the WFM account for postfire rehabilitation, wildfire
confining a fire. Suppression appropriations are used
science and research, and facilities maintenance. For FS,
primarily for wildfire response, including funding aviation
budget line item funding is provided to other accounts for
asset operations, conducting other support functions in
wildfire assistance programs, wildfire science and research,
direct support of wildfire incidents, and funding postfire
burned area recovery, and postfire restoration activities. In
emergency stabilization activities. Baseline suppression
previous years, however, some of these activities did not
funding is provided to FS’s and DOI’s respective WFM
receive line item appropriations and were funded through
accounts, and funds provided pursuant to the wildfire
allocations and other indirect sources.
adjustment are transferred to the WFM account as needed.
Issues for Congress
Fuel Reduction
For FY2023, issues for Congress include determining the
Fuel reduction is the manipulation or removal of wildland
amount of funding for wildfire accounts and activities and
fuels (e.g., vegetation) to reduce potential wildfire risk.
the terms and conditions of such funding, as well as
Federal fuel reduction funding may be used for projects (or
whether to enact related Biden Administration proposals.
treatments) on federal lands, to provide assistance for
Katie Hoover, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
projects on nonfederal lands, or to otherwise accelerate and
IF12142
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
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