Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2022 Appropriations for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior

Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2022 Appropriations for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior

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Updated September 26, 2022
Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2022 Appropriations for
the Forest Service and the 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.
FY2022 Budget Request
Figures are adjusted to constant dol ars using the Office of
Management and Budget’s GDP Chained Price Index.
The Biden Administration requested a total of $6.072
billion in FY2022 discretionary appropriations for wildfire
Wildfire Accounts and Activities
purposes for FS and DOI (see Table 1). The request
included $3.208 billion in the agencies’ Wildland Fire
FS and DOI each have a WFM account. Within their
respective WFM accounts, both agencies receive funding
Management (WFM) accounts, $2.450 billion pursuant to
the wildfire adjustment (discussed later), and $413.8
for preparedness and suppression activities. DOI also
million in other FS accounts for wildfire purposes.
receives funding through its WFM account for fuel
reduction and other wildfire activities (e.g., site
FY2022 Enacted Appropriations
rehabilitation, assistance programs, research, facilities
maintenance). FS also receives appropriations for fuel
In total, P.L. 117-103 (Division G) provided $7.549 billion
reduction and other wildfire purposes, but most of this
in discretionary FY2022 wildfire appropriations to FS
($5.685 billion) and DOI ($1.864 billion). The combined
funding is provided through other appropriations accounts.
Another difference between the agencies is that FS has a
total included $4.091 billion in the agencies’ WFM
separate budget line item in its WFM account for salaries
accounts, $2.450 billion pursuant to the wildfire adjustment,
and expenses.
and $1.008 billion to other FS accounts for wildfire
purposes.
Starting in FY2020, FS and DOI receive additional funding
The FY2022 combined total also reflected $1.781 billion in
for suppression through the wildfire adjustment (2 U.S.C.
§901(b)(2)(F)), also known as the wildfire funding fix. This
emergency supplemental appropriations provided in two
is a budgetary mechanism that allows for an upward
laws: $450.0 million in P.L. 117-43 (Division B) for
expenses related to wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural
adjustment of the discretionary spending limits to
accommodate a specific amount of additional funding for
disasters in previous years and $1.331 billion in P.L. 117-
suppression. These additional funds essentially are exempt
58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA;P.L.
117-58 Division J), for wildfire risk reduction purposes.
from the spending limits. A precondition for using the
adjustment is that Congress must appropriate a baseline
(IIJA also provided emergency advance appropriations for
amount of funding within the limits. The baseline is equal
FY2023 through FY2026.) Without the emergency
supplemental funding for FY2022, the regular-enacted
to the 10-year suppression obligation average as reported in
FY2015 ($1.011 billion for FS and $383.7 million for DOI).
FY2022 appropriation reflected an increase of $224.9
For each of FY2020-FY2022, Congress has appropriated
million (4%) from FY2021 levels, which did not include
any supplemental appropriations.
the baseline suppression funds to the agencies’ respective
WFM accounts and appropriated the funds provided
through the wildfire adjustment to a separate account for
In addition, P.L. 117-169 (popularly known as the Inflation
Reduction Act), provided $1.8 billion to FS for hazardous
each agency, known as the Wildfire Suppression Operations
Reserve Fund. The wildfire adjustment is available annually
fuels reduction purposes. Because these funds are
through FY2027, and the maximum amount available under
considered mandatory appropriations, they are not reflected
the adjustment increases annually.
in the discretionary total reported above or in Table 1.
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Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2022 Appropriations for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior
Table 1. FS and DOI Discretionary Wildfire Appropriations ($ in millions)
FY2022
Enacted
Request H.R. 4502
S. 3034
Account
FY2021
Suppl.
Reg.
Total
FS, Total
$4,240.1
$4,631.4
$4,637.0
$4,672.6
$1,273.6
4,411.5
5,685.1
WFM, Total
1,927.2
2,097.6
2,098.6
2,097.6
552.2
2,005.1
2,557.3
WFM Salaries and Expenses
764.2
894.6
894.6
894.6
480.0
822.1
1,302.1
WFM Preparedness
152.0
192.0
192.0
192.0
—
172.0
172.0
WFM Suppression
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
—
1,011.0
1,011.0
WFM Other/Unallocated
—
—
1.0
—
72.2
—
72.2
Wildfire Adjustment
2,040.0
2,120.0
2,120.0
2,120.0
—
2,120
2,120.0
NFS Hazardous Fuels
180.4
321.4
323.4
360.0
277.8
187.4
465.2
Other
92.4
92.4
95.0
95.0
443.6
99.0
542.6
DOI, Total
$1,302.6
$1,440.4
$1,443.1
$1,455.4
$507.6
1,356.1
1,863.7
WFM, Total
992.6
1,110.4
1,113.1
1,125.4
507.6
1,026.1
1,533.7
WFM Preparedness
347.1
355.5
355.5
370.5
75.9
370.5
446.5
WFM Suppression
383.7
383.7
383.7
383.7
—
383.7
383.7
WFM Fuels Management
220.0
304.3
304.0
304.3
307.6
227.0
534.6
WFM Other/Unallocated
41.9
66.9
69.9
66.9
124.1
44.9
169.0
Wildfire Adjustment
310.0
330.0
330.0
330.0
—
330.0
330.0
Total, FS and DOI
$5,542.7
$6,071.9
$6,080.1
$6,128.0
$1,781.2
5,767.6
7,548.8
Sources: CRS, with information from P.L. 116-260, P.L. 117-43, P.L. 117-58, and P.L. 117-103, and other budget documents.
Notes: Suppl. = supplemental appropriations provided in P.L. 117-43 and P.L. 117-58; Reg. = appropriations provided in P.L. 117-103; 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).
and DOI both used preparedness funds to maintain baseline
FS and DOI also receive funding through other accounts
personnel and provide training and education; manage
and programs that may be used for activities related to fuel
infrastructure, equipment, and resources (e.g., aviation
reduction; thus, funding provided to each agency’s
assets, engines, communication equipment); develop,
respective Fuels program does not comprehensively reflect
maintain, and advance technological tools to enhance
the funding available for these activities.
decisionmaking capacity; and prepare and execute fire
management plans, cooperative agreements, and
Other Wildfire Activities
interagency coordination. Starting in FY2021, however,
FS and DOI receive appropriations for several other
many of these activities for FS are covered in the salaries
wildfire-related activities. For DOI, funding is provided
and expenses WFM budget line item.
within the WFM account for postfire rehabilitation, wildfire
Suppression
science and research, and facilities maintenance. For FS,
FY2022 budget line item funding is provided to other
Suppression is the work associated with extinguishing or
accounts for wildfire assistance programs, wildfire science
confining a fire. Suppression appropriations are used
and research, burned area recovery and postfire restoration
primarily for wildfire response, including funding aviation
activities. In previous years, however, some of these
asset operations, conducting other support functions in
activities did not receive line item appropriations and were
direct support of wildfire incidents, and funding postfire
funded through allocations and other indirect sources.
emergency stabilization activities. Baseline suppression
funding is provided to FS’s and DOI’s respective WFM
IIJA Provisions
accounts, and funds provided pursuant to the wildfire
In addition to appropriating supplemental funding, IIJA
adjustment are transferred to the WFM account as needed.
included new or amended program and funding
Fuel Reduction
authorizations for wildfire-related activities at FS and DOI.
Some provisions required the agencies to adopt reforms
Fuel reduction is the manipulation or removal of wildland
related to the wildland firefighter workforce, establish new
fuels (e.g., vegetation) to reduce potential wildfire risk.
assistance programs, and codify the Joint Fire Science
Federal fuel reduction funding may be used for projects (or
Program, among others.
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
IF11978
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Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2022 Appropriations for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior

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