Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations

Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations

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Updated February 10, 2023
Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations
The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193
Table 1, Table 2, and Figure 1). Combined, the regular
million acres of land in the National Forest System (NFS),
enacted funding and the wildfire adjustment total $7.07
conducting forestry research, and providing assistance to
billion, which reflects a decrease of $746.4 million from
state, local, private, and international forest owners. FS is
FY2022 appropriations. The regular enacted funding and
an agency within the Department of Agriculture, but it
wildfire adjustment were provided in P.L. 117-328,
receives discretionary appropriations through the Interior,
Division G.
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The
FS also receives mandatory appropriations, estimated by the
The FY2023 emergency-designated supplemental
agency at $1.25 billion for FY2023 (including transfers).
appropriations were provided in two laws (see Table 2).
First, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L.
FY2023 Appropriations
117-58, Division J) provided FS with $5.45 billion in total
Budget Request
from FY2022 through FY2026. For FY2023 (and each
fiscal year thereafter), the portion was $945.2 million in
The Biden Administration requested $8.95 billion in total
advance emergency appropriations. Second, the Disaster
FY2023 discretionary appropriations for FS (see Table 1).
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-
This amount would have been an increase of $1.13 billion
328, Division N) provided $510.0 million to several FS
(14%) from FY2022 regular enacted appropriations.
accounts for expenses related to wildfires, hurricanes, and
FY2023 Enacted Appropriations
other natural disasters in previous years and $1.55 billion to
FS for wildfire suppression purposes.
Congress appropriated $10.08 billion in total FY2023
discretionary appropriations for FS, reflecting regular
Regular FY2023 appropriations were not enacted by the
enacted funding of $4.86 billion, $2.21 billion provided
start of the fiscal year, but continuing resolutions provided
pursuant to a wildfire adjustment (see below), and $3.00
funding at the FY2022 levels until enactment of full year
billion in emergency supplemental appropriations (see
appropriations on December 29, 2022.
Table 1. Forest Service (FS) Discretionary Appropriations, by Account ($ in millions)
FY2023
Enacted
H-Passed
S- Intro.
Account
FY2022
Request
H.R. 8294
S. 4686
Reg.
Suppl.
Total
Wildland Fire Management (WFM)
$2,005.1
$2,678.7
$2,678.7
$2,604.7
$946.0
$1,582.0
$2,528.0
Wildfire Adjustment
2,120.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
—
2,210.0
Total WFM and Wildfire Adjustment
4,125.1
4,888.7
4,888.7
4,814.7
3,156.0
1,582.0
4,738.0
National Forest System (NFS)
1,866.5
2,175.9
1,997.7
1,899.7
1,974.4
739.8
2,714.2
Forest Service Operations (FSO)
1,069.1
1,112.7
1,112.7
1,112.7
1,152.7
—
1,152.7
State and Private Forestry (SPF)
315.2
307.0
332.6
323.2
337.8
453.4
791.1
Capital Improvement & Maintenance (CIM)
144.0
140.4
146.2
139.0
142.0
222.0
364.0
Forest and Rangeland Research (FRR)
296.6
317.8
360.4
302.8
307.3
4.0
311.3
Other
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
—
3.7
FY2022 Supplemental Funding
3,026.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
Total, Without Wildfire Adjustment
8,726.7
6,736.0
6,631.8
6,385.8
4,863.8
3,001.2
7,865.0
Total, with Wildfire Adjustment
10,846.7
8,946.0
8,841.8
8,595.8
7,073.8
—
10,075.0
Source: CRS, with information from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and other budget documents.
Notes: FY2022 Supplemental Funding reflects emergency appropriations provided in P.L. 117-43 and P.L. 117-58. FY2023 Reg. Enacted reflects
appropriations provided in P.L. 117-328, Division G. FY2023 Suppl. Enacted reflects emergency appropriations provided in P.L. 117-58 and P.L.
117-328, Division N. Figures reflect rescissions, cancellations, and deferrals. Totals may not add due to rounding.
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Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations
Table 2. FS FY2023 Emergency Supplemental
State and Private Forestry
Appropriations, by Account ($ in millions)
The State and Private Forestry (SPF) account funds
programs that provide assistance to nonfederal forest
Account
P.L. 117-58
P.L. 117-328
owners. Several of these programs are implemented through
WFM
$36.0
$1,546.0
state forestry agencies.
NFS
529.8
210.0
Capital Improvement and Maintenance
The Capital Improvement and Maintenance (CIM) account
SPF
305.4
148.0
funds FS efforts to provide and maintain facilities, roads,
CI&M
72.0
150.0
trails, and other infrastructure needs across the NFS. It
includes funding to address a backlog of deferred
FRR
2.0
2.0
maintenance (DM). FS receives additional funding to
Total
945.2
2,056.0
address DM through mandatory transfers from the National
Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
Sources: P.L. 117-58, Division J, and P.L. 117-328, Division N.
Forest Service Appropriation Accounts
Forest and Rangeland Research
FS has several discretionary appropriations accounts,
The Forest and Rangeland Research (FRR) account funds
discussed below in order of decreasing enacted funding.
research and development efforts to provide scientific
information and new technologies to support sustainable
Wildland Fire Management
forest and rangeland management. FRR funds the Forest
The largest share of FS appropriations generally goes to the
Inventory and Analysis program, which is a continuous
Wildland Fire Management (WFM) account. In addition to
census of U.S. forest resources.
salaries and expenses, the WFM appropriation funds two
programs: preparedness and suppression. Appropriations
Other
for preparedness are used to support efforts that assist with
“Other” includes several smaller appropriations accounts
fire prevention and detection, equipment, and training.
for the Range Betterment Fund; gifts, donations, and
Appropriations for suppression are used primarily for
bequests for research; management of national forest lands
wildfire response, which includes aviation asset operations,
for subsistence uses; and administration of communication
incident support functions, and resources for postfire
site authorizations. This category also includes funding to
analysis and recovery.
complete land acquisitions and exchanges as authorized by
specified laws, referred to as special acts.
Wildfire Adjustment/Wildfire Funding Fix
Starting in FY2020, additional funds for suppression
20 Years of Forest Service Funding
operations are available to FS (and the Department of the
FS’s discretionary funding fluctuates annually but increased
Interior) pursuant to the wildfire adjustment, a budgetary
substantially in FY2022 to its highest level to date, in part
mechanism established in P.L. 115-141 (Division O,
due to supplemental appropriations provided through the
§102(a)), commonly referred to as the wildfire funding fix.
IIJA (see Figure 1). This increased funding level may
This mechanism allows Congress to provide additional
enable FS to pursue many agency objectives, such as
funding above a specified baseline for wildfire suppression
increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration activities.
through an adjustment to the limit on total discretionary
However, it may take several years for the impacts of the
spending. The baseline is the 10-year suppression
additional funding—if any—to be measurable. This may be
obligation average, as reported in FY2015 ($1.011 billion
due to the slow pace of forest management activities
for FS). The maximum amount available pursuant to the
generally; the time needed to plan, prioritize, and deploy
adjustment is $2.210 billion for FS in FY2023 and will
funding to projects across the NFS; and other factors.
increase annually as specified in statute. The wildfire
adjustment is available annually through FY2027.
Figure 1. FS Discretionary Appropriations,
FY2004-FY2023
National Forest System
The NFS account funds activities related to the
management of national forests and grasslands. These
activities include planning, recreation, grazing, timber
production, watershed protection, wildlife management, and
law enforcement, among others.
Forest Service Operations
The Forest Service Operations (FSO) account funds certain
fixed costs and administrative expenses related to facilities
maintenance and leasing, information technology, and other

agency-wide organizational services. This account was
Source: CRS.
established in FY2021.
Notes: Figures are adjusted to constant FY2023 dol ars using the
Office of Management and Budget’s GDP Chained Price Index.
Katie Hoover, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
IF12141
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Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations

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