Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior

Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior

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Updated February 28, 2023
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-FY2023
wildfire response and management across federal lands
within their respective jurisdictions. Both FS and DOI
generally receive discretionary appropriations for wildfire
management activities through annual 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 FY1994 (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.
FY2023 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 $6.525
billion in FY2023 discretionary appropriations for FS and
Wildfire Accounts and Activities
DOI wildfire purposes (see Table 1), an increase of $757.1
FS and DOI each have a WFM account. Within their
million (13%) relative to the FY2022 regular enacted
respective WFM accounts, both agencies receive funding
appropriation (of $5.768 billion) and $1.024 billion (14%)
less than the FY2022 total enacted appropriation (of $7.549
for wildland fire preparedness and suppression activities.
DOI also receives funding through its WFM account for
billion). The request included $3.878 billion in the
agencies’
fuel reduction and other wildfire activities (e.g., site
Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts,
$2.550 billion pursuant to the wildfire adjustment, and
rehabilitation, assistance programs, research, facilities
maintenance). FS also receives appropriations for fuel
$96.4 million to other FS accounts for other wildfire
purposes.
reduction and other wildfire purposes, but most of this
funding has been provided through other appropriations
FY2023 Enacted Appropriations
accounts, including National Forest System, State and
Private Forestry, and Forest and Rangeland Research.
FS and DOI received a combined total of $7.208 billion in
FY2023 discretionary appropriations (see Table 1). The
Unlike DOI, FS has a separate budget line item in its WFM
account for salaries and expenses.
combined total consists of $5.438 billion for FS and $1.770
billion for DOI. This combined total also consists of $3.958
billion in the agencies’ WFM accounts, $2.550 billion
Since FY2020, FS and DOI have received additional
funding for suppression through the wildfire adjustment (2
pursuant to the wildfire adjustment, and $699.9 million to
U.S.C. §901(b)(2)(F)), also known as the wildfire funding
other FS accounts for other wildfire purposes. One
component of the combined total is $713.2 million for
fix, a budgetary mechanism that allows for an upward
adjustment of the discretionary spending allocations to
hazardous fuels management purposes ($309.8 million for
FS and $403.4 million for DOI).
accommodate a specific amount of additional funding for
suppression. A precondition for using the adjustment is that
Congress must appropriate a baseline amount of funding for
The FY2023 combined total reflects $4.468 billion in
suppression purposes. The baseline is equal to the 10-year
regular appropriations provided through the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, FY2023 (P.L. 117-328, Division G),
suppression obligation average as reported in FY2015
($1.011 billion for FS; $383.7 million for DOI). For each of
and $2.740 billion in emergency supplemental
FY2020-FY2023, Congress appropriated the baseline
appropriations provided through two laws: the
suppression funds to the agencies’ respective WFM
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58,
accounts and appropriated the funds provided through the
Division J) and the Disaster Relief Supplemental
Appropriations, FY2023 (P.L. 117-328, Division N).
wildfire adjustment to a separate account for each agency,
the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund. The
wildfire adjustment is available annually through FY2027,
Regular FY2023 appropriations were not enacted by the
and the maximum amount available under the adjustment
start of the fiscal year, but continuing resolutions provided
increases annually.
funding at the FY2022 levels until P.L. 117-328 was signed
into law on December 29, 2022.
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Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior
Table 1. FS and DOI Discretionary Wildfire Appropriations ($ in millions)
FY2022
FY2023
S-
Enacted
Total
H-Passed Introduced
Account
Enacted
Request
H.R. 8294
S. 4686
Regular
Supplemental
Total
FS, Total
$5,685.1
$4,985.1
$4,992.2
$4,964.7
$3,464.5
$1,973.4
$5,437.9
WFM, Total
2,557.3
2,678.7
2,678.7
2,604.7
946.0
1,582.0
2,528.0
Salaries and Expenses
1,302.1
1,154.3
1,154.3
1,154.3
914.0
—
914.0
Preparedness
172.0
192.0
192.0
192.0
32.0
—
32.0
Suppression
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
1,011.0
—
1,546.0
1,546.0
Other/Unallocated
72.2
—
—
—
—
36.0
36.0
Hazardous Fuels
—
321.4
321.4
247.4
—
—
—
Wildfire Adjustment
2,120.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
2,210.0
—
2,210.0
NFS Hazardous Fuels
465.2
—
—
—
207.0
102.8
309.8
Other
542.6
96.4
103.5
150.0
101.5
288.6
390.1
DOI, Total
1,863.7
1,539.6
1,543.1
1,503.3
1,003.8
766.6
1,770.4
WFM, Total
1,533.7
1,199.6
1,203.1
1,163.3
663.8
766.6
1,430.4
Preparedness
446.5
477.2
477.2
477.2
381.8
87.6
469.4
Suppression
383.7
383.7
383.7
383.7
—
458.7
458.7
Fuels Management
534.6
304.3
304.3
267.0
247.0
156.4
403.4
Other/Unallocated
169.0
34.5
38.0
35.5
35.0
64.0
98.9
Wildfire Adjustment
330.0
340.0
340.0
340.0
340.0
—
340.0
Total, FS and DOI
7,548.8
6,524.7
6,535.3
6,467.9
4,468.2
2,740.0
7,208.2
Sources: CRS, with information from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and other budget documents.
Notes: FY2022 Total Enacted reflects regular and supplemental appropriations provided in P.L. 117-43, P.L. 117-58, and P.L. 117-103. FY2023
Regular Enacted reflects appropriations provided in P.L. 117-328; FY2023 Supplemental Enacted reflects appropriations provided in P.L. 117-58,
and P.L. 117-328. WFM = Wildland Fire Management; NFS = National Forest System. Totals may not add due to rounding.
Preparedness
fuel reduction funding may be used for projects (or
Preparedness includes the range of tasks necessary to
treatments) on federal lands, to provide assistance for
ensure readiness for wildfire response. Prior to FY2021,
projects on nonfederal lands, or to otherwise accelerate and
both FS and DOI used preparedness funds to maintain and
incentivize fuel removal from federal lands. Fuel reduction
train baseline personnel; manage infrastructure, equipment,
activities are funded within DOI’s Fuels Management
and resources (e.g., aviation assets, engines, communication
activity (WFM account) and FS’s Hazardous Fuels activity
equipment); develop, maintain, and advance technological
(National Forest System account). FS requested to move the
tools to enhance decisionmaking capacity; and prepare and
Hazardous Fuels activity to its WFM account for FY2023;
execute fire management plans, cooperative agreements,
P.L. 117-328 did not adopt this proposed change. FS and
and interagency coordination. Starting in FY2021, many of
DOI also receive funding through other accounts and
these activities for FS are covered in the salaries and
programs that may be used for fuel reduction; thus, funding
expenses WFM budget line item.
provided to each agency’s respective Fuels program does
Suppression
not reflect the total funding available for these activities.
Suppression is the work associated with extinguishing or
Other Wildfire Activities
confining a fire. Suppression appropriations are used
FS and DOI receive appropriations for several other
primarily for wildfire response, including funding aviation
wildfire-related activities. For DOI, funding is provided
asset operations, conducting other support functions in
within the WFM account for postfire rehabilitation, wildfire
direct support of wildfire incidents, and funding postfire
science and research, and facilities maintenance. For FS,
emergency stabilization activities. In FY2023, some
budget line item funding is provided to other accounts for
suppression funding was allocated for presuppression
wildfire assistance programs, wildfire science and research,
activities. Baseline suppression funding is provided to FS’s
and DOI’s respective WFM accounts, and funds provided
burned area recovery, and postfire restoration activities. In
previous years, however, some of these activities did not
pursuant to the wildfire adjustment are transferred to the
receive line item appropriations and were funded through
WFM account as needed.
allocations and other indirect sources.
Fuel Reduction
Fuel reduction is manipulating or removing wildland fuels
Katie Hoover, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
(e.g., vegetation) to reduce potential wildfire risk. Federal
IF12142
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Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2023 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department of the Interior

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