REVISED 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Table of Contents i 

United States Forest Service 

FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Table of Contents 

 Page 

Annual Performance Report .............................................................................................. 1

Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1

Forest Service Contributions to USDA Strategic Goal ..................................... 2

Mission Statement ......................................................................................... 3

Vision and Values ......................................................................................... 3

Forest Service Performance Management Framework ................................. 3

Data Validity and Verification ...................................................................... 4

Flow of Strategic Goals, Objectives, and Strategic Performance Goals ....... 5

Strategic Goal: Sustain Our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands ........................... 5

Strategic Objective A: Foster resilient, adaptive ecosystems to 

 mitigate climate change ............................................................................. 5

Strategic Objective B: Mitigate wildfire risk ............................................... 5

Strategic Objective C: Conserve open space ............................................... 5

Strategic Goal: Deliver Benefits to the Public .................................................. 5

Strategic Objective D: Provide abundant clean water ................................. 5

Strategic Objective E: Strengthen communities .......................................... 5

Strategic Objective F: Connect people to the outdoors ............................... 5

Strategic Goal: Apply Knowledge Globally ..................................................... 5

Strategic Objective G: Advance knowledge ................................................ 5

Strategic Objective H: Transfer technology and applications ..................... 5

Strategic Objective I: Exchange natural resource expertise ........................ 5

Management Goal: Excel as a High-Performance Agency .............................. 6

Optimize Organizational Capacity .................................................................... 6

Strategic Goal: Sustain our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands ........................... 6

Strategic Objective A. Foster Healthy Ecosystems ...................................... 6

Strategic Objective B. Mitigate Wildfire Risk .............................................. 11

Strategic Objective C. Conserve Open Space ............................................... 13

Strategic Goal: Deliver Benefits to the Public ................................................... 16

Strategic Objective D: Provide abundant clean water .................................. 16

Strategic Objective E: Strengthen communities ........................................... 18

Strategic Objective F: Connect people to the outdoors ................................ 20

Strategic Goal: Apply Knowledge Globally ...................................................... 23

Strategic Objective G: Advance knowledge ................................................. 23

Strategic Objective H: Transfer technology and applications ...................... 26

Strategic Objective I: Exchange natural resource expertise ......................... 27

Management Goal: Excel as a High-Performing Agency ................................. 30

Optimize Organizational Capacity – Crosscutting Responsibilities .................. 30

External Audits and Reviews ............................................................................. 32
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Table of Contents ii 

FY 2013 Office of Inspector General (OIG) Audits on the Forest Service .. 32

FY 2014 Government Accounting Office Audits ......................................... 32

Management Challenges ............................................................................... 33

Appropriations Language Changes................................................................................... 35

Forest and Rangeland Research ........................................................................................ 57

State and Private Forestry ................................................................................................. 77

Landscape Scale Restoration ............................................................................. 80

Forest Health Management ................................................................................ 84

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands ................................................. 90

Federal Health Management - Cooperative Lands ....................................... 95

Cooperative Forestry ......................................................................................... 100

Forest Stewardship Program ......................................................................... 101

Forest Legacy Program ................................................................................. 108

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation ....................................... 114

Urban and Community Forestry ................................................................... 117

International Forestry ......................................................................................... 122

National Forest System ....................................................................................................... 125

Integrated Resource Restoration ........................................................................ 129

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration ..................................................... 138

Restoration Partnerships .................................................................................... 150

Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring ............................... 152

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness ............................................................... 160

Grazing Management ......................................................................................... 170

Minerals and Geology Management .................................................................. 175

Landownership Management ............................................................................. 184

Law Enforcement Operations ............................................................................ 193

Valles Caldera National Preserve ...................................................................... 197

Capital Improvement and Maintenance ........................................................................... 201

Facilities ............................................................................................................. 203

Roads ................................................................................................................. 211

Trails .................................................................................................................. 219

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement ................................... 224

Land Acquisition ................................................................................................................. 227

Other Appropriations ......................................................................................................... 237

Range Betterment Fund ..................................................................................... 237

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and Rangeland Research ................ 239

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses ........................... 240
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Table of Contents iii 

Wildland Fire Management ............................................................................................... 243

Preparedness ...................................................................................................... 245

Suppression ........................................................................................................ 251

Hazardous Fuels ................................................................................................. 258

Research and Development ............................................................................... 264

Joint Fire Science Program ................................................................................ 267

State Fire Assistance .......................................................................................... 269

Volunteer Fire Assistance .................................................................................. 273

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund .................................................................. 277

Permanent Appropriations ................................................................................................ 279

Brush Disposal ................................................................................................... 282

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research ................................... 284

Timber Salvage Sales ........................................................................................ 286

Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration ...................................................................... 288

Forest Botanical Products .................................................................................. 291

Stewardship Contracting .................................................................................... 293

Recreation Fees, Forest Service ......................................................................... 296

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters .................................... 302

Roads and Trails for States ................................................................................ 304

Land Between the Lakes Management .............................................................. 307

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees ............................................... 309

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Restoration ............................................... 311

Quinault Special Management Area Fund ......................................................... 313

Valles Caldera .................................................................................................... 315

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements ................................................ 318

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention .............. 320

Organizational Camps Program ......................................................................... 322

Cost Recovery (Land Uses) ............................................................................... 324

Licensee Program Smokey Bear ........................................................................ 327

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl ........................................................................ 328

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation) ............................................ 329

Conveyance of Administrative Sites ................................................................. 331

Site-Specific Lands Act ..................................................................................... 339

Payment to States ............................................................................................... 341

Payments to Communities .................................................................................................. 345

Trust Funds ......................................................................................................................... 347

Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg ........................................................ 348

Cooperative Work, Other .................................................................................. 351

Reforestation Trust Fund ................................................................................... 354

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund ................................................................. 357
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Table of Contents iv 

Special Exhibits ................................................................................................................... 359

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West ................................................................... 360

Biomass, Wood Products, and Wood Energy .................................................... 364

Chief’s Reserve Fund ........................................................................................ 369

Conservation Education ..................................................................................... 372

Cost Pool Totals (both Direct and Indirect) ....................................................... 375

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management ................................................. 384

Equal Access to Justice Act ............................................................................... 390

Facilities Maintenance Assessment ................................................................... 396

Fire Transfers ..................................................................................................... 400

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs ........................................................ 402

FY 2015 National Scenic and Historic Trails .................................................... 404

Office of General Counsel Reimbursement ....................................................... 414

Office of Tribal Relations .................................................................................. 415

Partnerships ........................................................................................................ 417

Reforestation ...................................................................................................... 431

Region, Station, and Area Allocations .............................................................. 435

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers ................................... 447

Stewardship Contracting .................................................................................... 458

Sustainable Operations ...................................................................................... 466

Unobligated Balances ........................................................................................ 470

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges .................................... 473

Wood Education and Resource Center .............................................................. 487

Working Capital Fund, Forest Service .............................................................. 490

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management .............................. 491

Forest Service Budget Authorities ..................................................................................... 493
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 1

USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 

Introduction 

The Nation’s forests are a fundamental part of our landscape, American identity, and the legacy 

we keep in trust for future generations. They provide clean air and water, recreational 

opportunities, jobs, and a host of forest products. The Forest Service plays a critical role in 

protecting and restoring America’s forests and grasslands, and making them more resilient to 

threats and disturbances. In alignment with Secretary Vilsack’s vision of an “all-lands approach” 

to conservation, the agency’s efforts in 2014 were focused on enhancing water resources, 

responding to climate change effects, community-based stewardship, jobs to support rural 

communities, and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Measuring our activities through 

performance systems and using performance results throughout the year provides the Forest 

Service the opportunity to demonstrate our achievements, identify challenges, and examine our 

strategies and methods employed by our programs. 

The last Forest Service Strategic Plan expired at the end of FY 2012, and the agency has been 

operating without a Strategic Plan since then. The new Strategic Plan, which covers FY 2015 to 

FY 2020, is in the final stages of approval with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as 

of December 2014. Because the agency did not have a Strategic Plan in 2013, we wrote last 

year’s Annual Performance Report (APR) against the expired Plan. For FY 2014, however, we 

have instead written the APR to the 2015 - 2020 Strategic Plan. 

There are two reasons to write the FY 2014 APR based on the soon-to-be-approved FY 2015 - 

FY 2020 Strategic Plan. First, it doesn’t serve the agency well to continue to look backwards. 

We are trying instead to lean into our new plan. Second, the agency is critically examining many 

of its performance measures to determine which ones are truly reflecting progress on the ground, 

and informing strategic management decisions. In the pages that follow, the agency will lay out 

several measures that are in development. While they are not yet defined, they tell a compelling 

story of how performance management is evolving within the agency to make our Nation’s 

forests and grasslands more resilient. By using the FY 2014 APR as a transition document, the 

agency will be able to establish baselines and guiding principles to start making progress under 

the FY 2015 – FY 2020 Strategic Plan. 

This chapter presents three strategic goals, one management goal, and a cross-cutting emphasis 

on optimizing organizational capacity, their objectives, and the performance measures chosen to 

represent the agency’s progress toward those goals and objectives. The Forest Service’s 

accomplishments under the new Strategic Plan continue to inform progress toward Goal #2 of 

the USDA 2014 – 2018 Strategic Plan – Ensure our national forests and private working lands 

are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water 

resources. The Forest Service Strategic Plan also indirectly supports several other USDA goals. 

For example, by providing public recreational benefits, we contribute to economic prosperity for 

rural communities and the Nation (USDA Goal 1) and promote healthy physical activity 

(Objective 4.2 in USDA Goal 4). We also work to help create a USDA for the 21st century that 

is high-performing, efficient, and adaptable (USDA Goal 5). Outlined below are the Forest 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 2

Service strategic goals and how they align to the USDA Strategic Plan. Specific performance 

measures that show the Forest Service’s contributions to USDA Goal #2 are listed on the next 

page. 

Forest Service Contributions to USDA Strategic Goal 

Performance Measure FY 2010 

Actual 

FY 2011 

Actual 

FY 2012 

Actual 

FY 2013 

Actual 

FY 2014 

Target 

FY 2014 

Actual 

2.1.2 

Percentage of public and private forest and 

grazing land with conservation or 

management applied to improve or sustain 

productivity and ecological health1

-- -- -- -- 5.4% 6.4% 

2.1.3 

Total acres of land protected from conversion 

through conservation easements and fee 

simple purchases to preserve natural resource 

quality, open space, and rural amenities 

-- 2,431,903 2,529,177 2,676,392 2,795,858 2,779,537 

2.2.1 

Percent of National Forests in compliance 

with a climate change adaptation and 

mitigation strategy 

-- 16% 36% 49% 50% 64% 

2.3.1 Percent of watersheds in properly functioning 

condition 26% 52% 52% 52% 52% 52% 

2.4.1 

Cumulative number of acres in the National 

Forest system that are in a desired condition 

relative to fire regime 

-- 59,269,943 59,468,313 59,784,485 61,047,000 60,065,020 

 

1 This is a new measure in FY 2014 and was developed during the revision of the FY 2014 – FY 2018 USDA Strategic Plan. 

Therefore, there were no accomplishments prior to FY 2014. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 3

Mission Statement 

The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the 

Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. 

Vision and Values 

As part of the USDA, the Forest Service embraces the same values as those identified in the 

USDA’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan: 

Forest Service Performance Management Framework 

To track its outputs and outcomes and to measure progress towards goals, the Forest Service has 

an established performance management framework. The Framework begins with performance 

measures established in support of the strategic plan and individual budget line items, by the 

organizational unit (Deputy Area) responsible for the program. Measures vary in their 

objectives. Some track program outputs and others inform short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes. 

Targets for these measures are set annually, during the budget process, and are issued to the 

Regions, Stations, and Area (generally referred to as the field) upon enactment of an 

Appropriations Bill or full year funding bill. Targets are set nationally for all measures in the 

Budget Justification and APR, and some measures are targeted by Region and forest. As work 

occurs on the ground throughout the year, accomplishments that support these targets are tracked 

and reported in nearly 40 databases across the agency. These databases provide reporting to the 

agency’s official data source for external reporting. Once in this database, these 

accomplishments represent the collective work of: 

• Making the Department's management processes more open so that the public can 

learn how the USDA supports Americans every day in every way. Transparency

• Providing opportunities for USDA constituents to shape and improve services 

provided by the Department. Participation

• Working cooperatively at all governmental levels domestically and internationally Collaboration on policy matters affecting a broad audience.

• Ensuring that the performance of all employees is measured against the Accountability achievement of the Department's strategic goals.

• Serving USDA's constituents by delivering programs that address their diverse Customer focus needs.

Professionalism • Building and maintaining a highly skilled, diverse, and compassionate workforce.

• Measuring performance and making management decisions to direct resources to 

where they are used most effectively. Results Orientation
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 4

 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands that contain more than 600 ranger districts, 

 nine regional offices, 

 Northeastern Area for State and Private Forestry, and 

 seven research stations including the Forest Products Laboratory and the International 

Institute for Tropical Forestry. 

The official accomplishments are reported to USDA, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 

Congress, and the public annually. They are also used by agency leadership to inform progress 

and provide accountability for results. 

Data Validity and Verification 

The Forest Service uses a number of processes and controls to ensure data quality and validity. 

In the field, managers, supervisors, and project staff are responsible for reviewing the 

completeness and quality of the data at the ranger district, national forest, and regional levels. 

The agency also requires regional-level leadership to certify that all appropriate procedures have 

been performed to ensure validity and reliability of key performance data, and to document data 

items that do not meet the standard. 

In FY 2014, the agency commenced a new, more rigorous application of data quality assurance 

and began requiring Data Quality Assurance (DQA) Plans for individual performance measures. 

A DQA Plan includes a clear articulation of the roles and responsibilities of data stewardship at 

various levels in the agency, includes the names of personnel by role, and provides training 

modules (tailored to roles) intended to align the agency’s knowledge base on data stewardship. 

By FY 2017, all measures will have a DQA Plan. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 5

Flow of Strategic Goals, Objectives, and Strategic Performance Goals 

Strategic Goal: Sustain Our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands 

Strategic Objective A: Foster resilient, adaptive ecosystems to mitigate climate change 

 By 2020, improve or sustain productivity and ecological health on public and private forest and grazing 

land. 

 By 2020, increase the proportion of acres with ecological benefit from natural ignition to 80 percent. 

 By 2020, achieve a Forest Service-wide 25 percent reduction of Greenhouse Gas Scope 1 & 2 emissions 

and a 10 percent reduction in Scope 3. 

Strategic Objective B:		Mitigate wildfire risk

 By 2020, reduce wildfire risk on the highest priority National Forest System lands by five percent. 

Strategic	Objective	C:		Conserve	open	space	

 By 2020, increase the connectivity of State and Private lands in priority areas and key NFS lands by 15 to 

25 percent from 2014, and double the retention of working forests in key landscapes identified in Forest 

Action Plans from 2014 baseline. 

Strategic Goal: Deliver Benefits to the Public 

Strategic	Objective	D:		Provide	abundant	clean	water	

 By 2020, 54 percent of national forest and grassland watersheds will be functioning properly. 

Strategic Objective E: Strengthen communities 

 The agency will continue to achieve mandatory Procurement Preference Goals annually, ensuring a 

significant portion of the agency’s contracted work is awarded to small, minority-owned, veteran-owned, or 

other disadvantaged business category. 

 Future Strategic Performance Goals.

Strategic Objective F: Connect people to the outdoors 

 By 2020, increase the percent of people engaging in meaningful outdoor experiences by six percent from 

2014.

Strategic Goal: Apply Knowledge Globally 

Strategic Objective G: Advance knowledge 

 By 2020, increase the external use of Forest Service-based knowledge products by five percent from FY 

2014 levels. 

 By 2020, refresh and modernize 50 percent of enabling IT infrastructure, including network, storage, end 

user computing, and radio, based on 2014 baseline. 

Strategic Objective H: Transfer technology and applications 

 By 2020, 90 percent of all prioritized Forest Service datasets are externally available to the public as 

downloadable files, map services, applications, or APIs. 

Strategic Objective I: Exchange natural resource expertise 

 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students graduate with job placements at or above the Department 

of Labor national average. 

 The Forest Service effectively uses agency skills and capabilities for the benefit of our U.S. and 

international partners and collaborators. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 6

Management Goal: Excel as a High-Performance Agency 

Optimize Organizational Capacity 

Strategic Goal: Sustain our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands 

The Nation’s vast forests and grasslands are essential to the ecological, physical, biological, 

economic, cultural, and social well-being of our country. Impacts from severe wildfires, insects 

and diseases, invasive species, human influences, climate change, extreme weather, and other 

visible disturbances have raised public awareness about the environment. These impacts, along 

with changing human demands, perpetually challenge our ability to ensure that ecosystems are 

healthy, resilient, and thus more adaptable to changing conditions or that they can be restored to 

a healthy state. Long-term conservation across land ownership boundaries, through collaborative 

partnerships, and knowledge transfer can enhance the natural functions of the land and can 

contribute to sustainability—the ability of forests and grasslands to produce goods and services 

that people want and need, both now and in the future. 

Strategic Objective A. Foster Healthy Ecosystems 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, improve or sustain productivity and ecological health on 

public and private forest and grazing land. 

Overview 

Millions of acres of public and private forests and grasslands are at risk due to 

uncharacteristically severe wildfires, drought, and insect and disease outbreaks. By managing to 

this strategic performance goal, the Forest Service seeks to restore and manage our forests and 

grasslands so that they are more resilient to a variety of threats, and more capable of delivering 

benefits to the American people, while sustaining forest carbon sequestration and storage 

capacity to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Benefits of resilient landscapes include 

access to clean water, air, and fish and wildlife habitat, as well as the full range of ecosystem 

services, such as carbon sequestration, safer access to recreation, and timber and biomass 

production. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 

Target Actual 

All lands 

restored/enhanced (acres) -- 4,924,904 4,424,845 4,703,857 4,581,000 4,968,161 

Grazing allotments 

administered to standard 

(acres) 

33,113,679 27,132,200 30,396,997 29,268,333 27,000,000 29,794,000 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

The agency’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program’s (CFLRP) projects continue 

to build collaborative partnerships, and increase capacity for on-the-ground project 

implementation and monitoring, as well as support local communities and their economies. The 

CFLRP uses a competitive process to select projects which foster collaborative, science-based 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 7

restoration on priority forest landscapes across the Nation. Although CFLRP is not the only 

program that contributes to this goal, the collaboratives the agency is building through this 

program are providing models for how community collaboration can help advance landscape 

restoration efforts. Although the agency has noted that project outputs will rise as projects 

mature over the 10-year lifecycle, this program has also made strides organizationally and 

culturally, by demonstrating how the agency can work with communities more effectively to 

accomplish more restoration, and get past some of the adversarial approaches and roadblocks of 

the past. 

The agency has also focused on stewardship contracts as a tool for restoration, and has been 

building capacity over the past several years to maximize the use of this tool. With permanent 

authority granted through the Agriculture Act of 2014, the agency will have increased flexibility 

to accomplish collaborative restoration work at a landscape scale. For example, the agency has 

already exhibited a shift toward stewardship contracts covering more acreage. The result of the 

shift on sustaining the Nation’s forest and grasslands means steady, sustained progress toward 

our natural resource goals while providing communities with steady jobs and economic stability. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The annual acres of public and private forests lands restored or enhanced looks at a broad suite 

of treatments and work across the landscape, including our efforts under Integrated Resource 

Restoration (IRR) to improve watershed function and resilience – a main driver of progress 

toward the stated objective. The IRR program facilitates and supports an integrated approach to 

land management that sustains, maintains, and makes landscapes more resilient, by consolidating 

multiple budget line items (BLIs) that achieve restoration objectives. The IRR pilot has provided 

increased flexibility that has allowed the field to better integrate resource programs to focus on 

high priority restoration work, address unexpected challenges, conduct larger projects, and enter 

into multi-year contracts. 

Overall, we’ve been able to increase our restoration efforts while also maintaining strong timber 

and biomass programs important to rural communities and economies. Working in a more 

integrated fashion boosted our restoration efforts, allowing the agency to lessen the threat to 

communities by reducing hazardous fuels on 1.7 million acres in the wildland urban interface, 

sustain or restore watershed conditions on 2.9 million acres, and resulted in 2.8 billion board feet 

of timber of timber volume sold—a 200 million board feet increase from FY 2013. 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, increase the proportion of acres with ecological benefit 

from natural ignition to 80 percent. 

Overview 

Wildland fire is a natural and necessary component of restoring and maintaining most of the 

ecosystems managed by the Forest Service. Fire provides critical ecosystem functions, including 

transforming dead and dying material into nutrients, controlling insect populations, creating 

habitat for wildlife, and creating conditions for the establishment of plant communities. Many 

forest and grassland plant and animal species rely on immediate post-fire and early successional 

conditions for their survival. As such, naturally-ignited fires that benefit ecosystems are an 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 8

important part of our Restoration and Hazardous Fuels programs. Wildland fires can provide 

resource benefits by reducing hazardous fuels and restoring resilience to landscapes, especially 

those ecosystems adapted to frequent fire. In addition, wildland fires can reduce the likelihood 

of high-severity fires in the future. 

Wildfires that provide resource benefits are sometimes lower cost and lower risk to personnel 

than traditional mechanical fuels treatments, or than fully suppressing the fire as quickly as 

possible. Naturally-ignited wildfires are often the most effective way to meet restoration 

objectives in remote areas like wilderness. However, this is not a tool that is used as often as it 

could be for a variety of reasons, including internal or public pressure to put wildfires out 

quickly, and landscapes with extensive fuels buildup that may burn larger and more severe than 

historically. Fire managers always assess the potential fire spread and behavior, and values 

impacted by each wildfire to decide the best strategy and tactics. With increased education and 

decision support tools, fire managers will be better equipped to identify when the conditions are 

present to manage wildfire for resources benefit. 

Our objective is to increase the proportion of beneficial acres from naturally-ignited fires in order 

to benefit resources by decreasing risk and better protecting communities, allowing fire to 

continue its natural role in ecosystems, and creating and maintaining more resilient landscapes. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Percent of acres burned 

by natural ignition with 

resource benefits 

-- -- -- -- -- 70%2

The use of natural fire for ecological restoration is dependent on natural fire activity, which is 

characteristically random. We are continuing to invest in educating fire managers and the public 

about use of this tool, and we are developing increasingly better decision support systems that 

aid agency leaders and fire managers in making informed decisions about when this tool can be 

most effectively applied. Also, as we continue to target the places where fuels treatments of all 

types will be most effective, more of the landscape will be moved into a state where fire can 

resume its natural role. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

This is a newly developed indicator where results will be most effectively assessed at the end of 

the five-year period. The purpose of this strategic performance goal and performance indicator 

is to encourage and develop more consistency in the use of this treatment tool, as well as increase 

how often it is used. Because this tool must be used opportunistically when certain conditions 

are present in a specific wildfire incident, the agency must encourage fire managers to do so 

when these conditions are present, through education and the development of better decision 

support systems. Measuring and assessing its use, and having a goal to increase the percentage 

of acres managed in this way, will help us assure we are progressing in use of this important tool 

 

2 This is a newly developed indicator that we are currently evaluating and piloting. As such, we do not have annual targets, but

established a baseline of 70% in FY 2014.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 9

in our toolbox of managing wildland fire. Increasing trends could indicate that conditions where 

fire can play a natural role are improving and that fire managers are more actively seeking out 

opportunities to manage naturally-ignited fires for resource benefits. 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, achieve a Forest Service-wide 25 percent reduction of 

Greenhouse Gas Scope 1 & 2 emissions and a 10 percent reduction in Scope 3. 

Overview 

To fulfill the agency’s obligation to present and future generations, our land stewardship mission 

must be strategically integrated with practices that reduce our consumption and overall resource 

use. Our operations and assets must become more resilient to the impacts of a changing climate 

so we can continue to provide a high level of service, while caring for the National Forest 

System lands. The direct relationship between healthy forests and our faucet water, heating 

systems, clean air, and modes of transportation has never been more apparent. Over the last 20 

years, many laws, regulations, executive orders, and the OMB scorecard reporting have 

established targets for reducing the environmental footprint of Federal agencies. 

Most recently issued is the President’s Climate Action Plan, which builds on the Presidential 

Memorandum on Federal Leadership on Energy Management, along with existing sustainability 

and efficiency mandates, including the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence and 

Security Act of 2007, and a series of Executive Orders (EO), including EO 13423 and EO 13514. 

The attention to the consumption impacts of the federal sector continues to increase, and 

reiterates the need for expanding adoption of sustainable operations practices and behaviors. 

Greenhouse gas emissions are one measure that can show progress in many more specific areas, 

such as renewable energy, reductions in petroleum consumption, and increased use of telework 

to reduce commuting emissions. The targets set under this goal are intended to be bold, and 

support activities that not only address the impacts of climate change, but increase our 

operational and asset resiliency. 

Key Performance Indicators 

They key performance indicator is the greenhouse gas (GHG) level reported by metric tons of 

carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) in the Annual GHG Report to the USDA totals reported 

for the past five years are shown below: 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target3 Actual4

Scope 1 & 2 GHG 

emissions, MT CO2e 301,993 346,508 257,521 282,628 -- 194,174 

Scope 3 GHG emissions, 

MT CO2e 166,965 29,505 103,954 91,388 -- 108,728 

Total GHG emissions, 

MT CO2e 468,958 376,013 361,475 374,016 -- 302,902 

 

3 Targets were not set in FY 2014, but will be set in out years.

4 Preliminary data as December 10, 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 10

Supporting Performance Indicators 

Sustainable Operations supports the agency’s mission in the face of a changing climate by 

connecting our land stewardship with practices that reduce the agency’s resource consumption 

and environmental footprint. Our Sustainable Operations Collective focuses on reducing on-theground consumption, piloting scalable innovations, and developing policy that is integrated, 

solution-oriented, and supported by leadership. The collective has engaged a network of 

dedicated employees who share the commitment to build resiliency into our landscape and 

communities, and to link our consumption habits to our future assets. Through a growing 

number of initiatives, the Collective has enabled integration of best practices, building capacity 

in the agency and community, and saving money and resources by implementing efficiencies in 

the areas of energy, water, fleet, and transportation, waste prevention and recycling, sustainable 

acquisition, and sustainable leadership practices. 

Under an annual program of work, a myriad of field-focused teams work to take steps towards 

footprint reduction in six areas: energy, water, waste reduction and recycling, fleet and 

transportation, sustainable acquisition, and sustainable leadership. Although many of these 

actions may not specifically map to a reduction in our GHGs at a broad agency level, they do 

support changes in behaviors and systems that can have very significant impacts once 

implemented. Each field-based team develops a list of specific outcomes annually, and these are 

mapped to the many different executive orders, laws and Presidential mandates referenced 

above. The Sustainable Operations element of our agency climate change scorecard is also a 

comprehensive measure of progress. 

A major part of the Sustainable Operations program of work is the implementation of Corporate 

Priority Action Items (CPAI). These are actions that were piloted by field-based teams and 

identified as scalable to Forest Service wide and effective in reducing consumption. For FY 

2014 and FY 2015, CPAIs are Utility Bill Cleanup, designed to help us identify our baseline 

energy consumption, and Power-IT-Down, designed to reduce office energy consumption. Both 

efforts have had phased implementation. Future CPAIs include, as examples, a no-idling policy 

for fleet vehicles, leak detection for Forest Service water systems, and recycling plans on all 

units for fire incidents. Completing identified CPAIs on all units will be a major performance 

indicator of success for Sustainable Operations. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

In addition to the field-based teams program of work, the Sustainable Operations Collective is in 

the process of developing “Cost and Consumption Reduction Plans” for each footprint area. 

These plans span the agency and are updated annually. They highlight actions that need to be 

implemented to enable greater footprint reduction activities. The four categories of activities are 

designed to: 1) provide easy access to accurate, transparent energy consumption and cost data; 2) 

increase energy cost and consumption awareness; 3) provide organizational capacity; and 4) 

implement reduction measures. 

We are currently focusing on our biggest challenge, which is incomplete and inaccurate data 

systems for all footprint areas. The mandated reductions are based on 2008 baselines, which are 

not separated out beyond the USDA department-level, so estimating the baseline is a challenge. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 11

As seen in the GHG emissions, levels reported vary with the accessibility of data systems and the 

accuracy and completeness of field reporting. In FY 2014, the change in utility payment systems 

partway through the fiscal year resulted in gross under-reporting of Scope 1 & 2 emissions, and 

in FY 2013, a subset of Scope 3 data was not reported. For that reason, numbers displayed in the 

table in the “Key Performance Indicators” section above do not tell the full and accurate story of 

the Forest Service’s GHG emission profiles, and tend to be a poor measure of effectiveness. We, 

therefore, plan to continue to pilot place-based understanding of more local GHG inventories, 

focusing on changes that are relatively simple to make to our data systems and identifying where 

we can focus on a smaller set of more accurate data to serve as an indicator of progress and 

effectiveness. We will continue to balance resources expended on fixing and upgrading data 

systems versus investing those resources into on-the-ground actions that we know substantially 

reduce GHG emissions and internalize long-lasting behavior and process change. 

Strategic Objective B. Mitigate Wildfire Risk 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, reduce wildfire risk on the highest priority National 

Forest System lands by five percent. 

Overview 

Our Fire and Aviation Management program supports the three goals of the National Cohesive 

Wildland Fire Management Strategy: fire-adapted communities, resilient landscapes, and safe, 

effective fire response. The prevention, preparedness, response and hazardous fuels programs 

work together to reduce wildfire risk. We cannot eliminate the occurrence of wildfire through 

prevention and fuel treatment programs. However, fuel treatments, along with preparedness, do 

strongly affect the ability to prepare for, absorb the effects of, respond to, and recover from 

wildfire in both natural and human communities. Fuel treatments can also be instrumental in 

reducing risk in order to increase the number of acres that burn with resource benefit. This is 

described in further detail in the above Strategic Objective A. 

Fuel treatments provide safer conditions and more strategic options for fire managers and 

firefighters. Our limited resources require agencies to prioritize areas for fuel treatment that are 

at high risk (e.g. values are high, multiple highly-valued resources and assets are present and 

susceptible, the probability of fire is high, and/or expected fire intensity is high), as well as 

where risk can effectively be mitigated (by reducing expected fire intensity). 

Although the benefit of individual fuel treatments is well-known and documented, we continue 

to focus our Hazardous Fuels program on becoming more risk-based. We are evaluating the 

nature and extent of the fuels problem in terms of risk of wildfire to key values, moving towards 

determining treatment and funding priorities based on those risks, and developing ways to 

measure accomplishment and program success in terms of risk reduction. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

National Forest System 

wildfire risk index -- -- -- -- -- 1 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 12

This is a newly developed indicator that we are currently piloting to describe the relative risk of 

wildfire to NFS lands over time. It has been tested on one Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration (CFLR) project, and we are working with fire scientists to develop a nationally 

scalable methodology. We will establish the baseline reading of the index and set the value at 

“1.” The area being evaluated by this indicator is large—the entire National Forest System 

(NFS) in the lower 48 states—so yearly fluctuations are likely to be very small. For both 

reasons, we have not identified annual targets, but have developed a target for the final year of 

the Strategic Plan, 2020. The measure would create an index of relative “fire risk” based on the 

likelihood of a large fire impacting highly valued resources. We may also be able to incorporate 

a factor for the relative importance of those resources and the expected effects that might occur if 

impacted by fire. As changes occur over time and across the landscapes, we will re-measure the 

index and determine if the overall risk has been reduced. Changes that could affect the index 

include fuel treatments, wildfire, forest management, vegetation growth, increased wildland 

urban interface, insects and disease, and increased fire-adapted communities. 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

Each fiscal year, we measure the number of acres where we treat hazardous fuels on the National 

Forest System, both outside and inside the wildland-urban interface (WUI). This helps us 

evaluate the number of acres where we are attempting to reduce risk, but does not tell us 

anything specific about the nature of the risk, either before or after the treatment. We have 

developed capability in our reporting system to spatially track accomplishments in order to better 

represent the treatment “footprint” on the landscape. This should be fully functional in FY 2017. 

The spatial representation of fuel treatments is being used by fire management personnel to 

manage wildfires more effectively and more safely. We also monitor the effectiveness of our 

fuel treatments if they are tested by a wildfire. This monitoring helps us evaluate overall 

effectiveness and drill down into design factors to improve the prescriptive details of future 

treatments. We continue to measure the Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) both before and 

after fuels treatments. The FRCC is a landscape-scale measure of how far a landscape is 

departed from its “natural” state. While this has been an effective way for us to evaluate the 

restoration outcomes our treatments are having, it is not a measure of risk. The risk index will be 

an evolution beyond the FRCC model, and will help us better articulate where we should target 

fuels treatments and where they are most effective. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

This is a newly developed indicator that we plan to continue to pilot in specific places while we 

work on a nationally scalable methodology, which could take a couple of years. In addition, 

very little change may occur on an annual basis in the risk index due to the size of the area being 

evaluated, and the amount of acres that can be treated to reduce fuels each year. As a result, 

outcomes will be most effectively assessed at the end of a five-year period. The purpose of this 

indicator is to assess landscape change over time. This can provide critical information for 

monitoring trends in risk and evaluating the performance of previous risk mitigation investments. 

Quantifying wildfire risk facilitates analysis of tradeoffs across highly valued resources and 

enables cost-effectiveness analysis as a basis for evaluating risk mitigation options. We have a 

limited capacity to do fuel treatment work, and risk assessment is one important way for 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 13

prioritizing fuel treatments. The potential scope of the fuels problem nationally is large and 

constantly changing. This strategic performance goal and associated performance goal indicator 

are one way for us to ensure we are effectively and efficiently investing resources to address it. 

Strategic Objective C. Conserve Open Space 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, increase the connectivity of State and Private lands in 

priority areas and key NFS lands by 15 to 25 percent from 2014, and double the retention of 

working forests in key landscapes identified in Forest Action Plans from 2014 baseline. 

Overview 

Open space is vital to our health, economy, and well-being. An estimated 6,000 acres of open 

space are lost each day, at a rate of 4 acres per minute. Looking ahead, research estimates that 

over the next 50 years, by 2060, U.S. forest area will decline by over 24 million acres. 

Additionally, 21 million acres of private rural lands near National Forests and Grasslands will 

experience substantial housing density increases by 2030. 

Development of open space affects our ability to manage the national forests and grasslands, as 

well as our ability to help private landowners and communities sustainably manage their land to 

maintain private and public benefits and ecosystem services. We are working towards an 

interconnected network of open space across the landscape that supports healthy ecosystems and 

a high quality of life for Americans. Fully realized, this network will include sustainably 

managed private forests and rangelands, national forests and grasslands, other public land, 

riparian areas and wildlife corridors, and urban greenspaces. Private and public open spaces will 

complement each other across the landscape to provide ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, 

recreation opportunities, and sustainable products. 

By managing to the goal of increased connectivity, we help to consolidate fragmented lands, thus 

better supporting landscape and watershed restoration efforts, habitat management, and 

recreational access for the public. Undoing checkerboard ownership often makes public lands 

accessible at a ratio of three-to-one. For every square mile of checkerboard land acquired, three 

square miles are connected. For example, it is estimated that the 144,000 acres acquired through 

a land exchange on the Lolo and Flathead National Forests in FY 2014 reconnected over 400,000 

acres, bringing dramatic efficiencies of scale for wildfire protection, wildlife and game 

management, and public access. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Annual acres of NFS 

lands acquired or 

donated

169,086 20,149 26,330 62,133 43,378 54,230

Private forest acres 

protected by the FLP 

through conservation 

easements or fee-simple 

purchases

Annual

136,960 149,911 52,999 87,927 85,000 34,715 

(2,410,512)
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 14

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Cumulative (Baseline)

Acres protected by the 

Community Forest 

Program through feesimple purchases

-- -- -- 2,000 -- 6,000

(8,000)

Acres in important 

Forest Resource Areas 

covered by active Forest 

Stewardship Plans and 

forest stand Management 

Plans

Annual

Cumulative (Baseline)

-- -- -- -- --

(14,048,726)

Acres in important 

Forest Resource Areas 

covered by Landscape 

Stewardship Plans

Annual

Cumulative (Baseline)

-- -- -- -- --

(1,774,804)

While we currently measure a number of important indicators that help us in assessing our 

progress towards the 2020 Goals for this strategic performance goal, to more robustly account 

for these specific outcomes, we are also developing new tools of measurement. We will leverage 

geospatial accomplishment data and other agencies Geographic Information System (GIS) data 

layers to more fully describe performance related to the 2020 Goals. We will evaluate methods 

for measuring relational aspects of key program features (as outlined in above table) to identify 

priority landscapes in order to demonstrate all-land conservation outcomes. We are evaluating 

potential metrics such as structural connectivity and aggregation, and will evaluate how they 

work within— and between— geographic regions. This will help us evaluate, on a landscape 

scale, the combined contributions of our agency investments, rather than evaluating them simply 

on a program-by-program basis. 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

We annually measure a number of important indicators that help us assess our progress in 

conserving open space, particularly focused on connectivity of key landscapes and retention of 

working forests. We track the number of community forests established each year, along with 

the associated acres of those forests that are protected through the Community Forest and Open 

Space program. This indicates the trends in the growth of community forests over time, and 

helps us determine whether or not interest in this relatively new program is growing. We 

currently have 12 community forests that have been established since the program inception in 

FY 2012, protecting 8,324 acres. We also evaluate the total number of application requests for 

this program to help us understand the demand, and assist us in focusing our outreach efforts 

around the program. In FY 2014, we had 29 requests for funding and were able to fund eight of 

these. 

In the Forest Legacy program, we collect data that enables us to analyze key contributions to 

connectivity in important areas. For example, we can identify the contributions of acres 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 15

protected to watershed health, especially in important landscapes like Crown of the Continent in 

Montana. We can also evaluate how much land has been protected through Forest Legacy in the 

original range of critical imperiled species, like longleaf pine. Transition zones, where one forest 

type is transitioning to another forest type, are important areas to protect because as the climate 

changes, these areas will be most resilient. We can measure where we have protected these types 

of key landscapes through the Forest Legacy program. We also look at where we are retaining 

working forests in the Forest Legacy program. We are able to evaluate key contributions of 

protected lands in places important to the forest products industry. 

In the Forest Stewardship program, we have been implementing a new approach for program 

delivery that will improve our ability to increase connectivity in priority areas identified in 

States’ Forest Action Plans, and retain more working forests, called the Landscape Stewardship 

Approach. This approach involves the developing and implementing of landscape-scale and 

community-based planning approaches where State Forest Action Plans suggest that 

opportunities exist. We accomplish this by engaging multiple owners of interconnected forest 

properties to achieve one or more forest resource management objectives, like helping us create 

economies of scale for local forest product markets. 

We also bring landscape-level resource information and management practice guidelines into 

individual Forest Stewardship Plans. In FY 2015, we will more fully institutionalize this 

approach by developing guidance to be included in the “Forest Stewardship Standards and 

Guidelines.” In the Forest Stewardship program we also recently adopted new, more 

comprehensive program performance metrics, based on the results of a study by the Family 

Forest Research Center. We plan to conduct similar studies every five years. Annually, we are 

also beginning to measure the number of private forest landowners reached through Forest 

Stewardship Program technical, planning, and educational assistance. In FY 2014, we reached 

358,961 landowners. 

The Land Acquisition program completed an historic investment on the Lolo and Flathead 

National Forests in Montana aimed at reconnecting “checkerboard” lands on those forests. This 

area of Montana contains one of the last intact ecosystems on earth for large carnivores such as 

the Grizzly Bear, and is immensely popular for outdoor recreation and hunting and fishing. The 

benefits that this enhanced connectivity gives to the Flathead and Lolo are numerous, but an 

immediate benefit is that no additional private homes will be built on those acres in the WUI, 

meaning the Forest Service will not need to protect them from wildfire (a process that can be 

costly and time consuming). In the west, 16 percent of the WUI is developed with homes. If 50 

percent of the WUI were to be developed, the cost of protecting the homes from catastrophic 

wildfires would be $4 to 5 billion[i]5. This example illustrates how connecting fragmented lands, 

especially in the WUI, provides multiple benefits: reduced cost for fire-fighting, reduced risk to 

firefighters, residents, and property, and a connected landscape to better support wildlife and 

recreation.6

 

5 Headwaters Economics. Available at: http://headwaterseconomics.org/wildfire/fire-research-summary. 6

 USDA OIG, Western Region, Audit Report, Forest Service Large Fire Suppression Costs, 7, 10, ii, Report No. 

08601-44-SF, November 2006. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 16

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The agency has long been working to connect key landscapes and retain working forests. For 

example, since its inception as a small program in only a few States in 1990, the Forest Legacy 

program investments and partners have grown significantly, resulting in the protection of over 2 

million threatened forest landscapes. Forest Stewardship plans have evolved from serving 

landowners on a “first-come, first serve” basis to focusing program delivery on a landscape scale 

that targets multi-landowner plans, and works to create economies of scale for local forest 

products markets. In 2007, we also developed an “Open Space Conservation Strategy” to 

identify how the agency can best help conserve open space, with an emphasis on partnerships 

and collaborative approaches. This effort is supported by ongoing programs across the agency 

and partnerships with other Federal agencies, as well as State agencies, conservation 

organizations, universities, and others. We offer a monthly webinar series on planning for 

growth and open space conservation. Over 2,300 natural resources managers, planners and 

others from Federal, State, and local government, as well as the private sector, enrolled. 

However, pressures from rapid urban expansion will continue to increase, and stemming the tide 

of open space loss requires working at different scales among a variety of different agency 

programs—nationally, regionally, and locally—and tailoring approaches to fit geographic 

regions. These strategic performance goals and new ways to capture outcomes will help us more 

robustly articulate success, and assist us in identifying the most effective program investments 

for the future. 

Strategic Goal: Deliver Benefits to the Public 

America’s forests and grasslands play pivotal roles in providing a wide range of benefits to the 

American people. Land management that is sustainable enables forests and grasslands to 

continue producing goods and services to meet multiple public demands, thereby contributing to 

human health, prosperity, and quality of life for local communities and for the Nation as a whole. 

The people we serve benefit from healthy, resilient forests and grasslands in various ways. 

These lands provide recreational settings and opportunities; cultural and heritage resources; 

scenery; resources such as clean air and water, minerals, fish, wildlife, livestock forage, 

firewood, and various sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy; corridors for 

communication and energy transmission; and many other ecosystem services and benefits. 

These benefits generate billions of dollars contributed to the national economy, underpinning 

local economies in many rural areas and enhancing the quality of life and sense of place for 

people in many communities. 

Strategic Objective D: Provide abundant clean water 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, 54 percent of national forest and grassland watersheds 

will be functioning properly. 

Overview 

Along with a wide array of ecological and community benefits, healthy forests play a critical role 

in protecting access to abundant clean water for drinking and other purposes. A properly 

functioning watershed is essential to providing a host of benefits including purified water, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 17

sustained surface water and groundwater flow, and maintaining fish and wildlife habitat. This 

strategic performance goal relies on the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF) as a foundation 

and guide for consistent identification of factors limiting a watershed’s condition, for 

determining the overall condition of a watershed, and for identifying those priority watersheds on 

which to focus restoration efforts. The annual results associated with this measure is reflective 

not only of work implemented within a given year, but represents the culmination of integrated, 

watershed-based work that started with implementation of the WCF, and the development of 

associated watershed restoration action plans. By managing to this goal, the Forest Service seeks 

to ensure abundant, clean and reliable sources of freshwater. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Number of watersheds 

moved to an improved 

condition class 

-- 4 9 12 15 10 

Acres treated annually to 

sustain or restore 

watershed function and 

resilience 

-- 2,624,016 2,569,617 2,533,121 2,700,000 2,906,018 

Miles of stream habitat 

restored or enhanced 3,577 3,878 3,704 4,168 3,262 3,488 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

Road decommissioning makes important contributions to our portfolio of restoration efforts by 

reducing the environmental impact of our transportation systems. Road decommissioning 

activities include restoring lands occupied by roads to a more natural state. In FY 2014, the 

agency decommissioned 1,415 miles of roads, which directly affects water quality. The agency 

targets roads that are no longer needed, including unauthorized roads that are not part of our 

transportation system. Other important work accomplished that improved water quality included 

maintaining or improving 2,296 miles of roads, and maintaining or improving 462 miles of trails 

with IRR and Legacy Roads and Trails funding. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The agency finished the year with 52.3 percent of watersheds in properly functioning condition, 

slightly higher than in FY 2013. The IRR pilot regions again led the way moving watersheds to 

an improved condition class, achieving 60 percent of the total agency result and, over the period 

of FY 2012-FY 2014, we improved the condition of a total of 30 watersheds. As an outcome 

measure, the annual result is not only reflective of work implemented this year, but represents 

the culmination of integrated, watershed-based work that started with the development of 

watershed restoration action plans. As we progress in our experience with the WCF, we are 

seeing that some watershed plans may need 5-10 years to complete all the restoration actions 

required instead of the 3-5 years originally envisioned, due to complexity and/or expense. 

Disturbances on the landscape, in particular uncharacteristically severe wildfires, are a 

continuing challenge that affects watershed health and function. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 18

Strong performance across all regions drove our results for acres treated annually to sustain or 

restore watershed function and resilience. Pursuing the goal of accelerating restoration, the 

agency achieved nearly a 15 percent increase in acres treated over FY 2013 results. This 

measure is important because, as a composite of a number of activities across the landscape, it 

reflects restoration progress throughout the agency, not just on movement toward completing 

specific watershed restoration actions plans. By pursuing various large-scale strategies to 

enhance the pace and scale of restoration, the agency was able to exceed our restoration goals for 

FY 2014. Along with the CFLRP initiative and the IRR budgeting pilot, the agency is finalizing 

and implementing the 2012 Planning Rule, which focuses on restoration and collaboration. 

Integrated work in the IRR regions and a sustained focus on restoration work across the Forest 

Service contributed to this result. 

Stream restoration work directly affects habitat for threatened, endangered, and sensitive aquatic 

species, as well as habitat for native fishes with commercial and non-commercial value, and for 

desired non-native species important to recreational fishing. For the second year in a row, we 

exceeded our goal, taking advantage of integrated planning and the effective use of partnerships. 

The cumulative accomplishments associated with this measure are a critical component of our 

threatened, endangered, and sensitive aquatic species restoration. 

Strategic Objective E: Strengthen communities 

Strategic Performance Goal: The agency will continue to achieve mandatory Procurement 

Preference Goals annually, ensuring a significant portion of the agency’s contracted work is 

awarded to small, minority-owned, veteran-owned, or other disadvantaged business category. 

Overview 

With over $1.2 Billion expended on contracts annually, the Forest Service has a responsibility to 

foster growth in the small businesses that strengthen communities and assist the agency in 

delivering on its mission. This is accomplished by setting aside contract actions for small 

business concerns.7 Contracting with small businesses results in a strong economy, job creation, 

and a greater partnership between the agency and the communities surrounding our national 

forests and grasslands. Therefore, the Forest Service adopts procurement preference goals that 

are higher than those mandated by the USDA. The table in the section below contains the Forest 

Service preference goals for FY 2014. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator (Prime Contracting 

– Business Type) FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Small Business 80.1% 82.4% 82.1% 80.6% 70.0% 84.1% 

Small Disadvantaged Business 25.5% 23.1% 20.9% 16.3% 15.0% 19.2% 

Woman-Owned Business 12.6% 12.8% 13.3% 15.9% 7.0% 17.9% 

Historically Underutilized 

Business Zone 22.3% 13.9% 10.0% 10.3% 10.0% 9.4% 

 

7 A small business concern is “one that is independently owned and operated, is organized for profit, and is not dominant in its 

field.” “What Is SBA’s Definition of a Small Business Concern?” U.S. Small Business Administration, N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 

2014.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 19

Indicator (Prime Contracting 

– Business Type) FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Service-Disabled VeteranOwned Small Business 5.2% 2.8% 3.9% 2.8% 3.0% 3.4% 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

Procurement preference goal achievement is the primary indicator of the agency’s success in 

awarding as many contract actions to small business concerns as possible. Other non-measurable 

indicators include increased awareness by small business opportunities to contract with the 

government, achieved through agency participation in national and local small business events, 

and increased use of electronic government to share contracting opportunities with a wider 

audience. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The Forest Service has been—and remains committed to—strengthening communities through 

contracting with small businesses. Few agencies governed by the Small Business Administration 

procurement preference program have small business goals as high as those of USDA, and none 

of the Cabinet-level agencies have goals as high as those of the Forest Service. Not only has the 

Forest Service routinely met most goals, it has generally exceeded them. As an example, the 

small business goal for USDA is 52 percent, and for the Forest Service it is 70 percent, but the 

agency was able to award 84 percent of its funds to small business concerns in FY 2014. The 

Forest Service will continue to seek support from small business concerns first, and strive to 

strengthen communities through these actions. 

Future Strategic Performance Goals 

The Forest Service helps strengthen communities in many ways other than through achieving 

Procurement Preference Goals. Rural forests and urban trees provide ecological, economic, and 

social benefits to communities of all size. As an example, in FY 2012 the agency estimated that 

the monetary value from recreation for all goods and services adds slightly more than $13 billion 

to the gross domestic product (GDP), and sustains about 190,000 full- and part-time jobs. And 

in FY 2011, all Forest Service activities combined contributed to nearly 450,000 jobs 

nationwide, mostly to rural communities near the national forests and grasslands. The agency 

also convenes partnerships and collaboratives between State and local governments, academic 

institutions, and the private sector, helping strengthen the relationships between many groups in 

a community around natural resources; thereby reinforcing community bonds and fostering 

shared community prosperity. 

While the Forest Service undoubtedly has a great impact on strengthening communities across 

the Nation, the agency is still developing the measure we will ultimately use to evaluate progress 

towards this strategic objective of our FY 2015 – FY 2020 Strategic Plan. We will continue to 

refine potential measures of success until we identify which set will best reflect outcome-based 

progress toward strengthening communities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 20

Strategic Objective F: Connect people to the outdoors 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, increase the percent of people engaging in meaningful 

outdoor experiences by 6 percent from 2014. 

Overview 

Our Nation's rich history reveals the vital role the outdoors has played in defining who we are as 

a people, and as a country. From lakes and rivers to forests and mountains, the outdoors has 

served not only as a place for Americans to create lasting memories, but also as a conduit for 

economic growth and job development. For example, the outdoor industry currently supports 6.1 

million American jobs and $646 billion in outdoor recreation spending each year. However, 

Americans today, and especially children, have become increasingly disconnected from nature, a 

serious threat facing Americans and the great outdoors. Research has shown that childhood 

activities in natural environments have a significant, positive association with adult 

environmental attitudes and behaviors. 

But, today’s more urbanized youth spend 50 percent less time in natural areas than they did 20 

years ago. Additionally, a shift toward a sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to the decline 

in children's health. Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have tripled. Spending 

time in nature benefits physical and mental health, academic performance, and overall quality of 

life. For example, opportunities for youth to engage with nature has been shown to improve 

advanced motor fitness, increase the ability to concentrate for children diagnosed with Attention 

Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and enhance powers of observation and creativity. 

The single biggest predictor of environmental stewardship in adults is meaningful childhood 

experience in nature. Our goal is to help re-create a Nation of citizen stewards committed to 

restoring forest health—from backcountry areas to shaded urban neighborhoods, parks, and 

greenways—to ensure that our Nation’s public and private forests remain relevant to, and are 

sustained in, future generations. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

Number of visits where 

people are satisfied with 

NFS facilities, services, 

and settings 

162,390,100 160,313,500 155,440,300 151,210,400 -- 143,727,700 

Number of people who 

annually participate in 

Forest Service 

environmental literacy 

programs and activities 

5,244,401 5,183,467 6,878,710 4,562,348 4,200,000 6,808,901 

Number of volunteers and 

service participants caring 

for the land and serving 

people. 

98,284 96,575 107,797 103,159 -- --8

 

8

 Volunteer numbers will be updated by the program in January 2015. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 21

While we currently measure a number of important indicators that help us in assessing our 

progress towards the 2020 Goal, we are working to develop methods to better assess meaningful 

connections to ensure that citizens are being engaged in ways that will be sustainable into the 

future. We have just updated the national database we use to record and track educational 

activities. This updated version of the NatureWatch, Interpretation, and Conservation Education 

(NICE) database provides easier reporting with a straight-forward, user-friendly interface, much 

improved date management through many different input fields, and expanded reporting 

possibilities as a result of the use of detailed drop down menus and specific reporting. This 

work, and other investments in obtaining more data about people using National Forest System 

(NFS) lands, and participating in environmental education programs supported by the Forest 

Service, will help us better articulate our progress towards this 2020 Goal. 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

We have long offered high-quality interpretative experiences on NFS lands, through everything 

from informative displays at trailhead lodges to ranger-led hikes to community service days. We 

know from the work of the Federal Interagency Council on Recreation that over 160 million 

visitors recreated on NFS lands in FY 2012. We’ve estimated that recreation contributed more 

than $13 billion and 190,000 jobs to local economies in FY 2012. 

We also have one of the longest-running and most recognizable public service campaigns in 

Smokey Bear. His messages about campfire safety and forest fires are recognized and 

remembered by generations of children and adults around the world. We have also long been in 

urban classrooms with Woodsy Owl’s famous “give a hoot, don’t pollute and “Lend a Hand, 

Care for the Land” messages. Since 2009, we have partnered with The Ad Council on the 

Discover the Forest campaign to reach today’s youth with new social media tools and popular 

cultural characters like Shrek and the Lorax. 

Recognition of the website “DiscoverTheForest.org” is 13 percent, significantly higher than the 

benchmark level of three percent in 2011. One-quarter of respondents (26 percent) recognize the 

“Unplug” outdoor ads, significantly increasing from 2013 (19 percent). The Facebook page has 

114,000 likes, Twitter has 8,420 followers, Instagram has 260 followers, and YouTube has had 

70,000 views. In FY 2014, we also engaged youth in employment opportunities on the National 

Forests and Grasslands in higher numbers than anticipated, exceeding our 2013 engagement 

numbers by 30 percent. 

The Forest Service’s system of trails is vital for connecting people with each other, their 

community, their heritage, and their public lands. Investment in trails creates safe, sustainable 

public access to NFS land. We rely heavily on volunteers to help carry out a sustainable 

recreation and trails program. Nearly 40 percent of the trails program accomplishments result 

directly from work completed with public-private partnerships. In FY 2014, we began to 

develop the “Chief’s Strategy for Trails” as a follow-up to the 2013 GAO Trails Maintenance 

Report. We have developed a baseline assessment and tool to track how we are narrowing the 

gap for trails maintenance, and to help us identify trail maintenance accomplishments. We are 

also beginning to incorporate trails information into the new Interactive Visitor Use Map. This 

new map will provide visitors with information on the wide variety of recreational opportunities 

available on NFS lands. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 22

The 21st Century Service Corp (21CSC) partnership provides an enormous return on investment, 

allowing us to address critical conservation restoration needs and simultaneously have a deep 

and lasting impact on the people who participate, thereby building the next generation of natural 

resource professionals. In FY 2014, we exceeded our 2013 engagement numbers by 30 percent, 

achieved a 30 percent increase in Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) participation to 1,400 youth, 

and orchestrated growth in the 21CSC organization, recognizing and approving 152 partner 

organizations, exceeding our own USDA goal. 

In FY 2014, we also implemented several projects in support of goals to expand and support 

accessible recreation opportunities and information for the public. This included an updated 

Forest Service accessibility guidebook for outfitters and guides, guidelines to support more 

inclusive recreation opportunities, and providing online and in-person accessibility training to 

more than 2,300 Forest Service employees and partners.

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

We have undertaken a focused effort in recent years to better connect citizens, especially youth, 

to the national forests and grasslands, and their natural heritage nationwide. The President’s 

America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, launched in 2011, solidified an action plan to 

achieve lasting conservation of the outdoor spaces that power our nation’s economy, shape our 

culture, and build our outdoor traditions. Three Forest Service-supported programs are among 

the total of eight programs selected as AGO Model Educational Programs: A Forest for Every 

Classroom, Children and Nature, and Hands on the Land. These programs exemplify best 

practices to inspire new and existing partners to increase young people’s access to the outdoors 

through replicable and scalable program models. The public and private sectors are able to 

maximize their resources when they build on each other’s strengths to achieve shared goals—

here, to reconnect Americans to their natural and cultural heritage. 

We are also working with our Federal partners to help empower local communities to 

accomplish their conservation and recreation priorities, and strengthen a 21st century 

conservation ethic that builds on local ideas and solutions for environmental stewardship, and 

connects Americans to our historic, cultural, and natural heritage. We have expanded our 

commitment to creating green jobs, including through expanding our participation in the Youth 

Conservation Corps and 21st Century Conservation Corps, as part of this Initiative. We are more 

focused than ever on both our urban and rural youth, especially through our Discover the Forest

program to promote outdoor experiences and recreation among youth. 

However, in this increasingly urbanized and technology-focused world, we need to work harder 

to connect citizens to the outdoors and meet them where they are—in communities, in schools, 

and through new media. Forest Service outreach programs that constructively use new media, 

including Discover the Forest, a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign in partnership 

with the Ad Council based on TV, radio, and outdoor messaging and with a strong social media 

component on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, that encourages parents and families 

to go outdoors and discover the forest. This program also includes a Spanish language 

component, a climate change education program, Climate Change LIVE—completely based on 

internet outreach, and a series of special outreach PSAs in Spanish to reach America’s Latino 

population with information and resources about the natural environment. These are 21st
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 23

Century challenges, and this strategic performance goal and performance goal indicator will help 

us ensure we are most effectively developing tools to meet that challenge to ensure the Nation’s 

forests and grasslands are sustained into the future. 

Strategic Goal: Apply Knowledge Globally 

Through intellectual inquiry and knowledge transfer, the Forest Service provides land managers 

and others with better information, applications, and tools for improved resource management 

and decision making. We are constantly improving our knowledge of complex environmental 

processes, biological and physical conditions, resource uses, human and social dimensions, the 

economic value of the resources we manage, and the interconnections among all these elements. 

Today, knowledge from so many disciplines and issues is interconnected, both within and 

outside the Forest Service. To benefit from global knowledge, we continually interact—and 

share what we know—with partners worldwide. The transfer of knowledge, technology, and 

applications will help the global natural resource community make better management decisions 

in our collective effort to care for all lands and deliver sustainable benefits to people. 

Strategic Objective G: Advance knowledge 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, increase the external use of Forest Service-based 

knowledge products by 5 percent from FY 2014 levels. 

Overview 

The Forest Service provides land managers and others with information, applications, and tools 

for improved resource management and decision-making. Scientific research helps advance 

knowledge about complex environmental processes, biological and physical conditions, resource 

uses, human and social dimension, the economic value of natural resources, and the 

interconnections among these elements. From natural resource management to long-term 

strategic policy development, all of our efforts to sustain forest and grasslands now and into the 

future depend on new knowledge, information, and applications. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

FIA – percent of States 

with FIA data available 94% 96% 92% 96% 96% 98% 

The Forest Indicator and Analysis (FIA) indicator measures the thoroughness with which the 

Nation’s resources are quantified. The FIA program inventories the status and trends in tree 

species, size, and health; forest area and location; tree growth, mortality, and removal by harvest; 

wood production and utilization; and forest land ownership. The FIA assessments extend to the 

trust territories and Puerto Rico and include reports on changes in carbon budgets and forest 

health. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 24

Supporting Performance Indicators 

In order for external partners and organizations to confidently use Forest Service-based 

knowledge products, the agency must produce consistently high-quality products. Refereed 

publications, including both formally refereed and informally refereed publications are a measure 

of the publications that have been published after undergoing either a formal or informal peer 

review to ensure quality and relevance, and are supporting performance indicators. During FY 

2014, Forest Service research scientists’ published 2,083 documents that passed the peer review 

evaluation for quality and relevance. 

Wildland fire and fuels research provides the knowledge and tools needed to help reduce the 

negative impacts—and enhance the beneficial effects of—fire and fuels on society and the 

environment, while protecting lives and property. The fire science indices measure the rate at 

which Forest Service scientists publish peer reviewed products on fire science, and serve as an 

index of the progress toward advancing knowledge in fire science. 

Fire and aviation management is an integral partner with the wildland fire and fuels Research 

and Development program, and actively supports alignment of research, development, and 

application strategies and products with national outcomes focused on resilient landscapes, 

human communities, and safe and effective wildfire response. Examples include development of 

new safety zone guidelines for firefighters, implementing regional risk assessments in the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, and ensuring science-based wildland 

fire management through two research, development, and application centers and the National 

Center for Decision Support. Results of this partnership are included in the 2014 Wildland Fire 

Management Annual Report. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

National, State, and local policy makers, universities, businesses, Tribal governments, national 

forests and grasslands, other natural resource agencies, interest groups, and many others depend 

on models, information and data for timely, scientific credible assessments about U.S. forests. 

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is an important component of the Forest 

Service, and it has been the Nation’s forest census since 1930. This program collects, analyzes, 

and reports on the status and trends of America’s forests, such as how much forest exists, where 

it exists, who owns it, and how it is changing. There are many benefits derived from FIA 

information, including supporting planning and ecosystem management practices, monitoring 

forest health, providing the basis for decision-making activities undertaken by public and private 

enterprises, and anticipating climate change impacts to forests. Forest Service management 

continues to support the creation of better tools for making the FIA data easier to access, and to 

help the public get what they need from the databases. For example, the Forest Service created 

an online tool called “EVALIDator” that summarizes inventory data on the FIA website, and is 

accessible to the public. In FY 2014, the number of states that had current and accessible FIA 

data exceeded the target by one State. 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, refresh and modernize 50 percent of enabling IT 

infrastructure, including network, storage, end user computing, and radio, based on 2014 

baseline. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 25

Overview 

The Forest Service enables IT infrastructure by providing all of the necessary tools to support 

Forest Service business. This includes the Wide Area Network that enables all FS offices to 

communicate via email and instant communication. This Wide Area Network provides for 

connectivity to the internet and allows for communication with the public and cooperators. 

Other parts of the infrastructure include managing the largest non-Department of Defense, 

government-wide radio backbone which is crucial to field-going personnel for communication 

and safe operations. Additional infrastructure supporting Forest Service operations are end user 

computing devices. The Forest Service has an inventory of 38,000 PCs that range from low end 

laptops to tablets to high end computers supporting scientists and GIS applications. By 

providing the connectivity and the tools, we advance knowledge in the Forest Service and the 

public by enabling the communication necessary to share data and ideas, and go into the field 

and research the necessary sciences to maintain our forests. 

The refreshing/modernization of the infrastructure allows the Forest Service to effectively share 

ideas around the world on how to protect the natural resources in our forests. Additionally, it 

allows the Forest Service to enhance its capabilities as it communicates with the public and 

improves on how we allow for change. The Forest Service is a key player in the study of global 

warming and has a vital role in protecting the nation’s watersheds. If the infrastructure is not 

modernized and kept up with the changing world the Forest Service could lose the ability to be a 

key innovator and collaborator in solving problems related to maintaining forests. Gathering 

data, protecting the forests, and communicating and sharing ideas are a key cornerstone of the 

Forest Service. A failing infrastructure will endanger our staffs and forest visitors, and hamper 

our ability to solve not only local issues but worldwide issues. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Baseline 

Computers -- -- -- -- -- 38,000 

Network Routers/Switches -- -- -- -- -- 4279 

Radio Handhelds -- -- -- -- -- 38,000 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has established several programs to support the enabling of 

the infrastructure. We have dedicated staffs to support the radio, network, and end user 

computing programs; reduced the number of assets across the Forest Service to build a rightsized 

inventory to ensure the funds available are maximized; established a mobile computing group to 

evaluate new technologies at a lower cost and to improve our ability to capture and share data; 

and, established teams to evaluate funding alternatives to allow for growth of the infrastructure 

and ensure we are implementing technology that enhances the Forest Service ability to meet its 

mission. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 26

Strategic Objective H: Transfer technology and applications 

Strategic Performance Goal: By 2020, 90 percent of all prioritized Forest Service datasets are 

externally available to the public as downloadable files, map services, applications, or APIs. 

Overview 

The Forest Service has made significant strides addressing the ‘transferring technology’ 

objective by making datasets available as part of its commitment to OMB’s Open Data Policy. 

CIO will work with the Deputy Area Resource Information Managers (RIMs), business area 

managers, and Information Management governance groups to inventory datasets managed by all 

Forest Service program areas, and to prioritize the datasets most useful to other organizations 

and the public. The appropriate formats for distribution: data download, map services, 

Application Program Interfaces, or applications, will be identified for each dataset. As we 

mature, we plan to make more customer-facing applications (e.g. mobile apps) and APIs 

available. 

Key Performance Indicators 

The key performance indicators for this goal are the number of datasets available in each format 

and the number registered with Data.Gov, increasing the ability of interested organizations to 

find the datasets. 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Baseline 

Datasets Publically 

Available -- -- -- -- -- 112 

Datasets Registered with 

Data.Gov -- -- -- -- -- 0 

Map Services Publically 

Available -- -- -- -- -- 64 

Map Services Registered 

with Data.Gov -- -- -- -- -- 58 

API Publically Available -- -- -- -- -- 64 

API Registered with 

Data.Gov -- -- -- -- -- 0 

Applications Publically 

Available -- -- -- -- -- 1 

Applications Registered 

with Data.Gov -- -- -- -- -- 1 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The Forest Service CIO will continue to maintain the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) as a 

repository for datasets; maintain map and web servers to publish map services and other APIs; 

and maintain an external web site for hosting datasets being made available to the public as 

downloadable files. This infrastructure will be evaluated and priorities developed for 

strengthening it as demands increase and our service delivery matures. Currently, we have a 

multitude of sites from which FS data are disseminated, but have no agency-wide view or 

summary, nor information on the data quality of most sites. Work beginning in FY 2015 will 

identify these multiple sources and provide needed IM governance. The Forest Service will also 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 27

address a number of management challenges including: 1) having sufficient resources to collect, 

edit, and QC the data; and 2) having sufficient support resources for governance and 

dissemination. 

Strategic Objective I: Exchange natural resource expertise 

Strategic Performance Goal: Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students graduate with 

job placements at or above the Department of Labor national average. 

Overview 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) contracts with the Forest Service to operate 28 Job Corps 

Civilian Conservation Centers (JCCCC). These centers span 22 national forests and grasslands 

in 18 States, with a capacity to educate and train over 6,000 enrollees. The DOL provides 

oversight and funding to the Job Corps Program, which is a free federal career technical training 

and education program for income-eligible young adults age 16 through 24. The goal of Job 

Corps is to teach job and social skills to disadvantaged young adults to help them obtain 

education and training, find good-paying jobs, and become independent. The program includes 

housing, food, basic health care, and living allowances. In addition, students are provided 

transition counseling, job search assistance and referrals, and follow-up services after they 

graduate. The maximum duration in the Job Corps program is two years, averaging eight to 

twelve months. 

The Forest Service has operated JCCCCs since 1964. The JCCCC have an entwined history 

related to conservation and serving rural America. Integrated with the Forest Service, Job Corps 

advances the legacy of public land conservation, creates opportunities to connect youth with 

nature, and provides training and employment opportunities that support economic development 

for individuals and local communities. The JCCCCs have a rich history of employment training 

that supports Forest Service needs, including wildland firefighting and hazardous fuels reduction, 

watershed protection, recreation, forestry, and facilities maintenance. Today, JCCCCs are 

continuing the tradition of protecting Americans’ natural heritage, and providing programs of 

work-based learning to conserve, develop, manage, and enhance public lands. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Indicator FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 

FY 2014 

Target Actual 

JCCCC Percent Placement 

Rate -- 81% 82% 82% 90% 87% 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

The JCCCC students volunteer their time as part of their training programs, thereby giving 

students the opportunity to exchange and apply what they are learning in the classroom. In FY 

2014, over 1,600 JCCCC students volunteered on community or public lands projects. 

The JCCCC students also contribute to National wildfire suppression efforts by providing camp 

crews and Type II fire crews, composed of students who have earned certification as wildland 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 28

firefighters. As of May 2014, 846 Job Corps students were certified, 486 students had been 

deployed on fire crews, and 360 students had been deployed on camp crews. The Schenck Job 

Corps Advanced Fire program maintains a standing initial attack (IA) crew. The education and 

skills this cadre develops in their Job Corps program is supplemented and exchanged with their 

experience in wildland firefighting, a discipline that relies on the exchange of natural resource 

expertise across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. 

Aside from placing graduates in land management agencies, Job Corps supported the exchange 

of natural resource expertise through the 2,400 volunteer students who participated and 

contributed to public lands projects and fire incidents. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

One of the main JCCCC goals in FY 2014 was that students would graduate with job placements 

at—or above—the DOL national average. In order to achieve this going forward, we intend to 

use the Public Lands Corps (PLC) and Pathways authorities to increase the placement rates of 

Job Corps graduates within the USDA or the Interior. By placing Forest Service Job Corps 

graduates in land management agencies within DOI, the agency is fostering cross-Department 

knowledge and experience in natural resource management. As part of the process to increase 

the job placement rates, we have identified—and are implementing—a priority hiring emphasis 

in the disciplines of fire, recreation management, wilderness management, and engineering. 

Consequently, use of these programs will provide increased placement for students in Federal 

land management agencies, who will be well-poised to exchange their knowledge and experience 

in natural resource management across Departments and agencies.

Strategic Performance Goal: The Forest Service effectively uses agency skills and capabilities 

for the benefit of our U.S. and international partners and collaborators. 

Overview 

The Forest Service has developed expertise in many disciplines that support natural resource 

management, including research and technology, the treatment of invasive species, vehicle 

safety, and road construction. While these skills greatly contribute to the agency’s mission, it is 

also necessary for the Forest Service—being a collaborative partner organization—to share them 

with other organizations which can benefit from our knowledge. Below are several highlights 

for FY 2014 from the agency’s International Programs office and the two Technology and 

Development (T&D) centers. 

Key Performance Indicators 

Key performance measures will be developed beginning in FY 2015. Until those are developed, 

the narrative will focus on supporting performance indicators that highlight important 

programmatic activities that benefit our partners and collaborators. 

Supporting Performance Indicators 

The Forest Service works to protect the U.S. economy from the damage that invasive species 

inflict on our forests. We have facilitated partnerships to identify and use biological control 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 29

agents for invasive forest pests, which are more effective and economical than traditional 

methods. One partnership addresses one of the most destructive invasive forest pests, the 

emerald ash borer (EAB). The work focuses on researching why the borer is so resilient and 

pervasive so that land managers can predict and prevent potential future outbreaks by related 

wood boring beetles. The agency has been working to find natural enemies of EAB in its native 

range. Two locations with different forest types were selected in China, and specimens of key 

natural enemies, primarily egg and larval parasitoids, were collected and evaluated for their 

potential use in biological control programs. The work resulted in breakthroughs from 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who found three natural enemies of the EAB. 

The Forest Service produced a DVD to help train agency employees how to avoid vehicle 

collisions with wildlife, such as deer. The DVD explains how a deer’s vision affects how it 

reacts to an approaching vehicle, the best actions to take to reduce the risk of a vehicle collision 

with a deer, and actions to take if a collision with a deer is imminent. Wildlife-vehicle collisions 

are a serious threat to Forest Service employees, there is a human fatality once in every 3,000 

wildlife-vehicle collisions. This DVD has been awarded a TELLY award in both Wildlife and 

Safety categories. TELLY awards are a national competition for local, regional, and cable TV 

video production. The agency distributed this DVD to all Forest Service units, other federal land 

management agencies, and State agencies. Just this year, schools and conservation organizations 

have requested hundreds of copies of the DVD. 

The Forest Service published a report about reclaimed materials and their applications in road 

construction—specifically providing information on how to use crushed concrete and recycled 

asphalt for road construction and maintenance. Federal land management agencies manage 

hundreds of thousands of miles of low-volume roads. Using recycled crushed concrete and 

asphalt is cost-efficient and improves sustainability. This project developed an easy-to-use 

toolbox that provides road managers with methods to use these recycled materials to improve the 

durability of low-volume roads. 

In addition to distributing copies of this report through the Federal land management agencies, 

the Forest Service distributed copies to every State Transportation Department’s technology 

transfer office so they can make it available to county road agencies. Counties also manage 

hundreds of thousands of miles of low-volume roads that have similar needs for cost effective 

road construction and maintenance techniques. 

Strategic Objective Progress Update 

The Forest Service will continue to work internally and with external partners to share 

knowledge, technology, and tools across jurisdictional and cultural boundaries. Through 

collaboration and effective communication, land managers will help make forests and grasslands 

become more resilient to a changing climate, discover more effective tools for natural resource 

stewardship, manage projects across broad landscapes, and better collaborate with the public. By 

linking the skills of our field-based staff and policy experts with partners across the Nation and 

globally, we will address the most critical land and resource management issues and concerns. 

By continuing to invest in programs that facilitate the exchange of natural resource expertise, the 

agency not only provides needed expertise and knowledge to other organizations, but also 

reinforces the model of collaborative management of natural resources. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 30

Management Goal: Excel as a High-Performing Agency 

In order to fulfill the agency’s motto of “Caring for the Land and Serving People,” management 

is committed to excelling as a high performing organization that promotes an inclusive culture, 

and makes attracting and retaining a top workforce one of its priorities. Moreover, we want to 

create a culture of inclusion that awakens and strengthens all people’s connection to the land. 

The FY 2015 – FY 2020 Strategic Plan contains a “Management Goal” that lays out the agency’s 

vision for fostering a diverse, inclusive, and engaged workforce. While we are still determining 

the best performance measures to evaluate success, the discussion below summarizes where we 

are headed. To transform our organizational culture, we are focusing on seven critical areas: 

leadership development, employee development, talent management, recruitment and retention, 

customer focus, community outreach, and process improvement. An agency culture that fosters 

diversity and encourages new perspectives will strengthen our ability to meet public 

expectations. The best teams are built from unique, smart, and motivated individuals who work 

together. By joining together people with diverse perspectives, the Forest Service will find new 

solutions to complex management challenges, and make better natural resource decisions. 

Improving our retention rate over the next four to five years is one way we will measure the 

effectiveness of our operations. Providing information and technology solutions that are 

compliant with 508 accessibility laws is vital to connecting with the people we serve and our 

employees. The agency is currently working to improve the work environment, and focusing 

leadership efforts on the following: 1) translating the results of the Federal Employee Viewpoint 

Survey into actionable items that will address employee concerns, improving leadership 

communication and increasing engagement with employees; 2) creating and fostering skills in 

leaders, supervisors and managers to address work environment issues; and 3) developing 

leadership competencies and assessing the needs of leaders. Recognizing that we have a unique 

opportunity at this time to continue building on being an agency of choice for present and future 

generations, field leaders are engaging employees at all levels of the agency in conversations to 

foster a greater connection. Our long range goal is to ensure Forest Service employees and the 

public are valued and respected for their diverse talents, ideas, backgrounds, and abilities. 

Optimize Organizational Capacity – Crosscutting Responsibilities 

The Forest Service’s ability to fulfill our mission depends on having an optimal organizational 

capacity. Accordingly, we are committed to maintaining an effective and efficient business 

foundation. This section will address crosscutting responsibilities in the agency and how we will 

measure effectiveness going forward. Our outcome is to provide an effective and efficient 

business foundation for the agency that helps us to achieve our mission. 

The Forest Service will continue to strive for excellence in its business management practices, 

and seek to optimize organizational capacity. The agency provides a critical business 

infrastructure that maintains efficient, consistent, and continuous operations of all agency 

business programs, functions and processes. Together these functions ensure the agency fulfills 

its land stewardship mission and supports service delivery to citizens and employees. We will 

seek to improve our customer satisfaction ratings from our internal and external customers by 

responding to customer surveys and improving on our business functions using best practices 

identified throughout the Forest Service and the Federal government. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 31

Safety is a core value in the Forest Service, which is manifested in both personal and physical 

security practices. In fiscal year 2014, the agency successfully implemented a new response to 

accident investigations, which shifts from blame in investigations to collective learning, and 

developed a communications module to serve as template to support investigations. The agency 

sustained progress to reduce the number of annual fatalities—going from averaging more than 

eight annual fatalities to three. By 2020 we will work toward the goal of reducing our reportable 

injuries and reducing on-duty fatalities from the 2014 10-year average baseline. 

To improve operational efficiency and reduce costs, the agency will decrease its total leased 

space as it implements new General Services Administration standards. We will manage all of 

our administrative facilities for safety, accessibility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, while 

striving to reduce our environmental footprint. Having effective operations means we will also 

be responsive to audit findings in our information technology and information management 

functions. One way of gauging results will be to achieve an overall reduction in repeat audit 

findings over the next few years from our 2014 baseline. People are the Forest Service’s most 

valuable asset. We will focus on effectively communicating with our own employees and with 

the people we serve. Moreover, we will work to keep all Americans informed about what we are 

doing. A sound information technology framework underpins our capacity for effective 

communication. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 32

External Audits and Reviews 

FY 2013 Office of Inspector General (OIG) Audits on the Forest Service 

OIG Open Audits 

Audit Number Audit Title Report Issue 

Date Audit Status 

08401-0003-11 Forest Service's Financial Statements 

for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2012 12/5/2013 Implementation of corrective actions is in progress 

OIG Audits Officially Closed in FY 2014 

Audit Number Audit Title Report Issue 

Date Closure Date 

08703-0004-SF ARRA – FS Capital Improvement and Maintenance Projects – 

Trail Maintenance & Decommissioning 7/3/12 05/21/2014 

08703-0001-AT ARRA – FS’s Use of ARRA Funds for Wildland Fire 

Management on Federal Lands 9/28/12 07/23/2014 

08401-0002-11 FY 2012 Financial Statements 11/9/12 03/21/2014 

08601-0001-21 Management of Oil and Gas Resources on NFS Land 3/12/13 03/20/2014 

Summary of OIG Audits 

FY 2014 Beginning Inventory 7 

Audits added 1 

Subtotal 8 

Audits closed 4 

FY 2014 Ending Inventory 4 

FY	2014	Government	Accounting	Office	Audits	

Audit Report 

Number Audit Title 

Report 

Issue 

Date 

Audit Status 

GAO-14-140 

Coal Leasing: BLM Could Enhance Appraisal 

Process, More Explicitly Consider Coal Exports, 

and Provide More Public Information 

2/4/14 No FS specified recommendations. No 

further actions required. 

GAO-14-239 Capital Financing: Alternative Approaches to 

Budgeting for Federal Real Property 3/12/14 No FS specified recommendations. No 

further actions required. 

GAO-14-458T USDA Litigation: Limited Data Available on 

USDA Attorney Fee Claims and Payments 3/26/14 No recommendations. No further actions required. 

GAO-14-369 National Environmental Policy Act: 

Little Information Exists on NEPA Analyses 4/15/14 No recommendations. No further 

actions required. 

GAO-14-370 National Environmental Policy Act: Little 

Information Exists on NEPA Analyses 4/15/14 No recommendations. No further 

actions required. 

GAO-14-238 

Oil and Gas: Updated Guidance, Increased 

Coordination, and Comprehensive Data Could 

Improve BLM's Management and Oversight 

5/5/14 No FS specified recommendations. No 

further actions required. 

GAO-14-430 Freshwater: Supply Concerns Continue, and 

Uncertainties Complicate Planning 5/20/14 No FS specified recommendations. No 

further actions required. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 33

Management Challenges 

The OIG’s annual report to the Secretary on the most serious management challenges that USDA 

and its agencies face was issued on August 15, 2014. To identify these challenges, the OIG 

examined issued audit reports with recommendations where corrective actions have yet to be 

taken, assessed ongoing investigative and audit work to ascertain significant vulnerabilities, and 

analyzed new programs and activities that could pose significant challenges due to their range 

and complexity. This year, the report did not include any challenges specific to the Forest 

Service. 

FY 2015 Actions Planned: Not applicable. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Annual Performance Report 34

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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 35

Appropriations Language Changes 

Title III

Related Agencies

Department of Agriculture

Appropriations Language uses the FY 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations 

Act as the baseline. Material proposed for deletion is enclosed in brackets; new language is 

italic.

Forest Service

FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH

For necessary expenses of forest and rangeland research as authorized by law, 

[$296,000,000] $291,982,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That of the 

funds provided, [$70,000,000] $83,000,000 is for the forest inventory and analysis 

program.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY

For necessary expenses of cooperating with and providing technical and financial 

assistance to States, territories, possessions, and others, and for forest health management, 

including treatments of pests, pathogens, and invasive or noxious plants and for restoring 

and rehabilitating forests damaged by pests or invasive plants, cooperative forestry, and 

education and land conservation activities and conducting an international program as 

authorized, [$232,653,000] $236,611,000, to remain available until expended, as 

authorized by law; of which [$53,000,000] $61,000,000 is to be derived from the Land 

and Water Conservation Fund.

Note: No language changes are proposed. 

NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

1.

2.

3.

For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, for 

management, protection, improvement, and utilization of the National Forest System, 

[$1,494,330,000] $1,648,314,000, to remain available until expended, and in addition, 

$15,000,000 for the processing of grazing permits and leases, to remain available until 

expended, to be reduced by amounts collected by the Forest Service and credited to this 

appropriation, which shall be derived by a $2.50 per head month administrative fee, as 

provided for in this Act: Provided, That of the funds provided, [$40,000,000] $60,000,000

shall be deposited in the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund for ecological 

restoration treatments as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 7303(f): [Provided further, That of the 

funds provided, $339,130,000 shall be for forest products: Provided further, That of the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 36

4.

5.

funds provided, up to $81,941,000 is for the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot 

program for Region 1, Region 3 and Region 4: Provided further, That of the funds 

provided for forest products, up to $65,560,000 may be transferred to support the 

Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program in the preceding proviso:] Provided 

further, That funds provided under this heading shall be available for urgently needed 

road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and associated activities, 

and removal of fish passage barriers, especially in areas where Forest Service roads may 

be contributing to water quality problems in streams and water bodies that support 

threatened, endangered or sensitive species or community water sources, as authorized by 

Public Law 88-567, as amended (16 U.S.C. 532-538) and Public Law 85-767, as amended 

(23 U.S.C. 101 and 205): Provided further, That funds provided herein shall be available 

for the decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed, including unauthorized 

roads that are not part of the transportation system. Provided further, That the Secretary 

of Agriculture may transfer to the Secretary of the Interior any unobligated funds 

appropriated [in this fiscal year or] in a previous fiscal year to the Secretary of Agriculture 

for operation of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Note 1: Proposes a new grazing fee program in FY 2015.

Note 2: Removes the provision for forest products as this is now proposed for management 

within the Integrated Resource Restoration program.

Note 3: Removes provision regarding the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program as 

this is proposed for full agency implementation in FY 2016. 

Note 4: Incorporates authorization for the Legacy Roads & Trails and decommissioning of 

roads into the National Forest System with the Integrated Resource Restoration program.

Note 5: No funds requested in this fiscal year for Valles Caldera. 

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE [(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF 

FUNDS)]

1.

2.

3.

For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, [$360,374,000] 

$341,924,000, to remain available until expended, for construction, capital improvement, 

maintenance and acquisition of buildings and other facilities and infrastructure; and for 

construction, reconstruction, [decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed, 

including unauthorized roads that are not part of the transportation system,] and 

maintenance of forest roads and trails by the Forest Service as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 

532–538 and 23 U.S.C. 101 and 205: Provided, That [$40,000,000 shall be designated 

for urgently needed road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and 

associated activities, and removal of fish passage barriers, especially in areas where Forest 

Service roads may be contributing to water quality problems in streams and water bodies 

which support threatened, endangered, or sensitive species or community water sources: 

Provided further, That]funds becoming available in fiscal year [2015]2016 under the Act 

of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C.501) shall be transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury 

and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any other purpose unless the funds 

are appropriated[: Provided further, That of the funds provided for decommissioning of 

roads, up to $14,743,000 may be transferred to the ‘‘National Forest System’ to support 

the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program]. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 37

Note 1: Removes provision because all funds for road decommissioning are proposed 

under the National Forest System appropriation.

Note 2: Removes provision because all funds for urgently needed road decommissioning, 

road and trail repair and maintenance and associated activities, and removal of fish 

passage barriers under the Legacy Roads & Trials program are proposed under the 

National Forest System appropriation.

Note 3: Proposed deletion implements budget structure change to the Integrated 

Resource Restoration program under the National Forest System. 

LAND ACQUISITION

1. For expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation 

Fund Act of 1965, (16 U.S.C. 460l–4 et seq.), including administrative expenses, and for 

acquisition of land or waters, or interest therein, in accordance with statutory authority 

applicable to the Forest Service, [$47,500,000]$63,000,000 to be derived from the Land 

and Water Conservation Fund and to remain available until expended.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

ACQUISITION OF LANDS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS SPECIAL ACTS

1. For acquisition of lands within the exterior boundaries of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch 

National Forests, Utah; the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada; and the Angeles, San 

Bernardino, Sequoia, and Cleveland National Forests, California, as authorized by law, 

[$950,000] $1,950,000, to be derived from forest receipts.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

ACQUISITION OF LANDS TO COMPLETE LAND EXCHANGES

1. For acquisition of lands, such sums, to be derived from funds deposited by State, county, 

or municipal governments, public school districts, or other public school authorities, and 

for authorized expenditures from funds deposited by non-Federal parties pursuant to Land 

Sale and Exchange Acts, pursuant to the Act of December 4, 1967, (16 U.S.C. 484a), to 

remain available until expended (16 U.S.C. 460l–516–617a, 555a; Public Law 96-586; 

Public Law 76-589, 76-591; and Public Law 78-310).

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

RANGE BETTERMENT FUND

1. For necessary expenses of range rehabilitation, protection, and improvement, 50 percent 

of all moneys received during the prior fiscal year, as fees for grazing domestic livestock 

on lands in National Forests in the 16 Western States, pursuant to section 401(b)(1) of 

Public Law 94-579, to remain available until expended, of which not to exceed 6 percent 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 38

shall be available for administrative expenses associated with on-the-ground range 

rehabilitation, protection, and improvements.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed

GIFTS, DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS FOR FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH

1. For expenses authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1643(b), $45,000, to remain available until 

expended, to be derived from the fund established pursuant to the above Act.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL FOREST LANDS FOR SUBSISTENCE USES

1. For necessary expenses of the Forest Service to manage Federal lands in Alaska for 

subsistence uses under title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act 

(Public Law 96-487), [$2,500,000] $2,441,000, to remain available until expended.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 

For necessary expenses for forest fire presuppression activities on National Forest System 

lands, for emergency fire suppression on or adjacent to such lands or other lands under 

fire protection agreement, hazardous fuels management on or adjacent to such lands or 

other lands under fire protection agreement, hazardous fuels management on or adjacent 

to such lands, emergency rehabilitation of burned-over National Forest System lands and 

water, and for State and volunteer fire assistance, [$2,333,298,000,] $2,354,029,000, to 

remain available until expended: Provided, That such funds including unobligated 

balances under this heading, are available for repayment of advances from other 

appropriations accounts previously transferred for such purposes: Provided further, That 

such funds shall be available to reimburse State and other cooperating entities for services 

provided in response to wildfire and other emergencies or disasters to the extent such 

reimbursements by the Forest Service for non-fire emergencies are fully repaid by the 

responsible emergency management agency: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any 

other provision of law, [$6,914,000]$6,917,000 of funds appropriated under this 

appropriation shall be available for the Forest Service in support of fire science research 

authorized by the Joint Fire Science Program, including all Forest Service authorities for 

the use of funds, such as contracts, grants, research joint venture agreements, and 

cooperative agreements: Provided further, That all authorities for the use of funds, 

including the use of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, available to execute the 

Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation, are also available in the utilization of these 

funds for Fire Science Research: Provided further, That funds provided shall be available 

for emergency rehabilitation and restoration, hazardous fuels management activities, 

support to Federal emergency response, and wildfire suppression activities of the Forest 

Service: Provided further, That of the funds provided, [$361,749,000]$359,126,000 is 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 39

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

for hazardous fuels management activities, [$19,795,000]$19,820,000 is for research 

activities and to make competitive research grants pursuant to the Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources Research Act, (16 U.S.C. 1641 et seq.), [$78,000,000]$78,012,000

is for State fire assistance, and $13,000,000 is for volunteer fire assistance under section 

10 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2106): Provided 

further, That of the funds provided, $794,534,000 is an amount for wildfire suppression 

operations to meet the terms of section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, and $854,578,000 is additional new budget 

authority for wildfire suppression operations specified for purposes of section 251(b)(2) 

of such Act: Provided further, That amounts in this paragraph may be transferred to the 

‘‘National Forest System’’, and ‘‘Forest and Rangeland Research’’ accounts to fund forest 

and rangeland research, the Joint Fire Science Program, vegetation and watershed 

management, heritage site rehabilitation, and wildlife and fish habitat management and 

restoration: [Provided further, That, of the funds provided, $65,000,000 shall be available 

for the purpose of acquiring aircraft for the next-generation airtanker fleet to enhance 

firefighting mobility, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety, and such aircraft shall be 

suitable for contractor operation over the terrain and forested-ecosystems characteristic of 

National Forest System lands, as determined by the Chief of the Forest Service:] Provided 

further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal 

Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by the 

affected parties: Provided further, That [up to $15,000,000 of the] funds provided herein 

may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into procurement contracts or 

cooperative agreements or to issue grants for hazardous fuels management activities and 

for training or monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels management activities on 

Federal land or on non-Federal land if the Secretary determines such activities [implement 

a community wildfire protection plan (or equivalent) and] benefit resources on Federal 

land: Provided further, That funds made available to implement the Community Forest 

Restoration Act, Public Law 106–393, title VI, shall be available for use on non-Federal 

lands in accordance with authorities made available to the Forest Service under the ‘‘State 

and Private Forestry’’ appropriation: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior 

and the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize the transfer of funds appropriated for 

wildland fire management, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000,000, between 

the Departments when such transfers would facilitate and expedite wildland fire 

management programs and projects: Provided further, That of the funds provided for 

hazardous fuels management, not to exceed $15,000,000 may be used to make grants, 

using any authorities available to the Forest Service under the ‘‘State and Private 

Forestry’’ appropriation, for the purpose of creating incentives for increased use of 

biomass from National Forest System lands: Provided further, That funds designated for 

wildfire suppression, [including funds transferred from the ‘‘FLAME Wildfire 

Suppression Reserve Fund’’,] shall be assessed for cost pools on the same basis as such 

assessments are calculated against other agency programs[: Provided further, That of the 

funds for hazardous fuels management, up to $28,077,000 may be transferred to the 

National Forest System’’ to support the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program]. 

Note 1: Budget cap adjustment for fire suppression proposal.

Note 2: Removes specified amount for aircraft acquisition.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 40

Note 3: Removes ceiling for funds for hazardous fuels grants as it increases the agency’s 

flexibility. 

Note 4: Deletes phrase to increase agency flexibility. 

Note 5: Deletes reference to FLAME since no funds are requested. 

Note 6: Proposed deletion implements budget structure change to the Integrated 

Resource Restoration program under the National Forest System.

[FLAME WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION RESERVE FUND (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF 

FUNDS)]

 1. [For necessary expenses for large fire suppression operations of the Department of 

Agriculture and as a reserve fund for suppression and Federal emergency response 

activities, $303,060,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That such 

amounts are available only for transfer to the “Wildland Fire Management” account 

following a declaration by the Secretary in accordance with section 502 of the FLAME 

Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 1748a).]

Note 1: No funds are requested for this program. 

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS FOREST SERVICE (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF 

FUNDS)

Appropriations to the Forest Service for the current fiscal year shall be available for: (1) 

purchase of passenger motor vehicles; acquisition of passenger motor vehicles from 

excess sources, and hire of such vehicles; purchase, lease, operation, maintenance, and 

acquisition of aircraft to maintain the operable fleet for use in Forest Service wildland fire 

programs and other Forest Service programs; notwithstanding other provisions of law, 

existing aircraft being replaced may be sold, with proceeds derived or trade-in value used 

to offset the purchase price for the replacement aircraft; (2) services pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 

2225, and not to exceed $100,000 for employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109; (3) purchase, 

erection, and alteration of buildings and other public improvements (7 U.S.C. 2250); (4) 

acquisition of land, waters, and interests therein pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 428a; (5) for 

expenses pursuant to the Volunteers in the National Forest Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558a, 

558d, and 558a note); (6) the cost of uniforms as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; and 

(7) for debt collection contracts in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3718(c).
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 41

1. 

2. 

Any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service may be transferred to the 

Wildland Fire Management appropriation for forest firefighting, emergency rehabilitation 

of burned-over or damaged lands or waters under its jurisdiction, and fire preparedness 

due to severe burning conditions upon the Secretary's notification of the House and Senate 

Committees on Appropriations that all fire suppression funds appropriated under the 

[headings] heading “Wildland Fire Management” [and “FLAME Wildfire Suppression 

Reserve Fund”] will be obligated within 30 days[: Provided, That all funds used pursuant 

to this paragraph must be replenished by a supplemental appropriation which must be 

requested as promptly as possible]. 

Note 1: Delete reference to FLAME.

Note 2: Deletes request for replenishment of funds through a supplemental 

appropriation. 

1. Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for assistance to or through the 

Agency for International Development in connection with forest and rangeland research, 

technical information, and assistance in foreign countries, and shall be available to support 

forestry and related natural resource activities outside the United States and its territories 

and possessions, including technical assistance, education and training, and cooperation 

with U.S., private, and international organizations. The Forest Service, acting for the 

International Program, may sign direct funding agreements with foreign governments and 

institutions as well as other domestic agencies (including the U.S. Agency for 

International Development, the Department of State, and the Millennium Challenge 

Corporation), U.S. private sector firms, institutions and organizations to provide technical 

assistance and training programs overseas on forestry and rangeland management.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1.

1.

Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for expenditure or transfer to 

the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, for removal, preparation, 

and adoption of excess wild horses and burros from National Forest System lands, and for 

the performance of cadastral surveys to designate the boundaries of such lands. 

Note 1: No language changes are proposed. 

None of the funds made available to the Forest Service in this Act or any other Act with 

respect to any fiscal year shall be subject to transfer under the provisions of section 702(b) 

of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2257), section 442 of 

Public Law 106-224 (7 U.S.C. 7772), or section 10417(b) of Public Law 107-107 (7 

U.S.C. 8316(b)).

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 42

1.

None of the funds available to the Forest Service may be reprogrammed without the 

advance [approval of] notification to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations 

in accordance with the reprogramming procedures contained in the explanatory statement 

of the accompanying this Act.

Note 1: Language deleted because it limits agency flexibility. 

1. Not more than $82,000,000 of funds available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to 

the Working Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture and not more than 

$14,500,000 of funds available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to the Department 

of Agriculture for Department Reimbursable Programs, commonly referred to as 

Greenbook charges. Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit or limit the use of 

reimbursable agreements requested by the Forest Service in order to obtain services from 

the Department of Agriculture's National Information Technology Center and the 

Department of Agriculture’s International Technology Service. [Nothing in this 

paragraph shall limit Forest Service portion of implementation costs to be paid to the 

Department of Agriculture for International Technology Service.]

Note 1: Proposes deletion as it limits the agency to do share services arrangements. 

1. Of the funds available to the Forest Service up to $5,000,000 shall be available for priority 

projects within the scope of the approved budget, which shall be carried out by the Youth 

Conservation Corps and shall be carried out under the authority of the Public Lands Corps 

Act of 1993, Public Law 103-82, as amended by Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests 

Restoration Act of 2005, Public Law 109-154.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1. Of the funds available to the Forest Service, $4,000 is available to the Chief of the Forest 

Service for official reception and representation expenses.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 43

1.

Pursuant to sections 405(b) and 410(b) of Public Law 101-593, of the funds available to 

the Forest Service, up to $3,000,000 may be advanced in a lump sum to the National 

Forest Foundation to aid conservation partnership projects in support of the Forest Service 

mission, without regard to when the Foundation incurs expenses, for projects on or 

benefitting National Forest System lands or related to Forest Service programs: Provided, 

That of the Federal funds made available to the Foundation, no more than $300,000 shall 

be available for administrative expenses: Provided further, That the Foundation shall 

obtain, by the end of the period of Federal financial assistance, private contributions to 

match on at least one-for-one basis funds made available by the Forest Service: Provided 

further, That the Foundation may transfer Federal funds to a Federal or a non-Federal 

recipient for a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained the non-Federal 

matching funds.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1. Pursuant to section 2(b)(2) of Public Law 98-244, up to $3,000,000 of the funds available 

to the Forest Service may be advanced to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in a 

lump sum to aid cost-share conservation projects, without regard to when expenses are 

incurred, on or benefitting National Forest System lands or related to Forest Service 

programs: Provided, That such funds shall be matched on at least a one-for-one basis by 

the Foundation or its sub-recipients: Provided further, That the Foundation may transfer 

Federal funds to a Federal or non-Federal recipient for a project at the same rate that the 

recipient has obtained the non-Federal matching funds.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1. Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for interactions with and 

providing technical assistance to rural communities and natural resource-based businesses 

for sustainable rural development purposes.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1. Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for payments to counties 

within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, pursuant to section 14(c)(1) and 

(2), and section 16(a)(2) of Public Law 99-663.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed. 

1. Any funds appropriated to the Forest Service may be used to meet the non-Federal share 

requirement in section 502(c) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056(c)(2)).

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 44

1. Funds available to the Forest Service, not to exceed [$55,000,000,] $65,000,000, shall be 

assessed for the purpose of performing fire, administrative and other facilities 

maintenance and decommissioning. Such assessments shall occur using a square foot rate 

charged on the same basis the agency uses to assess programs for payment of rent, 

utilities, and other support services.

Note: Extends this authority to $65 million.

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any appropriations or funds available to the 

Forest Service not to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office of the General 

Counsel (OGC), Department of Agriculture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a 

result of OGC assistance or participation requested by the Forest Service at meetings, 

training sessions, management reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar 

nonlitigation-related matters. Future budget justifications for both the Forest Service and 

the Department of Agriculture should clearly display the sums previously transferred and 

the requested funding transfers.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

1. An eligible individual who is employed in any project funded under title V of the Older 

Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.) and administered by the Forest Service 

shall be considered to be a Federal employee for purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, 

United States Code.

Note 1: No language changes are proposed.

Title IV 

GENERAL PROVISIONS 

(Including Transfers of Funds) 

[RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS] 

1. [SEC. 401. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall be available for any 

activity or the publication or distribution of literature that in any way tends to promote 

public support or opposition to any legislative proposal on which Congressional action is 

not complete other than to communicate to Members of Congress as described in 18 

U.S.C. 1913.] 

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as it restricts agency flexibility. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 45

OBLIGATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

1. SEC. [402]401. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall remain available 

for obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein. 

Note 1: No language changes are proposed and section number changes

DISCLOSURE OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES 

1. 

SEC. [403]402. The amount and basis of estimated overhead charges, deductions, reserves 

or holdbacks, including working capital fund and cost pool charges, from programs, 

projects, activities and subactivities to support government-wide, departmental, agency, or 

bureau administrative functions or headquarters, regional, or central operations shall be 

presented in annual budget justifications. [and subject to approval by the Committees on 

Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Changes] Advance notice 

of changes to such estimates shall be presented to the Committees on Appropriations [for 

approval]. 

Note 1: Language deleted because it limits agency flexibility and section number 

changes. 

MINING APPLICATIONS 

1. 

SEC. [404]403. (a) LIMITATION OF FUNDS.—None of the funds appropriated or 

otherwise made available pursuant to this Act shall be obligated or expended to accept or 

process applications for a patent for any mining or mill site claim located under the 

general mining laws. 

(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Subsection (a) shall not apply if the Secretary of the Interior 

determines that, for the claim concerned (1) a patent application was filed with the 

Secretary on or before September 30, 1994; and (2) all requirements established under 

sections 2325 and 2326 of the Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 29 and 30) for vein or lode 

claims, sections 2329, 2330, 2331, and 2333 of the Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 35, 36, 

and 37) for placer claims, and section 2337 of the Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 42) for mill 

site claims, as the case may be, were fully complied with by the applicant by that date. 

(c) REPORT.—On [September 30, 2015,] September 30, 2017, the Secretary of the 

Interior shall file with the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and the 

Committee on Natural Resources of the House and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources of the Senate a report on actions taken by the Department under the plan 

submitted pursuant to section 314(c) of the Department of the Interior and Related 

Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104–208). 

(d) MINERAL EXAMINATIONS.—In order to process patent applications in a timely 

and responsible manner, upon the request of a patent applicant, the Secretary of the 

Interior shall allow the applicant to fund a qualified third-party contractor to be selected 

by the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to conduct a mineral examination of 

the mining claims or mill sites contained in a patent application as set forth in subsection 

(b). The Bureau of Land Management shall have the sole responsibility to choose and pay 

the third-party contractor in accordance with the standard procedures employed by the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 46

Bureau of Land Management in the retention of third party contractors. 

Note 1: Update report deadline.

CONTRACT SUPPORT COSTS, PRIOR YEAR LIMITATION 

1. SEC. [405]404. [Notwithstanding any other provision of law, amounts appropriated to or 

otherwise designated in committee reports for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian 

Health Service by Public Laws 103–138, 103–332, 104–134, 104–208, 105–83, 105–277, 

106–113, 106–291, 107–63, 108–7, 108–108, 108–447, 109–54, 109–289, division B and 

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007 (division B of Public Law 109–289, as 

amended by Public Laws 110–5 and 110–28), Public Laws 110–92, 110–116, 110–137, 

110–149, 110–161, 110–329, 111–6, 111–8, 111–88, 112–10, 112–74, and 113–6 for 

payments for contract support costs associated with self-determination or self-governance 

contracts, grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements with the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs or the Indian Health Service as funded by such Acts, are the total amounts 

available for fiscal years 1994 through 2013 for such purposes, except that the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs, tribes and tribal organizations may use their tribal priority allocations for 

unmet contract support costs of ongoing contracts, grants, self-governance compacts, or 

annual funding agreements]. Sections 405 and 406 of division F of the Consolidated and 

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113-235) shall continue in 

effect in fiscal year 2016.

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service and section number changes.

[CONTRACT SUPPORT COSTS, FISCAL YEAR 2014 LIMITATION] 

1. [SEC. 406. Amounts provided under the headings "Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, Operation of Indian Programs" and 

"Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Indian Health 

Services" in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113–76) are the only 

amounts available for contract support costs arising out of self-determination or selfgovernance contracts, grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements with the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service for activities funded by the fiscal year 2014 

appropriation: Provided, That such amounts provided by that Act are not available for 

payment of claims for contract support costs for prior years, or for repayments of 

payments for settlements or judgments awarding contract support costs for prior years.] 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 47

CONTRACT SUPPORT COSTS, FISCAL YEAR [2015]2016 LIMIATION 

1. SEC. [407]405. Amounts provided by this Act for fiscal year [2015]2016 under the 

headings "Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Indian 

Health Services" and "Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of 

Indian Education, Operation of Indian Programs" are the only amounts available for 

contract support costs arising out of self-determination or self-governance contracts, 

grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements for fiscal year [2015]2016 with the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service: Provided, That such amounts 

provided by this Act are not available for payment of claims for contract support costs for 

prior years, or for repayments of payments for settlements or for repayments of payments 

for settlements or judgments awarding contract support costs for prior years. 

Note 1: Changes Section number.

FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS 

1. SEC. [408]406. The Secretary of Agriculture shall not be considered to be in violation of 

subparagraph 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604(f)(5)(A)) solely because more than 15 years have passed without 

revision of the plan for a unit of the National Forest System. Nothing in this section 

exempts the Secretary from any other requirement of the Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources Planning Act (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.) or any other law: Provided, 

That if the Secretary is not acting expeditiously and in good faith, within the funding 

available, to revise a plan for a unit of the National Forest System, this section shall be 

void with respect to such plan and a court of proper jurisdiction may order completion of 

the plan on an accelerated basis. 

 

Note 1: Changes section number. 

PROHIBITION WITHIN NATIONAL MONUMENTS 

1. SEC. [409]407. No funds provided in this Act may be expended to conduct preleasing, 

leasing and related activities under either the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) 

or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) within the boundaries 

of a National Monument established pursuant to the Act of June 8, 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431 et 

seq.) as such boundary existed on January 20, 2001, except where such activities are 

allowed under the Presidential proclamation establishing such monument. 

Note 1: Changes Section number. 

LIMITATION ON TAKINGS 

1. 

2. 

SEC. [410]408. Unless otherwise provided herein, no funds appropriated in this Act for 

the acquisition of lands or interests in lands may be expended for the filing of declarations 

of taking or complaints in condemnation without [the approval of] providing prior 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 48

notification to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That this 

provision shall not apply to funds appropriated to implement the Everglades National Park 

Protection and Expansion Act of 1989, or to funds appropriated for Federal assistance to 

the State of Florida to acquire lands for Everglades restoration purposes. 

Note 1: Changes Section number. 

Note 2: Proposed language provides notification of Congress if agency using authorities. 

[TIMBER SALE REQUIREMENTS] 

1. [SEC. 411. No timber sale in Alaska’s Region 10 shall be advertised if the indicated rate 

is deficit (defined as the value of the timber is not sufficient to cover all logging and 

stumpage costs and provide a normal profit and risk allowance under the Forest Service’s 

appraisal process) when appraised using a residual value appraisal. The western red cedar 

timber from those sales which is surplus to the needs of the domestic processors in 

Alaska, shall be made available to domestic processors in the contiguous 48 United States 

at prevailing domestic prices. All additional western red cedar volume not sold to Alaska 

or contiguous 48 United States domestic processors may be exported to foreign markets at 

the election of the timber sale holder. All Alaska yellow cedar may be sold at prevailing 

export prices at the election of the timber sale holder.] 

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as it limits agency flexibility and creates an excessive 

administrative burden. Current law requires residual value appraisal and domestic use of 

timber.

PROHBITION ON NO-BID CONTRACTS 

1. SEC. [412]409. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to 

executive branch agencies may be used to enter into any Federal contract unless such 

contract is entered into in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 33 of title 41, 

United States Code, or Chapter 137 of title 10, United States Code, and the Federal 

Acquisition Regulation, unless— 

(1) Federal law specifically authorizes a contract to be entered into without regard for 

these requirements, including formula grants for States, or federally recognized Indian 

tribes; or 

(2) such contract is authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education and 

Assistance Act (Public Law 93–638, 25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.) or by any other Federal laws 

that specifically authorize a contract within an Indian tribe as defined in section 4(e) of 

that Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)); or 

 (3) such contract was awarded prior to the date of enactment of this Act. 

 

Note 1: Changes section number. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 49

POSTING OF REPORTS 

1. SEC. [413]410. (a) Any agency receiving funds made available in this Act, shall, subject 

to subsections (b) and (c), post on the public website of that agency any report required to 

be submitted by the Congress in this or any other Act, upon the determination by the head 

of the agency that it shall serve the national interest. 

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a report if— 

(1) the public posting of the report compromises national security; or 

(2) the report contains proprietary information. 

(c) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so only after such report has been 

made available to the requesting Committee or Committees of Congress for no less than 

45 days. 

Note 1: Changes section number. 

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT GUIDELINES 

1. SEC. [414]411. Of the funds provided to the National Endowment for the Arts— 

(1) The Chairperson shall only award a grant to an individual if such grant is awarded to 

such individual for a literature fellowship, National Heritage Fellowship, or American 

Jazz Masters Fellowship. 

(2) The Chairperson shall establish procedures to ensure that no funding provided through 

a grant, except a grant made to a State or local arts agency, or regional group, may be used 

to make a grant to any other organization or individual to conduct activity independent of 

the direct grant recipient. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit payments made in 

exchange for goods and services. 

(3) No grant shall be used for seasonal support to a group, unless the application is 

specific to the contents of the season, including identified programs and/or projects. 

Note 1: Changes section number. Not applicable to the Forest Service.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS PROGRAM PRIORITIES 

1. SEC. [415]412. (a) In providing services or awarding financial assistance under the 

National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 from funds appropriated 

under this Act, the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts shall ensure that 

priority is given to providing services or awarding financial assistance for projects, 

productions, workshops, or programs that serve underserved populations. 

(b) In this section: 

(1) The term ‘‘underserved population’’ means a population of individuals, including 

urban minorities, who have historically been outside the purview of arts and humanities 

programs due to factors such as a high incidence of income below the poverty line or to 

geographic isolation. 

(2) The term ‘‘poverty line’’ means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 

Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of the 

Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of the 

size involved. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 50

(c) In providing services and awarding financial assistance under the National Foundation 

on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 with funds appropriated by this Act, the 

Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts shall ensure that priority is given to 

providing services or awarding financial assistance for projects, productions, workshops, 

or programs that will encourage public knowledge, education, understanding, and 

appreciation of the arts. 

(d) With funds appropriated by this Act to carry out section 5 of the National Foundation 

on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965— 

(1) the Chairperson shall establish a grant category for projects, productions, workshops, 

or programs that are of national impact or availability or are able to tour several States; 

(2) the Chairperson shall not make grants exceeding 15 percent, in the aggregate, of such 

funds to any single State, excluding grants made under the authority of paragraph (1); 

(3) the Chairperson shall report to the Congress annually and by State, on grants awarded 

by the Chairperson in each grant category under section 5 of such Act; and 

(4) the Chairperson shall encourage the use of grants to improve and support communitybased music performance and education. 

Note 1: Changes section number. Not applicable to the Forest Service. 

[ARTS INDEMNITY LIMITATION] 

1. [SEC. 416. Section 5 of the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act (20 U.S.C. 974) is 

amended— 

(1) in subsection (b)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘$10,000,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000,000’’; and 

(B) by striking ‘‘$5,000,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$7,500,000,000’’; and 

(2) in subsection (c)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘$1,200,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,800,000,000’’; and 

(B) by striking ‘‘$750,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,000,000,000’’.] 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service.

 

 [STATUS OF BALANCES OF APPROPRIATIONS] 

1. [SEC. 417. The Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

Forest Service, and the Indian Health Service shall provide the Committees on 

Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate quarterly reports on the status 

of balances of appropriations including all uncommitted, committed, and unobligated 

funds in each program and activity.] 

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as this creates an excessive administrative burden and 

duplicates existing financial reporting protocols.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 51

[REPORT ON USE OF CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDS]

1. [SEC. 418. Not later than 120 days after the date on which the President’s fiscal year 2016 

budget request is submitted to the Congress, the President shall submit a comprehensive 

report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 

Senate describing in detail all Federal agency funding, domestic and international, for 

climate change programs, projects, and activities in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, including 

an accounting of funding by agency with each agency identifying climate change 

programs, projects, and activities and associated costs by line item as presented in the 

President’s Budget Appendix, and including citations and linkages where practicable to 

each strategic plan that is driving funding within each climate change program, project, 

and activity listed in the report.] 

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as this creates excessive administrative reporting burden. 

[PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS] 

1. [SEC. 419. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available 

in this Act or any other Act may be used to promulgate or implement any regulation 

requiring the issuance of permits under title V of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7661 et 

seq.) for carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, or methane emissions resulting from 

biological processes associated with livestock production.] 

Note 1: Language proposed for deletion. 

[GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING RESTRICTIONS] 

1. [SEC. 420. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available 

in this or any other Act may be used to implement any provision in a rule, if that provision 

requires mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management 

systems.] 

Note 1: Language proposed for deletion. 

[AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM GRANTS] 

1. [SEC. 421. Section 7301(c)(6) of P.L. 111–11 (16 U.S.C. 469k-1(c)) is amended by 

striking “2014 and inserting “2021”.] 

Note 1: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the FY 2015 Consolidated 

and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 113-235). 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 52

RECREATION FEE 

1. 

2. 

SEC. [422]413. Section 810 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 

U.S.C. 6809) is amended by striking ["10 years after December 8, 2004"] "September 30, 

2016" and inserting ["on September 30, 2016"] " September 30, 2017". 

Note 1: Changes section number. 

Note 2: Extends authority for the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

6809). 

MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITIES 

1. SEC. [423]414. (a) Section 8162(m)(3) of the Department of Defense Appropriations 

Act, 2000 (40 U.S.C. 8903 note; Public Law 106–79) is amended by striking "September 

30, [2014"]2015" and inserting "September 30, [2015"]2016". 

[(b) For fiscal year 2015, the authority provided by the provisos under the heading 

‘‘Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission—Capital Construction’’ in division E of 

Public Law 112–74 shall not be in effect.] 

Note 1: Changes section number. 

[USE OF AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL] 

1. [SEC. 424. (a)(1) None of the funds made available by a State water pollution control 

revolving fund as authorized by section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 

300j–12) shall be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair 

of a public water system or treatment works unless all of the iron and steel products used 

in the project are produced in the United States. 

(2) In this section, the term ‘‘iron and steel products’’ means the following products made 

primarily of iron or steel: lined or unlined pipes and fittings, manhole covers and other 

municipal castings, hydrants, tanks, flanges, pipe clamps and restraints, valves, structural 

steel, reinforced precast concrete, and construction materials. 

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in any case or category of cases in which the 

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (in this section referred to as the 

‘‘Administrator’’) finds that— 

(1) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the public interest; 

(2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United States in sufficient and 

reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; or 

(3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the United States will increase the cost 

of the overall project by more than 25 percent. 

(c) If the Administrator receives a request for a waiver under this section, the 

Administrator shall make available to the public on an informal basis a copy of the request 

and information available to the Administrator concerning the request, and shall allow for 

informal public input on the request for at least 15 days prior to making a finding based on 

the request. The Administrator shall make the request and accompanying information 

available by electronic means, including on the official public Internet Web site of the 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

(d) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 53

under international agreements. 

(e) The Administrator may retain up to 0.25 percent of the funds appropriated in this Act 

for the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for carrying out the provisions 

described in subsection (a)(1) for management and oversight of the requirements of this 

section. 

(f) This section does not apply with respect to a project if a State agency approves the 

engineering plans and specifications for the project, in that agency’s capacity to approve 

such plans and specifications prior to a project requesting bids, prior to the date of the 

enactment of this Act.] 

Note 1: Language proposed for deletion. 

[FUNDING PROHIBITION] 

1. [SEC. 425. None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to 

regulate the lead content of ammunition, ammunition components, or fishing tackle under 

the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) or any other law.] 

Note 1: Language proposed for deletion as it limits flexibility. 

LIVESTOCK GRAZING ADMINISTRATION 

1. SEC. 415. Beginning on March 1, 2016, and only to the extent and in the amount 

provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of Agriculture shall collect 

an annual administrative fee for grazing domestic livestock on National Forests 

in the 16 contiguous western States and on National Grasslands in the amount of 

$2.50 per head month for cattle and its equivalent for other livestock. The administrative 

fee shall be billed and collected using the process as provided in sections 

222.50 through 222.52 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations. Fees collected may 

be used, subject to appropriation, to offset the cost of administering the livestock 

grazing program. Nothing in this provision shall affect the calculation, collection, 

distribution, or use of the grazing fee under 43 U.S.C. 1751(b), title III of the 

Bankhead Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010), and implementing regulations. 

SEC. 416. In fiscal year 2016, beginning on March 1, 2016, and only to the extent 

and in the amount provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of 

the Interior shall collect an administrative fee to offset the increased cost of administering 

the livestock grazing program on public lands managed by the Bureau of 

Land Management by charging $2.50 per Animal Unit Month, which shall be 

billed, collected, and subject to the penalties using the same process as the annual 

grazing fee in 43 C.F.R. 4130.8–1. Penalties assessed shall be deposited in the 

General Fund of the Treasury. Nothing in this provision affects the calculation, 

collection, distribution, or use of the grazing fee under 43 U.S.C. 315–315rr, 43 

U.S.C. 1751(b), 43 U.S.C. 1905, Executive Order 12548, or administrative regulation. 

Note 1: Establishes new administrative fee program for grazing. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 54

CONTRACTING AUTHORITIES 

1. SEC. 417. Section 412 of Division E of Public Law 112–74 is amended by striking "fiscal 

year 2015," and inserting "fiscal year 2017,". 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service. 

CHESAPEAKE BAY INITIATIVE 

1. SEC. 418. Section 502(c) of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 (Public 

Law 105–312; 16 U.S.C. 461 note) is amended by striking "2015" and inserting 

"2017". 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service. 

OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF LEASING REVIEW PERIOD 

1. SEC. 419. Section 11(c)(1) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 

1340(c)(1))is amended in the fourth sentence by striking " thirty" and inserting "ninety ". 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service. 

STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTING AMENDMENTS 

1. SEC. 420. Section 604(d) of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591) 

as amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113–79), is further amended 

 (a) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the following:" Notwithstanding the

Materials Act of 1947 (30 U.S.C. 602(a)), the Director may enter into an agreement or 

contract under subsection (b). "; and (b) in paragraph (7), by striking “and the Director”. 

Note 1: Not applicable to the Forest Service. 

EXTENSION OF GRAZING PERMITS 

1. SEC. 421. The terms and conditions of section 325 of Public Law 108–108 (117 Stat. 

1307), regarding grazing permits issued by the Forest Service on any lands not subject to 

administration under section 402 of Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (43 

U.S.C. 1752), shall remain in effect for fiscal year 2016. 

Note 1: Addresses the recent amendments to section 402 of Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1752) and the concerns that they do not apply to the issuance 

of grazing permits by the Forest Service on National Grasslands and on eastern National 

Forests. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 55

COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PROGRAM 

 1. SEC. 422. Sec. 4003(f)(6) of Public Law 111-11 (16 U.S.C. 7303(f)(6)) is amended by 

striking “$40,000,000” and inserting “$80,000,000” and by striking “September 30, 

2019” and inserting “September 30, 2024”. (Department of the Interior, Environment, 

and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015) 

Note 1: Expands program to $80 million. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Appropriation Language Changes 56

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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 57 

Forest and Rangeland Research 

Appropriation Forest and Rangeland Research

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest and Rangeland Research

Annual Appropriations $292,805 $296,000 $291,982 -$4,018 -1%

Forest and Rangeland Research Total 292,805 296,000 291,982 -4,018 -1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,748 1,924 1,894 -30 -2%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,748 1,924 1,894 -30 -2%

Forest and Rangeland Research

Wildland Fire & Fuels R&D 22,160 22,160 20,524 -1,636 -7%

Invasive Species R&D 35,106 35,106 32,451 -2,655 -8%

Recreation R&D 4,423 4,423 4,111 -312 -7%

Resource Management & Use 93,382 93,382 86,249 -7,133 -8%

Water, Air & Soil R&D 35,389 35,389 32,730 -2,659 -8%

Wildlife & Fish R&D 27,128 27,128 25,076 -2,052 -8%

Inventory & Monitoring R&D 75,217 78,412 90,841 12,429 16%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest and Rangeland Research

Customer satisfaction index score for R&D 79 79 79 79 79 79

Number of patent applications filed (5-year running 

average) 8 12 8 10 0 0

Patent licences executed on a 5 year rolling average 0 0 0 2 2 2

Science Delivery Products 0 0 0 1,224 1,224 1,236

Percent of Nation with accessible FIA data 92.0% 96.0% 96.0% 98.0% 98.0% 100.0%

Quality Science Index - peer-reviewed fire science 

publications per scientist year on a 3-year rolling average 3.0 3.0 3.5 3.4 3.0 3.0

Output Efficiency Index - total fire science products per 

scientist year on a 3-year rolling average 4.0 4.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.5

Invasive species tools developed, delivered and used on 

a 5-year rolling average 169 193 168 169 173 173

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

Forest and Rangeland Research Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $291,982,000 for Forest and Rangeland Research, a 

decrease of $4,018,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding supports key research 

associated with the Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas. The Budget includes 

$83,000,000 for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. 

The Administration has worked this year to analyze and develop a strategy to address 

catastrophic fire risk. There are three main challenges that require a comprehensive plan of 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 58 

action to fully address this risk. The first challenge is to provide a stable source of funding for 

wildland fire suppression while minimizing destabilizing transfers from non-fire programs. The 

second is to increase the capacity for active management of Federal lands. Increased land 

management activities will have many benefits including a reduction in wildland fire risk, 

improved fire fighter safety, improved water quantity and quality, and enhanced carbon 

sequestration. The third challenge is for non-Federal land managers, including private land 

owners, to implement actions to reduce the risk of fire and increase the resilience of these lands 

to fire. We have prioritized our most important activities to maximize the Forest Service’s 

ability to address the three main challenges with wildland fire described above. 

The Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation provides funds to develop and deliver 

knowledge and innovative technology to reduce risk and improve the health and use of the 

Nation’s forests and rangelands in public and private lands. Forest Service Research and 

Development (Forest Service R&D) conducts research across all forest ownerships and across 

the landscape continuum, from wilderness to urban areas. Research conducted by Forest Service 

R&D informs policy and land-management decisions that improve the health and use of the 193 

million acres of national forests and rangelands and non-Federal forested lands including 423 

million acres of private forests, 69 million acres of State forests, 18 million acres of Tribal 

forests, and over 130 million acres of urban and community forests. 

Forest Service R&D efforts provide scientific information and new technologies to support 

sustainable management of the Nation’s forests and rangelands. These products and services 

increase the basic biological, physical, and applied knowledge of the composition, structure, and 

function of forest, rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. Forest Service R&D is federally 

mandated to provide new knowledge and technologies to foster healthy watersheds, sustainable 

forest products, wildlife protection, outdoor recreation opportunities, and other benefits, across 

all Territories and States (including both Federal and non-Federal lands) benefiting rural and 

urban communities. The knowledge and information gained from this research benefits the 

American public by improving the health and quality of life of communities by providing 

protection from fire, improving water and air quality, and a variety of other ecosystem services. 

Forest Service R&D provides the basic and applied science that bolsters the agency’s efforts to 

promote resilient forests and sustainable communities that can adapt to forest threats such as 

climate change, fire, and insect and disease infestations. Our efforts are important contributors 

to the USDA Interagency Climate Change Initiative and Priorities. Together with other agency 

deputy areas and covering multiple staffs, Forest Service R&D contributes to the eight 

restorative action areas. The eight areas are: science delivery and adoption, biomass use, FIA, 

fuels density reduction, watershed restoration, open space connectivity, stressor management, 

and restoration/recovery. These areas are identified as critical in helping create resilient forests 

that are adaptive and mitigate climate change. 

Strategic Program Areas 

The Forest Service R&D program structure has two integrated components: Priority Research 

Areas and Strategic Program Areas. To address emerging needs and agency priorities, Forest 

Service R&D funds the Priority Research Areas from across the Strategic Program Areas. The 

seven Strategic Program Areas include: Wildland Fire and Fuels, Invasive Species, Recreation, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 59 

Resource Management and Use, Water, Air, and Soil, Wildlife and Fish, and Inventory and 

Monitoring. The seven Priority Research Areas are: Forest Inventory and Analysis, Forest 

Disturbance, Watershed Management and Restoration, Bioenergy and Biobased Products, Urban 

Natural Resources Stewardship, Nanotechnology, and Localized Needs Research. The following 

section displays information for each Strategic Program Area. The Priority Research Areas are 

described in detail following the Priority 

Research Areas and Strategic Program Area 

Matrix Funding Table. 

Wildland Fire and Fuels Research & 

Development (R&D) 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes 

$20,524,000, for wildland fire and fuels 

research, a decrease of $1,636,000 from the FY 

2015 Enacted Budget. 

Wildland Fire and fuels research will focus on 

priority research areas to include identifying the 

factors affecting fire regimes, fire impacts on 

forested ecosystems, improving the 

understanding and tools related to fire 

emissions, smoke management, and real-time 

reporting. Traditional fuels characterization and 

modeling research will be reduced. 

Past Performance 

Smoke from prescribed fires significantly impacts local meteorology, can linger for long periods 

of time, and adversely affects human health and safety. To address this issue, Forest Service 

researchers developed a new modeling tool, ARPS-CANOPY, which predicts local smoke 

transport during low-intensity wildland fires. This modeling tool will help fire and forest 

managers who are planning prescribed fires to minimize the effects of adverse air-quality near 

fires. 

Forest Service and university scientists and managers synthesized 100 years of published forestry 

science to help forest managers better understand the ecology of “frequent-fire” forests. This 

forest type, found throughout the western United States, historically experiences frequent, but 

low-severity surface fires. The report provides a science-based framework that assists land 

managers in developing management plans and practices to improve the resistance and resilience 

of these forests to severe disturbances (fire, insects, disease and climate change) by restoring the 

historical species composition, structure, and spatial patterns of their vegetation. 

Forest Service researchers determined that fuel condition and past wildfire occurrence were the 

primary motivators for private forest landowners’ risk mitigation decisions. This information 

FireBuster: A Tool for Custom Weather Forecasts 

Aiding Firefighting Efforts 

During fire incidents, detailed, site specific and timely 

weather projections are critical for firefighting efforts. 

Forest Service scientists developed an experimental system 

called FireBuster which can produce forecasts with a 3 

mile resolution. A field forecaster can also request a more 

detailed (0.6 mile resolution) 72-hour forecast with only a 

few clicks on a Google map. The results can be retrieved 

through a web interface (computed in 6-hour increments). 

FireBuster provides firefighters with location-specific, 

detailed weather forecasts, including winds, and could help 

save lives and protect communities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 60 

provides the basis for homeowners’ activities in fire-prone forests and is being utilized in the 

development of a landscape simulation model for national forest planning processes. 

Program Overview 

The Wildland Fire and Fuels Strategic Program Area provide the knowledge and tools needed to 

help reduce the negative impacts and enhance the beneficial effects of fire and fuels on society 

and the environment. For example, research tools such as the Wildland Fire Decision Support 

System, provide analytical tools, analysis, and documentation on hundreds of fire management 

decisions annually to improve natural and community resource protection, effectively use 

firefighter resources, and decrease firefighter exposure and suppression costs. The benefits of 

this research include improved ability to manage fire-impacted natural resources to protect lives, 

homes, and infrastructure, while sustaining carbon storage, forest and grassland health, and 

ecosystems. 

Invasive Species R&D 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes 

$32,451,000 for invasive species research, a 

decrease of $2,655,000 from the FY 2015 

Enacted Budget. At this level, Forest Service 

R&D will maintain capacity to address 

priority research areas, including the 

introduction and spread of non-native 

species, by reducing research on established 

indigenous species. 

Past Performance 

The performance measure for Invasive 

Species is the number of tools developed, 

delivered and used on a three-year rolling 

average. FY 2014 was the second year that 

improvement in data quality assurance was 

realized through the use of the Research 

Information Tracking System for reporting 

invasive species tools. In 2013 this new 

method of reporting tools proved effective in 

both a greater number and diversity of 

invasive species tools. 

The Asian long-horned beetle is one of the 

most destructive non-native insects in the 

U.S. The beetle and other wood-boring pests 

cause an estimated $3.5 billion in annual damage to our forests. Forest Service scientists and 

Optimizing Trap Designs for Emerald Ash Borer 

Since the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) in North 

America in 2002, federal and state regulatory agencies have 

struggled to detect new infestations early and thus enable a rapid 

response to mitigate damage. Early detection of EAB is 

notoriously difficult, and an effective artificial trap for the insect 

is a high priority for national detection surveys and regulatory 

programs. Forest Service scientists and partners developed a 

series of traps incorporating all of the known visual and 

olfactory cues attractive to EAB. They then compared the 

efficacy of the promising trap designs and colors and found that 

purple double-decker traps are the most effective for early EAB 

detection. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 61 

their partners discovered that female Asian long-horned beetle lure males to their locations by 

laying down a sex-specific pheromone trail on the surfaces of trees. These compounds are 

attractive to males and repel females. Four of these pheromones have been synthesized and may 

be useful in managing the invasive beetles in the field using a lure and kill method. 

Cheatgrass is one of the most destructive plant invaders in the West costing the Nation an 

estimated $138 billion annually in ecosystem damages, reduced yields, lost forest products, and 

control efforts. The seed pathogen ‘black fingers of death’ is a promising tool being evaluated 

for biocontrol of cheatgrass. Forest Service researchers and their partners have characterized the 

toxins employed by this pathogen to kill target cheatgrass seeds. These researchers found that 

slower-growing pathogen strains produced significantly more of the powerful toxin cytochalasin 

B, a compound that can stop cell division and serves to slow or stop cheatgrass seed germination, 

providing a longer window for pathogen success. This discovery provides us with a useful 

selection tool for choosing the best pathogen strains for cheatgrass biocontrol. 

Program Overview 

The Invasive Species Strategic Program Area provides the scientific information, methods, and 

technology to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the introduction, establishment, spread, and impact 

of invasive species, and to restore ecosystems affected by invasive species. This research 

focuses on non-native plants, animals, and diseases whose introduction may cause adverse 

economic or environmental consequences. Natural resource managers use Forest Service R&D 

technology and knowledge to prevent, detect, and manage important invasive species and 

restore/rehabilitate the function and diversity of impacted ecosystems. Investment in research 

and technology benefits forest health by improving on the ground operations in the prevention, 

detection, and control of key invasive species and restoration of ecosystems impacted by 

multiple invasive species and other disturbances. 

Recreation R&D

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes $4,111,000 for recreation research, a decrease of 

$312,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Priority recreation science will be maintained in 

support of resilient ecosystems and thriving communities. 

Past Performance 

Building on a two decade effort to increase tourism in Sitka, Alaska, Forest Service scientists 

organized a community forum consisting of residents, local government, the local Tribe, the 

chamber of commerce, and the tourism bureau to better understand the interplay of influence 

among stakeholders, and to identify differences in government-led approaches versus citizen-led 

approaches. Scientists reviewed planning documents and studied tourism planning processes in 

an effort to create a sustainable tourism environment that promotes positive interactions between 

locals and visitors. This case study will be useful to practitioners interested in collaborative 

decision making to promote recreational opportunities that benefit the community and local 

economy. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 62 

The Forest Service is featured in two live-action videos on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) 

Kids’ in the newest multi-media environmental science learning program, “PLUM LANDING.” 

The Forest Service is a PLUM LANDING partner for education and outreach, helping connect 

kids and families to nature while supporting national youth engagement efforts such as 

“Discover the Forest,” “More Kids in the Woods,” and “NatureLIVE.” Children, families, and 

educators learn about nature around the world and in their backyards through animated and liveaction videos, online games and outdoor explorations, and a full curriculum linked to the Next 

Generation Science Standards for non-formal educators. 

Forest Service scientists used a non-market valuation method to investigate recreation at the San 

Jacinto Wilderness in Southern California. The results suggest that recreationists are attracted to 

sites with recent wildfires that can be viewed up-close increasing recreational opportunities in 

these areas after wildfires. This information will help fire managers understand recreational use 

and to strategically place existing resources to reduce trail closures in areas of greatest interest 

and help protect high value areas. 

Program Overview 

The Recreation Strategic Program Area is directed at understanding and increasing knowledge 

about a wide variety of outdoor environments, activities, and experiences that connect people 

with the natural world. Social and economic changes such as population growth, increased 

population diversity and mobility, globalization, changing values, and urbanization of rural 

places alter recreation preferences, use patterns, and opportunities. This program area develops 

the knowledge and tools to address these complex issues and to inform management decisions 

that maintain and improve outdoor recreation opportunities for current and future generations 

while sustaining healthy ecosystems and economies.

Resource Management and Use R&D 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President's Budget includes $86,249,000 for Resource Management and Use 

research, a decrease of $7,133,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding will be directed 

within the Resource Management and Use Research Strategic Program Area to maintain focus 

and progress in the highest priority research. These high priority research areas include research 

on integrated management and production systems, sustainable bioenergy production, 

nanotechnology, urban sustainability and natural resource stewardship, and restoration and 

climate adaptation research. 

Past Performance 

Pollinators assist 80 percent of flowering plants in their reproduction, which accounts for much 

of the food ingested by humans and wildlife. The worldwide decline in pollinators highlights the 

importance of understanding the factors affecting plant-pollinator interactions. Forest Service 

scientists found that drought stress reduced pollinator visitation and altered floral scent. These 

findings suggest that some plants and pollinators will be negatively affected if the frequency and 

severity of droughts increases due to climate change. Consequently, reduction of drought stress 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 63 

must be an important consideration for forest managers in their management and restoration 

plans for native ecosystems. 

On May 6, 2014, President Obama unveiled the 2013 U.S. Global Change Research Program 

National Climate Assessment. Contributing to this assessment were highly technical reports that 

were designed for an audience other than to general land managers. Forest Service researchers 

compiled and translated the technical information into a book, Climate Change and United States 

Forests, which was written in an easy-to-read, clear style that is of practical use to resource 

managers. The book is a comprehensive resource that explains everything from how 

disturbances interact to create “stress complexes,” to vulnerability assessments, to the effects of 

carbon management and carbon mitigation strategies. The authors discuss management options 

that could help forests adapt to climate change, provide case studies, and outline a structured 

approach for projecting and responding to future changes in forest conditions. The book serves 

as a framework for managing the Nation’s forest resources in the context of climate change and 

is being used by State and Federal agencies in land management planning. 

Forest Service scientists also developed a web-based application titled Community Biomass 

Handbook that guides businesses seeking to replace fossil fuels with wood energy to meet 

sustainability goals. Available as an eBook, this handbook contains a wood energy financial 

application that allows users to quickly assess whether wood energy is a feasible option for their 

community or small business. The handbook provides background information and case studies, 

answers to project development questions, and a checklist of possible products and investment 

considerations. For iPad and Mac users, this interactive handbook is available as a free 

download. A PDF version of the handbook and a Web-based version of the financial application 

are also available at http://www.woodenergy.umn.edu/communityBiomassHandbook.html.

Forest Service scientists are contributing to community efforts to recover after natural disasters. 

New York City’s socially and ecologically diverse Jamaica Bay region, population 

approximately 900,000, became a focus of resiliency planning and adaptive management efforts 

following Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Forest Service scientists, in partnership with the 

Natural Areas Conservancy of New York City and the New York City Department of Parks and 

Recreation, developed a rapid assessment methodology to understand the public use, social 

meaning, and stewardship potential of parks in the region. This study assessed the 2,140 acres of 

public parkland adjacent to the Bay that are managed by the Department of Parks and 

Recreation. The assessment enables managers to examine change in social and cultural benefits 

and values over time in the wake of both acute, large-scale disasters and other chronic forms of 

disturbance to inform future mitigation and restoration decision making. 

Program Overview 

The Resource Management and Use Strategic Program Area provides the scientific and 

technological base to sustainably manage and use forest resources and forest fiber-based 

products. Forest products used for timber, medicinal, and food products contribute to local 

economies and the management of our Nation’s forests while also providing an assortment of 

ecosystem services including clean air and water. Critical Forest Service research includes plant 

science, soil science, silviculture, social science, productivity, forest and range ecology and 

management, forest harvesting and operations, forest and biomass products and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 64 

utilization, economics, urban forestry, climate change, 

and nanotechnology. The benefit of this program area 

is that it helps ensure that our Nation’s forests remain 

a sustainable, strategic asset in achieving and 

enhancing our domestic energy security, economic 

opportunity, environmental quality, global 

competitiveness and quality of life experiences for the 

public.

Water, Air, and Soil R&D 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes $32,730,000 

for water, air, and soil research, a decrease of 

$2,659,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds 

will be focused toward research in support of 

watershed restoration, soil conservation during road 

decommissioning, and air quality research in support 

of forest health management. The Forest Service is 

committed to producing the science and delivery to 

support high quality water, air, and soil resources. 

Past Performance 

Future climate change scenarios predict that drought 

instances will become more prevalent in some regions 

and will likely increase tree mortality. Current 

landscape-scale forest models have not done a good job of predicting impacts of drought on 

forest growth and mortality. Forest Service researchers developed a mechanistic model to link 

water availability and tree species growth and tested it using data from a field precipitation 

manipulation experiment in a piñon-juniper ecosystem in New Mexico. The approach links 

temperature and precipitation to tree species competition for light and water in forest landscape 

models, thus greatly improving their utility for application of climate change research to 

restoration decisions. 

Forest Service R&D developed models to improve a manager’s ability to accurately predict air 

pollution emissions during prescribed fires in shrub lands. Scientists used field measurements, 

environmental conditions, and fuel consumption data in shrub-dominated sites in the Interior 

West to develop these models which estimate fuel consumption in these vegetation types during 

prescribed fires. This information allows managers to predict pollution emissions during 

prescribed fires, thus directly assisting with smoke management planning and regulation efforts. 

Vegetation buffers consist of a strip of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants along waterways to 

reduce erosion, minimize runoff pollution, and provide wildlife habitat. The effectiveness of 

these buffers in filtering out water pollutants may be improved by placing a wider buffer at 

locations where pollutant loads are greater. Forest Service scientists developed a Geographic 

“Smart Sponge” Takes on Oil and Chemical 

Spills

The “smart sponge” is one of a number of 

applications under development for the tiny wood 

fibers known as cellulose nanofibrils which possess 

a number of unique properties including 

renewability, high surface areas, high aspect ratios, 

and excellent mechanical properties. Forest Service 

researchers developed a series of cellulose 

nanofibrils-based organic aerogels that may be used 

for a number of applications including as 

superabsorbents, thermal insulation, polymer 

nanocomposites, and supercapacitors. As 

superabsorbents, these renewable resource based 

aerogels may be used in environmental cleanup 

efforts after chemical or oil spills.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 65 

Information System tool that produces variable-width buffer designs that are optimal for a given 

field situation by incorporating site specific data such as slope, soil texture, field cover 

management, and pollutant type. Case studies 

showed that precision design could double the 

effectiveness of buffers in improving water quality 

over traditional constant-width designs. 

Trees planted in agroforestry systems, such as 

riparian buffers and windbreaks, can increase 

carbon-sequestration on agricultural lands. Forest 

Service R&D collaborated with university partners 

to help farmers account for this increased carbonsequestration and participate in future carbon 

markets. The project involved developing biomass 

equations that capture the growth differences 

between the open-canopy tree arrangements used in 

agroforestry systems, with those used in closedcanopy forest conditions, for three windbreak 

species found in the Northern Great Plains: green 

ash, eastern red cedar, and Austrian pine. The 

results indicated that biomass and, hence, carbonsequestration, were significantly underestimated for 

agroforestry species when closed-canopy estimates 

were used. 

The national network of experimental forests and 

ranges (EFRs) are the sites for most of the longterm research studies, some extending over 100 

years, conducted by the Forest Service and their 

partners. Forest Service scientists published a book 

titled “USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests 

and Ranges: Research for the Long Term” that documents contributions and lessons learned in 

the areas of silviculture, ecology, fire science, social science, biogeochemistry, hydrology, range 

science, wildlife biology, and more. Also, this book provides a future vision for an urban 

network of experimental areas to complement and extend the existing network of experimental 

forests and rangers. The information contained in this book is unparalleled in providing analyses 

of key natural resource management options and their long-term implications. 

Program Overview 

The Water, Air, and Soil Strategic Program Area enables the sustainable management of these 

essential resources by providing information on how to support clean air and drinking water, and 

improve our ability to adapt to climate variability and change. The program area studies 

ecosystem services with a high level of integration between water, air, and soil research. We pay 

particular attention to the effects of climate variability and change on water budgets. This 

research benefits managers and policymakers by providing scientific information and tools 

needed to address critical issues.

Trees Improve Human Health and Save Lives

Air pollution is a serious health concern in both rural 

and urban communities. It has long been recognized 

that trees remove air pollution by intercepting 

particulate matter on plant surfaces and absorbing 

gaseous pollutants through the leaf stomata. Forest 

Service scientists and their partners were able to 

quantify the impact of trees on air quality. These 

scientists developed computer simulations with local 

environmental data showing that trees and forests in the 

conterminous United States removed 17.4 million 

metric tons of air pollution in 2010 with human health 

effects valued at $6.8 billion. Health impacts included 

the avoidance of more than 850 incidences of human 

mortality and 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory 

symptoms. These findings emphasize the need to 

maintain a forested presence in and around our 

communities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 66 

Wildlife and Fish R&D

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes $25,076,000 for Wildlife and Fish research, a decrease 

of $2,052,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The Budget will support priority research 

including climate change adaptation, habitat restoration strategies, and innovations in inventory 

and monitoring. Wildlife and fish research is vital in informing high priority conservation efforts 

such as managing for resilient populations of cold water fishes, restoring sage grouse habitat, 

managing habitat of elk and mule deer, and slowing the spread of white-nose syndrome in bats. 

Results of this research include improved allocation of restoration dollars, increased resilience of 

valuable fish and wildlife resources, and support of the 2012 Planning Rule. The National Forest 

Management Act of 1976 requires every national forest or grassland to develop and maintain an 

effective Land Management Plan. The process for the development and revision of plans, along 

with the required content of plans, is outlined in the 2012 Planning Rule.

Past Performance 

Forest Service R&D launched a new “National 

Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish 

Conservation” to conduct state-of-the-art 

genomics research and environmental 

monitoring of biodiversity through 

environmental genetic code sampling. The 

Center will provide cost-effective and reliable 

genetic and genomic data to enhance 

monitoring and to improve management of our 

fish and wildlife resources. This new Center 

will greatly help Federal land management 

agencies redeem their responsibilities to the 

American public for conserving species by 

reducing the cost of monitoring while 

increasing the reliability of the information. 

Bats are a major predator of forest defoliating 

insects and of agricultural pests. With 

millions of bats lost to a disease caused by an 

invasive soil-inhabiting fungus 

(Pseudogymoascus destructans), white-nose 

syndrome may result in substantial ecological, 

economic, and management costs for the 

Nation. Forest Service R&D is a leader in 

fungal pathology, invasive species control, 

monitoring design, and bat ecology, and is 

collaborating with diverse partners to control the spread of the white-nose syndrome fungus and 

reduce disease-induced mortality. Recently, Forest Service scientists, in collaboration with 

university partners, investigated the genetic diversity of fungi in soil samples collected from bat 

Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration of Sagebrush 

Ecosystems 

Sagebrush ecosystems are home to the Greater sage-grouse, 

a sensitive species that is on the verge of being listed as 

threatened or endangered. Such a listing would necessitate 

restricting development on 163 million acres containing 

sagebrush ecosystems which would have a tremendous 

economic impact on the Nation. Forest Service scientists 

are providing managers with Resistance (retaining), 

Resilience (regaining), and Restoration (returning) technical 

guidance for science-management integration of sagebrush. 

Results from 20 years of sagebrush restoration research 

demonstrate sage grouse habitat restoration has been 

successful when using appropriate native seed mixes and 

suitable methods.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 67 

caves in the Eastern United States. These efforts led to the discovery and molecular 

characterization of the basis for a sexual mating system in P. destructans. Although populations 

of P. destructans are thought to be clonal and of one mating type, this newly discovered potential 

for sexual recombination indicates that continued vigilance is needed regarding introductions of 

this invasive pathogen. 

Changes in stream temperatures may be one of the more significant effects of climate change on 

stream biota, particularly the most sensitive cold-adapted species. Estimating the response of 

streams to a warming climate is important for prioritizing native fish conservation efforts. Forest 

Service scientists analyzed summer stream temperature records from forested streams in the 

Pacific Northwestern United States for correlations to air temperature and stream flow. A 

significant pattern emerged where cold streams always had lower sensitivities to air temperature 

variation, while warm streams varied in their sensitivity depending on geology or vegetation. A 

pattern where cold streams are less sensitive to direct temperature increases is important for 

conservation planning, although substantial questions may yet remain for secondary effects 

related to flow or vegetation changes induced by climate change. 

Program Overview 

The Wildlife and Fish Strategic Program Area provides knowledge and tools to sustain the 

health, diversity, and productivity of aquatic and terrestrial animals on the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands. Forest Service R&D wildlife and fish research serves several needs including 

supporting restoration and conservation actions across large landscapes and watersheds; 

managing wildlife and fish under current and future environmental disturbances such as drought, 

fire, and invasive species; creating innovative protocols for inventory and monitoring of fish and 

wildlife populations and habitats; and providing strategies to meet the growing demand for 

water, energy, and other forest and grassland based commodities while ensuring the 

sustainability and diversity of terrestrial and aquatic species and ecosystems.

Inventory and Monitoring R&D

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes $90,841,000 for inventory and monitoring research, an 

increase of $12,429,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Inventory and Monitoring is 

comprised of Resource Data and Analysis and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). The FY 

2016 President’s Budget includes $7,841,000 for Resource Data and Analysis, a decrease of 

$651,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget and $83,000,000 for the FIA program, an increase 

of $13,000,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

At the FY 2016 Budget level, the capacity for Resource Data and Analysis to develop new tools 

to assess the current status and trends of forests will be lessened. The FIA program will continue 

to implement the annualized inventory program in all 50 States (including interior Alaska), the 

affiliated Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The re-measurement cycle 

will be at a 7-year level in the east and a 10-year in the west, with an option for enhanced State 

participation for a 5-year level. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 68 

At the FY 2016 Budget level, the additional $13,000,000 will provide for the first time inclusion 

of interior Alaska to the FIA program completing national implementation of the program. The 

additional funding will also provide for improved base measurements and research capacity 

including the improved estimation of the forest carbon inventory, land cover and land use 

measurements, and timber products output. Each of these improvements empowers FIA delivery 

of the assessment of carbon fluxes within forest over time and across land uses. This 

information is a cornerstone of the President’s Climate Action Plan. 

Consistent with the FY 2015 Enacted Budget, the FY 2016 President’s Budget transfers funding 

for the Forest Resources Information and Analysis 

program, historically funded through the State and 

Private Forestry appropriation, to the Forest and 

Rangeland Research appropriation. This funding 

($4,660,000 in FY 2013) is utilized to develop 

partnerships with State agencies to achieve program 

goals. Leveraging funds with State agencies will 

continue for the delivery of a 5-year re-measurement 

with participating states. Forest Service R&D will 

continue to work closely with State forestry 

agencies and other partners to achieve the FIA 

mission. 

Past Performance 

In addition, in FY 2014, Forest Service R&D 

implemented FIA annual forest sampling in all 50 

States. Current and accessible FIA data were 

available for 48 states. In excess of 42,000 field 

plots were measured that represent 14 percent of the 

FIA national plot system. Current data defined the 

number of States for which FIA data are less than 

two years old and accessible to external customers 

on line at http://www.fia.fs.fed.us. Data from the 

previous survey cycle (generally 10 to 15 years old) 

are available for states where current data are not yet 

posted. 

Forests as defined by use and forests as defined by cover are different, although it is common for 

scientists and policy makers to infer one from the other. In a recent landmark study, Forest 

Service scientists used repeated measurements from the FIA annual inventory to better 

understand these fundamental differences between use and cover. Using forest cover and forest 

use information, the researchers found that forest use extent and forest land cover extent were not 

significantly correlated as previously thought by both scientists and policy makers. Estimates of 

net change based on forest land cover and forest land use were moderately correlated and net 

change estimates were independent of gross forest cover loss estimates. These analyses further 

validate why the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, in the context of 

accounting for changes in forest carbon, specifically call for using forest land use instead of 

Examining the Spread of Invasive Species Using 

FIA Data 

Invasive plant species threaten the integrity of our 

ecosystems and cost billions of dollars in damages and 

removal costs annually. Forest Service scientists 

prepared a series of research reports, each featuring an 

invasive plant species being monitored on FIA plots 

across 24 States in the Northeastern and Midwestern 

States. These reports educate people on the selected 

invasive plants and offer information of their local and 

regional distribution (maps), abundance, and spread. 

An understanding of where invasive plants occur, and 

the extent to which they are present, helps identify risk 

potential and allows land managers to make more

informed management decisions. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 69 

forest land cover as the basis for country reporting. The Forest Service map and spatial data 

products will enable land managers to be more strategic and effective in their efforts to leverage 

resources and collaborative partnerships to achieve mutually beneficial goals. 

Nearly two-thirds of the forests of the conterminous United States are privately owned, not 

publicly owned as many assume. Forest Service scientists have created a map and a spatial data 

product to help illustrate the distribution of forest ownership across the Nation. The data product 

contains raster data depicting the spatial distribution of forest ownership types in the 

conterminous United States circa 2009. The data are a modeled representation of forest land by 

ownership type, and include three types of public ownership: Federal, State, and local, as well as 

three types of private: family (includes individuals and families), corporate, and other private 

(includes conservation and natural resource organizations, unincorporated partnerships and 

associations, and Native American Tribal lands). 

Program Overview 

The Inventory and Monitoring Strategic Program Area enhances the use and value of our 

Nation’s forests and grasslands by providing the resource data, analysis, and tools needed to 

assess current status and trends of forests; management options and impacts; and threats from 

fire, insects, disease, and natural processes. Assessing current and potential effects of climate 

change depends on monitoring those forest ecosystems at greatest risk to rapid change. 

National, State, and local policy makers, universities, businesses, Tribal governments, national 

forests and other natural resource agencies, interest groups, and many others depend on our 

models, information, and data for timely, scientifically credible assessments about our forests. 

An important component of Inventory and Monitoring is the FIA program. The FIA program 

has been the Nation’s forest census since 1930. The program collects, analyzes, and reports on 

the status and trends of America’s forests such as how much forest exists, where it exists, who 

owns it, and how it is changing. Benefits derived from FIA include evaluation of wildlife habitat 

conditions, assessing sustainability of current and anticipated ecosystem management practices, 

monitoring forest health, supporting planning and decision-making activities undertaken by 

public and private enterprises, and anticipating climate change impacts to forests. 

Customer Satisfaction 

The Customer Satisfaction Index is a weighted average of survey questions that measure: overall 

satisfaction; satisfaction compared to expectations; and satisfaction compared to an “ideal” 

organization. This survey is conducted every three years and provides a snapshot indication of 

customer satisfaction for Forest R&D in its entirety and not for any specific Strategic Program 

Area or Priority Research Area. The model weighs each question in a way that maximizes the 

ability of the index to predict changes in agency satisfaction. It is the only uniform, crossindustry/government measure of customer satisfaction. The index is reported as an average score 

for each organization on a scale of 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent). The Customer satisfaction 

surveys help Forest Service R&D achieve its strategic and tactical goals by identifying key 

drivers of satisfaction by users of our products and services. Also, they evaluate performance 

and identify significant changes from previous surveys, and provide recommendations on how to 

improve satisfaction. The most recent survey was conducted in FY 2012 in which Forest Service 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 70 

R&D received a score of 79 which is significantly higher than the aggregate score (69) for all 

Federal agencies. The survey showed that customers were satisfied with the content of Forest 

Service R&D products and with the staff and also identified ways we could improve satisfaction 

by: 1) making products easier to use, and 2) making information more accessible by improving 

our science delivery efforts. Forest Service R&D continues to develop products and tools that 

are relevant, timely and readily accessible to a diverse customer base. 

Forest Service Research and Development Program Overview 

Forest Service R&D provides scientific information and new technologies to support sustainable 

management of the Nation’s forests and rangelands. These products and services increase the 

basic biological and physical knowledge of the composition, structure, and function of forest, 

rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. Forest Service R&D is federally mandated to provide new 

knowledge and technologies to foster healthy watersheds, forest products, wildlife protection, 

robust urban ecosystems, and other benefits across all Territories and States (including both 

Federal and non-Federal lands). Research is conducted at five research stations, the Forest 

Products Lab, and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry located in Puerto Rico. There 

are approximately 500 scientists at 67 sites located throughout the United States. In addition, 

Forest Service R&D maintains 81 experimental forests and ranges across the Nation, which 

serves as sites for most of the agency’s long-term research. 

The following table illustrates the cross-disciplinary nature of most priority research areas and 

the balance of funding between national and localized research. 

Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas Matrix Funding Table 

(dollars in thousands)

Priority 

Research 

Areas Fire Invasives Recreation 

Resource 

Mgmt. 

and Use 

Water, 

Air, and 

Soil 

Wildlife 

and Fish 

Inventory 

and 

Monitoring Total 

Forest 

Disturbances $288 $201 $0 $14,365 $1,891 $2,954 $5,036 $24,733 

Forest Inventory 

and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 0 83,000 83,000 

Watershed 

Mgmt. and 

Restoration 

1,732 1,131 0 2,782 9,063 5,593 865 21,164 

Bioenergy and 

Biobased 

Products 

243 106 0 10,666 243 0 333 11,590 

Urban Natural 

Resource 

Stewardship 

445 0 1,952 1,032 1,303 0 875 5,606 

Nanotechnology 0 0 0 4,263 0 0 0 4,263 

Localized Needs 

Research 17,817 31,014 2,160 53,143 20,231 16,530 733 141,626 

Total $20,524 $32,451 $4,111 $86,249 $32,730 $25,076 $90,841 $291,982 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 71 

Priority Research Areas 

Forest Disturbances - $24,639,000 

This research area provides managers and policy makers with scientific information and tools to 

anticipate and respond to the impacts of a changing climate and other disturbances on forests and 

rangelands. The program strategy focuses on predicting impacts on ecosystems and providing 

the research that will lead to: enhanced ecosystem sustainability (adaptation); increased carbon 

sequestration, reduced emissions, and product substitution, including biofuels and wood products 

(mitigation); developing decision support tools; and establishing collaborations that will enhance 

the delivery of the science needed to manage forest and rangeland ecosystems. This information 

is used to develop management strategies and provide decision support tools that aid managers 

and policy makers in fostering resilience to current and future forest disturbances associated 

directly or indirectly with climate change across forest, range, and urban ecosystems. Working 

with the other agency deputy areas (State and Private Forestry and National Forest System) and 

USDA agencies (Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Agricultural Research Service), 

Forest Service R&D continues to provide support to the Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and 

Mitigation to Climate Change. The Hubs provide coordinated technical support to supplement 

USDA agriculture and land management program delivery, especially to underserved and 

vulnerable communities, Tribes, and individuals. The Hubs will be responsive to the information 

and technical needs of public and private forest landowners. 

Forest Inventory and Analysis - $83,000,000 

The FIA reports on the current condition and recent trends in the area of public and private forest 

land in the United States. The FIA provides specific information on past, current, and projected 

tree numbers by species; the size and health of trees; tree growth, mortality, and harvest 

removals; loss of forested lands due to disturbances, such as hurricanes and wildland fires; wood 

production and utilization; and forest landownership. These data are essential to making sound 

investment decisions in forest management activities and land management planning, in ensuring 

the long-term health of forests, and in prolonging the availability of multiple uses from forests. 

Forest Service R&D works closely with State forestry agencies and other partners to achieve the 

FIA mission. The FIA leverages one partner dollar for every six Federal dollars spent. Recent 

data show that the FIA “census for trees” program positions States and public and private 

landowners to implement and profit from alternative energy and ecosystem service markets 

focused on carbon sequestration and the conversion of woody biomass to energy. The FIA data 

enables the natural resource community to understand the magnitude of changes in forest 

conditions and trends and to make projections of future conditions - information which is vital to 

the long-term health of forests and the sustained availability of multiple uses from forests. 

Watershed Management and Restoration - $21,071,000 

Adequate supplies of clean water are essential to human health and economic growth. 

Population growth and forest disturbances, however, are stressing surface and ground water 

resources. New approaches are developed to effectively manage water resources given the 

changing social, economic, and environmental conditions. Forest Service R&D delivers: 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 72 

 best management practices for watershed management and restoration in forest, urban, and 

agricultural settings, which support the provision of abundant, safe drinking water, 

 methods for assessing changes in watershed condition as a result of changing demographics 

and development pressures, 

 strategies for managing both surface and groundwater resources under changing forest 

conditions and urbanization’, 

 projections of national and regional water demand and supply as affected by forest 

disturbances, population growth, agriculture production, energy generation, and economic 

development, and 

 improved techniques for restoring watersheds, which will enhance overall human and 

ecosystem health. 

Bioenergy and Biobased Products - $11,511,000 

Our Nation’s forests are a sustainable, strategic asset in achieving and enhancing domestic 

energy security, economic opportunity, environmental quality, and global competitiveness. A 

sustainable renewable bioenergy and biobased products sector is a growing source of jobs in the 

economy and contributes to energy security and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Woody 

biomass is a critical renewable resource that has the potential to fulfill a significant portion of the 

domestic need for liquid transportation fuels, chemicals and other bioproducts, and sustainable 

substitutes for fossil fuel-intensive products. A robust and productive research and development 

program is crucial to building and sustaining this economic sector. This research provides the 

science and technology to sustainably produce, manage, harvest, and convert woody biomass to 

liquid transportation fuels, chemicals, and other high-value products. By developing costeffective conversion processes that deliver fuel and high-value bioproducts plus efficient, high 

productivity biomass feedstock production and management systems, this research reduces 

investor risk in woody biomass projects and contributes to U.S. energy security, environmental, 

and economic goals (U.S. Department of Energy 2011, National Science Foundation 2008). 

Urban Natural Resources Stewardship - $5,525,000 

Over 80 percent of the Nation’s population now lives in metropolitan areas (2010 United States 

Census) and the number is increasing. Improving the sustainability and livability of our cities 

and surrounding suburbs is a long-term challenge and goal as the Nation’s population becomes 

increasingly urban. Forest Service R&D provides leading science and new technology to 

improve environmental health and community well-being in urban areas. Forest Service 

scientists are at the forefront of urban forestry and socio-ecological research that helps cities and 

towns transition to a sustainable future. Critical areas of research include: urban forest structure 

and effects modeling, urban ecosystem health, urban watershed conservation and rehabilitation, 

ecosystem services valuation and assessment, urban environmental stewardship, and green 

infrastructure strategies and best management practices. Forest Service R&D is directing 

research efforts at the municipal level to provide new information and tools to help in 

sustainability planning. This effort involves initiating urban forest inventory work and 

advancing long-term, place-based, collaborative urban forest-related research in a number of 

cities throughout the United States. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 73 

Nanotechnology - $4,247,000 

Forest Service R&D investments in nanotechnology provide research in the production, 

application, and technology deployment of cellulose nanomaterials. These activities provide an 

opportunity to utilize wood resulting from forest restoration and fuel treatment operations. 

Cellulose nanomaterials are renewable materials that may displace petroleum-based products in 

automobiles, biomedical devices, body armor, aerospace materials, plastics, composites, 

coatings, and electronics. Consequently, nanotechnology may bring about fundamental changes 

and significant economic and quality-of-life benefits to the American people. This research has 

the added benefit of providing markets for low value wood products, thus providing a financial 

incentive to public and private landowners to remove this low value wood, which reduces fuel 

loads and helps, accelerate forest restoration efforts. 

Localized Needs Research - $141,517,000 

In addition to the research investments in national Priority Research Areas, Forest Service R&D 

invests in research targeted to the geographic regions served by Forest Service research stations 

and field laboratories. Localized needs research is aligned with national strategic goals, but is 

particularly responsive to the social, economic, and ecological issues important to each region. 

Scientists from multiple research stations collaborate across regions to develop and share 

research findings and develop tools that solve common problems. Localized needs research by 

Forest Service R&D provides the foundation of basic and applied science needed to advance 

research in each of the Strategic Program Areas previously reviewed and described in this 

document. 

Forest Service R&D develops and shares basic science, while developing applications specific to 

regional needs. This approach of developing a core foundation of basic science that drives the 

development of regionally specific knowledge, assessment methods, and management tools plays 

out at Forest Service R&D research labs throughout the Nation, addressing critical issues 

concerning wildlife, fish, water, air, forests and rangelands, invasive species, wood products 

utilization, recreation, economics, social science, and other needs critical to sustaining America’s 

natural resources and public uses. 

Allocation and Integration 

Forest Service R&D priorities are based on the agency’s mission and Administration priorities. 

The base Forest Service R&D program is established using input from the field. The research 

stations, the Forest Products Lab, and International Institute of Tropical Forestry prioritize 

research in response to local and regional needs. Field requests are reviewed, coordinated with 

critical needs identified at the national level, and then merged into a national research program. 

Funds are distributed to support the seven Strategic Program Areas. 

For the FIA program, funds have been allocated historically in equal proportion to Eastern States 

and Western States, as forest acres are evenly split between these two broad regions. Partner 

contributions are 15 percent of the total funding of Eastern States and 10 percent of total funding 

in Western States, with the remainder coming from appropriated funds. For further detail and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 74 

trends see: http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/bus-org-documents/docs/FIA_Annual_Report_2012-

opt.pdf.

The program also supports forest inventory activities with costs shared by States. Allocations to 

States are based upon the cost-effectiveness of past performance of State FIA implementation. 

State contributions represent approximately 11 percent of the total program funds and are 

contingent on FIA’s ability to provide matching funds. To make efficient use of available 

resources, FIA contracts some services when partners can provide them at a lower cost. 

Approximately 20 percent of the FIA program (funding and resources) supports the National 

Forest System, including strategic inventory across 193 million acres in support of forest 

planning with information such as volume, biomass, growth, removals, mortality, forest carbon 

storage, forest health, and fire fuel loads. 

Partnerships 

Forest Service R&D partners include Federal and State agencies, universities, industry, 

nongovernmental organizations, Tribal groups, and foreign government research cooperators. 

One of the most important functions of Forest Service R&D is the distribution of information to 

forest managers and users implementing land management projects. The agency provides 

valuable technology transfer to our research partners, land management practitioners, State 

agencies, urban planners, private forest owners, private organizations, horticultural 

organizations, agricultural interests, as well as forest practitioners internal to the Forest Service. 

Seeking and forging strategic partnerships is a critical activity of Forest Service R&D. 

The FIA program is managed as a partnership, led by Forest Service R&D in cooperation with 

National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and the National Association of State 

Foresters. FIA customers include: national forests and grasslands, State forestry agencies, 

Federal and State policy makers; corporations and consultants; researchers; environmental 

organizations; land managers; media; and anyone interested in reliable, current forest data. 

Partners contribute funds to leverage FIA programs commensurate with their individual needs. 

Partner funding is encouraged but not required to receive the base Federal program. In FY 2014, 

partners contributed over $7 million to shorten measurement cycles or otherwise enhance FIA 

programs. Participating State organizations include State forestry agencies, universities, 

nongovernmental organizations, and other partners. Partner contributions are primarily used to 

lower inventory cycles or cost share research. Nearly 34 percent of FIA’s annual work is 

accomplished in this manner. Not all States participate each year, but over the last 10-years all 

States have contributed to FIA program efforts. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 75 

Land Area, Forest Area, FIA Federal Grants, and Partner Funds 

 by State in FY 2014 

Region and State All Land Forestland Forest and 

Woodland 

Federal FIA 

Grants Partner Funds 

 (acres in thousands) (dollars in thousands)

Alaska, Coast 39,041 13,718 13,718 $604,216 $7,282 

Alaska, Int 326,575 114,859 114,859 0 0 

Alabama 32,413 22,877 22,877 232,438 76,796 

Arkansas 33,303 18,755 18,755 400,882 144,077 

Arizona 72,700 10,795 18,643 42,624 0 

California 99,699 32,057 32,618 0 67,389 

Connecticut 3,099 1,712 1,712 0 500 

Colorado 66,331 19,995 22,837 989,383 252,246 

Delaware 1,247 340 340 118,000 28,290 

*District of Columbia 0 7,770 

Florida 34,447 17,461 17,461 161,000 59,388 

Georgia 36,809 24,768 24,768 436,296 272,648 

Hawaii 4,110 1,748 1,748 250,000 0 

Iowa 35,749 3,014 3,014 92,831 17,645 

Idaho 52,892 21,247 21,448 239,095 0 

Illinois 35,532 4,848 4,848 0 23,359 

Indiana 22,929 4,830 4,830 79,781 120,715 

Kansas 52,326 2,502 2,502 146,400 34,938 

Kentucky 25,271 12,472 12,472 320,000 131,418 

Louisiana 27,650 14,712 14,712 0 0 

Massachusetts 4,992 3,024 3,024 252,775 52,950 

Maryland 6,252 2,461 2,461 0 12,300 

Maine 19,739 17,660 17,660 232,270 381,061 

Michigan 36,185 20,127 20,127 79,938 58,950 

Minnesota 50,961 17,371 17,371 449,270 531,075 

Missouri 43,995 15,472 15,472 11,250 98,547 

Mississippi 30,031 19,542 19,542 0 92,263 

Montana 93,149 25,169 25,573 72,000 213,400 

North Carolina 31,115 18,588 18,588 1,030,060 24,552 

North Dakota 44,161 734 760 28,326 7,200 

Nebraska 49,167 1,576 1,576 71,880 5,853 

New Hampshire 5,730 4,832 4,832 0 20,400 

New Jersey 4,707 1,964 1,964 0 3,667 

New Mexico 77,631 16,615 24,840 80,574 444,100 

Nevada 70,260 8,121 11,169 796,242 220,595 

New York 30,161 18,966 18,966 173,505 24,140 

Ohio 26,151 8,088 8,088 44,400 11,345 

Oklahoma 43,901 12,256 12,646 300,000 199,608 

Oregon 61,432 29,787 29,804 786,310 485,855 

Pennsylvania 28,635 16,782 16,782 0 115,536 

Puerto Rico 2,192 1,213 1,213 42,175 100,000 

*The totals for the District of Columbia are included in the totals for Maryland. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Forest and Rangeland Research 76 

Land Area, Forest Area, FIA Federal Grants, and Partner Funds 

 by State in FY 2014 

Region and State All Land Forestland Forestland and 

Woodlands 

 Federal FIA 

Grants Partner Funds 

(acres in thousand) (dollars in thousands)

Rhode Island 662 360 360 0 3,069

South Carolina 19,239 13,120 13,120 348,900 124,000

South Dakota 48,519 1,911 1,911 58,397 21,851

Tennessee 26,390 13,942 13,942 444,200 102,940

Texas 167,188 40,318 62,425 720,500 309,409

Utah 52,589 11,866 18,135 863,524 529,952

Virginia 25,274 15,907 15,907 486,284 212,725

Vermont 5,899 4,591 4,591 0 100,600

Washington 42,532 22,435 22,435 101,406 88,280

Wisconsin 34,661 16,980 16,980 40,000 1,448,610

West Virginia 15,384 12,155 12,155 130,970 49,300

Wyoming 62,140 10,807 11,448 203,949 0

TOTAL 2,260,955 766,237 818,816 $11,962,051 $7,608,594 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 77

State and Private Forestry 

Appropriation State and Private Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

State and Private Forestry

Annual Appropriations $229,980 $232,653 $236,611 $3,958 2%

State and Private Forestry Total 229,980 232,653 236,611 3,958 2%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 582 604 532 -72 -12%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 582 604 532 -72 -12%

State and Private Forestry

Landscape Scale Restoration 14,000 14,000 23,513 9,513 68%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 58,922 58,922 58,998 76 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 45,655 45,655 40,678 -4,977 -11%

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0%

Forest Stewardship 22,398 23,036 23,049 13 0%

Forest Legacy Program 50,965 53,000 61,000 8,000 15%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 2,000 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry 28,040 28,040 23,686 -4,354 -16%

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0%

International Forestry 8,000 8,000 4,004 -3,996 -50%

State and Private Forestry Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $236,611,000 for State and Private Forestry (S&PF), 

a decrease of $3,958,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The S&PF programs help sustain the Nation’s urban and rural forests, assist private landowners 

in maintaining their forests, and protect communities and the environment from insects, disease, 

and invasive plants. More than 50 percent our of Nation’s forests—over 420 million acres—are 

privately owned. These forests supply almost 30 percent of the surface drinking water to cities 

and rural communities and over 90 percent of our domestically-produced forest products (Report 

to Congress on Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act and Other USDA Programs That Benefit 

Private Forests, 2011). The S&PF programs help protect these forests and provide support to 

keep working forests intact. This Federal investment leverages the capacity of State Foresters 

and their partners to manage State and private lands and produce ecological, social, and 

economic benefits for the American people. For example, almost 11 million acres are now being 

managed more sustainably because of landowner planning, have been treated to protect against 

wildfires and insects and diseases, or have been protected from development since 2008 as a 

result of S&PF program investments. In addition, between 2008 and 2011, Forest Service 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 78

programs assisted over two million landowners through education programs or other related 

services during this same timeframe.9 

Partnerships are critical in implementing and delivering 

S&PF programs. Through a coordinated effort in 

management, protection, conservation education, and 

resource use, S&PF programs help facilitate sound 

stewardship of lands across all ownerships on a landscape 

scale, while maintaining the flexibility for individual forest 

landowners to pursue their objectives. The S&PF programs 

help Americans reconnect to the outdoors and are engines of 

job creation in rural communities. In addition, S&PF 

programs are key components of the President’s America’s 

Great Outdoors Initiative to conserve important landscapes 

and reconnect Americans to the outdoors. Along with the National Forest System, Forest and 

Rangeland Research, the Department of the Interior, and State and local partners, S&PF 

programs also manage the impacts of wildland fires on communities and the environment. 

Landscape Scale Restoration 

The new Landscape Scale Restoration program focuses and prioritizes funds and resources to 

better shape and influence forest land use on a scale, and in a way, that optimizes public benefits 

from trees and forests for current and future generations. This program funds competitive 

projects that focus on all-lands and result in a targeted, positive impact in high-priority areas by 

leveraging State capacity with strategic Federal investments. All States and Territories have 

crafted assessments of the forests within their boundaries and developed strategies to address 

threats and improve forest health. The resulting Statewide Forest Resource Assessments and 

Strategies, or State Forest Action Plans (http://www.forestactionplans.org/), provide an analysis 

of forest conditions and trends and delineate priority forest landscape areas. Under the 2014 

Farm Bill, Forest Action Plans will be updated as necessary; and where feasible, will include 

military installations to the extent that management of State and other public or private lands 

support and contribute to the mission of such installations. These State Forest Action Plans are 

an integral part of Landscape Scale Restoration and represent the first-ever “strategic plan” for 

the Nation’s forests. The State Forest Action Plans focus on all-lands (State, private, Tribal, and 

Federal) and strategically assess the greatest need, highest value, or strongest innovation 

potential. State Forest Action Plans are a new path to effectively address contemporary 

conservation issues across the country in the urban-to-rural spectrum. 

Cooperation and coordination across jurisdictional boundaries is needed to deal with the complex 

issues revealed in the State Forest Action Plans, most of which need to be addressed at a 

landscape level and by working through local communities. State forestry organizations and the 

Forest Service have a long history of working together on important forest management issues 

and State Forest Action Plans are helping us identify priority landscapes on which to focus 

 

9

 This reference is from the September 2011 “Report to Congress on Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act and Other 

USDA Programs That Benefit Private Forests.” This is the most current report published on this subject. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/cooperativeforestry/library/private_forest_report.pdf

S&PF Program Leverages 

$13.2 Million in FY 2014 

In FY 2014, S&PF competitively 

allocated $12.5 million to State 

Foresters, supporting 49 projects 

in 39 States and Territories. 

These allocations enabled the 

Forest Service to leverage over 

$13 million in partner funds and 

in-kind contributions. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 79

critical conservation actions. These Plans enable the Forest Service and State partners to better 

leverage stakeholder partnerships and heighten public awareness of the value and importance of 

the Nation’s public and private forests. The plans feature State-specific strategies based on local 

expertise and extensive public input. By linking the State Forest Action Plans with our national 

conservation and economic goals, they help facilitate long-term decisions for investing State, 

Federal, and other resources where there is the greatest need. By focusing on priority outcomes 

that address landscape-scale issues, the State Forest Action Plans guide investments to conserve, 

protect, and enhance our forests. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 80

Landscape Scale Restoration 

Budget Line Item Landscape Scale Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Landscape Scale Restoration

Annual Appropriations $14,000 $14,000 $23,513 $9,513 68%

Landscape Scale Restoration Total 14,000 14,000 23,513 9,513 68%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 0 0 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Landscape Scale Restoration

Total value of resources (expressed as a ratio) leveraged 

through partnerships with states and other partners 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.3

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $23,513,000 for Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR), 

an increase of $9,513,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

In FY 2016, this program will continue to fund cross-boundary competitive projects that address 

priorities and needs identified in States’ Forest Action Plans focused around conserving working 

forest landscapes, protecting forests from harm, and enhancing the public benefits of trees and 

forests. This continued investment in cross-boundary, landscape scale projects on State and 

private lands will spur innovation, bring partners to the table, support climate change activities, 

and allow the agency to leverage partner contributions. This investment will also result in 

sustaining and restoring forest health and vigor on hundreds of acres, accomplishing meaningful 

change on priority landscapes in States, allowing the agency to assist urban communities in 

protecting their forests, and maximizing the number of cross-boundary projects that can be 

funded. The LSR program work is critical to ensuring the continued health and resilience of our 

Nation’s forested landscapes. 

Past Performance

This new budget line item, first proposed in FY 2013, was enacted in the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. However, the Act was passed after the first quarter of the fiscal year and the 

competitive process was well underway in its prior State and Private Forestry (SP&F) 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 81

“Redesign” form. Because of the multi-phase nature of the competitive process, which is 

managed by three different State forestry regional organizations, the request for competitive 

project proposals and guidance for their submission was issued in the previous fiscal year. 

Therefore, FY 2014 was a “bridge” year where projects were funded with LSR, but were 

selected through the prior Redesign process, with updated guidance issued in conjunction with 

the National Association of State Foresters. 

The updated guidance required, for the first time, that these projects be explicitly cross-boundary 

in nature and that their accomplishments be recorded spatially. In FY 2014, we tracked the 

spatial footprint of each LSR project, as well as cooperators involved and Forest Service 

objectives, for each of these projects in a new module in the Stewardship Mapping and Reporting 

Tool (SMART – see the Forest Stewardship section for more information on this tool). The LSR 

data from this new tool can be downloaded and used for accomplishment reporting and more indepth program analysis. 

In FY 2014, S&PF competitively allocated $12.5 million for 49 projects in 39 States and 

Territories. These allocations enabled the Forest Service to leverage over $13.2 million in 

partner dollars and in-kind contributions. Projects continued to be focused on those themes 

outlined in the 2008 Farm Bill and emphasized in the Redesign competitive process – conserving 

working forest landscapes, protecting forests from harm, and enhancing the public benefits of 

trees and forests.10 Projects selected focused on diverse priorities identified by States in their 

State Forest Action Plans. For example, a project selected in Kentucky is evaluating ways to 

restore environmental quality and economic vitality in Appalachian communities. Water quality 

and urban forestry projects were a particular focus in the Eastern United States, with 10 of their 

13 project selections centered on these themes. 

Investments in S&PF programs have resulted in almost 11 million acres being sustainably 

managed, protected from wildfires and insects and diseases, or protected from development. A 

focused effort on collecting and recording partner dollar and in-kind contributions demonstrated 

that these projects were matched on a more than one-to-one basis each year. LSR will help 

further increase the pace and scale of these investments. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

There are over 500 million acres of non-Federal forest lands in the United States—two-thirds of 

the Nation’s forests. These important resources generate millions of dollars in forest products 

revenues and recreation spending; provide well-paying rural jobs; supply almost 30 percent of 

the surface drinking water to cities and rural communities; and support imperiled wildlife and 

fish species. The LSR program helps ensure our Nation’s non-Federal forestlands will be able to 

continue to provide these important benefits to the American public by allowing States to pursue 

innovative, landscape scale, projects that focus on their priorities, as identified in their State 

Forest Action Plans. 

 

10 These themes were codified in the 2008 Farm Bill as part of the State Action Plan Requirements. They continue in 

the 2014 Farm Bill. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 82

Prior to the implementation of LSR, from FY 2008 through FY 2013, S&PF provided $13 to $20 

million in funding annually through a process known as S&PF “Redesign”. The Redesign 

funding was used for competitive projects focusing on issues and landscapes of national 

importance and on activities that provided meaningful outcomes on the ground. The funds for 

this effort were drawn from multiple S&PF budget line items. The Redesign process yielded 

numerous successful projects and leveraged over $125 million of partner funds and in-kind 

contributions during a six-year timeframe. Analysis of State Forest Action Plans has shown that 

forest management priorities differ across, and even within, States. Surveys conducted in 

conjunction with the National Association of State Foresters have indicated that many States 

would like to change the configuration of S&PF grant dollars they receive. LSR creates the 

ability to fund projects without the limits created by specific program funding. The LSR 

program is the next evolution of this process with a distinct budget line item that provides more 

flexibility for funding innovative projects in priority areas identified by States. 

The LSR program’s work is critical to ensuring the continued health and resilience of our 

Nation’s forested landscapes. This program is a competitive grant program that provides 

opportunities to fund innovative projects across program boundaries and across landscape 

jurisdictions that address priorities and needs consistent with the State Forest Action Plans. 

Projects are focused on restoring healthy and resilient landscapes and communities in priority 

areas that States identify. This program provides States the opportunity to develop targeted, 

creative projects that most effectively leverage the agency dollar - spanning a wide spectrum to 

meet priority needs from expanding riparian forest buffers in urban watersheds in the Eastern 

United States, to shortleaf pine restoration in multiple states across the South, to preparing for 

the effects of a changing climate in at-risk forest areas of the Pacific Islands. By addressing 

threats to forest sustainability such as protecting lands from development, damaging wildfires, or 

the spread of insects and disease, these projects will also benefit adjacent National Forest System 

lands, creating healthier, more resilient landscapes. 

Through new spatial tracking tools and improved reporting methodologies, these projects will 

also serve as a springboard for developing novel methods to measure and demonstrate improved 

outcomes on the ground in these priority areas such as enhanced water quality and quantity; 

reduced forest loss; improved forest markets; and the energy conservation and carbon 

sequestration benefits resulting from these projects. Spatial accomplishments are reported using 

the aforementioned Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated on a competitive basis focusing on cross-boundary projects, guided by the 

priorities outlined in State Forest Action Plans. Projects are focused in priority areas also 

identified in the plans. The projects are required to address nationally and regionally significant 

issues or landscapes and focus on conserving working forests, protecting forests from harm, and 

enhancing public benefits from trees and forests. Because there are different needs and focus 

areas in different parts of the country, appropriate regionally-specific evaluation criteria are used 

as part of the project evaluation and selection process. Projects involve diverse collaboration and 

partnerships in planning and implementation and coordination with complementary State and 

Federal programs when possible. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 83

Partnerships 

The development and implementation of these projects is coordinated through close 

collaboration with State and Territorial forestry agency partners. All projects are leveraged by 

non-Federal contributions on at least a 1:1 basis. The S&PF works directly with State forestry 

agencies to ensure that forest landowners have the best technical, educational, and financial 

assistance available to help them achieve their objectives in an environmentally beneficial 

way. This Federal investment leverages the capacity of State Foresters and their partners to 

manage State and private lands and produce ecological, social, and economic benefits.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 84

Forest Health Management

Forest Health Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest Health Management

Annual Appropriations $104,577 $104,577 $99,676 -$4,901 -5%

Forest Health Management Total 104,577 104,577 99,676 -4,901 -5%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 413 447 396 -51 -11%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 413 447 396 -51 -11%

Forest Health Management

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 58,922 58,922 58,998 76 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 45,655 45,655 40,678 -4,977 -11%

Forest Health Management Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $99,676,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM), a 

decrease of $4,901,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The FHM program provides insect, disease, and invasive plant survey and monitoring 

information on forest health conditions on Federal and non-Federal (Cooperative) lands and 

provides technical and financial assistance to prevent, suppress, and control outbreaks 

threatening forest resources and watershed conditions. FHM utilizes science, active land 

management, and technology transfer expertise to restore and sustain forest landscapes, across 

urban, private, State, Tribal, and Federal forests, and creates private sector jobs because of the 

expertise required to carry out this work. 

Federal Lands: Activities on Federal lands are carried out in cooperation with the National 

Forest System, other Federal agencies such as those within the Department of the Interior, and 

Tribal governments. Because pests and diseases affect forests across all lands, these activities 

optimize efficiency in executing a coordinated Federal program to prevent, detect, monitor, 

evaluate, and suppress insects and disease, and restore Federal forestlands. 

Cooperative Lands: Activities on cooperative lands are carried out in cooperation with States 

and Territories. These activities optimize efficiency in executing a coordinated program to 

maintain and restore forestlands damaged by insects, disease, and invasive plants on lands owned 

by States, local governments, private organizations, and individual landowners. 

Background 

States’ Forest Action Plans have, in many cases, identified forest health as a key State and 

Territory priority. For example, most States in the South identified the southern pine beetle as a 

key threat in their area. The most frequently mentioned invasive plant in the Southern State 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 85

Forest Action Plans was cogongrass, which easily spreads and thrives in disturbed landscapes 

making it hard to eradicate or slow down. These State Forest Action Plans are being used to help 

guide protection and restoration priorities at the national and regional levels. 

This work helps to restore forest landscapes, and the communities that depend on them, and 

makes them more resilient and healthy. Healthy forests which maintain their tree cover conserve 

clean water, provide key wildlife habitat, provide sustainable forest products, and store carbon. 

With technical and financial assistance, FHM helps ensure that forests remain healthy and 

resilient by minimizing impacts of native and non-native invasive insects, diseases, and invasive 

plants. In addition, FHM works on gene conservation that involves reforestation and 

afforestation in those areas where species have been identified as vulnerable to effects of 

changing climate conditions. 

The FHM program will continue to treat prioritized areas to reduce the potential for new 

outbreaks; to protect these areas from damaging insects and diseases; and to reduce the risks of 

undesired mortality from wildfire. Funding is based primarily upon current pest locations and 

populations detected through surveys, and level of risk as identified in the National Insect and 

Disease Risk Map (NIDRM), a tool developed by Forest Service researchers and scientists to 

predict how individual tree species will be affected by various types of diseases and pests over 

time. In particular, it highlights acres where mortality from these agents is projected to exceed 

25 percent over the next 15 years. The most recent version was completed in 2012 and is a 

predictive tool modeled to 2027. It is underlain by Geographic Information System data layers 

and uses satellite imagery, field data, and climate and topography data and is driven by 186 risk 

models. The tool is also used extensively by Federal and non-Federal forest managers, as well as 

academia, and provides one of the most important tools for protecting the health of forests at risk 

from pests and diseases. In addition, other factors used to select and fund projects include costeffectiveness and probability of successfully implementing a treatment. Forest health treatments 

are integrated with other Forest Service activities, such as hazardous fuels, forest management 

and watershed restoration, and maintenance activities, to most effectively restore resilience to 

key landscapes. 

The Forest Service also continues to commit resources to address public safety concerns and 

forest health needs arising from the millions of acres of dead and dying trees from bark beetle 

infestations. In FY 2016, the Forest Service will continue management actions to reduce forest 

susceptibility to beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees through multiple funding sources, 

including FHM. In coordination with partners and stakeholders, the Forest Service will direct 

funds to high-priority areas that have been experiencing tree mortality as a result of bark beetle 

infestations to more aggressively focus our efforts to promote human safety, forest recovery, and 

resiliency. See the Special Exhibit on Bark Beetles for more detailed information. 

Current and Future Conditions 

Current conditions of mortality and defoliation (stripping of leaves or foliage) are monitored 

every year by extensive nationally standardized aerial and ground surveys conducted on over 400 

million acres of forestlands. These surveys are an integral part of the FHM program because, in 

the long run, rapid and early detection of forest pests saves more forests and money. Surveys 

provide key information to forest managers, helping to best target treatments on impacted lands; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 86

for example, addressing the growing bark beetle infestation in the West; monitoring the rate of 

spread and activity of the gypsy moth in the East; and tracking the activity level of the southern 

pine beetle in the South. Current conditions of mortality caused by other pests are not wellrepresented in aerial detection surveys, so FHM uses other reporting mechanisms, like ground 

surveys, to obtain information on current depictions of damage caused by the emerald ash borer, 

hemlock woolly adelgid, Asian longhorned beetle, thousand cankers disease, and sudden oak 

death. 

Current and Emerging Threats 

To assist in the assessment and evaluation of the areas needing restoration, Regional and Area 

units will continue to document the occurrence of damage caused by forest insects, tree diseases, 

and invasive plants; changes in the population dynamics of host preferences of pests; and other 

changes in pest activity caused by climatic and other changing conditions. FHM continues to 

collect important genetic material that is at risk, including five-needle pine species such as 

whitebark pine, foxtail pine, limber pine, and bristlecone pine; as well as Atlantic white cedar, 

cypress, and table mountain pine. FHM works collaboratively with other Federal agencies, 

especially with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service(APHIS), to combat 

several damaging invasive pests such as Emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak 

death, gold-spotted oak borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, thousand cankers disease, and invasive 

plants on non-Federal lands. Most of the partnership work includes mapping surveys, using bait 

in streams for early detection of pests, control treatments, developing novel methods for 

combating pests including biocontrols, and education and outreach with the public. 

Current pest issues FHM is working on: 

 Several species of western bark beetle are causing severe mortality across many Western 

States, increasing risks for catastrophic fire, and health and safety of the people who use 

America’s forests. FHM resources are focusing on prevention and suppression, especially in 

high value sites such as campgrounds, in coordination with other Federal land managers. 

 Emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees and is now found in 24 States. APHIS is 

the lead agency in emerald ash borer survey, quarantine, and eradication. The Forest Service 

provides technical assistance to States and Federal land managers and continues to make 

significant advances in emerald ash borer management and detection. Since 2011, the Forest 

Service has worked with APHIS to develop a national emerald ash borer trapping model. 

Other staff and partners are working on developing biological control agents to mitigate the 

effects of this pest. 

 Asian longhorned beetle poses a serious threat to several species of trees found in both urban 

and rural forests. APHIS is the lead agency for Asian longhorned beetle detection, 

eradication, and quarantine. The Forest Service provides technical and scientific support to 

APHIS and States to help manage Asian longhorned beetle. 

 Sudden oak death threatens oak woodlands, urban forests, and horticultural industries. FHM 

continues to work with multi-agency partners, including Federal land managers, APHIS (lead 

Federal agency), the National Association of State Foresters, National Plant Board, and 

California Oak Mortality Task Force to better detect, contain, and manage this disease in 

forests where it is established. FHM funding continues to support the Oregon and California 

sudden oak death containment effort in the West. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 87

 Oak wilt is the single most important disease affecting oaks in the eastern half of the Nation. 

The FHM program continues to support suppression efforts in the Great Lakes and Texas, 

including root graft disruption (sever roots that have grown together from several trees), 

spore tree removal (removing infected trees), and treat-to-the-line tactics (a strategy to treat 

oak wilt disease that creates a buffer zone between roots to stop transmission of the disease 

from infected to non-infected trees ). 

 Hemlock woolly adelgid remains a significant threat to the health of hemlock forests in the 

Eastern U.S., and the Forest Service has implemented a hemlock woolly adelgid strategic 

plan to address this non-native insect on private, State, and Federal lands. The multi-agency 

integrated effort focuses on management of high value hemlocks (using biological and 

chemical controls) and continues research and methods development to better manage 

hemlocks across their range. 

 Thousand cankers disease is a recently described insect/disease complex causing black 

walnut mortality. A team of Federal and State agencies, universities, and conservation 

groups developed a National Response Framework for thousand cankers disease. This 

strategy provides land managers with current information to better manage thousand cankers 

disease. The Forest Service and APHIS have developed a reliable trap to detect the insect 

vector that was made available commercially in 2012 and is currently being used. FHM 

continues to organize and assist with thousand cankers disease surveys working across 

multiple agencies to provide guidelines and a thousand cankers disease survey database. 

 Southern pine beetle, which has historically been the most destructive forest pest in the 

South, continues to remain at low levels across the region. Since 2004, the Forest Service 

has implemented the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program, which supports forest 

management activities reducing southern pine beetle risk. More than 1 million acres have 

been treated to reduce the risk of southern pine beetle on State, private, and Federal lands 

across the South. This program continues to be an example of Forest Service leadership and 

successful cooperation across all-lands. 

The following table displays funding levels for selected insects, diseases and invasive plants for 

FY 2014 to FY 2016. The funding strategy is based in large part on the findings from the current 

surveys of pest conditions, NIDRM, and priorities in the State Forest Action Plans.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 88

Funding for Selected Insects, Diseases and Invasive Plants by Fiscal Year 

(dollars in thousands) 

R&D (Research Appropriation) 

S&PF (S&PF and WFM Appropriations) 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

 Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres. Bud 

Asian Longhorned Beetle (Total) $170 $208 $188 

 R&D 120 50 40 

 S&PF 50 158 148 

Douglas-fir Tussock Moth (Total) $110 $102 $97 

 R&D 76 68 68 

 S&PF 34 34 29 

Emerald Ash Borer (Total) $1,797 $1,668 $1,613 

 R&D 1,297 1,168 1,168 

 S&PF 500 500 445 

Gold Spotted Oak Borer, Thousand Canker Disease, 

Laurel Wilt (Total) $1,089 $1,079 $1,021 

 R&D 509 499 499 

 S&PF 580 580 522 

Gypsy Moth (Total) $10,089 $9,990 $7,978 

 R&D 987 888 888 

 S&PF 9,102 9,102 7,090 

 Slow-the-spread 8,750 8,750 6,738 

 Suppression 270 270 270 

 Eradication 82 82 82 

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Total) $3,792 $3,682 $3,473 

 R&D 1,892 1,782 1,782 

 S&PF 1,900 1,900 1,691 

Invasive Plants (Total) $3,803 $3,682 $3,396 

 R&D 2,003 1,882 1,882 

 S&PF 1,800 1,800 1,514 

Oak Wilt (Total) $574 $574 $519 

 R&D 74 74 74 

 S&PF 500 500 445 

Port Orford Cedar Root Disease - S&PF (Total) $175 $175 $89 

Sirex Woodwasp (Total) $370 $364 $337 

 R&D 120 114 114 

 S&PF 250 250 223 

Southern Pine Beetle (Total) $4,318 $4,318 $3,944 

 R&D 918 918 918 

 S&PF 3,400 3,400 3,026 

Subterranean Termites - R&D (Total) $323 $267 $267 

Sudden Oak Death (Total) $1,620 $1,569 $1,364 

 R&D 270 219 219 

 S&PF 1,350 1,350 1,145 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 89

R&D (Research Appropriation) 

S&PF (S&PF and WFM Appropriations) 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

 Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres. Bud 

Western Bark Beetles (Total) $5,875 $5,779 $5,644 

 R&D 1,475 1,379 1,379 

 S&PF 4,400 4,400 4,265 

Whitebark Pine Pests - (Total) $125 $125 $111 

R&D 0 0 0 

S&PF 125 125 111 

White Pine Blister Rust (Total) $621 $652 $616 

 R&D 296 327 327 

 S&PF 325 325 289 

Sub-Totals 

 R&D $10,360 $9,635 $9,625

 S&PF $24,491 $24,599 $21,032

TOTAL $34,851 $34,234 $30,657 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 90

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Annual Appropriations $58,922 $58,922 $58,998 $76 0%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands Total 58,922 58,922 58,998 76 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 307 352 302 -50 -14%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 307 352 302 -50 -14%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Federal acres treated - Invasives 104,037 126,460 146,338 153,577 146,338 122,997

Federal acres treated - Native pests 223,618 159,191 179,832 173,874 179,832 138,347

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $58,998,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM) 

Federal Lands, an increase of $76,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Funds are used to conduct forest insect and disease surveys on over 400 million acres of 

forestlands; conduct forest insect and disease prevention, suppression, restoration, and 

eradication projects; provide technical assistance; and monitor forest health on all Federal lands 

including those of the Departments of Defense and the Interior, and the Army Corps of 

Engineers. In FY 2016, we will continue to work with States, Tribes, partners, stakeholders, and 

the public to develop and implement landscape scale restoration projects within designated insect 

and disease areas that reduce the risk of insect and disease infestations, using the new and 

improved tools provided in the 2014 Farm Bill to more efficiently combat insect and disease 

threats. Our partnership with the USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

will continue to leverage funds to combat several damaging invasive pests. Addressing these 

threats demonstrates a landscape-scale partnership approach to supporting the resilience and 

health of the forests and the communities that depend on them. 

Insect and disease pests include those that are native and non-native invasive. Native insects and 

diseases are those that have evolved in the United States over millennia and are going through a 

cyclical outbreak period, whereas non-native invasive insect and disease pests are those that have 

been introduced from other countries and there is little or no resistance from the host, resulting in 

significant damage to the host species. Pests, both native and non-native invasive, can cause 

significant damage and mortality when populations are high; usually a result of the availability of 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 91

hosts, biology of the pest, and environmental factors such as moisture, temperature, and 

nutrients.

The request includes funding to meet the highest priority needs for: 

 Western bark beetles 

 Emerald ash borer 

 Asian longhorned beetle 

 Sudden oak death 

 Oak wilt, root diseases 

 Hemlock woolly adelgid 

 Southern pine beetle 

Funding also supports efforts such as slowing the spread, eradication of new outbreaks, and 

suppression of gypsy moth on forests and grasslands managed by the Forest Service, other 

Federal agencies, and Tribal governments. 

In FY 2016, the Forest Service will continue to fund management actions to reduce forest 

susceptibility to beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees. This will result in resilient forests, 

enhanced visitor safety through reduction of hazard trees, and sustainable communities. In 

coordination with partners and stakeholders, the Forest Service directs funds to areas that have 

been experiencing bark beetle-induced mortality. Peer reviewed studies clearly demonstrate the 

effectiveness of bark beetle treatments on the landscape11. See the Special Exhibit on Bark 

Beetles for more detailed information. 

Past Performance 

Because forests cross jurisdictional boundaries, we employ an all-lands approach when dealing 

with forest health issues. Just as pests do not distinguish among different ownerships, some 

methods of pest management allow practitioners to affect entire landscapes, treating both public 

and private lands in an ecologically responsible and economically effective manner. One 

example of this is the cooperative approach being taken to reduce the impact of sudden oak death 

in the Western United States. Sudden oak death is a fungus that affects native oaks and related 

species, killing trees and disrupting ecosystems over large areas. In this program, we have been 

working with our Federal and Tribal partners, like the Department of the Interior, to develop new 

techniques to combat this disease. In FY 2014, together with our partners, we removed trees 

infected with this disease on a variety of Federal land ownerships, helping to ensure that 

neighboring trees would be less likely to be infested. We also increased homeowner awareness 

of this disease through an education campaign conducted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the 

Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. 

Recent efforts to protect native stands of white pine from white pine blister rust have fostered an 

integrative effort of a different nature. White pines are extremely important in high elevation 

landscapes. For example, they provide critical food sources for bears and other wildlife; they 

 

11 Christopher J. Fettig, Kier D Klepzig, Ronald F. Billings, A. Steven Munson, T. Evan Nebeker, Jose F. Negron, John T. 

Nowak. 2007. “The effectiveness of vegetation management practices for prevention and control of bark beetle infestations in 

coniferous forests of the western and southern United States.” Forest Ecology and Management 238(1-3): 24-53.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 92

maintain slope stability in steep areas; and they are culturally important to many Native people. 

We continue to work with our partners in Research and Development to identify individual trees 

that have withstood the impacts of white pine blister rust since its introduction in the 1930s 

because they are now recognized as having genetic resistance to the disease. The restoration of 

white pine to its important role in high-elevation forest depends on the ability to utilize the 

resistance of these survivor trees by maintaining the genetic stock. However, recent increases in 

bark beetle activity in the West have put all high elevation pines, including white pines, at 

increased risk of mortality – both from the beetle and the rust. Application of management 

techniques to reduce the impact of the beetle has allowed managers to protect the genetic 

resource of the resistant trees and ensure the future survival of white pines. In FY 2014, we 

prioritized the protection of high value trees were by applying protective sprays and using 

naturally occurring pheromones to disrupt beetle activity. 

Many forested lands in the West are currently undergoing historically unprecedented bark beetle 

outbreaks. This outbreak is killing large numbers of mature trees over huge areas of forested 

lands. Bark beetles are native pests, but recent weather patterns of drier summers and warmer 

winters) have triggered beetle activity and large areas of susceptible trees have been impacted. 

This will most likely continue through the coming decade. Since most of the affected area is in 

roadless landscapes, the great majority of the affected lands will remain untreated. On public 

lands closer to the urban interface, actions have been taken to protect public safety; in FY 2014 

nearly 11,000 acres were treated to remove hazard trees, especially in highly used areas like 

campgrounds. Restoration efforts are also underway to reforest and diversify the affected 

landscape. In FY 2014, over 18,000 acres of public lands were treated with restoration and 

replanting projects. 

Sometimes control efforts utilize entirely different tactics to achieve a singular goal. Programs 

designed to control southern pine beetle populations have focused upon the fact that wellmanaged stands are much less prone to attack. Southern pine beetles are a native component of 

these pine forests, but beetle activity can sometimes disrupt forests by killing a significant 

numbers of mature trees. Thinning of susceptible landscapes and diversifying conditions 

throughout the forest are proven techniques that reduce beetle activity. These actions were 

undertaken on 33,000 acres in FY 2014. These tactics are even more effective when conducted 

over large landscapes, so the cooperation of all landowners is vital to ensuring the overall 

success of the program. While Federal funding has sponsored these treatments, a portion of 

these funds have been used to educate adjacent landowners on the benefits of management 

treatments. These efforts have resulted in cross- boundary cooperation that has reduced southern 

pine beetle numbers to their lowest levels in decades. 

In total in FY 2014, the Forest Service, with partners, treated non-native invasive pests on 

153,577 acres of Federal lands and native pest species on 173,874 acres of Federal lands. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 93

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The FHM Federal Lands program monitors and assesses both short-term and long-term forest 

health conditions across the Nation. Pests cause billions of dollars in damage to trees and other 

forest resources each year, resulting in reduced productivity, loss of recreation opportunities for 

the public, and the creation of safety hazards in the Nation’s forested lands. The FHM Federal 

Lands program investments provide for prevention, detection, monitoring, evaluation, and 

suppression of forest insects and diseases to protect forest lands managed by the Forest Service, 

other Federal agencies like the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Defense 

(DOD), and Tribal governments. Pests that are managed include white pine blister rust, sudden 

oak death, bark beetles, hemlock woolly adelgid, and gypsy moth. Managed pests include white 

pine blister rust, sudden oak death, thousand cankers disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and Asian 

longhorned beetle. Since pests cross administrative boundaries, FHM uses an all-lands approach 

involving all partners in the development of integrated management strategies to address each 

important pest. FHM treats the highest priority areas identified by aerial and ground surveys and 

the National Insect and Disease Risk Map in coordination with State Forest Action Plans to make 

the most efficient use of funding. Treating priority areas 

makes the most efficient use of Federal dollars. Treatments 

protect priority areas from damaging insects and disease, 

reduce the risks of mortality from wildland fire, and prevent 

future outbreaks by increasing the resilience of treated 

areas. 

FHM also leads the Slow-the-Spread program for the gypsy 

moth, which continues to slow the progression of this 

invasive insect by 60 percent as it moves across the eastern 

U.S. Forest Service research indicates that without the 

Slow-the-Spread program, over 50 million acres of oak 

hardwood forests would be infested with gypsy moth. 

Slow-the-Spread is an integrated program of monitoring, 

trapping, and treating the gypsy moth so that populations do 

not spread rapidly. Additional projects also include gene 

conservation efforts to conserve at-risk tree species that will 

assist FHM projects that are negatively impacted by the 

effects of a changing climate, insects, and diseases. 

The program continues to fund the Eastern Forest 

Environmental Threat Assessment Center in Asheville, 

North Carolina, and the Western Wildland Environmental 

Threat Assessment Center in Prineville, Oregon. These 

Environmental Threat Assessment Centers are supported by 

S&PF, National Forest System, and Forest Service 

Research and Development and provide information on 

how multiple threats interact with pests, focusing on the 

effects of a changing climate. 

Sudden Oak Death (SOD

Photo: Bruce Moltzan, Forest Service 

Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is an introduced 

invasive species that has killed millions of 

trees and poses an on-going threat to bay 

laurel, California coastal oak, and tan oak in 

15 counties in CA and OR. APHIS-PPQ has 

imposed a Federal Quarantine for counties in 

California and Oregon. The threat of spread 

to eastern hardwoods is unknown but studies 

suggest eastern oak species are susceptible. 

The Forest Service on NFS lands conducts 

stream sampling, aerial, and ground surveys to 

determine spread of SOD. Slow-the-spread 

management through thinning in Oregon and 

California are funded each year in an effort to 

contain the disease. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 94

Allocation and Integration 

Annual priorities for mitigating the risk of future and current outbreaks are based, in large part, 

on the findings from the pest conditions and location as well as the National Insect and Disease 

Risk Map. Prevention and suppression programs for major pests such as the gypsy moth, 

western bark beetles, and southern pine beetle are directly related to the relative risk of these 

pests, areas currently experiencing pest outbreaks, and the availability of cost-effective treatment 

technologies. Some forest pests, such as southern pine beetle, can be more easily treated than 

others, such as butternut canker, for which there are few scientific tools available. 

Some of the techniques used to determine integrated optimal areas for treatment include 

overlaying national map layers using Geographic Information Systems for insect and disease, 

fire, watershed condition, and wildland-urban interface. The spatial placement and sequencing 

of treatments on the National Forest System (NFS) lands are planned and coordinated with other 

Forest Service vegetation management program areas, such as hazardous fuels reduction and 

forest management through the “Sustainable Landscape Management” Board of Directors, a 

group of Directors from S&PF (FHM, Fire and Aviation Management), Forest Service R&D 

(Forest Management Sciences), and NFS (Forest Management; Range Management; and 

Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and Rare Plants). This coordination optimizes on-the-ground 

prevention and treatment and improves the overall health of forestlands across landscapes and 

ownerships. 

Partnerships 

This program funds the suppression of forest insect and disease pests on lands managed by all 

other Federal agencies and Tribal governments. Additionally, the FHM program provides 

technical assistance to other Federal agencies and Tribal governments to detect and assess pests 

on their lands. Where proposed treatment locations are adjacent to other Federal lands or nonFederal lands, treatment scheduling is coordinated with non-Forest Service partners to optimize 

improvements to forest health across landownership boundaries. 

The Slow-the-Spread gypsy moth program works seamlessly across all landowners in a 

collaborative approach to implement this program on state and Federal lands. This program has 

significantly reduced the spread of gypsy moth by over 60 percent. The Forest Service works 

closely with all of the State departments of agriculture or State Foresters in 10 Slow-the-Spread 

States from Georgia to Wisconsin. 

The Forest Service works with APHIS and other partners to combat important invasive pests and 

has systems established to survey, monitor, and respond to these invaders, as well as help 

communities restore degraded ecosystems. Other Federal agencies, such as DOI and DOD, 

submit suppression related project requests to the Forest Service regional or national office and 

the projects are evaluated in a competitive process. Coordination meetings occur frequently 

between the other agencies and the Forest Service to ensure the funds are used wisely. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 95

Federal Health Management - Cooperative Lands 

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Cooperative 

Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Annual Appropriations $45,655 $45,655 $40,678 -$4,977 -11%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands Total 45,655 45,655 40,678 -4,977 -11%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 106 95 94 -1 -1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 106 95 94 -1 -1%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Cooperative lands acres treated - Invasives 546,025 410,371 468,993 448,350 468,993 361,549

Cooperative lands acres treated - Native pests 33,483 34,203 49,032 38,362 49,032 41,460

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $40,678,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM) 

Cooperative Lands, a $4,977,000 decrease from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Funds will provide technical and financial assistance to State forestry agencies and State 

departments of agriculture to conduct forest insect and disease surveys; to provide technical 

assistance; to conduct prevention, suppression, restoration, and eradication projects for forest 

insects, diseases, and invasive plants; and to monitor forest health on State and private lands. In 

FY 2016, the Forest Service will adjust monitoring and treatments based on allocations for some 

efforts such as the Slow-the-Spread (STS) program for gypsy moth and for work on southern 

pine beetle, sudden oak death, invasive plants, and hemlock woolly adelgid. Specifically, 

funding for Slow-the-Spread will be reduced, which may result in an increase in the rate of 

spread of this pest. Due to constraints with in limited resources, we are focused on the most 

pressing needs of forest restoration and reducing the risk of catastrophic fire to communities. 

The program will fund the highest priority prevention and suppression needs for: 

 Western bark beetles 

 Hemlock wooly adelgid 

 Oak wilt 

 Southern pine beetle 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 96

 Gypsy moth 

These pests are mentioned in State Forest Action Plans 

as high-priority pests. 

Other pests will also receive high priority as they can 

affect and spread to all forestlands. These pests include: 

 Emerald ash borer 

 Asian longhorned beetle 

 Sudden oak death 

 Gold-spotted oak borer 

 Thousand cankers disease 

We will continue to work with our partners to inform the 

public, map the pests with new surveys, and develop 

methods to manage and mitigate these pests. 

In FY 2016, the Forest Service will continue to fund 

management actions to reduce forest susceptibility to 

beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees. This will 

result in resilient forests; enhanced visitor safety through 

reduction of hazard trees; and sustainable communities. 

In coordination with partners and stakeholders, the 

Forest Service directs funds to the areas that have been 

experiencing bark beetle-induced mortality. Peer 

reviewed studies clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of 

bark beetle treatments on the landscape12. See the Special Exhibit on Bark Beetles for more 

detailed information. 

Past Performance 

Forest insects and pathogens impact forests on all-lands, and as such, FHM addresses these pests 

across ownerships. In the FHM Cooperative Lands program, we work specifically with our State 

partners, providing technical and financial assistance to address needs and issues identified in 

State Forest Action Plans, pest detection surveys, and areas at risk for infestations. 

Using tools such as the National Insect and Disease Risk Map, the Forest Service and State forest 

health staffs identify areas that are at risk for increased levels of insect or disease activity. 

Treatments are then selected that can prevent the buildup of these pests before they reach 

damaging levels. The Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program is a good example of an alllands program that works with State and Federal partners to encourage good forest management 

practices to prevent southern pine beetle outbreaks. These native insects can disrupt long term 

planning efforts by killing large areas of mature pine trees. In the past 10 years, this program has 

 

12Christopher J. Fettig, Kier D Klepzig, Ronald F. Billings, A. Steven Munson, T. Evan Nebeker, Jose F. Negron, John T. 

Nowak. 2007. “The effectiveness of vegetation management practices for prevention and control of bark beetle infestations in 

coniferous forests of the western and southern United States.” Forest Ecology and Management 238(1-3): 24–53. 

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)

Photo: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment 

Station 

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a 

serious threat to the hemlock forests of the 

eastern US. The Forest Service and its 

partners have implemented a HWA Initiative 

that has three components: development of 

biological control, treatments and 

survey/monitoring. Predatory beetles, used 

for biological control, are being released and 

established from Maine to Georgia. Funding 

is provided to state cooperators to treat high 

value hemlock stands. Each year more than 

5,000 acres of valuable hemlock stands are 

treated.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 97

treated more than 1 million acres of forests across the south. In FY 2014, almost 25,000 acres of 

State and private lands were treated as part of this program. These forests, thinned to be more 

resistant to the beetles, have seen very little beetle activity and, as a result, remain able to 

produce important benefits, like forest products for landowners as well as clean air, clean water, 

wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. 

The gypsy moth Slow-the-Spread Program is also a proactive program that works with many 

partners across the landscape. Since its inception more than a decade ago, the STS program has 

prevented the spread of gypsy moth – one of North America’s most devastating forest pests - 

from the infested area north and east of a line from North Carolina to Minnesota to 50 million 

acres of oak forests to the South and West. Lead by a team of State and Federal partners, STS 

treated more than 400,000 acres in eight States in FY 2014 and continues to identify areas of 

low, but building, gypsy moth populations. A variety of methods are employed to keep these 

gypsy moth populations at low levels, thus preventing further spread. An economic analysis of 

the program has shown that it has a benefit to cost ratio of 3:1 and has slowed the movement of 

gypsy moth by more than 60 percent. 

With funding provided by this program, Federal and State forest health staffs also conduct aerial 

and ground-based surveys on more than 400 million acres per year, including in FY 2014, to 

detect insect and disease outbreaks. We work in partnership with States to most effectively 

leverage Federal funding with State funding to conduct more comprehensive surveys that can be 

used by all land managers working to combat native and non-invasive pests. When outbreaks or 

infestations are identified on non-Federal lands, funding is provided through this program to help 

combat those pests. 

In cooperation with State Foresters, the Forest Service has implemented the national Hemlock 

Woolly Adelgid Initiative which focuses on expanded management and technology 

development. This invasive insect attacks mature hemlocks, which are an important component 

of eastern forests, and eventually kills them. The mortality caused by the aphid-like insect can 

change forest structure and create openings in the forest, encouraging invasive plants and 

affecting species makeup and dynamics. Through a cooperative effort with university scientists, 

States, conservation organizations, national forests and other Federal agencies, the Forest Service 

is working to reduce damage caused by the hemlock wooly adelgid within the 19 affected States. 

For example, in FY 2014, the use of biocontrols, and chemical treatments occurred on 10,060 

priority acres of ecologically significant and high use hemlock forests. 

Bark beetle activity throughout the West is currently at very high levels. Many forests are being 

affected by a variety of bark beetle species. This activity has been driven by weather conditions 

favorable to the beetles. Efforts to mitigate the impacts of the outbreak have focused on areas 

near the urban interface. Restoration activities have included removal of dead trees to protect 

public safety and reforestation of affected sites. Federal, State and local entities have cooperated 

to share expertise and resources; resulting in a synergistic effect across the landscape. 

Collaborative efforts resulted in the treatment of nearly 12,000 acres on State and private lands in 

the affected areas in FY 2014. 

The Forest Service has also been working closely with State forestry agencies in California and 

Oregon to minimize the impacts of sudden oak death. This invasive plant pathogen has affected 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 98

the oak forests along the coasts of these States. With Forest Service funding, non-Federal land 

managers have treated infested areas to contain the outbreak and slow its spread. We have 

partnered specifically with Tribes and industry, who are heavily vested in combating sudden oak 

death because it has the potential to affect their timber products, which may be put into Federal 

quarantine if infested. Prevention, detection, treatments, research on new control methods, and 

outreach all work together to slow the spread of sudden oak death. The success of the program is 

not just found in the number of acres treated, but also includes acres surveyed in stream 

environments, acre surveyed through ground and aerial detection to identify pest activity, and 

acres protected by methods such as biocontrol. 

Invasive non-native plant species aggressively compete with and displace native plant 

communities, impact forest productivity, increasing the threat of devastating wildfires and 

diminishing recreational enjoyment. FHM has provided essential matching funds and technical 

assistance to regional cooperative weed management organizations to combat economically 

significant invasive plant threats to forest lands. In FY 2014, the program provided funds that 

led to the treatment of 48,000 acres of private, State, and Federal lands. 

The Forest Service partnered with States and other non-Federal partners in FY 2014 to treat nonnative invasive pests on 448,350 acres of State and private lands and native pest species on 

38,362 acres. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The FHM Cooperative Lands program provides technical and financial assistance to States, the 

District of Columbia, and United States Territories to monitor, assess, and mitigate forest health 

threats on non-Federal lands across the Nation. Treatments protect priority acres from damaging 

insects, diseases, and invasive plants; reduce the risks of mortality from wildland fire; protect 

highly valued sites; and prevent future outbreaks by increasing the resilience of the vegetation in 

treated areas. The program also funds the use of Early Detection and Rapid Response efforts to 

detect invasive insects and diseases early, thereby reducing future costs to address pest 

outbreaks13. The support the Forest Service provides to its non-Federal partners is essential to 

protecting America’s forested lands from pests. States identified forest health challenges as one 

of the most common problems requiring attention in their State Forest Action Plans, but often 

States and Territories do not have the scientific or financial resources to address these issues on 

their own. A 2011 study found that the cost of non-native invasive forest insects to local 

governments alone is, on average, more than $2 billion per year and that residential property 

value loss due to forest insects averages $1.5 billion per year14. The agency investment in the 

FHM Cooperative Lands program helps reduce these negative impacts. For example, the Forest 

 

13Rabaglia, R., D. Duerr, R. Acciavatti, and I. Ragenovich. 2008. “Early Detection and Rapid Response for Non-Native Bark and 

Ambrosia Beetles”. USDA Forest Service. 

14Aukema J.E., B. Leung, K. Kovacs, C. Chivers, K.O. Britton, J. Englin, S. Frankel, R.G. Height, T.P. Holmes, A.M. Liebhold, 

D.G. McCullough, and B. Van Holle. 2011. “Economic impacts of non-native forest insects in the continental United States”. 

PLOS ONE 6(9). 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 99

Service Slow-the-Spread gypsy moth program has reduced the spread rate of gypsy moth by 60 

percent along a 1,000 mile long project area from North Carolina to Minnesota. Additionally, 

for every $1.00 invested in the Slow-the-Spread program, $3.00 are saved in future suppression 

costs. Without Slow-the-Spread, about 50 million more acres would be infested, resulting in 

larger and more costly treatment needs in the future. 

Funds support three objectives: 1) conducting pest surveys and providing technical assistance, 2) 

conducting prevention, suppression, restoration, and 3) eradication projects; and monitoring the 

health of the Nation’s forests. The Forest Service uses aerial and ground surveys and the 

National Insect and Disease Risk Map to select project locations for funding allocations to nonFederal partners. The State Forest Action Plans help guide FHM activities on non-Federal lands. 

Treatment placements incorporate local priorities including priority landscapes such as: 

wildland-urban interface areas, municipal water supply areas, outdoor recreational sites, and 

administrative sites. 

Allocation and Integration 

Forest Service annual priorities are based, in large part, on current surveys of pest conditions and 

priorities in the State Forest Action Plans, and expected predictions derived from the National 

Insect and Disease Risk Map. Some pests, such as southern pine beetle are more easily mitigated 

through management than others, such as sudden oak death. The Forest Service is working to 

more closely align funding allocations with identified risk, using an all-lands approach. The 

FHM Cooperative Lands program works with the FHM Federal Lands program to identify 

priority lands and manage forest insects and diseases across the landscape. 

Partnerships 

Partnerships leverage Federal financial assistance with a 1:1 match of non-Federal resources to 

implement programs and projects that protect forest resources and improve the health of the 

Nation’s forests. In FY 2014, approximately $30 million in grant dollars for prevention and 

suppression were leveraged on a 1:1 basis with States and other non-Federal partners. Program 

activities are also coordinated closely with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and 

State departments of agriculture to detect and monitor introductions of new non-native invasive 

species such as the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak death, and laurel 

wilt. 

The Slow-the-Spread gypsy moth program works seamlessly across all landownerships in a 

collaborative approach to implement this program on State and Federal lands. The Forest 

Service works closely with State partners to detect outbreaks, assess impacts, and conduct 

management activities. In cooperation with partners, the Forest Service conducts insect and 

disease surveys on more than 400 million acres per year and conducts special detection surveys 

such as thousand cankers disease trapping, sudden oak death stream-baiting, and non-native bark 

beetles. If treatments are needed, the Forest Service provides technical and financial assistance 

to conduct control activities. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 100

Cooperative Forestry 

Cooperative Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Cooperative Forestry

Annual Appropriations $103,403 $106,076 $109,418 $3,342 3%

Cooperative Forestry Total 103,403 106,076 109,418 3,342 3%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 130 127 121 -6 -5%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 130 127 121 -6 -5%

Cooperative Forestry

Forest Stewardship 22,398 23,036 23,049 13 0%

Forest Legacy Program 50,965 53,000 61,000 8,000 15%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 2,000 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry 28,040 28,040 23,686 -4,354 -16%

Economic Action Programs 0 0 0 0 0%

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0%

Cooperative Forestry Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $109,418,000 for Cooperative Forestry, an increase of 

$3,342,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Cooperative Forestry promotes working in partnership with States, Tribal governments, 

communities, and private landowners to improve management and protection of forests and use 

of forest-based goods to enable them to care for their lands and communities. 

The Cooperative Forestry programs are Forest Stewardship, Forest Legacy, Community Forest 

and Open Space Conservation, and Urban and Community Forestry. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 101

Forest Stewardship Program 

Budget Line Item Forest Stewardship

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest Stewardship

Annual Appropriations $22,398 $23,036 $23,049 $13 0%

Forest Stewardship Total 22,398 23,036 23,049 13 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 56 54 54 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 56 54 54 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Stewardship

Percentage of nonindustrial private forest acres in 

important forest resource areas being managed 

sustainably, as defined by a current Forest Stewardship 

Plan 2.8% 2.5% 3.0% 2.6% 3.5% 4.0%

Acres of nonindustrial private forest land that are being 

managed sustainably under forest stewardship 

management plans. (Annual) 1,652,087 2,178,735 1,500,000 3,203,423 1,500,000 1,500,000

Acres of nonindustrial private forest land that are being 

managed sustainably under forest stewardship 

management plans. (Cumulative) 21,045,039 20,687,289 20,000,000 25,981,974 21,000,000 21,500,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $23,049,000 for the Forest Stewardship Program 

(FSP), an increase of $13,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

State Forest Action Plans are enabling States to focus and coordinate program delivery to 

produce cumulative, landscape scale, measurable impacts, with multi-landowner and multipartner planning, and technical assistance efforts. With their State Forest Action Plans, States 

are also identifying and addressing opportunities resulting from emerging ecosystem service and 

biomass energy markets, and focusing program assistance to conserve a “green infrastructure” of 

interconnected, viable forested landscape areas. The recently adopted Forest Stewardship 

Program strategy “FSP 20Twenty” provides State partners with a framework for focusing 

program delivery in priority landscape areas, further leveraging existing partnerships, and 

utilizing innovative tools for reaching more landowners with limited resources. 

The program also continues to extend its reach through peer-to-peer efforts which support the 

program’s long-term goal of managing significant landscapes, such as priority watersheds (as 

opposed to scattered, individual properties), and the conservation of strategically-located and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 102

connected open spaces. With the use of the of the recentlydeployed Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool 

(SMART), the program’s cumulative impact is being 

tracked spatially, to assess progress in achieving forest 

resource management outcomes. SMART is also enabling 

landscape-based strategic planning, including the ability to 

leverage place based partnerships. 

The FSP continues to respond to the recommendations 

resulting from an extensive program evaluation study 

carried out in 2013 by the Forest Service’s Family Forest 

Research Center at the University of Massachusetts, 

Amherst. The study utilized the results of existing 

quantitative and qualitative research to evaluate the 

program, including summaries existing performance 

metrics, catalogues of State forest stewardship activities, 

analyses of National Woodland Owner Survey data used to 

increase our understanding of how forest landowners use 

their lands, analyses of forest stewardship activities in relation to forest area trends, and focus 

groups. Study recommendations are being directly addressed with the adoption of additional 

performance elements that more comprehensively track the program’s many educational and 

technical assistance activities, and a revision in FY 2015 to the FSP’s National Standards and 

Guidelines. In the future, there will be a renewed emphasis on the educational and technical 

assistance activities shown by the study to be more cost-effective in reaching more landowners 

and having farther reaching impacts. The FSP plans to continue performing program evaluations 

to strengthen program effectiveness and find more creative ways to continue reaching forest 

landowners. 

The FSP will also further extend the many new, innovative landowners outreach and education 

tools being developed by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Future Family 

Forest Initiative. In FY 2014, the FSP supported a series of Tools for Engaging Landowners 

Effectively workshops around the country. The Forest Service intends to continue with many 

more workshops in FY 2016. 

In addition, the FSP will work with Forest Service National Forest System staff groups to 

identify and address opportunities to coordinate landscape based work and make use of the 

expanded Good Neighbor and permanent Stewardship Contracting authorities. These tools could 

be leveraged in key geographies to join Federal, State, and private landowner resources in 

addressing priority resource management concerns. 

Past Performance 

The program continued implementation and refinement of the SMART spatial mapping tool in 

FY 2014. The use of SMART and the adoption of a SMART Data Quality Assurance Plan have 

resulted in much more reliable program performance data for FY 2014 by assigning roles and 

responsibilities to ensure that performance data are consistent with established, improved 

measure definitions and data collection and monitoring practices. SMART provides the ability 

Landscape Stewardship 

Landscape Stewardship focuses program 

delivery on priority landscape areas 

identified by State Forest Action Plans 

to achieve impacts at scales appropriate 

to forest health, wildfire, and other 

pressing resource management concerns. 

Landscape Stewardship includes the 

development and implementation of 

multi-landowner Forest Stewardship 

Plans and works to create economies of 

scale for local forest product markets. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 103

to spatially track all program accomplishments with respect to priority areas identified in States 

Forest Action Plans through statistically reliable and nationally consistent field monitoring and 

reporting programs. Several new geo-spatial performance elements were also added to SMART 

in FY 2014, thereby allowing the Forest Service to gain a much more comprehensive picture of 

FSP’s programmatic impact and reach with respect to priority landscapes. These include: acres 

managed under a variety of practice and management plans which are supported by the program, 

but not “approved” Forest Stewardship Plans, and acres being managed under multi-landowner 

Landscape Stewardship Plans. 

In addition, the program broadened implementation of the “Landscape Stewardship” approach in 

FY 2014, whereby the Forest Service is working with State forestry agencies and other partners 

to maximize program investments by tying individual landowners to surrounding landscapes and 

supporting the development of multi-landowner, landscape-scale Forest Stewardship Plans. 

Resource management challenges – like forest insects and pests, invasive species, economic 

viability, and protection of water supplies - cross multiple ownerships and are much more 

effectively addressed at the landscape scale.\ 

In FY 2014, nearly 26 million acres of non-industrial private forest lands nationwide were 

managed according to active Forest Stewardship Plans. Of this total, more than 13 million acres 

are within high priority landscape areas, as identified in State Forest Action Plans. An additional 

3.1 million acres were managed under Landscape Stewardship Plans and 2.73 million acres were 

managed under a variety of management plan types supported by the program, but not officially 

approved Forest Stewardship Plans. These plans are in many cases precursors to more 

comprehensive Forest Stewardship Plans that meet the established national standard. Monitoring 

results for FY 2014 confirm that 87 percent of the acres covered by Forest Stewardship Plans are 

being managed as recommended. Additionally, FSP supported outreach to approximately 

424,000 landowners in FY 2014, which includes 120,000 Forest Stewardship Plans and 304,000 

landowners involved in other outreach activities, such as one-on-one technical assistance, 

participation in field days, field-based events, and classes. 

The Forest Service will continue working with States to focus program investments where 

multiple resource outcomes are more likely, based on State Forest Action Plan assessment work. 

Performance is also likely to improve as the Forest Service and States implement the recently 

adopted Landscape Stewardship approach which includes the development of multi-landowner, 

landscape scale Forest Stewardship Plans. Program performance and impact within priority 

areas is increasing significantly.

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The FSP is the principle Forest Service program focused on private forest land management and 

conservation. Program assistance is provided to landowners through a national network of 

forestry technical assistance providers, primarily State forestry agencies, in the form of 

comprehensive, multi-resource Forest Stewardship Plans and a variety of educational and 

technical assistance programs and activities. This program also serves as an avenue through 

which landowners can gain access to other forms of assistance and incentives, including reduced 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 104

property tax rates, certification, and cost-sharing. The program is focused on delivery 

improvements, as demonstrated by the recently adopted Landscape Stewardship approach. The 

Forest Service is working with State forestry agencies and other partners to maximize program 

investments by linking an individual landowner’s objectives to those of surrounding landscapes, 

and supporting the development of multi-landowner, landscape-scale Forest Stewardship Plans. 

There are thousands of small forest landowners in the United States and many of them struggle 

to find resources to help them keep their lands healthy and productive. Private forest landowners 

are also under increasing pressure to sell and sub-divide their forested lands and, as the next 

generation inherits forest lands, they often do not have the knowledge, skills, or interest in 

managing them. 

Actively managed forests provide water protection, timber, wildlife habitat, recreational 

opportunities, and many other benefits for landowners and communities. More than 50 percent 

(420 million acres) of our Nation’s forests are privately owned—and over 350 million acres of 

these are owned by small, private, non-industrial landowners, which are the focus of the FSP. 

Private forestlands provide numerous benefits for the American public and keeping them intact 

as working forests is critical to maintaining this stream of benefits. For example, private forest 

lands alone supply almost 30 percent of the surface drinking water to cities and rural 

communities, provide habitat for 60 percent of all at-risk species in the United States, and 

provide over 90 percent of all the timber harvested in this country. 

Investments in the FSP help protect these forests and provide support to keep working forests 

intact, healthy, and productive. Forest Stewardship Plans help motivate landowners to become 

more active in planning and managing their forests, greatly increasing the likelihood that their 

forests will remain intact, productive and healthy, and that the social, economic, and 

environmental benefits of these lands will be sustained for future generations. The program also 

helps create jobs in rural communities by sustaining local forest product markets and increasing 

demand for qualified private forestry consultants, loggers, and State agency field foresters. 

Additionally, the program helps prepare forest landowners for participation in emerging 

ecosystem services markets as well as other incentive programs. Forest Stewardship Plans are 

required to consider the possible near and long-term impacts of a changing climate, including 

increased fire risk, invasive species migration, and species range and habitat shifts. Where 

appropriate and feasible, management plans will include actions to mitigate the adverse impacts 

of a changing climate. 

The Forest Service maintains longstanding partnerships with the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), the American Forest Foundation, the National Association of 

Conservation Districts, and other partners to coordinate and streamline technical and planning 

assistance delivery and better address diverse landowner needs. This includes the deployment of 

the web-based SMART spatial accomplishment tracking tool to relate program accomplishments 

to a variety of landscape management objectives. Because of its unique role in reaching and 

assisting private forest landowners, and the fact that the majority of America’s forests are 

privately owned, the FSP is critical to fulfilling the Secretary’s all-lands vision for healthy and 

resilient forests. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 105

Allocation and Integration 

Funding for the FSP is allocated to Forest Service regions, the Northeastern Area and the 

International Institute of Tropical Forestry based on statewide comprehensive program potential 

and cumulative program impact within priority landscape areas, which are delineated in State 

Forest Action Plans. Program impact is measured primarily by the number of acres within high 

priority landscape areas being managed according to active Forest Stewardship Plans as 

confirmed through a statistically valid field monitoring program. States greatly enhance program 

impact by integrating programs and leveraging partnerships to target high priority areas, thus 

maximizing Federal program investment. This approach supports both the Secretary of 

Agriculture’s all-lands vision and the Administration’s emphasis on integrated, place-based 

program delivery. 

Partnerships 

All FSP activities are coordinated with and delivered through State and Territorial forestry 

agencies, leveraging substantial non-Federal financial and human resources. States are required 

to provide a minimum 1:1 match for Federal funds, but most far exceed this level. For example, 

in FY 2014, the FSP provided nearly $15 million in grants to States and other partners that were 

matched on average 2:1 with cash and in-kind contributions. 

Partnerships remain a critical feature through which FSP assistance and programs are 

implemented. In FY 2014, the Forest Service has expanded its partnership with the American 

Forest Foundation Woodland Center Impact Projects to include several key landscapes: 

restoration of shortleaf pine in Alabama, watershed 

restoration in the Wisconsin Driftless Area, restoring the 

Mississippi Piney Woods landscape, and building 

community resilience to wildfire on the east face of the 

Elkhorn Mountains of Northeastern Oregon. Within all of 

these project impact areas the Forest Service and the 

American Forest Foundation are working together to 

develop innovative place-based landowner outreach and 

engagement strategies to encourage and inform forest 

landowners who have not historically benefitted from 

USDA technical assistance or conservation programs. 

The FSP also continues to provide funding for the 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forestry program for ecosystem 

restoration activities because the Chesapeake is the Nation's 

largest estuary and a high priority for Federal investment to 

improving water quality. In executing this program, the 

Forest Service works closely with State and Federal partners 

and other organizations in the Chesapeake Bay program to 

implement forest stewardship, restoration, and conservation 

actions that contribute to overall watershed health, and specifically to water quality. This 

program helps to improve coordination in the installation of riparian forest buffers to protect 

water quality, and provides educational, and technical assistance to partners at all levels. 

The RNGR Tribal Initiative 

Photo: Jeremy Pinto, Forest Service, Rocky 

Mountain Research Station 

Tribes face unique cultural issues in natural 

resource management including those 

surrounding the production and use of plant 

materials. Recognizing this, the goal of this 

program is to work with tribes to address 

their specific needs towards improving 

seedling quality and out planting success. 

Technical assistance, publications, and 

training opportunities that are tailored to 

Tribes are just a few ways the RNGR team 

facilitates these goals. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 106

The FSP also provides funding in support of the NRCS to support the National Agroforestry 

Center, which successfully transfers sustainable agroforestry technologies to thousands of land 

management professionals each year. This center, a multi-agency USDA partnership, is focused 

on three primary outcomes: 1) increasing the adoption of agroforestry practices that improve 

water, soil and air quality; sustainable agriculture; product diversity and rural wealth; 2) creating 

tailored, science-based agroforestry tools that can be used by landowners to address complex 

environmental, economic, and social conditions across all lands; and 3) integrating agroforestry 

into USDA programs and policies. 

Through its Rural Forestry Assistance component, FSP also supports the National Center for 

Reforestation Nurseries, and Genetic Resources, leveraging expertise within Forest Service‘s 

State and Private Forestry and Research and Development mission areas to provide technical 

assistance to Federal, State, Tribal, Territorial, and private nurseries, supplying them with the 

latest science-based information and supporting an extensive network for seedling production. 

The National Center primarily focuses on six strategic areas: 1) providing leadership in 

reforestation, conservation, and restoration, 2) maintaining technical expertise in growing and 

planting adapted seeds and seedlings, 3) expanding the use of native plants, 4) assisting 

underserved communities, 5) streamlining and leveraging resources, and 6) conserving and 

assuring the proper use and development of genetic resources. Currently, National Center 

members are working on national, interdepartmental teams to address the President’s Memo on 

Pollinators and the Federal Native Seed Strategy (June 2014). 

The FSP also provides support to innovative committees and teams that help streamline and 

develop technical resources, program guidance, and efficient business practices in support of 

private forest management. The Joint Forestry Team is a collaboration of the Forest Service, the 

NRCS, National Association of Conservation Districts, and the National Association of State 

Foresters. Its purpose is to enhance the coordination of interagency delivery of forestry and 

conservation assistance for working forests, farms, and ranches. The collaboration seeks to 

improve the sustainability of the Nation’s forests in order to provide optimum levels of public 

benefits and ecosystem services. This is accomplished by determining where improvements may 

be made and by then removing overlap and duplication within programs and proposing actions to 

leadership. For example, collaboration members manage the Two Chiefs Partnership Awards, 

which honor groups and individuals for outstanding efforts in conservation and forest 

stewardship. The Joint Forestry Team also provides input on the Two Chiefs’ Joint Landscape 

Restoration projects, a multi-year partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the NRCS to 

improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private lands intersect 

across the Nation. 

The FSP also helps support the Forest Resource Coordinating Committee, which was established 

in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246). The Committee’s purpose is 

to provide direction and coordination of actions within the USDA, State agencies and the private 

sector to effectively address national priorities for private forest conservation. There are three 

key focus areas: 1) conserving and managing working forest landscapes for multiple values and 

uses; 2) protecting forests from threats, including catastrophic wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, 

windstorms, snow or ice storms, flooding, drought, invasive species, insect or disease outbreak; 

or development, and restoring appropriate forest types in response to such threats; and 3) 

enhancing public benefits from private forests, including air and water quality, soil conservation, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 107

biological diversity, carbon storage, forest products, forestry-related jobs, production of 

renewable energy, wildlife, wildlife corridors and wildlife habitat, and recreation. In FY 2014, 

the Committee developed key recommendations for alignment of delivery systems, forest 

conditions, landscape conservation, forest markets, and inventory, monitoring, and analysis. For 

example, one recommendation was to prioritize investments in private forest landowner 

programs that promote forest health and resiliency and increase coordination and collaboration 

among regulatory and land management agencies at all levels to leverage existing programs and 

resources to support landscape scale conservation and management. These recommendations are 

publically available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/frcc/. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 108

Forest Legacy Program 

Budget Line Item Forest Legacy Program

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Forest Legacy Program

Annual Appropriations $50,965 $53,000 $61,000 $8,000 15%

Forest Legacy Program Total 50,965 53,000 61,000 8,000 15%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 24 24 24 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 24 24 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Legacy Program

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Annual accomplishment for 

Discretionary funds) 52,999 87,927 85,000 34,715 90,000 95,000

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Annual accomplishment for Mandatory 

funds) 0 0 0 0 0 60,000

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Cumulative) 2,275,320 2,362,577 2,447,577 2,410,512 2,617,577 2,565,512

Parcelization of forests avoided (number of parcels 

prevented) (Discretionary funds) 2,361 2,854 2,872 4,123 2,846 5,295

Parcelization of forests avoided (number of parcels 

prevented) (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 3,385

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $61,000,000 in discretionary funds, $8,000,000 above 

the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. In addition, the request includes $39,000,000 in mandatory funds 

for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) as a transfer from the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

(LWCF) in the Department of the Interior, for a total of $100,000,000. 

The President’s budget proposes to permanently authorize annual mandatory funding, without 

further appropriation or fiscal year limitation for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture 

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs beginning in FY 2017. During the 

transition to full permanent funding in FY 2016, the budget proposes $500 million in mandatory 

and $400 million in discretionary funds for a total of $900 million in LWCF. Starting in 2017, 

the total of $900 million would be available annually in mandatory funds. The amounts 

requested include the authorized levels for the Department of the Interior and the Department of 

Agriculture. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 109

In planning for FY 2016, 30 States submitted 52 proposed projects, totaling more than

$147,730,425 million. Funding is provided to highest priority activities that can demonstrate 

performance in a transparent manner. FLP projects are located in Priority Areas or Forest 

Legacy Areas identified in Forest Action Plans. In FY 2016, 41 projects are proposed for 

funding. Refer to the FY 2016 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects at the end of this 

section. The FY 2016 program targets include new measures for the acres of environmentally 

important forests protected from conversion using mandatory funds and parcelization of forests 

avoided using mandatory funds. 

Past Performance 

Since FLP was authorized in 1990, a total of 2.398 million acres have been protected across the 

country. These acres include approximately 169,186 acres of water bodies and 2,733 miles of 

streams. In FY 2014, FLP completed nine conservation easements and nine fee simple tract 

purchases, leveraging $17,886,000 of Federal funds with $9,958,000 of partner funds to protect a 

total of 34,715 acres. One acquisition highlight in FY 2014 was closing on the Androscoggin 

Headwaters project in New Hampshire. This acquisition completes a contiguous 63,000 acre 

protected forested landscape that includes the new Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge and two 

previously funded FLP projects. Forest Service analysis shows this landscape as one of the few 

areas in New Hampshire that will likely maintain deep snow packs that is more resilient to the 

effects of a changing climate—supporting sustained and manageable water flows and important 

refuge for wildlife and plants. 

In FY 2014, we also expanded our accomplishment queries to include an analysis of anticipated 

project closures and fund expenditures over time to better project accomplishments and 

understand trends in project timelines. The results of this analysis reiterates the difficulties in 

accurately forecasting the amount of time it takes to close complicated real estate transactions, 

particularly when faced with staffing constraints at multiple levels in a program executed by both 

Federal and non-Federal staff. In light of these observations, we are currently evaluating 

changes to predicted accomplishment calculations. In addition, we launched an effort to update 

FLP program implementation guidelines in FY 2014, with a final product anticipated in FY 

2015. 

In FY 2014, we identified an emerging challenge in the FLP program related to the lack of 

qualified appraisers in some parts of the country. The Forest Service currently supports one 

Senior Review Appraiser to help address program needs. The program is also able to meet some 

of this need using field unit appraisal staff, but there are limits to what they can provide given 

their workloads and being responsible for other programs. The Forest Service is currently 

evaluating options to these challenges, which may include hiring an additional Review Appraiser 

who could provide assistance to partners and who could also conduct Quality Assurance 

Inspections. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 110

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Forest Legacy funds are used for the protection of 

important forests that are under significant development 

pressure and that protect air and water quality, provide 

access, and protect important habitat for threatened or 

endangered wildlife or fish species. The Forest Legacy 

Program is funded through the LWCF. By permanently 

protecting important working forest lands, the FLP 

helps to create and maintain rural jobs and ensure a 

robust forest infrastructure. 

The Forest Legacy program is a key component of the 

President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to 

conserve important landscapes and reconnect 

Americans to the outdoors. The funding helps the 

Forest Service continue to work across boundaries to 

support projects that protect forests in key landscapes as 

identified in States’ Forest Action Plans to address the 

national priorities for private forests. These projects are 

coordinated with other partners to create viable and 

cohesive zones where the economic, social, and 

environmental values of forests are conserved. 

The Forest Service is able to protect critical forest 

landscapes that are threatened by land conversion 

through FLP. These lands are protected through 

conservation easements and fee-simple purchases with 

partners such as State agencies, private landowners, and 

other conservation partners (e.g., The Nature 

Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, The 

Conservation Fund and other local/ regional 

conservation organizations). Projects are evaluated by a 

panel to fund the highest priority land conservation 

areas. Funds for the FLP are provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

More than 50 percent (over 420 million acres) of our Nation’s forests are privately owned. 

Family forest owners and timber companies (including Timber Investment Management 

Organizations (TIMOs) and Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs)) are facing increasing 

pressure to sell, subdivide, and develop their land. Protection of private forests through the FLP 

helps provide private landowners with a conservation option. Intact private forest lands provide 

a multitude of benefits for the American public, including places to recreate and enjoy nature; 

working forestlands that provide jobs and forest products like wood and paper; and habitat for 

fish and wildlife. The FLP helps mitigate development in the Wildland Urban Interface, which 

reduces community exposure to wildfire danger, and maintains open space, thus increasing the 

Upper Rio Chama River Watershed Forest 

Photo: Trust for Public Land 

The Upper Rio Chama River Watershed Forest 

Legacy Project permanently protects 11,665 acres 

of forest land in northern New Mexico, including 

valuable watershed resources for communities and 

wildlife. A conservation effort that began in 

2009, the largest and final phase of the project 

was completed in November 2014. Located within 

the Jarosa Creek-Rio Vallecitos watershed, the 

property contains high elevation mixed conifer, 

aspen and spruce-fir forests interspersed with 

mountain meadows and 18 miles of cold, clear 

tributary creeks. With seeps, springs, and 18 miles 

of tributary creeks, the property provides 

abundant water to the Rio Chama, which flows 

into the Rio Grande, and contributes to the local 

water supply for communities which continue 

irrigation, ranching and cultural traditions dating 

back to the 18th Century. The property is also 

visible from the Continental Divide National 

Scenic Trail, which winds for 18 miles along the 

property’s eastern border, and encompasses a 

mosaic of habitats that support a high diversity of 

plants and animals including habitat for two 

federal Candidate species (Rio Grande cutthroat 

trout and Canada lynx), and the threatened 

Mexican spotted owl. The Upper Rio Chama 

River property, which adjoins the Carson National 

Forest on three sides, will stay in private 

ownership but will be permanently protected from 

development through a conservation easement.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 111

likelihood of firefighter success in defending property. Conservation across a landscape rather 

than focusing solely within ownership boundaries is essential to address large-scale conservation 

issues such as protection and restoration of watersheds, reduction of wildfire risk, and protection 

of at-risk species. The program operates on a willing buyer-willing seller basis and is a nonregulatory, incentive-based land conservation program. 

Protection of private forests through FLP maintains a multitude of public benefits and ecosystem 

services. Eighty-nine percent of all FLP acres are adjacent to other protected lands. Research 

also shows that approximately 17 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are the result of deforestation or conversion of forest land to other uses (Congressional 

Research Service, International Forestry Issues in Climate Change Bills; 2009). Protecting 

forests from conversion is critical to ensuring resiliency to impacts of a changing climate on 

resource conditions. 

Allocation and Integration 

The FLP projects are nominated through a two-stage competitive process that includes Statelevel identification and approval of projects as well as a national review and ranking of these 

State-nominated projects. This two-tiered review results in high-quality projects that are 

supported both locally and nationally. Each project is ranked using standardized criteria: (1) 

importance—public benefits gained from the protection and management of the property, (2) 

threat—likelihood of conversion to non-forest uses resulting in a loss of forest values and public 

benefits, and (3) strategic relevance—project fits with a larger conservation plan, strategy, and 

initiative, and enhances previous conservation investments. Project management funds are 

allocated to Forest Service regions based on management needs for the projects. 

Partnerships 

As of the close of FY 2014, more than 2.3 million acres of environmentally important private 

lands have been protected through FLP. States and landowners are the primary partners, but land 

trusts and other conservation organizations play a critical role in identifying and completing 

projects. While the program requires a 25 percent non-Federal match, the program averages a 50 

percent non-Federal match. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 112

FY 2016 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects 

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request 

Administrative Funds $6,400,000

1 MT Trumbull Creek Watershed 6,500,000 

2 GA Lentile Longleaf Pine Tract 3,500,000 

3 ID Hall Mountain-Kootenai Valley 3,300,000 

4 FL Silver Springs Watershed 3,700,000 

5 NY Rensselaer Plateau Working Forest 5,455,000 

6 ME Big Six Forest 3,800,000 

7 WA Mt. St. Helens Forest Phase 2 3,800,000 

8 UT Zion-Orderville Gulch 2,630,000 

9 TN Sherwood Forest 3,345,000 

10 OR East Moraine Wallowa Lake 3,000,000 

11 NC 

East Fork of French Broad Headwaters Phase 

III 2,800,000 

12 CT Whip-Poor-Will Woods (WPWW) 1,430,000 

13 AR Pine-Flatwoods Recovery Initiative 1,150,000 

14 HI Helemano Wilderness Area 3,000,000 

15 PA The Northeast Connection 2,985,000 

16 TX Longleaf Ridge 2,000,000 

17 SC Chestnut Ridge Extension 1,005,000 

18 CA 

Rainbow Ridge Wherrit Conservation 

Easement 650,000 

19 MI Pilgrim River Forest 550,000 

Subtotal, Discretionary $61,000,000

20 VT Worcester Woods 4,000,000 

21 WA South Puget Sound Coastal Forest 3,500,000 

22 UT Tavaputs Plateau 1,425,000 

23 OR West Klamath Lake Forest 2,000,000 

24 HI Jimmy and the Giant Palms 2,060,000 

25 NY Fort Ann Working Forest 710,000 

26 TN Grassy Cove Project 1,540,000 

27 FL Wolfe Creek Forest 2,000,000 

28 VT Groton Forest Legacy Initiative 1,335,000 

29 MO Eleven Point Forest 3,000,000 

30 MI Gitcha-ninj Nebish Forest 680,000 

31 CA Pacific Union College Forest 3,000,000 

32 NH Oliverian Valley 510,000 

33 AR Wye Mountain Headwaters 2,000,000 

34 AL Coastal Headwaters Forest 2,500,000 

35 MS Pascagoula River Conservation Lands 1,600,000 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 113

FY 2016 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects 

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request 

36 VA New River Headwaters 1,665,000 

37 FSM Yela Forest Watershed 560,000 

38 DE Sussex Timberlands 1,860,000 

39 KY 

Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management 

Area 1,200,000 

40 VA The Cove 1,035,000 

41 RI Arcadia Woodlands 820,000 

Subtotal, Mandatory $39,000,000

Total Funding $100,000,000

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 114

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 

Budget Line Item Community Forest and Open Space 

Conservation

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation

Annual Appropriations $2,000 $2,000 $1,683 -$317 -16%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Total 2,000 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 1 1 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 1 1 0 0%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $1,683,000 for the Community Forest and Open 

Space Conservation Program (CFP), a decrease of $317,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Based on projects submitted in prior years, we expect to use the FY 2016 funding for 6 to 10 

projects. We will also continue to monitor previously funded projects and ensure the agency has 

capacity to continue implementation of this program. 

Past Performance 

The CFP was authorized in FY 2008, the final rule was issued in FY 2012, and grants for the 

first ten projects were also issued in FY 2012. In three fiscal years, 21 grants have been issued 

funding and 12 projects have been completed. Since the inception of CFP, the Forest Service has 

established or expanded 12 community forests providing important community benefits. The 

total acreage of the 12 closed projects totals more than 8,000 acres. 

During implementation of the first round of projects, it became apparent that the rule contained 

significant challenges for grantees that impacted the overall success of the program. In light of 

these challenges, the Forest Service began a process to update the rule to improve program 

implementation and administration. Working closely with partners and stakeholders, revisions to 

the rule were made to adjust requirements and clarify language within CFP. Specific revisions 

were made to allow CFP grantees to take advantage of additional funding sources as match to 

Federal funds, as long as the requirements of those funds are consistent with the intent and 

purposes of the Community Forest Program. Additional revisions were aimed at reducing the 

administrative burden for applicants by eliminating the draft community forest plan from the 

application process and requiring only those applicants who are selected for funding to fill out 

additional grant paperwork, instead of all applicants. These changes to the rule are expected to 

increase the number of applicants requesting the program, as well as increase the agency's 

efficiency in ensuring these important forests are protected in perpetuity. A final rule is 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 115

anticipated within FY 2015 and program staff will work closely with OGC to apply the revised 

rule to current and future projects. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The purpose of CFP is to achieve community benefits through grants to local governments, 

Tribal governments, and qualified nonprofit organizations to establish community forests by 

acquiring and protecting forestlands. By creating 

community forests through land acquisition, 

communities and Tribes are able to provide public 

access and recreational opportunities, protect vital water 

supplies and wildlife habitat, address the effects of a 

changing climate, provide demonstration sites for 

private forest landowners, and derive financial and 

community benefits from sustainable management. 

The CFP achieves community benefits through grants to 

local governments, Tribal governments, and qualified 

non-profit organizations to establish community forests 

by acquiring and protecting forestlands. Community 

benefits under CFP include, but are not limited to: (1) 

economic benefits of sustainable forest management, 

including forest products, jobs and recreational 

opportunities, (2) environmental benefits, including 

clean water and wildlife habitat, (3) educational benefits 

from forest-based programs, including vocational and 

environmental educational programs, (4) benefits from 

serving as replicable models of effective forest 

stewardship for private landowners, (5) recreational 

benefits, including hunting and fishing, and (6) public 

access benefits. This program promotes protection and 

enjoyment of the Nation’s outdoor heritage by 

empowering people and communities to protect and 

restore places they cherish. This program is important 

in the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative 

because it promotes connecting people to the outdoors 

where they live. Community forests are special public 

places that promote health, provide a place to find quiet 

and solitude, and generally improve quality of life. 

The Federal contribution to the project cannot be more 

than 50 percent of the total project cost. Cost sharing 

provides key opportunities to increase financial capacity 

and promotes local investment, allowing communities to actively participate in sustainable 

management of their local forests. 

Pilgrim Community Forest 

Houghton County, Michigan 

Photo: Nathan Miller; the Keweenaw Land Trust 

The Keweenaw Land Trust in Michigan’s Upper 

Peninsula purchased a 276 acre parcel to establish 

the Pilgrim Community Forest on September 3, 

2014. The acquisition was made possible with 

grant funding through the U.S. Forest Service 

Community Forest Program (USFS-CFP) and with 

matching funds provided by the J.A. Woollam 

Foundation and private donors. The Pilgrim 

Community Forest includes about one mile of the 

Pilgrim River’s main channel and has a variety of 

forest cover types dominated by northern 

hardwoods, with diverse, uneven aged stands. The 

public benefits of the Pilgrim Community Forest are 

clean air and water; wildlife habitat; education, 

research and demonstration value; economic benefit 

through timber and non-timber forest products; 

diverse public recreational opportunities, including 

hunting and fishing; and maintaining the area’s 

attractive forested esthetic. The Pilgrim 

Community Forest supports goals of the Pilgrim 

River Watershed Project – a community partnership 

working to protect watershed health, support 

sustainable forestry, and provide public recreation 

benefits. The direct costs of acquiring the Pilgrim 

Community Forest were $510,400, supported by a 

USFS-CFP grant of $255,200. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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CFP complements, but is not duplicative of, the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) and the Urban and 

Community Forestry Program (U&CF). CFP is focused on creating community forests through 

land acquisition, as opposed to FLP which protects at-risk forests through easements and land 

purchase. CFP is focused on creating community forests through land acquisition, while FLP 

protects at-risk forests through easements and land purchase. While a few projects may align 

with the intent of both programs, most projects will qualify for only one. Also, unlike U&CF 

which builds capacity for communities to develop and implement urban forestry programs, CFP 

is a land protection program. The program provides another tool to those entities that have 

demonstrated a sustained commitment to community forestry. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funding in support of CFP projects is distributed through competitively awarded Federal grants 

to qualified entities. Projects are selected by a diverse panel of experts based on specific 

selection criteria, which includes: community benefits provided by the project, degree of public 

participation in project development, strategic contribution of the project to landscape 

conservation, and threat of conversion to non-forest uses, like urban or sub-urban development. 

Partnerships 

The CFP has received and continues to receive support from State and local governments, Tribal 

governments, land trusts and other conservation organizations, and communities. Though not 

required, some State forestry agencies provide assistance to applicants in the development of 

their applications. In the case of one funded project, two non-profits and a Tribe worked closely 

together to develop a project and the application even though the non-profit organizations will 

not hold title to the community forest. The degree of community and partner support for the 

program is evident from the project cost-share dollars, currently averaging a 60 percent match – 

above the 50 percent cost share requirement. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 117

Urban and Community Forestry 

Budget Line Item Urban and Community Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Urban and Community Forestry

Annual Appropriations $28,040 $28,040 $23,686 -$4,354 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry Total 28,040 28,040 23,686 -4,354 -16%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 48 48 42 -6 -12%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 48 48 42 -6 -12%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Urban and Community Forestry

Percentage of people living in communities managing 

programs to plant, protect, and maintain their urban and 

community trees and forests. 46.2% 47.0% 46.0% 47.4% 47.0% 47.0%

Percentage of people living in communities developing 

programs and/or activities to plant, protect, and maintain 

their urban and community trees and forests. 31.0% 31.2% 31.0% 27.4% 31.0% 31.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $23,686,000 for the Urban and Community Forestry 

(U&CF) program, a decrease of $4,354,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

With the proposed FY 2016 President’s Budget, U&CF will work with State forestry agencies 

and other partners to assist communities in developing and enhancing their urban forestry 

programs. The U&CF program will work to optimize the social, economic, public health, and 

environmental services that urban and community trees and forests provide. Currently, more 

than 83 percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas. This program’s investment in the i-Tree 

research tool provides communities with the evidence needed to enhance and expand their urban 

tree canopy. Metropolitan areas are using i-Tree to quantify the monetary benefits of city trees 

and inform strategic decisions on the development of master plans and launching major tree 

planting initiatives. The U&CF program will continue to support valuation research and costbenefit analyses tools that can inform local budget and investment decisions. Special emphasis 

will be placed on projects and partnerships that bring more attention to the value of public health 

benefits of urban forests, city trees and green spaces. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 118

Investing in Climate Resilience 

The President believes that we must do more to help communities across the country become 

more resilient to the effects of a changing climate. Recent events have reinforced our knowledge 

that our communities and economy remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural hazards. 

The Urban and Community Forestry program is improving community trees and forests, 

resulting in carbon removed from the air, reduced storm water treatments, flood mitigation in 

addition to other ecosystem services. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the Urban and Community Forestry Program reached more than 190 million people 

in communities across the U.S. through the development and maintenance of local urban forestry 

programs. U&CF ensures that people in the U.S. are living in communities that are healthier and 

more livable. 

The U&CF program also continued to work with State 

forestry agencies and other partners in FY 2014 to 

assist more than 7,100 communities in developing and 

advancing their urban forestry programs. In addition, 

the U&CF program funded high-priority activities that 

demonstrated results in a transparent manner. For 

example, in an effort to improve our Nation’s water 

systems and promote their economic, environmental, 

and social benefits in urban communities, U&CF 

continued to leverage support of the Urban Waters 

Federal Partnership (UWFP) by offering competitive 

urban watershed revitalization grants. The UWFP is 

one of 10 high-profile priority projects in the USFS 

Public-Private Partnership; is an identified action 

within the USDA Environmental Justice Strategy; and 

is one of the agency’s deliverables in the President’s 

America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. The UWFP is a 

Federal partnership with 14 Federal agencies, including 

the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Commerce, 

the Department of the Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services, and the Housing and Urban 

Development. This Federal partnership expanded on the ground with local government and nonprofit organizations in more than 18 cities across the Nation. The White House launched the 

Partnership in 2011, which has improved coordination among Federal agencies, and advanced 

community-led revitalization efforts in numerous cities, including Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, 

Baltimore, New Orleans, and the District of Columbia. The UWFP targets investments to reduce 

urban waterway pollution and the associated environmental hazards, restoring urban waterways 

and making them available to the community. These investments create local jobs; leverage 

investments among Federal, state and local partners; and improve America’s waters and the 

associated communities. The UWFP grants have resulted in the creation of more than a dozen 

Ambassador Jobs to facilitate and coordinate local projects; the implementation of waterway 

Calculating and Quantifying the Human 

Health Benefits of Urban Trees 

Photo: USDA Forest Service 

UCF is working closely with researchers 

to further investigate and calculate the 

human health benefits of urban trees and 

green infrastructure. Ultimately, UCF 

would like to enhance the i-Tree software 

application with quantifiable public health 

benefits. i-Tree’s popularity and publicaccess smartphone application has the 

capacity to deliver awareness facts on 

common public health challenges, such 

as, childhood asthma, obesity and stress. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 119

improvement projects and tree planting in many underserved neighborhoods and communities; 

the “greening” of 25 schools” with shade trees, fruit trees and rain gardens; and the engagement 

of nearly 2000 volunteers, many of whom are students. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The U&CF assists cities, suburbs, and towns across the country in improving the condition of 

community trees and forests. The U&CF program investments are critical to reaching a majority 

of Americans, including minority and underserved communities, to connect them to their natural 

heritage and ensure that our Nation’s public and private forests remain relevant to the next 

generation—over 83 percent of the Nation's population live in urban areas. There are over 100 

million acres of urban forest lands in the U.S. Research has shown that urban forests provide 

critical benefits to Americans, including energy conservation; flood and pollution control; 

climate change mitigation; and open spaces that improve human health and quality of life. For 

example, Forest Service research has found that street trees in Minneapolis, Minnesota, save $9.1 

million in stormwater treatments annually15. The urban trees of Los Angeles, California, remove 

about 77,000 tons of carbon per year and about 1,976 tons of air pollution per year16. The U&CF 

leverages State and other partner resources to ensure that communities across the country 

continue to protect their urban forests and the economic and health benefits they provide. 

The U&CF leverages State and other partner resources to ensure that communities across the 

country continue to protect their urban forests and the economic and health benefits they provide. 

For example, the Forest Service is working in partnership with the University of Washington to 

synthesize and promote the most cutting-edge research on the public health benefits of the urban 

canopy and green spaces in cities. A recent study in New York City found that an increase of 

just 343 urban trees per square kilometer was associated with 29 percent lower prevalence of 

early childhood asthma.17 In addition, other recent research has shown that living in 

communities with access to nature and restorative outdoor settings can reduce stress and increase 

exercise frequency, as well as improve immune system response, reduce depression, lower 

glucose levels in diabetics, and increase ability to cope with major life issues.18

Allocation and Integration 

This program allocates funds based on performance, tracked in a web-based accomplishment 

reporting system. Allocations target communities that have established one or more of the 

following: (1) professional urban forestry staff, (2) tree ordinances, (3) urban forest management 

plans, or (4) tree boards or advisory organizations. 

 

15 E. Gregory McPherson, James R. Simpson, Paula J. Peper, Scott E. Maco, Shelley L. Gardner, Shauna K. Cozad, Qingfu Xiao.

“City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Municipal Tree Resource Analysis.” Center for Urban Forest Research, USDA Forest Service, 

Pacific Southwest Research Station, June 2005. Web. 

https://www.itreetools.org/resources/reports/Minneapolis%20Municipal%20Tree%20Resource%20Analysis.pdf 16 Nowak, David, R. Hoehn III, D. Crane, L. Weller, and A. Davila. “Assessing Urban Forest Effects and Values, Los Angeles’ 

Urban Forest.” USDA Forest Service. (2011). Web. http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs47.pdf.

17 G S Lovasi, J W Quinn, K M Neckerman, M S Perzanowski, A Rundle, 2008. “Children Living in Areas with More Street 

Trees have Lower Prevalence of Asthma.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 62:647–649. 18 BBC News, “Tree-lined Streets Cut Asthma.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7374078.stm.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 120

The U&CF program is well integrated with other Forest Service programs. The U&CF and 

Forest Health Management programs work together to survey and monitor conditions of urban 

forests’ health, including the early detection and response to invasive insect pests such as 

emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle. 

U&CF works with Forest Service Research & Development to develop, disseminate, and support 

i-Tree, a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite that provides urban forestry analysis and 

benefits assessment tools. The i-Tree tools are designed to help communities of all sizes 

strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the environmental 

services that trees provide and the structure of the urban forest. The software tools are public 

domain and are freely accessible. 

The i-Tree tools have over 12,000 unique users across all 50 States and 100 different countries. 

Version 5.0 of i-Tree provides an innovative watershed hydrology modeling application and 

includes the ability to calculate human health benefits acquired from trees. For example, i-Tree 

can calculate ways trees can reduce asthma cases and missed work days due to illness, as well as 

the dollar values associated with these benefits. Version 5.0 of the i-Tree software was released 

in October 2012 providing application upgrades and an innovative new watershed hydrology 

modeling application. Version 5.0 features a new data collection web form that allows any 

device, such as smart phones or tablets, with a modern internet browser to be used to collect and 

enter field data. Additionally, a new function within i-Tree forecasts the growth and benefits of 

trees through time, based on species and location-specific growth models. Major cities across 

the country are using i-Tree to inventory and analyze the benefits of their urban forest as a 

decision-support tool. For example, the City of Pittsburgh developed a master plan to expand its 

urban tree canopy after i-Tree calculations showed the city’s trees provided a monetary benefit 

three times greater than the annual cost of upkeep. 

Partnerships 

The U&CF delivers its program through State forestry 

agencies, other Federal agencies, local governments, 

community organizations, and volunteers. State programs 

leverage the Forest Service investment with other funding 

sources to deliver financial assistance to communities for 

urban and community forestry, often providing at least a 

2:1 match for the Federal funds. 

To achieve program priorities, U&CF is also working with 

the USDA National Agroforestry Center, The Conservation 

Fund, Sustainable Urban Forest Coalition, National 

Association of Regional Councils, National Academy of 

Sciences Arbor Day Foundation, the Alliance for 

Community Trees, and other national partnership 

organizations. The Forest Service is the Urban Waters 

Federal Partnership lead on behalf of USDA. This Federal 

partnership, launched in 2011, has expanded to 18 pilot cities and 14 Federal agencies, including 

USDA, EPA, the Department of Commerce, HUD, Department of Transportation, DOI, and the 

Tree City USA 40th Anniversary 

Since 1976, Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree 

City USA Program has provided a 

framework for building and maintaining 

community tree canopy. This strong 

partnership between the U.S. Forest 

Service, the National Association of State 

Foresters, and the Arbor Day Foundation 

includes more than 3,400 Tree City USA 

communities, home to more than 135 

million Americans. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 121

Department of the Army. This innovative Federal partnership aims to stimulate regional and 

local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by 

revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the Nation. The partnership 

also supports President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative aimed at making the 

Federal government a better partner with communities that are working to provide safe, healthy, 

and accessible outdoor spaces. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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International Forestry 

Budget Line Item International Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

International Forestry

Annual Appropriations $8,000 $8,000 $4,004 -$3,996 -50%

International Forestry Total 8,000 8,000 4,004 -3,996 -50%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 38 30 15 -15 -50%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 38 30 15 -15 -50%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $4,004,000 for the International Forestry program, a 

decrease of $3,996,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The Forest Service will conduct its 

highest priority international work under existing Forest Service authorities and in partnership 

with other Federal agencies whose missions are more centrally focused on international 

development. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service Office of International Programs promotes sustainable forest management 

overseas and brings important technologies and innovations back to the United States. Effective 

forest management at the global level is necessary to protect American trade interests—such as 

the ability of U.S. timber producers to compete on a level playing field—and the sustainability of 

critical domestic and foreign natural resources. Forest management policy discussions routinely 

tackle complex issues such as: trade, U.S. competitiveness, climate change, economic growth, 

preventing illegal logging, and national security. The program also addresses several critical 

domestic natural resource conservation issues, including protecting the Nation from invasive 

species as well as conserving habitat for U.S. migratory species of high importance. The FY 

2016 President’s Budget would maintain programs in the following areas: 

Climate Change - International policy discussions on climate change have increased the focus on 

the role of forests and grasslands in greenhouse gas mitigation. Developed countries are 

considering how best to include the land sector in greenhouse gas reduction commitments. For 

example in developing countries, a coordinated effort to reduce deforestation, called REDD 

(Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is gaining momentum. 

International Forestry works closely with the Department of State and other U.S. government 

agencies in the international policy arena to: engage in a worldwide forest restoration network to 

strengthen efforts across the globe to rehabilitate degraded land for carbon sequestration, as well 

as other economic and social benefits; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry 123

 contribute technical expertise to climate change negotiations; and 

 participate in forest management and policy discussions. A good example is our ongoing 

work with the MegaFlorestais group, a network of forest agency leaders from the 12 largest 

forested countries. The group advances international dialogue and exchange on forest 

governance and public forest agency reforms—with a focus on climate change. 

Combatting Illegal Logging - Worldwide trade of forest products is estimated to exceed $1 

trillion per year, approximately 15 percent of which is from illegally harvested wood. The 

artificially low price of the illegal harvest leads to an imbalance in which world markets cannot 

equally participate. This imbalance undercuts the competiveness of U.S. forest products 

companies who are following policies and regulations, resulting in the loss of jobs in the U.S. 

One of the major problems in policing illegal logging worldwide has been the difficulty in 

identifying wood species, especially tropical wood species. Identification is complex because of 

the sheer number of species and the difficulty in tracing illegally harvested wood. The FY 2016 

President’s Budget allows for maintenance level support for this work. 

Protecting U.S. Forests from Invasive Species - Effectiveness in protecting the U.S. economy 

from the damage that invasive species inflict on our forests, our work involves facilitating 

collaboration among scientists to identify and use biocontrol agents for invasive forest pests - 

more effective and economical than traditional methods. We collaborate with partnering agency 

scientists and land managers with counterparts in those countries where the invasive species 

originate. Without international collaboration, we cannot effectively control pests already in the 

U.S. and prevent further introductions. One of our efforts addresses one of the most destructive 

invasive forest pests, the emerald ash borer (EAB). The goal is to understand why the EAB is so 

resilient and pervasive so that land managers can predict and prevent potential future outbreaks 

of related wood boring beetles. The partnership was formed between the Forest Service’s 

Northern Research Station, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Agriculture Research 

Service (ARS) and the Chinese Academy of Forestry. With support from International Forestry, 

the team has been working to find natural enemies of EAB in its native range. Two locations 

with different forest types were selected in China and specimens of key natural enemies, 

primarily egg and larval parasitoids, were collected and evaluated for their potential use in 

biological control programs. The work resulted in breakthroughs from ARS scientists who found 

three natural enemies of the EAB. The FY 2016 President’s Budget allows for maintenance 

level support for this work. 

Conserving U.S. Migratory species that are declining or at risk - Many U.S. organizations, 

including environmental groups, private citizen groups, and governmental and nongovernmental 

agencies, together invest millions of dollars in protecting habitat for listed and at-risk migratory 

species. The American public cares about these birds, bats, butterflies and dragonflies which 

often spend the winter in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our work protecting habitats in 

these areas making the large U.S. domestic investment in conservation ultimately less effective, 

the current situation is dire: some 64 percent of neotropical migratory species are declining. 

Allocation and Integration 

The program prioritizes work in collaboration with other Forest Service programs and in 

conjunction with the U.S. Department of State to address the most important international natural 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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resource management issues including illegal logging, climate change, migratory species habitat, 

invasive forest pests, and sustainable forest management. 

Partnerships 

The International Forestry program works in coordination with Forest Service field units, 

domestic and international partners including those in other Federal agencies, foreign 

governments, international and local environmental organizations, universities, and the private 

sector, on a range of forest management and policy issues. International Forestry engages in 

technical collaboration to develop capacity, strengthen institutions, and develop economic 

alternatives to unsustainable and illegal harvesting. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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National Forest System 

Appropriation National Forest System

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

National Forest System

Annual Appropriations $1,496,330$1,494,330 $1,648,314 $153,984 10%

National Forest System Total 1,496,330 1,494,330 1,648,314 153,984 10%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 10,845 10,846 11,243 397 4%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 10,845 10,846 11,243 397 4%

National Forest System

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 822,110 822,110 0%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 40,000 40,000 60,000 20,000 50%

Restoration Partnerships 2,000 0 0 0 0%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 184,236 184,236 0%

Land Management Planning 37,754 37,754 0 -37,754 -100%

Inventory and Monitoring 151,019 151,019 0 -151,019 -100%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 261,719 261,719 263,942 2,223 1%

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 140,466 140,466 0 -140,466 -100%

Grazing Management 55,356 55,356 49,706 -5,650 -10%

Forest Products 339,130 339,130 0 -339,130 -100%

Vegetation & Watershed Management 184,716 184,716 0 -184,716 -100%

Minerals and Geology Management 76,423 76,423 70,689 -5,734 -8%

Landownership Management 77,730 77,730 71,601 -6,129 -8%

Law Enforcement Operations 126,653 126,653 126,030 -623 -0%

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,364 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

National Forest System Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $1,648,314,000 for the National Forest System (NFS), 

an increase $153,984,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The NFS appropriation provides funds for the stewardship and management of over 193 million 

acres of national forests and grasslands. The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes budget 

structure changes designed to increase efficiency in program administration and delivery and to 

reduce redundancy and administrative costs while continuing to support the Administration’s 

highest priorities. 

Following Secretary Vilsack’s “All Lands” vision, the Budget focuses on meeting the challenges 

of building landscape and community resilience through collaborative approaches to ecological 

restoration, connecting Americans to the outdoors, expanding on recreation benefits, creating a 

wide range of opportunities for economic expansion to retain and create jobs, and partnering 

with communities and other agencies to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildland fires. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Conserving forests and grasslands not only conserves air quality, water, plants, and wildlife; it 

responds to the public’s interests and needs. Forests and grasslands generate wealth by 

providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism such as camping, picnicking, skiing, 

snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, scenic driving, and visiting cultural 

sites and visitor centers. People improve their health and well-being by engaging in the wide 

array of outdoor activities available on national forests and grasslands. The restoration of 

landscapes, sustainable forest management, and the development of markets for ecosystem 

services provide jobs to communities that benefit rural economies. 

Management of the vast array of natural resources on national forests and grasslands requires the 

effective integration of many different and complex program areas. The suite of NFS programs 

support the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of activities that provide a 

wide variety of ecosystem services including: water-quality protection and improvement, 

recreation opportunities for the public, energy for the Nation, food security, timber and nontimber forest products, maintenance of open space, and wildlife habitat and habitat connectivity. 

All of these services support the maintenance of jobs as well as growth in the domestic job 

market. These activities are managed to meet the needs of the Nation while maintaining or 

improving the health of the land and protecting the environment to provide the greatest good for 

the greatest number in the long term. 

Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget continues to emphasize IRR as the leading approach to 

accomplish on-the-ground restoration. In FY 2016, IRR is expanded beyond the pilot stage in 

three regions to full implementation across all Forest Service regions to meet the agency’s 

commitment of increasing the pace and scale of restoration. Full IRR implementation will help 

meet the social and economic commitments made to communities centered on restoration. 

However, if Congress decides that more time is needed to demonstrate the success of the pilot 

program before granting Nation-wide authority, we ask that the pilot program be continued in 

FY 2016. A fifth year of the pilot program would allow us to further clarify what benefits can be 

gained, and what challenges remain, from this new approach. 

This IRR budget structure aligns with the Secretary’s vision of integrating watershed protection 

and restoration into all aspects of our management of national forests and grasslands and to 

create or maintain local economic opportunities and jobs. This budget structure will allow us to 

more effectively accomplish forest health and water quality improvement goals. 

The table below compares the FY 2016 President’s Budget proposed funding level to previous 

years as if IRR were previously approved, by adding the amounts of the legacy budget line items. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 127

Integrated Resource Restoration Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands) 

Approp

. Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Comparable Basis 

FY 2015 

Comparable Basis Change 

FY 2016 

Pres. Bud 

NFS 

Integrated Resource 

Restoration (max total to 

IRR)1,2 [$170,000] [$190,321] $822,110 $822,110 

NFS 

Wildlife and Fisheries 

Habitat Mgmt. 140,466 140,466 (140,466) 

NFS Forest Products 339,130 339,130 (339,130) 

NFS 

Vegetation and Watershed 

Management 184,716 184,716 (184,716) 

CIM Legacy Roads and Trails 35,000 40,000 (40,000) 

WFM 

Hazardous Fuels nonWildland Urban Interface3

 76,625 90,437 (90,437) 

Total $775,937 $794,749 $27,361 $822,110 

1. Integrated Resource Restoration in FY 2012 to FY 2015 is a pilot program in Regions 1, 3, and 4. 

2. The FY 2014 Appropriations Act and Consolidated and Continuing Further Appropriations Act, 2015 allowed the Forest 

Service to transfer “up to” these amounts to the IRR Pilot Program. 

3. Figures calculated as 25 percent of total Hazardous Fuels BLI. 

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring 

The President’s Budget proposes a consolidated budget line item to facilitate an integrated 

approach to landscape management. In the Budget, we propose to merge Land Management 

Planning and Inventory and Monitoring, into a single budget line item called Land Management 

Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring. Forest Service management occurs around a continuous 

cycle of assessing, planning at multiple levels, implementing and adjusting programs, and 

projects based on information acquired through integrated inventory and monitoring activities. 

The proposed consolidated budget line item provides the agency flexibility to achieve 

efficiencies in several central activities in this cycle that are core to implementing the 

requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule. Requirements include an increased focus on agency 

assessment and monitoring activities. The 2012 Planning Rule promotes a collaborative sciencebased approach for planning, monitoring, and conducting assessments that considers information 

from and about all lands that may be affected by or influence planning unit activities. The need 

to integrate regional and local monitoring and assessment activities with unit planning efforts can 

be accomplished more effectively, clearly, and efficiently under the proposed budget line item. 

The proposed budget structure improves accountability within the activities funded and 

facilitates a more complete alignment with other budget line items that fund agency information 

management activities by reducing the complexity of agency budgeting and accounting 

structures. Accountability is improved though aligning priority management, information needs, 

and communicating explicit performance expectations in agency direction. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring 

Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Enacted Change 

FY 2016 

Pres. Budget 

NFS Land Management Planning, 

Assessment, and Monitoring - - $184,236 $184,236 

NFS Land Management Planning 37,754 37,754 (37,754) 

NFS Inventory and Monitoring 151,019 151,019 (151,019) 

Total $188,773 $188,773 ($4,537) $184,236 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Integrated Resource Restoration 

Budget Line Item Integrated Resource Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Integrated Resource Restoration

Annual Appropriations 0 0 $822,110 $822,110 0%

Integrated Resource Restoration Total 0 0 822,110 822,110 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 5,473 5,473 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 5,473 5,473 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Integrated Resource Restoration

Number of watersheds moved to an improved condition 

class 9 12 15 10 19 20

Acres treated annually to sustain or restore watershed 

function and resilience 2,569,617 2,533,121 2,700,000 2,906,018 2,900,000 2,900,000

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 3,704 4,168 3,262 3,488 3,262 3,262

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 2,644 2,610 2,800 2,831 2,900 3,200

Miles of roads decommissioned 2,103 1,490 1,200 1,415 1,600 2,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

Note: Timber volume sold is the total agency target/accomplishment from all funding sources. 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $822,110,000 for Integrated Resource Restoration 

(IRR) as a single budget line item. The Forest Service has continued to implement the pilot 

program authorized by Congress in Regions 1, 3, and 4, and to emphasize IRR as the leading 

approach to accomplish on-the-ground restoration. This work will lead to improved forest and 

grassland health and resilience using landscape scale restoration to recover watershed health and 

clean water and create or maintain local economic opportunities and jobs. Funding of this 

program is a critical part of the Forest Service’s capacity to reduce the risk of catastrophic 

wildfires, improve water quality and quantity, and increase carbon sequestration. 

In view of pilot program success, we propose fully implementing IRR across all of the national 

forests and grasslands in FY 2016 as the best way to capitalize on the lessons learned thus far 

from the pilot program. However, if Congress decides that more time is needed to demonstrate 

the success of the pilot program before granting nation-wide authority, we ask that the pilot 

program be continued in FY 2016. A fifth year of the pilot program would allow us to further 

clarify what benefits can be gained, and what challenges remain, from this new approach. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 130

The IRR budget line item was first introduced in FY 2011 and proposed again in FY 2012 with 

the addition of portions of Hazardous Fuels from the Wildland Fire Management budget line 

item and Legacy Roads and Trails, the road decommissioning activity from the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance appropriation. National authority to consolidate these budget 

line items was not provided in the Consolidated and Continuing Further Appropriations Act, 

2015. However, the agency was provided with continuing limited authority under a pilot 

program. 

As in FY 2012 through FY 2014, the FY 2015 pilot authority includes Regions 1, 3, and 4. For 

FY 2015 the Forest Service is authorized to transfer up to $190,321,000 from the traditional 

budget line items to the IRR pilot regions. IRR includes activities accomplished through previous 

budget line items for Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management, Vegetation and Watershed 

Management, Forest Products, Legacy Roads and Trails, and Hazardous Fuels outside of the 

wildland-urban interface (WUI), to reestablish watershed, forest and grassland health fireadapted landscapes, and ecosystem function. 

The pilot authority delivered the benefits expected from the IRR approach including: 

 An increased ability to achieve integrated outcomes at landscape scales, 

 a reduced administrative burden within IRR regions, and 

 better integration of programs to achieve shared restoration goals. 

Integrated Resource Restoration Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands) 

Approp. Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Pilot 

FY 2015 

Pilot 

Increase or 

Decrease 

FY 2016 

Pres. Budget 

NFS Integrated Resource Restoration1 0 0 $822,110 $822,110 

NFS Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Mgmt. 31,000 31,360 (31,360) 0 

NFS Forest Products 53,000 65,560 (65,560) 0 

NFS Vegetation and Watershed Mgmt 50,000 50,581 (50,581) 0 

CIM Legacy Roads and Trails 12,000 14,743 (14,743) 0 

WFM 

Hazardous Fuels Non-Wildland 

Urban Interface 24,000 28,077 (28,077) 0 

Total $170,000 $190,321 $631,789 $822,110 

1. Integrated Resource Restoration in FY 2012 to FY 2015 is a pilot program in Regions 1, 3, and 4. The FY 2014 and FY 2015 

amounts are the amounts authorized for transfer in the FY 2014 Appropriations Act and Consolidated and Continuing Further 

Appropriations Act, 2015, respectively. 

Investing in IRR in FY 2016 is expected to result in 2,900,000 watershed acres treated, 3.2 

billion board feet of timber volume sold, approximately 2,000 miles of road decommissioned, 

and 3,262 miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced. 

The outcome measure for IRR is the number of watersheds moved to an improved condition 

class, meaning that the health of the watershed has been improved. The Forest Service has 

established a framework to guide the improvement of watershed health on national forests and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 131

grasslands called the Watershed Condition Framework, a comprehensive approach for: 1) 

evaluating the condition of watersheds, 2) prioritizing work in areas important to the public and 

where work results in noticeable differences in overall watershed condition, 3) strategic 

integrated restoration, and 4) tracking and monitoring outcomes. 

Under the FY 2016 President’s Budget, an additional 20 watersheds are expected to be improved 

in FY 2016. This is a significant increase from the four watersheds improved in FY 2011, the 

first year of this new outcome performance measure. The agency has been building momentum 

in watershed improvement by focusing restoration efforts towards the most important areas 

within the priority watersheds. We are making good progress implementing work required by 

the watershed restoration action plans and improving our projections for project duration and 

cost. Part of this learning process has been the recognition that it may take longer than originally 

estimated to complete the full suite of essential restoration projects and activities required to 

improve a watershed’s condition—particularly for our more complex watershed restoration 

action plans. 

Past Performance 

FY 2014 marked the third year of the IRR Program piloted in Regions 1, 3, and 4. These pilot 

regions continued to make progress working across disciplines to plan and implement landscape 

scale restoration projects in collaboration with our partners and local communities. While the 

primary changes in IRR are simply the combining of budget line items, to realize the intended 

benefits and outcomes the agency is in the process of changing how it operates and how it thinks 

about restoration. 

These changes are complex and long-term. To better understand our progress and challenges as 

we implement the program, the Forest Service sought a third party evaluation of IRR and its 

effects. A team from the University of Oregon and Colorado State University are conducting a 

three-phase analysis of IRR and delivered their Phase 1 report in the Spring of 2014. A Phase 2 

report is forthcoming. The objectives were: 1) to understand strategic planning approaches and 

whether improvements in efficiency, prioritization, flexibility, and achievement of restoration 

outcomes are occurring under the IRR pilot; 2) to assess internal perceptions of the pilot, current 

challenges, and opportunities for improvement; and 3) to determine the extent to which current 

performance measures and targets facilitate accomplishment and communication of outcomes. 

Summary findings are included below with greater detail available in the full Phase 1 report (and 

forthcoming Phase 2 report), which is available online at 

http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/IRR/index.shtml. 

Third Party Review, Phase 1 results found that IRR has: 

 Resulted in greater emphasis and time spent on program integration and project prioritization at the 

regional and forest levels. 

 Allowed staff to spend less time budgeting. 

 Increased flexibility to move dollars between programs, enter into multi-year contracts, focus on priority 

work, and fund larger scale projects in priority areas. 

 Allowed forests to focus on the most important work in any given year and to focus on the highest priority 

work for individual units. 

 Consolidated decision-making with line officers as opposed to program managers. 

 Changed regional and forest level strategic planning approaches for identifying priority restoration 

projects.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Third Party Review, Preliminary Phase 2 results found that IRR is: 

 Improving our ability to implement projects with multi-stakeholder collaborative groups, and is 

facilitating implementation of resource specific projects with individual partners. 

 Increasing our flexibility to focus on high priority restoration work and landscapes, move dollars 

between programs, address unexpected challenges, conduct larger projects, and enter into multi-year 

contracts. 

 Complementing other restoration authorities, including the Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Program, the Watershed Condition Framework, Stewardship Contracting, and Good 

Neighbor Authority.

Challenges identified include the need for better communication both internally between 

different levels of the Forest Service, and externally with our stakeholders. Information about 

approaches to prioritization and integration was also identified as a need. The primary outcome 

measure currently associated with IRR is the number of watersheds moved to an improved 

condition class. There are also four output-based measures that indicate the Forest Service’s 

progress toward improving the condition class of watersheds: 1) acres treated annually to sustain 

or restore watershed function or resilience, 2) miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced, 3) 

volume of timber sold, and 4) miles of roads decommissioned. The IRR pilot regions again led 

the way moving watersheds to an improved condition class, achieving 60 percent of total agency 

result. Each pilot region met their target with the exception of Region 4, which is delaying 

completion of the Muddy Creek Watershed action plan until FY 2015 to incorporate some 

additional work to improve riparian conditions. Across all regions, the agency fell slightly short 

of its annual goal; however, over the period of FY 2012 to FY 2014, the Forest Service achieved 

30 of 32 planned watersheds moved to an improved condition class. As an outcome measure, the 

annual result is not only reflective of work implemented this year, but represents the culmination 

of integrated watershed-based work that started with the development of watershed restoration 

action plans. As we progress in our experience with the Watershed Condition Framework, we 

Denver Water Partnership 

This utility-backed partnership highlights the importance of investing in healthy and resilient watersheds in order to 

avoid the massive costs associated with wildfire through hazardous fuel removal and proactive insect control. The 

arrangement between the city of Denver’s water utility and the Forest Service utilized $33 million over five years 

(with each party contributing half of the funding) via a slight ratepayer increase to restore watershed and vegetation 

health and reduce fire risks to public water supply for city residents and businesses. Damages from the past two fires 

exceeded $118 million in property loss, water quality treatment, and wildfire suppression. In addition to these avoided 

costs, the headwaters of critical concern provided potable water for 1.3 million people and provide the ancillary 

benefits of wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, and galvanized both public and private sector participation. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 133

are seeing that some watershed plans may need five to 10 years to complete all the restoration 

actions required instead of the three to five years originally envisioned, due to the complexity 

and/or expense of watershed improvement. 

To ensure water quality is protected, the Forest Service has developed procedures, methods, and 

controls, consistent with Federal and State requirements, to address potential water pollutants 

and pollution at their sources. These specific practices or actions are referred to as best 

management practices, or BMPs, and are used to reduce or control impacts to water bodies from 

nonpoint sources of pollution, most commonly by reducing the loading of pollutants, such as 

sediment, from such sources into storm water and waterways. They are instrumental in ensuring 

high-quality fresh water that originates or flows through the national forests and grasslands. 

The Forest Service has established the first, and currently only, National BMP Program used to 

help strengthen implementation of BMPs to protect water quality from ground-disturbing 

activities on national forests and grasslands. This is the first systematic approach to BMP 

implementation across all national forests and grasslands and the first comprehensive approach 

to BMP implementation for the diverse range of activities that occur on national forests and 

grasslands. In FY 2014, the Forest Service monitored implementation and effectiveness of 

BMPs to protect water quality for over 500 activities. 

Stream restoration work directly affects habitat for threatened, endangered, and sensitive aquatic 

species as well as habitat for native fishes with commercial and non-commercial value, and for 

desired non-native species important to recreational fishing. For the second year in a row, we 

exceeded our goal by taking advantage of integrated planning and the effective use of 

partnerships. The cumulative accomplishments associated with this measure are a critical 

component of our threatened, endangered, and sensitive aquatic species restoration. Expanding 

the available habitat is making these species less susceptible to impacts associated with 

catastrophic events such as climate change, wildfire, or flood damage. In FY 2014, there were 

168 stream crossings improved to provide for fish passage. The removal of aquatic organism 

Cossatott River, Ouachita National Forest, AR 

 BEFORE AFTER

We replaced a deficient, unsafe bridge with a new bridge that provides for passage of aquatic organisms 

including the sensitive Ouachita Shiner and allows vehicles to cross during high flows.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 134

passage barriers significantly expands the potential range available to these species. This stream 

crossing work is also a critical component of reducing the potential for road crossing failure 

following high intensity fires and higher volume flows associated with climate change. 

Providing timber and woody biomass from national forests is important not only in support of 

restoration efforts, but is also critical to rural communities and economies. The agency met its 

goal by selling just over 2.8 billion board feet of timber—an increase from last year’s output of 

2.6 million board feet. The regions were able to achieve this result in balance with strong 

performance on the other IRR output measures. A combination of IRR funding, forest products 

appropriations, and permanent and trust funds were used to accomplish this work. In recent 

years, forest products from NFS lands have contributed approximately 42,000 jobs and $2.7 

billion annually to the national economy. As we increase the volume of board feet sold, we 

expect to have an even greater impact on local economies. 

Road decommissioning makes important contributions to our portfolio of restoration efforts by 

reducing the environmental impact of our transportation systems. Road decommissioning 

activities include restoring lands occupied by roads to a more natural state. In FY 2014, the 

agency decommissioned 1,415 miles of roads, 57 percent of which were accomplished through 

IRR or Legacy Roads and Trails funding. Other important work done that improved water 

quality was using IRR and Legacy Roads and Trails funding to maintain or improve 2,296 miles 

of roads and 462 miles of trails. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

IRR implementation emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders and internal interdisciplinary 

planning in an effort to continuously improve restoration projects and increase community 

support for restoration work. In return, the agency expects to accomplish more on-the-ground 

work, create or maintain jobs, and improve the stability of rural communities and the safety of 

their drinking water. 

Watershed restoration; fish, wildlife and threatened and endangered species habitat enhancement 

activities; timber and vegetation management; and road restoration activities contribute to the 

enhancement and maintenance of jobs in rural communities where employment opportunities are 

often limited. These restoration activities provide critical support to local economies. 

The Secretary of Agriculture’s vision for active forest management advances the role of healthy 

forests to protect and enhance water resources and to maintain landscape resilience in response to 

impacts of a changing climate and other stressors. The IRR program focuses on priority needs 

for landscape scale activities that promote watershed resilience on NFS lands. Included in the 

IRR program of work are all traditional work activities associated with investments, 

management, and services that occurred under the previous individual budget line items of 

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management, Forest Products, Vegetation and Watershed 

Management, Legacy Roads and Trails, and a portion of Hazardous Fuels. Active management 

of the national forests and grasslands is critically necessary to address threats to the health and 

safety of America’s forest-dependent communities and watersheds. The IRR enhances the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 135

capacity of the agency to increase the pace and scale of restoration activities agency-wide. The 

IRR landscape scale approach aligns and emphasizes restoration actions through forest 

management, range management, wildlife and fisheries habitat management, vegetation and 

watershed management, hazardous fuels management in non-WUI areas, and road 

decommissioning. 

Activities previously accomplished under the Legacy Roads and Trails activity continue under 

IRR, including urgently needed road and trail decommissioning, long-term road storage, repair, 

and maintenance and associated activities. The removal of fish passage barriers is especially 

important in areas where roads may be contributing to water quality problems in streams and 

water bodies that supported threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Removal of barriers 

also can help to offset the impacts of climate change to these species. Road and trail repairs 

required due to storm disturbances in local communities that are urgently needed to protect 

community water resources are also an important consideration for funding within IRR. 

The IRR program also incorporates implementation of the Watershed Condition Framework. 

This important tool is used to identify areas where road and trail decommissioning needs to 

occur within priority watersheds and where culverts blocking fish passage should be removed or 

upgraded to protect aquatic resources and provide resiliency to flooding. Road and trail 

decommissioning will continue to be based on the travel management analysis to reduce impacts 

by putting roads into long term storage for future use to protect water quality and other resources 

such as wildlife, fish, and plant communities. Roads placed in long term storage are closed to all 

traffic, including administrative traffic, for a period greater than one year, during which time 

many receive treatment to reduce ecological damage. 

By combining the budget authority of multiple land management programs into one budget line 

item, we gain flexibility to schedule multiple resource management activities at one time and in 

one place. Several activities contribute to the number of watershed acres treated, including 

reforestation, rangeland improvements, invasive species treatments, terrestrial habitat improved 

for wildlife, soil and water resource improvements, and non-WUI fuel treatments. Other work 

supported in the IRR program includes air quality monitoring, wildlife interpretation and 

education programs, water rights management, and soil quality management, stewardship 

contracts, timber sales, special forest products, and firewood sales. 

The IRR, landscape scale approach also allows the agency to better address many of the resource 

challenges facing NFS lands, such as the bark-beetle epidemic, the decline of longleaf pine and 

other forest ecosystems, threatened and endangered species management, wild horse and burro 

management, restoring lands historically used as roads to a natural state, replacement of bridges 

or major culverts to allow aquatic organism passage, and impacts from climate variability, while 

protecting the overall resiliency of forests and grasslands. 

Stewardship contracts are an important tool used to implement IRR projects across priority 

watersheds and Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program projects. Use of the 

stewardship contracting authority creates jobs in the forest products industry, helping to sustain 

communities and develop and maintain forest operations infrastructure. By using the value of 

forest products to offset the cost of services, we can better provide opportunities to achieve 

landscape scale management goals. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 136

Allocation and Integration 

Allocations to the regions represent a strategic investment of financial resources focused on 

sustaining, improving, and restoring natural ecosystems. Funding is included in the IRR 

program for are all traditional work activities associated with investments, management, and 

services that occurred under the previous individual budget line items. Other work supported in 

the IRR program includes, to name a few, air quality monitoring, wildlife interpretation and 

education programs, water rights management, soil quality management, restoration of native 

vegetation, special forest products, and firewood sales. Allocations reflect priority needs for 

landscape and watershed restoration; reducing wildfire risk; support for local economic 

infrastructure and jobs; decommissioning of roads or trails; forest vegetation management; and 

resource needs to address threatened, endangered, and sensitive species, air quality, invasive 

species, and those activities that are critical to the overall management of the national forests and 

grasslands. Funds continue to also support core and historical operations and management 

functions to prevent the decline in the health and condition of the national forest and grassland 

ecosystems. 

Restoration activities reflect the need to support strong and diverse forest products and livestock 

grazing industries, facilitating their important contributions to jobs and communities. Integration 

and collaboration with other programs not included in IRR is important to implementing land 

management activities. Coordination of efforts with State and Private Forestry programs, 

Federal and State Fish and Wildlife programs, and other USDA agencies such as the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, has resulted in a synergistic effect in restoring priority 

watersheds on a landscape scale. 

Partnerships 

The agency continues to enhance program delivery and accomplishments through an extensive 

network of collaborators and long-term partners, Federal and State agencies, Tribal governments, 

nongovernmental organizations, and local communities. For decades, we have worked closely 

with a diverse set of partners including civic organizations and national conservation-oriented 

organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wildlife Forever, 

Ducks Unlimited, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. 

In FY 2014 external partners helped the agency complete thousands of fish and wildlife projects 

on national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service investment of approximately $16.5 

million of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation related funds was matched with the dollar and 

in-kind value of partner contributions totaling over $60 million. 

Successful partnerships and collaborative efforts have led to the improvement of millions of 

acres of terrestrial habitat, and thousands of miles of streams for imperiled, common, and 

economically significant species throughout the Nation. Our partnerships bolster landscape 

restoration efforts that ensure we continue to provide ecosystem services such as clean water 

from NFS lands—which provide the drinking water supply for approximately one-fifth of U.S. 

communities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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The Forest Service has also entered into partnership agreements with several organizations and 

businesses to increase the amount of NFS lands receiving reforestation treatments following 

wildfires and other natural events. These partnerships have increased our capacity to conduct 

restoration through sizeable contributions of matching funds and in-kind support from external 

partners. (See Special Exhibit on Partnerships for more detailed information.) 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 

Budget Line Item Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

Annual Appropriations $40,000 $40,000 $60,000 $20,000 50%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Total 40,000 40,000 60,000 20,000 50%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 283 283 278 -5 -2%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 283 283 278 -5 -2%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

Acres of forest vegetation established 20,906 15,539 19,400 17,954 24,250 30,782

Acres of forest vegetation improved 34,591 67,511 173,200 71,738 167,500 74,923

Acres of noxious weeds and invasive plants treated 19,478 18,180 24,700 16,749 30,875 26,062

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 298 111 222 200 244 170

Acres of terrestrial habitat enhanced 182,046 398,231 382,000 399,861 420,200 356,533

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 216.0 379.0 420.0 417.0 462.0 651.0

Number of green tons and/or volume of woody biomass 

from hazardous fuel reduction and restoration treatments 

on Federal land that are made available through permits, 

contracts, grants, agreements, or the equivalent 354,906 756,882 534,900 211,868 601,500 870,868

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 142,661 277,966 304,500 283,889 380,625 345,247

Acres of hazardous fuels treated outside the Wildland 

Urban interface to reduce risk of catastrophic fire 114,758 141,912 197,300 138,136 246,625 139,947

Miles of roads decommissioned 169 152 555 122 243 332

Miles of passenger car system road reconstruction and 

capital improvement 89 120 229 184 229 274

Miles of high clearance system road reconstruction and 

capital improvement 56 137 87 137 120 143

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

Note: Targets are estimates of annual outputs/accomplishments from CFLRP project activities.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $60,000,000 for the Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Program (CFLRP), an increase of $20,000,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Funding of this program is a critical part of the Forest Service’s capacity to reduce the risk of 

catastrophic wildfires, improve water quality and quantity, and increase carbon sequestration. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget would expand the authority of the 23 existing projects and also 

permit the investment into up to 10 new CFLRP projects. New CFLRP projects will be 

submitted by Forest Service Regions and reviewed by an Advisory Committee. The Advisory 
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Committee will then submit recommendations for funding projects to the Secretary of 

Agriculture, who will make a final decision regarding which projects will receive CFLRP funds. 

The Secretary may select up to 10 new projects for funding in FY 2016. 

This additional capacity will also allow the agency to continue to encourage ecological, 

economic, and social sustainability, re-establish natural fire regimes that reduce the risk of 

uncharacteristic wildfires, and improve forest health. By directly working with communities and 

local organizations when developing these projects, the Forest Service will be able to accelerate 

restoration work while providing sustainable jobs in rural communities. As detailed in the 

project emphasis area descriptions below, these projects benefit people, water, wildlife, and local 

economies by creating strong markets for wood by-products that will in turn reduce treatment 

cost for projects. 

Existing projects continue to build the scale and the capacity of their collaboratives as they work 

toward achieving outcomes on the landscape. The five year CFLRP report is under development 

and is expected to be released in the first half of 2015. The report will provide further insight 

into program impact and results to date. 

For FY 2016, project activities and outputs will continue to include: 

 safety enhancement through the treatment of hazardous fuel acres, 

 restoration of watershed function and resilience, 

 improvement of forest vegetation and wildlife habitat, and 

 generation of commercial timber and biomass for bioenergy as a result of restoration 

treatments. 

 
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The FY 2016 existing projects and emphasis areas are listed in the following table and described 

below. 

FY 2016 CFLRP Existing Projects 

Project Name Region Forest(s) 

Southwestern Crown of the Continent 1 Flathead, Lolo and Helena NFs 

Selway-Middle Fork 1 

Nez Perce-Clearwater and Bitterroot 

NFs 

Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative 1 Idaho Panhandle NF 

Uncompahgre Plateau 2 Uncompahgre NF 

Front Range 2 

Pike, San Isabel, Arapaho and 

Roosevelt NFs 

Four Forest Restoration Initiative 3 

Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, 

Kaibab and Tonto NFs 

Southwest Jemez Mountains 3 Santa Fe NF 

Zuni Mountain CFLRP 3 Cibola NF 

Weiser-Little Salmon Headwaters CFLRP 4 Payette NF 

Dinkey Landscape Restoration Project 5 Sierra NF 

Burney-Hat Creek Basins Project 5 Lassen NF 

Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone Project 5 Eldorado and Stanislaus NF 

Tapash 6 Okanogan-Wenatchee NF 

Deschutes 6 Deschutes NF 

Lakeview Stewardship CFLRP 6 Fremont-Winema NF 

Southern Blues Restoration Coalition 6 Malheur NF 

Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020 6 Colville NF 

Accelerating Longleaf Restoration 8 Florida-Osceola NF 

Shortleaf-Bluestem Community 8 Ouachita NF 

Grandfather Restoration Project 8 Pisgah NF 

Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Restoration 8 Ozark-St. Francis NF 

Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration and Hazardous Fuels

Reduction 8 De Soto NF 

Missouri Pine-Oak Woodlands Restoration Project 9 Mark Twain NF 

FY 2016 Project Emphasis Areas 

Southwestern Crown of the Continent 

This project, located on the Flathead, Lolo, and Helena National Forests, will work towards 

achieving their 10-year fuels reduction, ecosystem restoration, economic, and social 

sustainability goals with their partners. The Southwest Crown of the Continent Monitoring 

Committee will continue to work with local schools on stream and forest monitoring to build 

capacity and engage youth in rural communities in stewardship efforts. The project will treat 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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hazardous fuels near communities to enhance safety, and generate forest products to support 

local economies. 

Selway-Middle Fork 

The Selway-Middle Fork project, located on the Nez Perce-Clearwater and Bitterroot National 

Forests, will work towards watershed restoration goals, improve wildlife habitat, complete fuel 

reduction treatment, and conduct critical road and trail maintenance. The project remains a 

testament to what can be accomplished when a sound restoration strategy is paired with a strong 

collaborative and implementation funds provided through the program. 

Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative 

This project, located on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, will include a diverse portfolio of 

activities to work towards landscape scale restoration goals. The project’s program of work 

includes prescribed burning, thinning, and reforestation; invasive plant management; fish 

passage replacement and instream fisheries improvement; road decommissioning and 

maintenance; and trail construction and maintenance. The project will continue to harvest 

commercial timber and biomass to support local communities. 

Uncompahgre Plateau 

The Uncompahgre Plateau Project, located on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison 

National Forests, will focus on achieving program and vegetative goals to restore the structure 

and function of priority ecosystems. Their work will include enhancing terrestrial and aquatic 

habitat, generating forest products to support the local economy, and improving water quality. 

The project will continue to utilize collaborative, multi-party monitoring to drive restoration 

efforts. 

Colorado Front Range 

This project, located on the Pike, San Isabel, Arapaho, and Roosevelt National Forests, will 

continue to emphasize protecting communities from uncharacteristic wildfire through hazardous 

fuels reductions and restoring ponderosa pine ecosystems. Restoration activities will generate 

forest products to support local economies and area businesses. 

Four Forest Restoration Initiative 

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) is located on the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, 

Kaibab, and Tonto National Forests. We will be increasing implementation of the 4FRI 

Integrated Resource Stewardship Contract. Good Earth Power is expected to increase treatments 

by at least 30,000 acres in 2016. Associated outcomes include watershed restoration and 

increased resilience; improved forest vegetation, water, and soil resources; treatment of 

hazardous fuels; and reduced risk of catastrophic wildfire. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Southwest Jemez Mountains 

This project is located on the Santa Fe National Forest. Implementation will focus on reducing 

wildfire risk through mechanical thinning and prescribed burning to protect forest health and 

surrounding communities, with positive effects across the landscape. Activities will include 

meadow and watershed restoration and road maintenance and decommissioning to support 

watershed health. The project will also support local communities by building the capacity of 

local wood product businesses. 

Zuni Mountain 

The Zuni Mountain project, located on the Cibola National Forest, will build on mechanical 

treatments completed in previous years and increase prescribed burning activities. Treatments 

will support forest vegetation improvements and watershed health. The project will also 

continue to work with partners to enhance utilization of wood products to support restoration 

work and local economies. 

Weiser-Little Salmon Headwaters 

This project is located on the Payette National Forest. It will focus on watershed restoration 

activities and utilizing a range of treatment options for forest restoration and generation of forest 

products. Working with partners on trail maintenance and construction will also be an area of 

focus, as will substantial road improvements and decommissioning, and passage construction 

projects to improve watershed condition. 

Dinkey Landscape Restoration Project 

This project is located on the Sierra National Forest, and will implement a range of activities to 

restore watershed resiliency, enhance forest health, and support local communities. This 

portfolio includes protecting native ecosystems by treating noxious weeds and restoring 

terrestrial habitat. The project will treat forestlands using timber sales and focus work on high 

priority hazardous fuel treatments in areas surrounding nearby communities. 

Burney-Hat Creek Basin 

This project, located on the Lassen National Forest, will focus on the restoration of areas 

impacted by fire, hazardous fuels reductions, and improving wildlife habitat. Landscape scale 

restoration and improved forest health outcomes will be supported by timber sales and service 

contracts, working with partners, and supporting local communities. 

Amador Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone 

This project, located on the Eldorado and Stanislaus National Forests, will continue to work with 

partners and the public to improve forest health and resiliency. Areas of focus include 

commercial and pre-commercial thinning and removal of biomass, soil stabilization through road 

maintenance and decommissioning, and reducing hazardous fuels in priority areas including 

cultural sites. The project will continue its work in diversifying small businesses for woody 

biomass value-added utilization as well. 
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Tapash 

This project is located on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The project is focused on 

achieving integrated outcomes through reduction of hazardous fuels and wood product 

utilization, including improved forest and range vegetation, enhanced terrestrial habitat, and 

decreased risk of catastrophic wildfire near communities. 

Deschutes 

This project, located on the Deschutes National Forest, will continue to implement forest 

vegetation improvements and hazardous fuels reductions through mechanical and prescribed fire 

treatments. The project will improve soil and water conditions and enhance wildlife habitat by 

treating noxious weeds within the project landscape and maintaining or improving roads and 

trails. 

Lakeview Stewardship 

This project is located on the Fremont-Winema National Forests. Restoration projects will 

include thinning, hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, and stream crossing improvements 

to enhance aquatic habitat. Trail and road maintenance will protect soil and water resources and 

watershed function. 

Southern Blues Restoration Coalition 

This project is located on the Malheur National Forest. Working with local and State officials 

and the Governor’s Office, the project is working to address the loss of wood product 

infrastructure and to increase the pace of restoration. This will allow the project to increase a 

range forest management activities, including treating acres through timber sales and commercial 

timber harvest. The project will also work on riparian treatments to restore aquatic habitat. 

Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020 

This project, located on the Colville National Forest, will continue to work towards the 

objectives outlined in the original project proposal, including improving forest and watershed 

health. These goals will be achieved through trail improvements, road management, stream 

crossing projects for aquatic organisms, and invasive species treatments. The project will treat 

priority hazardous fuels to protect communities from uncharacteristic wildfire and encourage 

economic opportunity through wood product utilization. 

Accelerating Longleaf Restoration 

This project, located on the Osceola National Forest, will continue to enhance and establish 

forest vegetation and build on success in thinning stands for red-cockaded woodpecker habitat, 

and endangered species. Utilization of timber sales to treat forestlands continues to improve 

forest health, as does the use of prescribed fire treatments and palmetto roller chopping. The 

project will also work towards desired watershed conditions by maintaining and improving water 

and soil resources. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Shortleaf Bluestem Community 

This project, located on the Ouachita National Forest, will complete a range of restoration 

activities on the landscape. Vegetation improvements will involve local partners to re-establish 

milkweed and other native plants. Improvements also include treating invasive species, 

prescribed burns, and commercially thinning forest areas to promote forest health and support the 

local economy through the generation and sale of wood products. The project will also improve 

terrestrial and aquatic habitats through the enhancement of stream crossings, continuation of the 

turkey research program, and improvement of nesting and foraging habitat for the red-cockaded 

woodpecker. 

Grandfather Restoration Project 

This project, located on the Pisgah National Forest, will focus on a watershed restoration project 

incorporating timber stand improvement, timber harvest, prescribed burning, and watershed and 

stream restoration. The project will also reconstruct stream crossings to provide for aquatic 

organism passage and complete stream habitat restoration activities. Forest health goals will also 

be accomplished through the treatment of vine growth and road and trail maintenance to reduce 

soil movement and sedimentation. 

Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Restoration Project 

This project is located on the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. Project implementation will 

increase the health, function, and resiliency of the landscape through a range of restoration 

activities. Wildlife habitat will be enhanced through forest stand and pond improvements, 

including the restoration of abandoned grazing areas, treatment of noxious and invasive species, 

and lake dredging to improve aquatic habitat. The Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Recreation 

Project will continue to develop natural re-vegetation by closing down illegal trails as well. 

Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration & Hazardous Fuels Reduction 

This project, located on the National Forests in Mississippi, De Soto National Forest, continues 

to implement high priority accelerated restoration and hazardous fuels reductions, including 

longleaf pine restoration, pitcher plant bog restoration, and invasive cogongrass treatments. The 

project plan of work also includes boundary line maintenance, trail and road maintenance, and 

watershed restoration. 

Missouri Pine-Oak Woodlands 

This project is located on the Mark Twain National Forest. Project implementation includes a 

range of activities across the landscape to enhance forest vegetation, improve watershed 

functioning, and support the local community through generation of commercial timber and 

biomass. Restoration activities will be supported through timber sale contracts, stewardship 

contracts, and understory thinning contracts. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Past Performance 

In FY 2014, CFLRP projects delivered substantial progress on fulfilling the intent of the 

Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (the Act) to restore ecosystem resilience and 

reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildland fire. In pursuit of these goals, the projects continue 

to build collaborative partnerships and increase capacity for on-the-ground project 

implementation and monitoring, as well as support local communities and their economies. 

Forest Service program managers and agency leadership continued to conduct field based 

reviews of the CFLRP projects. The objectives of the visits were to validate that projects were 

being implemented within the intent of the Act, to better understand implementation challenges 

and common themes, and to provide support and recommendations for improvements. While the 

projects are diverse, with some benefitting from established collaboratives and long-term 

partners and others being in the development stage, all projects reviewed are moving towards 

their restoration goals. For example, in the West, projects are shifting from treatment sizes that 

covered small blocks of less than 100 acres to larger landscapes over 1000 acres. In the South, 

where prescribed burning has been a practice for many years, CFLRP projects are accomplishing 

annual treatments of tens of thousands of acres per year. 

During the site visits, it became clear that much is gained by strengthening relationships and 

collaboration among diverse parties. For projects struggling with establishing effective 

collaboration, review teams shared best practices from projects with well-established 

collaboratives. Recommendations included creating more structure within the collaborative, 

bringing in new parties with new perspectives, and making use of outside support. Challenges 

also remain in the evolving program including recognition of the necessity of investing in 

maintenance to sustain desired conditions. Conversations resulted in a broader understanding 

that restoration should include not only improving, but also maintaining and protecting desired 

conditions. 

As part of agency efforts to move to an outcome-based performance framework, CFLRP 

developed a new performance measure to track progress toward reducing the risk of 

uncharacteristic wildfire—one of the key purposes of the program as set forth in the Act. The 

measure takes the Wildfire Potential map and adapts it to create a landscape index of current 

conditions including potential wildfire severity and intensity. As program management actions 

change the risk of wildland fire on the landscape, the index will reflect progress towards lower 

risk conditions. Fire severity and intensity are two key factors that play a major role in fire 

management costs and the index will provide new insights at both the project and landscape 

level. The index was field tested on the Lakeview Stewardship project on the Fremont-Winema 

National Forest in Oregon in FY 2014. Additional work will be done in FY 2015 to examine 

changes from baseline conditions on individual CFLRP projects and on approaches to scale up 

the results and information to a national level, including appropriate targets. 

Selected accomplishments and outputs across all projects that contribute to restoring ecosystem 

resilience and reducing the risk of wildland fire are shown in the performance table at the 

beginning of this section. It is important to note that targets shown are only estimates provided 

for reference since decisions on how to allocate resources and the specific mix of project 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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activities undertaken each year are made at the local project level. Changing conditions or 

circumstances can affect the mix of planned activities. 

Program Description

Program Overview 

CFLRP encourages collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest 

landscapes. The CFLRP was authorized by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 

(L. 111-11, Title IV, March 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 1141). This Act authorizes the ecosystem 

restoration of priority forest landscapes that must be at least 50,000 acres in size, with the goal of 

promoting the resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, 

or destroyed. 

Investing in CFLRP advances restoration by engaging diverse communities and leveraging 

partner resources through collaboration, implementation, and monitoring. The program is unique 

in that projects are selected based on proposals collaboratively developed with diverse partner 

communities. These collaborative groups continue to be involved, providing feedback and input 

through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and partnering as appropriate to 

complete implementation and monitoring. The CFLRP funds can be matched with appropriated, 

permanent, trust, or partnership funds; in-kind contributions; and restoration treatments funded 

through timber value within a stewardship contract. The CFLRP funds may be used to pay up to 

50 percent of the cost of carrying out and monitoring ecological restoration treatments that occur 

on National Forest System (NFS) lands. Activities implemented using CFLRP funds include: 

reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire, including the use of fire for ecological restoration 

and maintenance and reestablishing natural fire regimes; improving fish and wildlife habitat; 

maintaining or improving water quality or watershed function; preventing, remediating, or 

controlling invasions of exotic species; maintaining, decommissioning, and rehabilitating roads 

and trails; and facilitating the removal and utilization of woody biomass and small trees 

produced from projects implementing the strategy. No more than $4 million of CFLRP funds 

may be allocated to an individual project in any one year. Land areas for consideration must 

have a substantially complete restoration strategy, be primarily composed of forested NFS lands, 

and be accessed by wood-processing infrastructure to use the woody biomass removed during 

ecological restoration treatments. 

By working more closely with communities, CFLRP projects are identifying innovative 

techniques for getting work done, increasing community buy-in for restoration projects, and 

generally increasing the capacity and pace of restoration work in CFLRP project areas. The 

program also supports local rural communities through the generation of forest products such as 

timber and biomass for bioenergy production, as well as the creation and maintenance of jobs. 

Effective monitoring and evaluation provides projects with the opportunity to learn and adapt as 

implementation progresses. CFLRP projects bring together multiple partners to plan and 

implement monitoring processes that assess ecological, social, and economic impacts of 

treatments on the landscape. This innovative, multiparty approach helps promote efficiency, 

transparency, and accountability. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Allocation and Integration 

The CFLRP Advisory Panel, a 15 member committee authorized by the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, reviewed CFLRP project proposals in 2010 and 2011 and made 

recommendations for project selection. The Secretary of Agriculture then made the final 

decision as to which projects would receive funding, selecting 10 projects in 2010 and 10 more 

in 2012. Three additional projects were recommended by the CFLRP Advisory Panel in FY 

2012 and began receiving funding in FY 2013. No additional projects were selected for FY 2014 

funding, but all existing projects continued to be funded. 

The CFLRP funds may be spent on up to 50 percent of implementation and monitoring within 

the CFLRP project boundary on NFS lands. The other 50 percent of implementation and 

monitoring must be funded by specified matching Forest Service budget line items, funds 

contributed through partnership agreements, partner in-kind contributions, or service work 

accomplished through goods-for services funding with a stewardship contract. Matching budget 

line items are interdisciplinary, and must be consistent with the CFLRP project description and 

landscape restoration strategy. Determination as to whether a budget line item is an appropriate 

match is based upon the purpose for which it is appropriated and determination that the treatment 

activity is necessary in the context of the project restoration strategy. 

Partnerships 

At the national level, the Forest Service works with the National Forest Foundation to provide 

support to the field units in implementing CFLRP projects. The National Forest Foundation has 

facilitated several peer-to-peer webinars for CFLRP projects. These webinars are designed to 

facilitate the sharing of information and best practices, and have focused on topics such as 

implementation, collaboration, multi-party monitoring, and ecological indicators. The Forest 

Service also works with field units and partners to develop methodologies for tracking project 

progress. In June 2011, the Forest Service met with interested partners and field representatives 

to develop indicators of project progress to develop the five year report to Congress required by 

the Act. These indicators cover topics including ecology, jobs, fire cost reduction, leveraged 

funds, and collaboration. Four of these indicators were implemented by the Forest Service in FY 

2012. The CFLRP Coalition, a partner group spearheaded by five non-governmental 

organizations, is taking on the collaboration indicator independently. The Forest Service also 

partnered with the CFLRP Coalition to draft a report on the program’s progress in November 

2011; an updated version of this report was published in late 2012. 

Described below are two examples (Selway-Middle Fork and the Deschutes Collaborative) of 

how public and non-governmental organizations are working together to prioritize and 

accomplish forest landscape restoration. 

 
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Selway-Middle Fork: Collaboration in Action 

The Clearwater Basin Collaborative offers a path away from conflicts over natural resource 

management towards a more constructive future by bringing together local communities, 

conservationists, timber industry, sportsmen, and the Nez Perce Tribe to take strong steps 

towards creating local jobs and restoring healthy forests. The Selway-Middle Fork project, 

selected in the initial CFLRP cohort 2010, uses innovative, collaborative tools to enact their 

comprehensive restoration strategy to restore and maintain ecological conditions within the 1.4 

million acre Selway-Middle Fork ecosystem. 

As one local participant noted, “the Selway-Middle Fork Clearwater CFLRP project is a critical 

tool for us to maintain the historic way of life here in the Clearwater Basin.” The Selway-Middle 

Fork project provides educational and work opportunities to local youth via partnerships with the 

Idaho Youth Conservation Corps. Participants reported that they gained self-confidence and 

learned how to work cooperatively to solve problems while gaining life skills, making friends, 

and having fun. The project also leverages local knowledge. Through a long standing 

partnership, the Nez Perce Tribe provided technical expertise in watershed restoration and weed 

management as well considerable financial resources. In addition, three partners, Montana 

Conservation Corps, Selway Bitterroot Foundation, and the Back Country Horsemen contributed 

thousands of hours of in-kind and volunteer work on a number of projects. Partnerships with the 

Idaho Department of Fish and Game and several universities are contributing towards important 

wildlife monitoring. Wildlife and wildlife habitat is perhaps the number one concern brought up 

in project litigation in Region 1. Furthering knowledge through these monitoring efforts will pay 

dividends as the project progresses across our landscape with future management projects. 

Through strong partnerships, the project has made great strides towards creating a more resilient 

landscape. Between 2010 and 2014, the project improved 1,767 acres of vegetation and restored 

or enhanced 15,776 acres of terrestrial habitat. In 2014, on NFS lands, the project treated 

hazardous fuels on 690 acres, maintained more than 123 miles of roads, and managed noxious 

weeds and invasive plants on 1,116 acres. The project has also helped to attract funds to the 

broader landscape, assisting Idaho County in winning 

a State and Private Forestry Western Competitive 

Resource Allocation Grant for restoration on private 

lands. These funds will go towards stream habitat 

restoration and forest health improvements. 

Deschutes Collaborative: Leveraging Trust into 

Restoration Accomplishment 

The future of forestry in a changing world lies in 

finding new and effective ways to collaborate with the 

public we serve. Approaches that allow us to work 

more closely with communities are altering the way 

forestry supports local economies and the way the 

Forest Service interfaces with stakeholders. The work 

occurring on the Deschutes National Forest exemplifies this shift. The Forest built on its history 

of successful collaboration to form an overarching collaborative group in 2010. This group 

Deschutes National Forest in Oregon 

The Deschutes Forest Supervisor speaks 

with a collaborator in a restored forest 

stand on the Deschutes National Forest. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 149

generated the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project, which became one of the first projects 

selected under CFLRP. The collaborative effort brought former adversaries to the table to work 

through the prioritization of restoration projects. A collaborator from an environmental nonprofit group that has previously litigated the Forest said that through the collaborative effort, he 

has “gone from horrified to pretty darn optimistic about the future of this forest.” As another 

collaborator noted, “this represents a new way of doing business in the forest. Through 

collaborative baby steps we have built the relationships, the trust, and the transparency necessary 

to generate solutions that work for the community.” Partner groups include Oregon Hunters 

Association, Oregon Trails Alliance, Central Oregon Running Klub, High Cascade Forest 

Volunteers, Sisters Trail Alliance, Travel Oregon, Trout Unlimited, Central Oregon Community 

College Forestry Club, East Cascades Audubon Society, Sisters Schools, and various private 

citizens. In 2013, volunteers contributed to fisheries, riparian, invasive weed, wildlife, and trails 

work totaling over 14,000 hours. 

The collaborative effort has allowed the forests to pursue innovative techniques for getting work 

done. The Forest has successfully utilized stewardship contracts on several restoration projects, 

which have in turn grown restoration capacity in the local community. One contractor reported 

having a colleague who had previously struggled to find consistent work and often relied on 

gathering firewood to generate income. When the forest began offering stewardship contracts, 

he recognized a need for new skills in the community, and now owns four mowers and employs 

a hand crew. 

The success of the collaborative project is allowing the CFLRP project to make measurable 

impacts on the ground. Between 2010 and 2014, the Deschutes CFLRP has established 2,759 

acres of vegetation and improved 8,321 acres of vegetation, and they saw an increase in fuels 

treatments of 48,317 acres in the WUI. Over 8,611 acres and miles of terrestrial and aquatic 

habitat were restored, with an additional benefit of over five miles of road decommissioning 

activities. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Restoration Partnerships 

Budget Line Item Restoration Partnerships

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Restoration Partnerships

Annual Appropriations $2,000 0 0 0 0%

Restoration Partnerships Total 2,000 0 0 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Restoration Partnerships

Total value of resources (expressed as a ratio) leveraged 

through partnerships with states and other partners 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $0 for Restoration Partnerships, the same level as the 

FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The budget line item is no longer requested, as similar activities can 

be carried out through partnerships under the proposed Integrated Resource Restoration budget 

line item. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, Restoration Partnership funding was used to create and build on partnerships for 

improving municipal and beneficial-use watersheds, reducing risks from wildfire to public 

utilities and infrastructure, and reducing biomass to sustain landscape fuel reduction and 

watershed investments. Program resources funded 10 projects and were leveraged with dollars 

from numerous partners including utility companies, universities, nonprofit organizations, and 

Federal, State, and local governments. These projects included such work as forest thinning, 

prescribed fire, stream and channel restoration, trail and road stabilization, and water crossing 

improvements that protected municipal watersheds and preserved healthy sources of water for 

communities across the country. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 151

Program Description 

Program Overview 

For a century, the Forest Service has maintained a commitment to working with a variety of 

organizations and interests while fulfilling our motto of “Caring for the land and serving people”. 

We exercise many creative and innovative approaches to address place-based needs and 

opportunities and to promote healthy and vibrant watersheds, forests, grasslands, and 

communities. These opportunities for partner engagement, such as Integrated Resource 

Restoration and the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, include not only 

funding support, but significant volunteerism and in-kind contributions across the country in 

areas where partner and Forest Service interests intersect. Expanding public-private 

partnerships, and the strong and enduring relationships they build, are essential to ensuring that 

the national forests and grasslands continue to offer the myriad of benefits the American public 

has come to expect from them. 

Allocation and Integration 

Since there is no program funding planned for FY 2016, there will be no allocation of funding 

for Restoration Partnership activities. The intent of this work, collaborative and innovative 

restoration on a landscape scale, will be accomplished in FY 2016 through other programs. 

 
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Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring 

Budget Line Item Land Management Planning, Assessment & 

Monitoring

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Annual Appropriations

Inventory and Monitoring $151,019 $151,019 0 -$151,019 -100%

Land Management Planning 37,754 37,754 0 -37,754 -100%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 $184,236 184,236 0%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring

Total 188,773 188,773 184,236 -4,537 -2%

Annual Appropriation FTEs

Inventory and Monitoring 896 896 0 -896 -100%

Land Management Planning 260 260 0 -260 -100%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 1,234 1,234 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,156 1,156 1,234 78 7%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Land Management Planning, Assessment & 

Monitoring

Number of land management plan amendments 

underway 38 28 20 30 20 20

Number of land management plan revisions or creations 

underway 23 31 16 25 28 25

Acres of inventory data collected and acquired 30,489,750 45,675,608 16,650,000 59,671,991 16,200,000 16,200,000

Number of annual monitoring requirements completed 1,542 1,330 1,158 1,170 1,130 1,130

Number of land management plan assessments 

completed 49 35 21 38 20 20

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $184,236,000 for the Land Management Planning, 

Assessment, and Monitoring Program, a net program decrease of $4,537,000 from the FY 2015 

Enacted Budget. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes consolidating the Land Management Planning and 

Inventory and Monitoring programs into one new budget line item called Land Management 

Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring. The proposed budget line item will provide flexibility to 

achieve efficiencies in several central activities in the planning cycle that are core to successfully 

implementing the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule and supporting accelerated restoration. 

The net amount was calculated using the combined totals from the FY 2015 Enacted level as 

illustrated in the table below. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring 

Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands) 

Approp. Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Enacted Change 

FY 2016 

Pres Bud 

NFS 

Land Management Planning, 

Assessment, and Monitoring - - $184,236 $184,236 

NFS Land Management Planning 37,754 37,754 (37,754) 

NFS Inventory and Monitoring 151,019 151,019 (151,019) 

 Total $188,773 $188,773 ($4,537) $184,236 

Forest Service management occurs around a continuous cycle of assessing, planning at multiple 

levels, implementing and adjusting programs and projects based on information acquired through 

integrated inventory and monitoring activities. The proposed BLI provides the agency flexibility 

to implement the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule which includes an increased focus on 

agency assessment and monitoring activities. Under the proposed budget line item, critical work 

would not be constrained by activity funding levels. Flexibility will allow successful 

implementation of the full range of activities in the management cycle. The need to integrate 

regional and local inventory, monitoring and assessment activities with unit planning efforts can 

be accomplished more effectively and efficiently under the proposed budget line item. These 

efficiencies help achieve plan revisions in three to four years instead of the five to six years it 

currently takes. 

The 2012 Planning Rule has been developed under 36 CFR 219 and replaces the 2008 Planning 

Rule invalidated by the Federal district court decision in Citizens for Better Forestry v. USDA, 

632 F. Supp. 2d 968 (N.D.Cal., 2009). The 2012 Planning Rule promotes a collaborative 

science-based approach for planning, monitoring, and conducting assessments that considers 

information from and about “All Lands” affected by, or influencing, planning unit activities. 

National Forest System (NFS) units work with counterparts in Research and Development and 

State and Private Forestry, as well as with the public, Tribes, and other partners, to revise and 

amend plans, develop unit and regional monitoring programs and strategies, conduct assessments 

in advance of plan revisions, and ensure that inventories, data management, and corporate data 

systems support these and other business requirements. 

Management priorities and actions funded under each activity area include:

Land Management Plan Revisions and Amendments - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes 

funds for the creation, revision, and amendment of land management plans (LMPs). Funding 

supports LMP revisions required under the National Forest Management Act. These funds will 

allow continued work on 25 revisions under way and up to seven units conducting pre-revision 

assessments. Eight of these plan revisions are currently scheduled for completion by the end of 

FY 2015. The agency will continue to improve its capacity to revise LMPs and implement the 

other provisions of the 2012 Planning Rule. In addition, the agency amends, corrects or adjusts, 

as needed, the plans not currently under revision, focusing on completing amendments to address 

critical issues and decisions, including energy corridors, integrated forestry, travel management 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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plans, and watershed restoration opportunities. This funding level supports work on 20 LMP 

amendments. 

Assessments and Monitoring - The FY 2016 President’s Budget funds inventory, monitoring, 

and assessment work on national forests and grasslands in support of LMP revisions, 

amendments, and other agency priorities. The agency also integrates and improves databases 

and ensures that all existing and newly acquired data reside in a centralized repository which 

supports the efficient implementation of the 2012 Planning Rule and other programs requiring 

forest-wide inventory data. Assessments conducted in advance of LMP revisions determine the 

need to change direction in existing plans. Units not revising plans can conduct assessments 

designed to establish the need and priorities for project-level work. Including the seven prerevision assessments mentioned above, the agency will complete 20 assessments in FY 2016. 

The 2012 Planning Rule establishes a planning framework that emphasizes developing 

collaborative, science-based unit-monitoring programs and broad-scale monitoring strategies at 

regional and national levels to address high-priority resource questions, conditions, and issues. 

These could include watershed and ecological conditions, focal species, visitor use and 

recreation objectives, influences from a changing climate, and other local, regional, and national 

objectives. This multi-tiered approach highlights ecological, social, and economic trends and 

conditions relevant to LMPs. The approach also generates efficiencies in data collection, 

mapping, storage, reporting, and use. Units will be completing and compiling monitoring 

information prior to initiating revisions or amendments to assess plan direction and identify 

resource issues. 

Past Performance 

The Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring program provides the foundation 

for all the ecosystem services derived from NFS lands. This program is key to effective 

management, helping identify the highest priorities and addressing community needs. This is 

done by having up-to-date LMPs revised or amended with full community engagement, based 

on the best available science generated through affective inventory, monitoring and assessment 

activities. 

As the agency moves forward on implementation of the 2012 Planning Rule, we are emphasizing 

meaningful public engagement throughout all phases of the planning process including 

assessments, revisions and amendments, the objections process, and ongoing monitoring. 

Quality public engagement also extends to plan implementation. Decisions are also being made 

for larger areas encompassing longer time periods. As a result, we are producing larger, more 

comprehensive planning efforts at less cost, and producing more on-the-ground accomplishments 

and benefits for the American people. 

The planning and assessment processes have been enhanced by more effective inventory and 

monitoring resulting from having clearly established requirements, efficiencies in data 

management, data collection standards and protocols, improved analytical tools, and corporate 

applications designed to make data accessible to managers, partners, and the public. Quality data 

and information helps us understand the conditions on the land and the social and economic 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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issues associated with natural resources. They also support agency decision making at all levels 

and the prioritization of management actions. 

While we transition to the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule, several plan revisions using 

the 1982 Procedures under the 2000 Planning Rule are being completed. Generally, revisions 

using the 1982 Procedures have taken five to six years to complete, with some taking 

considerably longer. As we learn from the first units implementing the 2012 Planning Rule and 

incorporate those lessons into our processes, we anticipate reducing that completion time for 

revisions to an average of three to four years. New planning directives or procedures that will be 

released in early 2015 will also assist units in more efficiently meeting the new Planning Rule 

requirements. Our emphasis on being more efficient in meeting the requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act will also help with completing project level analyses and 

documentation necessary to implement these plans. Increased documentation efficiencies 

include electronic publishing and e-filing planning and project environmental documents with 

the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Several forests and grasslands have conducted multiple unique social, economic, and ecological 

assessments to meet the 2012 Planning Rule requirements. Assessments are a key initial step for 

determining the need to revise or amend plans in response to changing ecological, social, and 

economic conditions and for collaborating with the public. What we’ve learned from these 

initial efforts will be used to streamline the assessment process for future LMP revision efforts. 

The agency will continue to amend and revise LMPs as we transition to the requirements under 

the 2012 Planning Rule. We expect the number of major amendments to stabilize over the next 

two to three years as we complete this transition. We will also be striving to achieve a consistent 

level of planning and assessment activity (i.e., number of units initiating and engaged in either 

assessment or revision work) within the agency. We expect to reach this point in two to three 

years as the revisions using the 1982 procedures are completed. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring program is foundational to 

ensuring that the agency can continue to provide to the American people all of the ecosystem 

services derived from NFS lands, including the economic benefits from timber, grazing, outdoor 

recreation, and the many other types of goods and services. Without adequate planning and 

monitoring, economic and restoration activities could not occur on NFS lands. Collaboration 

and engagement with partners and the public is critical to developing, revising, or amending 

LMPs, conducting assessments, and developing and implementing a monitoring program. 

The Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring program funds the acquisition, 

analysis, and storage of data that supports land management planning and a variety of other 

business requirements and resource management needs of the agency. This includes the 

inventory, assessments, and monitoring essential to the development, amendment, or revision of 

LMPs. Funding this program allows us to comply with the National Forest Management Act, 

which requires that each unit of the NFS have a LMP that is revised every 10 to 15 years to 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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address changing conditions and to incorporate new information and the best available science 

related to natural resources, management goals, and public use. 

The Forest Service will engage diverse communities in the revision of LMPs under the 2012 

Planning Rule and provide the planning, inventory, and monitoring resources needed to establish 

long-term restoration priorities and conduct environmental analyses required to implement 

projects. Implementing the 2012 Planning Rule will help restore resources across larger 

landscapes and help to increase the pace of ecological restoration to ensure landscapes are more 

productive and adaptable to climate change while creating more jobs in rural communities. The 

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring program funds all planning activities 

associated with LMP revisions, creations, amendments, corrections, and other plan maintenance 

identified in the current planning rule. A LMP provides broad guidance for identifying, 

prioritizing, and implementing the programs and projects that move a NFS unit towards 

achieving desired conditions and agency objectives. Goals and objectives include adapting to a 

changing climate, ensuring abundant clean water, reducing hazardous fuel loads, providing 

recreation opportunities, restoring and maintaining forest and rangeland ecosystems, and 

improving priority watersheds across larger landscapes. 

Collaboration and public engagement are critical to developing, revising, or amending LMPs and 

result in plans that address a wide variety of programs and issues. Collaborative activities assist 

in identifying needs, establishing desired conditions, crafting alternatives or scenarios for future 

management, and identifying information needs and monitoring requirements. Agency field 

units work closely with citizens, organizations, Tribes, and State and local governments to 

develop, revise, and maintain LMPs as well as to inventory and monitor the condition of agency 

lands. 

The development and implementation of broader scale monitoring strategies assist in obtaining 

information on specific resource issues that need to be addressed consistently at the regional or 

national level. They also provide a direct link to other programs, initiatives, and projects 

utilizing the same information including restoration activities, climate change evaluations, travel 

management, watershed condition assessments, wildlife species needs assessments, and roadless 

area evaluations. The Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring program also 

supports the development, maintenance, and coordination of numerous corporate applications 

and systems that support resource information storage and analysis needs of the agency. 

The program is delivered through the following major activities: 

Land Management Plan Revisions and Amendments - This activity includes all planning 

activities associated with LMP revisions, creations, amendments, corrections, and other plan 

maintenance identified in the 2012 Planning Rule. This includes: collaboration and public 

involvement; development of LMP components; conducting any analyses after legal notice 

initiating an amendment or revision; development and evaluation of alternatives; preparation of 

draft and final environmental impact statements; content analysis of public comments; and 

resolving appeals, litigation, and objections to the LMP. 

Assessments and Monitoring - This activity includes the inventory, assessments, and monitoring 

essential to the development, amendment, or revision of LMPs. Resource inventories are 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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designed to meet LMP requirements and other management needs of the agency. Resource 

inventory activities include data collection and acquisition; data entry, including migration of 

legacy data, and storage in corporate systems; data evaluation and analyses to ensure accuracy 

and determine data classifications; documentation and implementation of quality control 

procedures and compilation of metadata; and resource mapping. 

LMP development and revision assessments evaluate current and desired resource conditions and 

trends for the unit at appropriate scales. These assessments rapidly evaluate existing information 

about relevant ecological, economic, and social conditions, trends and sustainability and their 

relationship to the LMP within the context of the broader landscape. LMP implementation 

assessments assist in identifying and locating projects and activities designed to achieve plan 

objectives. Monitoring and evaluation assists in determining if there is a need to change 

direction in a LMP. Both implementation and effectiveness monitoring are needed to evaluate 

progress towards achieving desired LMP conditions and objectives. The development and 

implementation of broader scale monitoring strategies assist in obtaining information on specific 

resource issues that need to be addressed consistently at the regional or national level. 

Allocation and Integration 

Integrated allocations for this program are based on several factors related to each activity. 

These include the number of LMPs in each region that are under revision, the number of plans in 

a non-revision or maintenance mode, and the number of units and total acreage in each region. 

Priority for allocating funds for planning is given to those units revising their LMPs and 

conducting inventory, assessment, and monitoring activities supporting land management 

planning under the 2012 Planning Rule. Additional funding may also be allocated to field units 

conducting roadless area evaluations. Adjustments may be made among regions based on 

regional capability or to mitigate situations where a proposed allocation would create undesirable 

transition effects. Coordination with other programs with responsibility for inventory, 

monitoring and assessments ensures that appropriate direction, funding, and performance 

expectations are included in agency program and information resource direction. 

Partnerships 

Collaboration with partners and the public is critical to developing, revising or amending LMPs, 

conducting assessments, and developing and implementing a monitoring program. Collaborative 

activities assist in identifying needs, establishing desired conditions, crafting alternatives or 

scenarios for future management, and identifying information needs and monitoring 

requirements. 

For plan development, revision, and maintenance activities, agency field units work closely with 

citizens and organizations with an interest in how the land is managed. The agency also works 

with Federal, regional, and local partners to inventory and monitor its lands. Within the Federal 

Geographic Data Committee, the Forest Service has the lead responsibility to work with other 

agencies to set standards for vegetation classification. The agency also works with governmental 

and nongovernmental partners to collect data and set inventory and monitoring protocols for 

consistent data collection methods. 
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In November of 2013, the Federal Advisory Committee for Implementation of the Planning Rule 

presented to the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service recommendations for 

revisions to the proposed directives. The Committee is comprised of 21 members who provide 

balanced and broad representation of public interests including industry and user groups; 

environmental organizations; conservation organizations; recreation interests; members of the 

scientific community; State, county, or local elected officials (or designee); Tribal 

representatives; and other public interests. The Department and the Forest Service will consider 

the Committee’s recommendations, along with public comment, as it revises the directives for 

final publication. 

Units Completing Revisions using the 1982 Planning Procedures 

by Fiscal Year 

FS Region Unit State Expected Completion 

1 Idaho Panhandle NF ID 2015 

1 Kootenai NF MT 2015 

2 Shoshone NF WY 2015 

3 Apache-Sitgreaves NF AZ 2015 

3 Coronado NF AZ 2015 

3 Prescott NF AZ 2015 

5 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit CA 2015 

8 George Washington NF VA 2015 

3 Coconino NF AZ 2016 

6 Malheur NF OR 2016 

6 Umatilla NF OR 2016 

6 Wallowa-Whitman NF OR 2016 

6 Colville NF WA 2017 

6 Okanogan/Wenatchee NFs WA 2017 

Units Implementing Revision Requirements under the 2012 Planning Rule 

by Fiscal Year 

FS Region Unit State Assessment 

Initiated 

Revision 

Initiated 

Expected 

Completion 

1 Clearwater NF ID 2012 2014 2016 

1 Nez Perce NF ID 2012 2014 2016 

5 Inyo NF CA 2012 2014 2016 

5 Sequoia NF CA 2012 2014 2016 

5 Sierra NF CA 2012 2014 2016 

8 El Yunque NF PR 2012 2014 2016 

3 Cibola NF NM 2012 2015 2017 

10 Chugach NF AK 2012 2015 2018 

8 Francis Marion NF SC 2013 2014 2016 

8 Nantahala-Pisgah NF NC 2013 2014 2016 

1 Flathead NF MT 2013 2015 2017 

2 Rio Grande NF CO 2014 2016 2017 

3 Carson NF NM 2014 2015 2018 

3 Santa Fe NF NM 2014 2015 2018 
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FS Region Unit State Assessment 

Initiated 

Revision 

Initiated 

Expected 

Completion 

3 Tonto NF AZ 2014 2015 2018 

1 Helena NF MT 2014 2016 2018 

1 Lewis & Clark NF MT 2014 2016 2018 

3 Gila NF NM 2015 2016 2019 

3 Lincoln NF NM 2015 2016 2019 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 

Budget Line Item Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Annual Appropriations $261,719 $261,719 $263,942 $2,223 1%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness Total 261,719 261,719 263,942 2,223 1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 2,005 2,005 2,074 69 3%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,005 2,005 2,074 69 3%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Manage Recreation Operations 151,797 151,019 154,768 3,749 2%

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorizations 39,258 39,258 41,590 2,332 6%

Manage Heritage Resources 28,789 28,789 28,593 -196 -1%

Manage Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers 41,875 41,875 38,991 -2,884 -7%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Number of recreation site capacity (PAOT days) 

operated to standard 83,127,395 71,371,135 74,080,790 69,395,856 69,396,000 70,000,000

Percentage of NFS lands covered by travel management 

plans resulting in visitor safety, resource protection using 

best management practices, and less visitor conflict with 

off-road vehicle usage 79.0% 85.5% 100.0% 87.1% 100.0% 100.0%

Number of recreation special use authorizations 

administered to standard 13,784 17,506 12,279 15,429 15,400 15,000

Number of wilderness areas managed to minimum 

stewardship level 307 356 365 415 415 0

Number of wildernesses meeting baseline performance 

for preserving wilderness character 0 0 0 0 0 44

Number of wild and scenic river areas meeting statutory 

requirements 53 55 57 49 57 57

Number of heritage programs managed to standard 77 81 61 74 75 75

Heritage program score 5,108 5,231 4,130 5,125 5,125 5,000

Customer satisfaction with value for fee paid 83.0% 84.0% 80.0% 85.3% 85.0% 84.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $263,942,000 for the Recreation, Heritage, and 

Wilderness program, an increase of $2,223,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

These programs connect communities and people to the outdoors by aligning our activities with 

the Framework for Sustainable Recreation and the Forest Service Strategic Plan. We support the 

President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative; the stewardship of our natural, cultural and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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historic resources; and youth and volunteer engagement. In FY 2016, Recreation, Heritage, and 

Wilderness programs will strengthen privately provided services through improving 

administration of special use permits, enhance information delivery and customer service 

through contemporary tools like Recreation.gov, complete Subpart B implementing the Travel 

Management Rule, initiate Subpart C of the Travel Management Rule for over-snow vehicles, 

prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Wild 

and Scenic Rivers Act, implement a new approach to wilderness stewardship, and connect with 

younger generations through urban and youth 

conservation corps. 

Volunteers and Service Engagement 

Volunteers and service participants are critical 

contributors to Forest Service mission accomplishment. 

Annually, about 100,000 private citizens give of their time 

and talent. Approximately 75 percent of participants are 

volunteers while the remaining 25 percent are service 

participants seeking job training, national service, and 

other development opportunities. The majority of our volunteers and service participants are 

engaged through partners that represent non-government organizations including the 21st 

Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), educational institutions, and non-profits that 

serve youth and veterans. 

In addition to programs operated directly by the Forest Service, such as the Youth Conservation 

Corps, the Forest Service works with thousands of partners to effectively stimulate local 

economies and provide developmental opportunities for the next generation of conservation 

stewards. Launched in 2014, the 21CSC program engages youth and veterans on projects that 

address critical natural resource and outdoor recreation needs. This program will continue to be 

a high priority in FY 2016 with an expanded focus on building a sustainable foundation for 

increasing citizen stewardship of public lands representative of America’s diversity. The Forest 

Service will emphasize outreach to stakeholders to promote new 21CSC partnerships including 

expanded involvement and participation of Tribal groups, enhanced access to youth interested in 

serving on public lands projects, and engaging 21CSC partners to help the Forest Service address 

critical priorities in the areas of restoration, fire prevention and mitigation, facilities and 

recreation management, and trails maintenance and construction. 

Providing training to program staff will further enhance our ability to develop high quality 

conservation projects with partners. Building increased awareness about the skills and 

capabilities of 21CSC partners among Forest Service staff areas will accomplish essential work 

while also developing a new source of conservation stewards to preserve and protect public 

lands. By promoting transparency among Forest Service staff and cooperation with partnership 

organizations, we will enhance the agency’s ability to support employment opportunities for 

youth and veterans. 

The Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program is subdivided into four activities; specific 

priorities within each activity include: 

Recreation Contributes Nearly $13 Billion 

to National Gross Domestic Product 

Each year, outdoor recreation and tourism, 

including hunting and fishing, contributes 

nearly $13 billion dollars and about 194,000 

jobs to the U.S. economy.* This comprises 

around 40 percent of the Forest Service’s 

contribution to the Gross Domestic Product. 

*2012 Forest Service National Visitor Use 

Monitoring Report 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 162

Manage Recreation Operations - The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides funding for 

Recreation Operations. While integrating key concepts of the Framework for Sustainable 

Recreation and the Forest Service Strategic Plan, we will provide to the public such services as 

campgrounds, cabins, lookouts, reservations, visitor centers, picnic areas and other day use sites, 

interpretive and heritage services, outfitter guides, and recreation events. These resources, when 

leveraged with cost recovery and visitor fee collections authorized by the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act, provide us the ability to operate 26,750 recreation sites to millions 

of visitors. 

The Framework for Sustainable Recreation19 also stresses the importance of providing the right 

information to the public. Recreation information is the most sought-after Forest Service 

information on the web, and the public expects it to be credible, accurate, open, and accessible 

from anywhere. By FY 2016, we anticipate all Forest Service recreation sites will be presented 

on the Interactive Visitor Map20. With broad agency collaboration, we will make a concerted 

effort to prepare the program for a future of rich information collection and sharing. Updates to 

our digital infrastructure will allow for more efficient, mobile, and consistent data management, 

as well as an increased capacity for leveraging volunteers and partners’ involvement. These 

efforts will be essential in engaging current and future generations, enhancing access to 

recreation opportunities, and expanding our visitor base. 

Implementation of route and area designations for motor vehicle use, reflected on Motor Vehicle 

Use Maps (MVUMs), helps us sustain critical watersheds and ecosystems in the face of climate 

change, and enables us to provide recreation opportunities for Off-Highway Vehicle 

enthusiasts. By 2016, we will fully implement the Forest Service’s Route and Area Designation 

Implementation Guide and be at 100 percent completion for all units with Motor Vehicle Use 

Maps. Implementation centers management of designated routes and areas around four 

activities: education, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation. 

We engage stakeholders, youth, and volunteers as we implement the America’s Great Outdoors 

Initiative, the Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy, and the Framework for 

Sustainable Recreation. Our coordination with Federal, State, local agencies, and stakeholders 

provides efficiencies in planning and delivers improved access to recreation opportunities on 

NFS lands. These efforts strengthen communities and connect people to the outdoors by 

supporting community-based outdoor recreation and sustainable tourism development, resulting 

in job creation and economic expansion. We will expand our partnerships and volunteer 

programs to build inclusive support to restore and conserve our resources and improve public 

access and employment opportunities. 

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorizations - The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides 

funds for Recreation Special Use Authorizations, supporting approximately 5,000 outfitters and 

guides, 122 ski areas, and a multitude of resorts, marinas, and concession campgrounds that help 

create tourism-oriented identities for the local areas in which they operate. These permittees 

provide access to public lands which many people would not otherwise have. 

 

19 Connecting People with America’s Great Outdoors: A Framework for Sustainable Recreation - 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5346549.pdf 20 US Forest Service Interactive Visitor Map - http://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

National Forest System 163

We are taking a number of actions to improve the efficiency and public access to special use 

permits, including an update to our special uses database with revised business 

requirements. These changes will help ensure that local managers apply a streamlined approach 

to issuing permits. We are also developing special use training to help managers in the field 

improve their skills and ability to issue new permits. Finally, by FY 2016 we anticipate having a 

public facing website that will provide a single source of information for applying for and 

tracking permits. We expect these changes to improve both overall program management as 

well as customer service. 

In response to recommendations in an USDA Office of Inspector General audit of the Special 

Uses program, we prioritize monitoring and inspections on situations where, if noncompliance 

occurs, there may be adverse impacts on natural 

resources or on health and safety. We are also 

updating inspection requirements for all ongoing 

and new authorizations. By FY 2016, we expect to 

implement a revised inspection schedule that will 

improve our ability to monitor health and safety in 

the delivery of public facilities and services to 

visitors on our national forests and grasslands. 

Manage Heritage Resources – October 2016 will 

mark the 50th anniversary of the National Historic 

Preservation Act, a legislative cornerstone to the 

management of heritage resources for the Forest 

Service. Commemorative events, projects and 

products will highlight accomplishments and 

historic properties preserved by the Forest Service, 

thanks to the Act. The importance of volunteerism 

and partnerships will be common themes as we 

work with the historic preservation community to 

celebrate the past and build a new program for the 

future. We will work with partners like 

HistoriCorps and Passport in Time so national 

forests and grasslands can continue to provide high 

quality stewardship for the greatest public benefit, including making historic properties available 

to visitors and heritage tourism. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides funding for the stewardship of our heritage and 

cultural resources, including investments into partnership initiatives. These programs preserve 

and sustain historic places and resources for public benefit through partnerships that foster public 

involvement, engage volunteers, and provide training and education. We will further support 

local communities by rehabilitating significant heritage assets linked to community economic 

development and sustainable operational plans, and we provide useful asset evaluations and 

inventories for agency Tribal, and public benefit. 

At the requested funding level, we will manage less than 65 percent of our 114 forest and 

grassland unit programs to standard. Heritage program managers will use information from an 

Historic Preservation Success 

Fabyan Cabin, White Mountain NF 

A successful recent Historic Preservation 21CSC 

partnership between HistoriCorps, the White Mountain 

National Forest, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National 

Forest, and the Monongahela National Forest provided 

employment and education for 22 veterans who 

preserved significant historic buildings for public 

use. HistoriCorps also employed 63 non-veteran youth 

on 13 Forest Service units elsewhere in the nation, 

while restoring 27 structures, providing continued use 

of facilities to the agency and public, and reducing the 

agency’s Deferred Maintenance by $1.2 million. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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advanced corporate database to facilitate monitoring the condition of over 370,000 historic 

properties, the most of any Federal agency. We monitor program sustainability through a set of 

criteria established in 2012. In FY 2014, 74 out of 114 heritage programs (65 percent) reported 

programs that successfully met agency standards. 

Manage Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers - 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides funding 

for the planning and stewardship of America’s 

Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers. These 

funds allow us to continue to make progress on two 

important wilderness program priorities: 1) 

implementing a new performance measure to 

evaluate the effectiveness of our wilderness 

stewardship program, and 2) revising the national 

protocol for monitoring wilderness character. 

The new performance measure, “number of 

wildernesses meeting baseline performance for 

preserving wilderness character”, will be 

implemented in FY 2016, building off the success of 

the 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge. 

This measure allows a national forest to select the 10 

elements, out of a list of 19, that most closely 

represent the wilderness stewardship priorities in a 

specific wilderness, such as the management of 

invasive plant and wildlife species, the ability to 

restore the natural role of fire, or the success at 

engaging partners and volunteers to accomplish 

crucial stewardship work. While there is some 

flexibility in the choice of elements, these selections are made within a consistent national 

framework, thereby making the results comparable between wildernesses. This measure will 

closely track the Forest Service’s ability to implement the stewardship actions needed to preserve 

wilderness character. We estimate that 44 wilderness areas, 10 percent of the 442 wilderness 

areas managed by the agency, will be managed to this standard in the first year of 

implementation. 

Concurrently, the Forest Service will be completing the revision to the national protocol for 

monitoring wilderness character in FY 2016, to be consistent with the approach used by the other 

Federal wilderness management agencies, allowing the eventual evaluation of the status and 

trends of wilderness character across the entire National Wilderness Preservation System. Once 

implemented, wilderness character monitoring will enable the Forest Service to evaluate the 

outcome of our stewardship actions on wilderness character, as well as the overall health and 

resilience of lands designated as wilderness. 

As we look forward to the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018, we 

anticipate that a total of 57 out of a total of 119 wild and scenic rivers managed by the Forest 

Service will meet statutory requirements. We continue to ensure that wilderness and wild and 

Family Views the Absaroka-Beartooth 

Wilderness – MT/WY 

Implementation of both the new wilderness 

performance measure and a consistent, 

interagency approach for monitoring wilderness 

character will better enable the Forest Service to 

protect the ecological resiliency of the 

wildernesses they steward while providing for the 

many public benefits of wilderness, such as 

recreation, habitat refugia for wildlife and clean 

water and air.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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scenic rivers values are addressed as part of agency efforts in response to the America’s Great 

Outdoors Initiative. In addition, we ensure that wilderness and wild and scenic river values are 

recognized for their contributions to addressing climate change and for providing recreation, 

renewal, subsistence, and employment to surrounding communities. 

Past Performance 

Our Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness programs provide a broad range of outdoor recreation 

benefits to the public, individual businesses, and local economies. In FY 2014, we focused our 

resources on completing the 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge, updating the 

administration of Recreation Special Use authorizations and implementing year-round recreation 

opportunities on ski areas on NFS lands. We implemented visitor safety actions identified for 

developed recreation sites, expanding accessible recreation opportunities, and through 21CSC 

programs we supported youth and veteran employment opportunities while developing the next 

generation of public land stewards. 

Recreation Operations 

Travel management plans are a key component to supporting resource protection and visitor 

safety and reducing visitor conflicts resulting from unmanaged off-road vehicle usage. 

Approximately 90 percent of NFS units have completed travel management plans using best 

management practices. In FY 2014, we updated all existing plans while completing new plans 

on several units where public controversy, appeals, and litigation have delayed producing Motor 

Vehicle Use Maps. Forests have been taking the extra time to engage the public in crafting 

collaborative decisions. Although this approach takes longer, it will result in decisions that are 

more effective to implement. 

The 21CSC partnership continued to be a high priority as an avenue to expand employment 

opportunities for youth and veterans through partnerships with non-profits, universities, local, 

state, and other federal agencies. In 2014, we exceeded our 2013 engagement numbers by 30 

percent, achieved a 30 percent increase in Youth Conservation Corps participation to 1,400 

youth, and orchestrated growth in the 21CSC organization, recognizing and approving 152 

partner organizations to exceed our own USDA goal. To accomplish this, we expanded 

partnerships with Conservation Service Corps in every region and some research stations, 

established a memorandum of understanding with the Corporation for National & Community 

Service through which we engaged AmeriCorps members on public lands, and we collaborated 

with the Partnership for 21CSC to increase awareness about the effectiveness of working with 

service and conservation corps to accomplish essential work. 

This past year, we implemented several projects in support of goals to expand and support 

accessible recreation opportunities and information for the public, including an updated Forest 

Service accessibility guidebook for outfitters and guides, guidelines to support more inclusive 

recreation opportunities, and we provided online and in person accessibility training to more than 

2,300 Forest Service employees and partners. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Administration of Recreation Special Uses 

The administration of Recreation Special Use permits is a critical activity in providing 

community economic benefits as well as enabling and enhancing guest services through the 

hands of our partners. In FY 2014, we made a significant step forward in supporting this 

program through publication of a directive regarding additional seasonal or year round recreation 

use at ski areas. This directive implements the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement 

Act allowing other seasonal and year-round natural resource-based recreation activities and 

associated facilities to be authorized at the 120 ski areas on NFS lands. Several ski areas are 

already in the process of adding additional facilities to capitalize on this new authority. 

This past year we also continued to implement changes to our authorization inspection cycle, a 

major change which will ensure consistency in our monitoring and reporting. This will also 

enable our staff to better plan their five-year program of work and help us coordinate 

administration efforts with our customers. 

Heritage Resources 

The Heritage program protects and restores significant cultural resources for interpretive, 

educational and scientific use and to support community economic development and tourism. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service published “A Guide to Maintaining the Historic Character of 

Your Forest Service Recreation Residence,” helping Forest Service staff and Recreation 

Residence owners design acceptable changes to residences while maintaining historic character 

and preserving these special cabins for private use on the national forests and grasslands. The 

Forest Service also recently received the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chairman’s 

Award for Exemplary Achievement for a partnership with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian 

Pacific American Experience that contributes to heritage tourism in Seattle, Washington. The 

award underscores the importance of sharing the stories of early Asian pioneers for all 

Americans to appreciate. The partnership highlighted 16 sites under Forest Service stewardship. 

Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service successfully concluded the Chief’s 10-Year Wilderness 

Stewardship Challenge, initiated in 2005 with the goal of having all 406 wildernesses under 

Forest Service stewardship at that time managed to a “minimum stewardship level” in time for 

the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. By the conclusion of the Challenge, the number of 

wildernesses managed to standard increased from 44 wildernesses (10.8 percent) in FY 2005 to 

404 (99.0 percent) in FY 2014. This increased level of stewardship represents a significant 

improvement in the protection of the wilderness character of these areas, and is attributable to 

focused national support of on-the-ground management activities, as well as partnerships 

leveraged through the National Forest Foundation’s Wilderness Stewardship Grant program. 

The Forest Service also celebrated the Wilderness Act 50th anniversary year as an opportunity to 

connect with the public and raise awareness of wilderness values and benefits. In collaboration 

with various partners and volunteers, we held more than 300 events nationwide, engaging youth 

and fostering wilderness stewardship. We also actively participated in Wilderness50, a broad 

national coalition of government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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other wilderness user groups, sharing photographs and displays of wilderness in a wide range of 

local to national venues. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness programs on the National Forest System (NFS) offers a 

diverse range of recreational opportunities across NFS lands, connecting people with nature in an 

unmatched variety of settings and activities. Outdoor recreation is by far the single greatest use 

of the NFS, supporting approximately 194,000 jobs and contributing up to $13 billion to the 

communities surrounding national forests and grasslands. NFS lands host more than 166 million 

visits annually, engaging the public in activities such as camping, picnicking, skiing, 

snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, and 

visiting cultural sites. The benefits to rural communities from visitors to NFS lands continue long 

after visitors leave the forest. Visitors spend money in rural communities on everything from 

lodging and restaurants to ski lessons and river guides. 

In addition to these economic benefits, recreation opportunities contribute greatly to the physical, 

mental and spiritual health of individuals, bonds families and friends, and instills pride in our 

natural and cultural heritage. Heritage resources, particularly those that offer opportunities for 

the public to visit, make significant contributions to local economies, providing authentic 

experiences for cultural tourism. Wildernesses fulfill a deep seated need for an alternative to 

urban and suburban parks, and furnish a frequently sought environment for undisturbed 

relaxation. 

Aspects of the Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness programs also restore and maintain 

landscape character, and support a sense of place on landscapes visitors recreate within, the trails 

they hike, and the viewsheds they value. High-value recreation settings and scenery support 

community identity and influence quality of life and our sense of place. These settings shape our 

public image and guide experiences of visitors recreating on NFS lands. Participation in 

recreational activities is the way that most people come to our national forests and grasslands, 

making recreation a critical avenue for developing an understanding of the relevance of our lands 

and natural and cultural resources, and creating support and a future constituency for public land 

management. 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness programs manage and administer 26,750 recreation sites, 

over 30,000 recreation special use authorizations, 25 major visitor centers, 22 National Historic 

Landmarks, over 362,000 heritage assets, 136 national scenic byways, 442 designated 

wildernesses (over 36 million acres), and 119 designated wild and scenic rivers (over 4,900 

miles). Through advancements in innovation and technology, we are expanding access to 

information and reservation services to encourage public enjoyment of these recreation 

opportunities. 

 
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Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness programs are delivered through the following activities: 

Manage Recreation Operations - This activity funds the operation of developed sites, such as 

campgrounds, day-use areas, boat ramps, solid waste disposal facilities, and visitor centers; 

general forest areas, including landscape corridors for national trails and scenic byways, 

snow play areas, lakes, streams, and roads; interpretive and educational services; and 

dispersed recreation activities such as hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and wildlife and 

scenic viewing. This activity also funds sustainable recreation and tourism planning, visitor 

use management, cleaning facilities and sites; providing safety and security measures for 

visitors and employees; conducting prescribed inspections; managing partnerships and 

volunteers; and providing interpretive or educational programs, presentations, and products 

to visitors. In addition, this activity also provides for the assessment, inventory, protection, 

enhancement, and monitoring of NFS recreation settings and scenic character. 

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorization - This activity funds processing new 

requests for recreation special use permits and administering existing authorizations, 

including permits for downhill ski areas; campground management; organization camps; 

outfitting and guiding; resorts and marinas; recreation events; and recreation residences. 

This activity funds responses, analyses, and decisions to proponents and applicants who 

request the use of NFS lands to provide recreation opportunities and benefits to forest 

visitors. This activity also includes providing inspection, oversight, and monitoring of 

authorizations issued to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the 

authorizations. Special use permits make it possible for the public to enjoy many 

recreational opportunities which we would not otherwise be able to provide. 

Manage Heritage Resources - This activity supports the protection of significant heritage 

assets and contributes interpretive, educational, site stewardship, and scientific and technical 

information to governmental entities, the public, and tribes. Agency efforts include heritage 

asset rehabilitation, both to reduce deferred maintenance and to provide enhanced 

opportunities for community economic development and tourism. Funded activities include 

identifying, evaluating, protecting, monitoring, and preserving heritage resources, sites and 

areas, and promoting heritage values through interpretation, Passport in Time projects, 

presentations, and other public information and outreach efforts. 

Manage Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers - This activity funds the protection and 

management of designated wilderness and wild and scenic rivers. Funded activities include 

managing visitor use and impacts, education and outreach, inventory and monitoring, 

information management, protecting wilderness character for designated wilderness, and 

protecting free-flowing conditions for wild and scenic rivers through collaborative public, 

private, and interagency management. Funded activities also include evaluating and 

recommending areas and rivers worthy of addition to the National Wilderness Preservation 

System and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System during forest planning. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Allocation and Integration

Funds are allocated to the regions based on program capability, core operations, and national 

priorities. The allocation process considers past performance and future needs regarding 

developed recreation site use; special use permit processing and administration; heritage 

resources; and management of wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers. 

Recreation and wilderness programs achieve multiple management objectives by integrating with 

other land and resource programs. Examples include: joining resources with Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance programs to implement travel management; coordinating with 

other programs to address interpretation and education needs that connect the American public to 

nature; identifying and pursuing acquisition of needed access with and through the 

Landownership Management program; coordinating with the Integrated Resource Restoration 

program to complete resource tasks in wilderness areas such as invasive species management, air 

quality monitoring, and prescribed burning; and utilizing Research and Development programs 

to address the effects of climate change on wilderness areas. 

Partnerships 

The Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program is supported through volunteers, Youth 

Conservation Corps, and hosted programs. Hosted program organizations such as the Greening 

Youth Foundation, Student Conservation Association, AmeriCorps, Los Angeles Conservation 

Corps, Southwest Conservation Corps, and others work with us to offer public service 

opportunities to connect youth with nature and prepare the next generation of conservationists. 

More than 80 percent of these contributions have been in the areas of recreation, trails, and 

wilderness. 

The public’s use and enjoyment of resources on national forests and grasslands is enhanced 

through a variety of partnerships including volunteers and non-governmental organizations such 

as outfitting and guiding, ski areas, and campground concessionaires. We collaborate with the 

Departments of Transportation, Commerce, and the Interior; States and communities; and other 

recreation providers to improve programs, provide access, and to support social and economic 

benefits derived from federally managed lands. Partnerships and programs that enable youth and 

veterans to serve and work on public lands are essential to sustaining these resources for future 

generations and developing our workforce. This program consistently involves the highest 

number of volunteers and service participants within the agency. 

Volunteers and service participants contribute significantly to assisting the agency in managing 

heritage resources, providing interpretive services, maintaining trails, and managing youth 

programs and campgrounds. In addition, we work with partners at the national level, such as the 

National Forest Foundation, National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, and the River 

Management Society to recruit wilderness and wild and scenic river volunteers and with the 

WILD Foundation on international skill exchanges. 

In FY 2013, more than 103,000 volunteers and service participants contributed 4,048,333 service 

hours valued at $89.6 million. Their hourly contributions were equal to 1,946 full-time 

equivalent employees each working 2,080 hours for the year. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Grazing Management 

Budget Line Item Grazing Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Grazing Management

Annual Appropriations $55,356 $55,356 $49,706 -$5,650 -10%

Grazing Management Total 55,356 55,356 49,706 -5,650 -10%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 441 441 420 -21 -5%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 441 441 420 -21 -5%

Grazing Management

Manage Grazing Allotments 24,453 24,453 21,958 -2,495 -10%

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA 30,903 30,903 27,748 -3,155 -10%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Grazing Management

Allotment acres administered to 100% of Forest Plan 

standards 30,396,997 29,268,333 27,000,000 29,794,000 27,000,000 27,000,000

Number of grazing allotments with signed decision 

notices 111 123 125 103 110 110

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $49,706,000 for Grazing Management, a decrease of 

$5,650,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget.

Funding the Grazing Management program supports two primary activities: administering 

livestock grazing use on approximately 93 million acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands 

and approximately 10 million acres of private land within grazing allotments; and completing 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis on grazing allotments in accordance with 

the NEPA schedule established under the provisions of the Rescissions Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-

19, section 504), along with the subsequent implementation of management practices derived 

from NEPA decisions. In FY 2016 a balance between the completion of allotment NEPA and 

the administration of existing permits will be emphasized. Administration of existing permits 

will focus on basic stewardship in order to ensure grazing will be sustained at the appropriate 

levels. Implementation of newly developed management practices aimed at restoration and/or 

rehabilitation of rangelands will continue at a reduced level, extending the timeframe for gaining 

overall improvement in sustainability and proper functioning of these lands. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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NEPA allotment planning and management is a dynamic process. The NEPA national summary 

of allotment schedules is published every three years to incorporate a new three-year planning 

period and to maintain a long term schedule. FY 2014 was the first year of a three-year cycle. 

At the end of FY 2016, a new national summary of allotment NEPA schedules will be published 

to include the next 12-year span, 2017-2028. The reduced rate of completion of NEPA will 

necessitate extending the scheduling timeframe for all needed NEPA analyses. 

We propose to assess an administrative fee of $2.50 per Head Month based on annual authorized 

Head Months to offset administrative costs associated with administering grazing permits on 

NFS lands. Based on the total Head Months of use, the Forest Service could generate 

approximately $15 million in administrative fees that could be used to offset costs associated 

with grazing permit administration. 

Benefits from the FY 2016 program of work will include: a sustainable supply of forage for 

livestock; economic opportunities for rural communities; sustaining grazing management 

practices to support ecosystem restoration efforts; and working landscapes associated with open 

space and habitat connectivity across NFS and other Federal, State, Tribal, and private lands. 

Opportunities to coordinate sustainable landscape management on grazing lands will be at 

similar levels as those projected under the FY 2015 President’s Budget. 

Specific priorities within each activity include: 

Manage Grazing Allotments - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes administration of 

27,000,000 acres of grazing allotments to 100 percent of Land Management Plan standards. This 

measure reflects the level of permit administration relative to implementing all grazing 

management direction prescribed in land management plans, project level NEPA decisions, 

grazing permits or agreements, and other relevant documents. Administering allotments to 

standards assures that management decisions identified during the NEPA process are 

implemented, achieve desired outcomes, or are adjusted if initial actions are not effective. 

Although all grazing allotments are administered, priority is placed on administering allotments 

with known critical resource issues, such as management of habitat for endangered species. 

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA - The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides funding to 

complete grazing NEPA analysis and decisions for 110 grazing allotments. The planned 

accomplishment level reflects an accurate capacity assessment based on a number of factors 

including a lower funding request compared to FY 2014 enacted levels, reflecting national 

efforts to reduce Federal budgets; an anticipated increase in NEPA analysis unit costs due to 

many controversial and complex allotments; and prioritized allocation of funds towards 

restoration activities. In addition, survey work needed for completing grazing NEPA analysis is 

closely connected to the agency’s Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item. Adjusting 

priorities in response to dynamic change on the landscape (such as fires, floods, and other 

unplanned events) could have a direct impact on the number of grazing decisions completed. 

Effective NEPA analysis and decisions ensure that livestock grazing strategies are designed to 

provide for the restoration and long-term sustainability of rangeland vegetation and dependent 

resources while continuing to provide essential goods and ecosystem services. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Past Performance 

Ensuring grazing allotments meet forest plan standards is important to sustain healthy, resilient 

rangelands—which has a direct relationship to the quality and quantity of water flowing from 

and through public rangelands. The measure tracking allotment acres administered to 100 

percent of forest plan standards was designed so that we would know how close we are to having 

all allotment plans fully implemented and monitored. Maintaining a focus on monitoring and 

on-the-ground administration resulted in the program continuing to meet expectations for these 

activities again in FY 2014. 

Completing NEPA analysis – and the resulting signed decision notices – gives the agency a 

NEPA-sufficient path forward to manage the rangelands in an allotment to maintain, restore, and 

rehabilitate the land as needed to meet the forest plan standards. Challenges to this work include 

increased complexity of analyses, increased workload associated with litigation, increased costs 

for comprehensive resource condition and trend data to support decisions, and the lack of 

completed assessments necessary to support the record for making management decisions. One 

tactic to improve efficiency in this work that was continued in FY 2014 focused on combining 

multiple allotments into one large decision where possible. Region 1 has used this tactic 

successfully on national grasslands where grazing sites are similar. While transferability of this 

approach to other regions may be limited, we continue to explore similar innovations to increase 

our efficiencies nationwide. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Proper control and management of grazing use was one of the core reasons for the establishment 

of a Forest Reserve System that eventually became the NFS. The development and 

implementation of proper grazing practices has been a significant part of the overall management 

of the Forest Service from the very beginning of the agency. Restoration of unhealthy 

rangelands has been an ongoing key focal point of Grazing Management. The Grazing 

Management program manages the diverse rangeland resources on approximately 93 million 

acres of NFS lands and administers grazing use on approximately 10 million acres of private 

land serving 6,155 permit holders across 29 states. The program seeks to maintain healthy 

rangelands but also seeks to restore and/or rehabilitate historically depleted rangelands to 

maintain a sustainable supply of forage for livestock, to maintain open space and wildlife habitat 

connectivity by linking NFS grazing authorizations to privately owned lands managed for 

agricultural production, and by helping sustain the rural based ranching and farming lifestyle. 

On average livestock grazing on NFS lands contributes approximately 19,500 jobs and almost 

$900 million to the Nation’s economy each year. 

Properly managed rangelands support ecosystems that provide secure food sources, sustain water 

resources, and provide wildlife habitat and other natural resources benefits. This program’s 

activities include environmental planning through compliance with NEPA for the use of grazing 

allotments and grazing permit administration. Thorough NEPA analysis and decisions ensure 

that livestock grazing strategies are designed to provide for the restoration and long-term 

sustainability of rangeland vegetation and dependent resources while continuing to provide 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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essential goods and ecosystem services. By incorporating adaptive management strategies into 

grazing NEPA decisions, the program provides flexibility for the grazing permittee while 

increasing accountability in meeting desired resource conditions. This also supports ecosystem 

improvement by properly adapting grazing timing and use to meet changing climate conditions. 

This program is delivered through the following activities: 

Manage Grazing Allotments - This activity provides for implementation of NEPA sufficient 

management plans along with the proper administration and monitoring of grazing permits and 

activities. This includes issuance of grazing permits, processing permit waivers, preparation and 

processing of bills for collection, and the development of annual operating instructions. 

Compliance monitoring determines if the terms and conditions of the grazing authorization are 

being implemented by the grazing permittee. Implementation monitoring determines whether 

the evaluated acres meet, do not meet, or are moving towards resource objectives identified in 

the land management plan or other appropriate decision document, and allows managers to 

determine whether additional monitoring or adjustments in management are required. 

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA - Involves all elements of NEPA compliance pertaining to 

decisions authorizing grazing on an allotment, including the resolution of appeals and litigation 

associated with these decisions. This activity includes managing public involvement in the 

decision process; coordinating with Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments; development 

of alternatives; analysis of environmental effects; and the preparation of NEPA documents. The 

agency strives to incorporate adaptive management into grazing NEPA decisions. Adaptive 

management strategies are designed to maximize management flexibility for the grazing 

permittee with a concurrent increase in accountability for success in meeting desired resource 

condition on the allotments and across the larger landscape. Adaptive management also allows 

maximum flexibility for the agency to gain ecosystem improvement by properly changing timing 

and use to fit ever changing weather and climate conditions. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated to the field based on the number of term grazing permits, the number of acres 

in active allotments, the amount of scheduled NEPA work, and the number of grazing allotments 

for which the agency made NEPA decisions during the previous three fiscal years. The agency 

may make additional adjustments to reflect regional capability. 

The Grazing Management program has been closely integrated with the Integrated Resource 

Restoration pilot program in Regions 1, 3, and 4 and would continue to be integrated with the 

nationwide implementation proposed in the FY 2016 Budget. The Integrated Resource 

Restoration program provides the funding for the assessments for rangeland vegetation 

monitoring necessary to determine the health of rangeland ecosystems, as well as to determine 

whether implemented grazing management actions are achieving desired resource conditions. 

Data gathered through these monitoring efforts is the foundation for preparing grazing NEPA 

analyses and making subsequent decisions for allotment management, as well as determining 

where management adaptations are necessary. The program also provides the funding for 

construction of range improvements needed to implement allotment management plans if 

determined necessary in the NEPA decisions. 
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In both FY 2015 and FY 2016 the agency estimates that we will transfer $1,520,000 to the 

Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management in support of activities for the 

management of wild horse and burros. 

Partnerships 

The agency supplements our capability to accomplish grazing permit administration through a 

variety of partnerships. Grazing permittees may be certified to conduct utilization monitoring, 

and may provide documentation demonstrating compliance with livestock distribution and other 

management requirements. Special interest groups also enter into agreements with the agency to 

conduct implementation monitoring, often in coordination with the grazing permittee.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Minerals and Geology Management 

Budget Line Item Minerals and Geology Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Minerals and Geology Management

Annual Appropriations $76,423 $76,423 $70,689 -$5,734 -8%

Minerals and Geology Management Total 76,423 76,423 70,689 -5,734 -8%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 505 505 492 -13 -3%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 505 505 492 -13 -3%

Minerals and Geology Management

Administer Minerals Operations 27,290 27,290 20,616 -6,674 -24%

Process Minerals Applications 19,880 19,880 19,048 -832 -4%

Manage Geologic Resources & Hazards 6,005 6,005 5,479 -526 -9%

AML Safety Risk Mitigated 7,199 7,199 6,120 -1,079 -15%

Manage Environmental Compliance 1,852 1,852 997 -855 -46%

Manage Environmental Restoration 14,197 14,197 18,429 4,232 30%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Minerals and Geology Management

Number of mineral operations administered 9,985 10,019 10,000 10,175 10,000 8,000

Number of mineral applications processed 6,953 5,865 7,000 5,722 7,000 7,000

Number of leasable energy minerals actions processed. 0 144 240 161 270 270

Number of AML safety risk features mitigated to "no 

further action" 374 604 430 503 486 468

Number of administrative units where audits were 

conducted 22 18 20 19 17 17

Number of contaminated sites mitigated 51 42 40 66 42 42

Number of geologic hazards managed 282 340 190 237 300 300

Number of geologic resources managed 642 662 565 677 600 600

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $70,689,000 for Minerals and Geology Management, 

a decrease of $5,734,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Priority will be given to activities with statutory requirements, and to those that support local 

communities, provide jobs, and support restoration of our landscapes. The program will 

emphasize environmental review of nondiscretionary activities such as proposed operations for 

locatable minerals development, oil and gas drilling applications, related infrastructure needs, 

and proposals for exploration or production operations for other energy and non-energy minerals 

subject to mineral leases. Other priorities will include inspection and monitoring of new and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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ongoing critical mineral operations, providing professional expertise to ensure watershed health 

and public safety, and managing geologic hazards and important geologic resources, especially 

those with statutory direction for management such as paleontological resources and caves. 

Specific priorities within each activity will include: 

Administer Mineral Operations - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal funds the 

administration of an estimated 8,000 new and ongoing mineral operations to ensure compliance 

with operating plans and environmental standards for the protection of surface resources. The 

program will emphasize administering those activities in sensitive areas or those that otherwise 

have a higher risk of adverse impact to public health and safety, and surface resources. 

Oil Well Drilling, Dakota Prairie National Grasslands, North Dakota 

The Forest Service approves industry plans for use of National Forest System lands to explore 

and produce oil and natural gas.

Process Mineral Applications - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal funds the processing 

of an estimated 7,000 mineral applications and plans. The actual number of applications 

received may vary significantly due to market influences which directly affect demand for 

mineral resources from National Forest System (NFS) lands. We plan to maintain our capacity 

in this area and emphasize the energy component of this activity by processing industry 

applications on existing leases and completing priority analyses. This will help us to make 

decisions on the availability of NFS lands for leasing of oil and gas, coal, and geothermal 

resources from NFS lands, in support of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Manage Geologic Hazards and Resources - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal funds the 

identification and management of an estimated 300 geologic hazards and 600 geologic resources. 

Identifying and managing geologic hazards is critical in protecting the safety and health of 

employees and the public, minimizing or mitigating costly damage to infrastructure, and 

sustaining soil and water resources. Managing geologic resources is necessary for conservation 
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and interpretation of special and unique features, including paleontological resources and caves, 

for purposes of ecological sustainability, education, scientific discovery, and public enjoyment. 

Abandoned Mine Land - Safety Risk Features Mitigated - The FY 2016 President’s Budget 

proposal funds the mitigation of an estimated 486 abandoned mine sites. The Abandoned Mine 

Land program specifically focuses on mitigating safety risk features and related activities 

associated with abandoned mines that are likely to cause serious injury or death in high use areas 

and high-priority watersheds. 

Abandoned Mine Closures, Region 4, Nevada 

A Minerals and Geology Management closure expert standing over two large open stope 

closures, ensuring public safety and providing bad habitat. 

Manage Environmental Compliance - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal funds 17 

environmental compliance audits, ensuring that employee and public health and safety are 

protected through agency compliance with environmental laws and regulations. 

Manage Environmental Restoration - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal funds restoration 

activities on 42 hazardous material sites on NFS lands. Cleanup of contaminated sites is critical 

for the long-term protection of surface and groundwater quality, and contributes to overall public 

and ecological health. 

 
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Luttrell Regional Waste Repository, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National, MT 

The Upper Tenmile site is being cleaned up using a collaborative, watershed approach. The U.S. Forest Service has the 

lead role in cleaning up wastes on federal property within the Superfund site boundary (Beatrice, Justice and Armstrong 

mines). Throughout the cleanup, the Forest Service continues to work closely with the EPA, the state and local 

community. 

Past Performance 

The Forest Service national forests and grasslands play an essential role in providing critical 

mineral and energy resources to the Nation. In the management of the Minerals and Geology 

program the agency not only supports energy development, but also provides direct support of 

the Nation’s economy while providing for the protection of geological resources, and supporting 

environmental and public safety goals. Over 5.6 million acres of NFS lands are currently leased 

for oil, natural gas, coal, phosphates, other leasable mineral commodities, and for geothermal 

energy. 

According to the Forest Service’s “FY 13 Energy and Mineral Production Information for 

National Forest System Lands,” published in July 2014, energy and mineral production from 

NFS lands contributed almost $8 billion to the Nation’s economy and supported approximately 

56,000 jobs in FY 2013. Mineral development from Federal leases on NFS lands alone provided 

over $570 million in revenue through royalties and other payments to the U.S. Treasury ($386 

million from coal, $165 million from oil and gas, and $19 million from other leasable mineral 

commodities). Value of products produced from locatable operations on NFS land is not readily 

available, but adds substantially to the total value of the resources produced and jobs supported. 

In FY 2014 the agency continued to support these outcomes through administration of nearly 

10,000 operational mineral activities, and the processing of more than 5,000 new mineral 

applications. 

In FY 2014, the agency took management action on nearly 700 geologic resources, including 

paleontological sites, caves, and other specially managed geologic features. Managing geologic 
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resources is necessary for the conservation and interpretation of special and unique features, 

including groundwater and related resources, paleontological resources, and caves, for purposes 

of ecological sustainability, education, scientific discovery, and public enjoyment of public 

lands. 

Administrative and operational safety has also been a continued focus area for the minerals 

program, and in FY 2014 16 external environmental compliance audits were completed. We 

have also made progress in working with the American Exploration and Mining Association to 

develop a Memorandum of Understanding that will address safety hazards at abandoned mines 

on NFS lands. We have also initiated a pilot program to inventory and prioritize remediation of 

problem idle and orphan wells. 

In FY 2014, the agency took management action on 237 identified geologic hazards, and 

mitigated 502 hazardous mine features at abandoned mines resulting in a safer environment for 

visitors and employees on NFS lands. In many instances, closures include the installation of 

steel gates, allowing the abandoned mine to be used as bat habitat and also serves to reduce the 

spread of white-nose syndrome which has caused the mortality of millions of bats. 

Additionally, in FY 2014 the agency mitigated 65 contaminated hazardous material sites, which 

was higher than expected due to the identification of previously unknown contaminated sites 

(such as oil spills, marijuana farms, and methamphetamine labs) located within ongoing cleanup 

project areas. Partnerships and responsible party settlements contributed to our ability to 

accomplish more work on the ground. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Minerals and Geology Management program provides significant contributions to meeting 

the Nation’s energy and mineral needs while providing jobs and protecting NFS watersheds and 

resources. The program oversees management and protection of significant geologic resources 

in the interest of society, including those that are statutorily protected – groundwater, caves, and 

paleontological resources. The Minerals and Geology Management program also oversees 

management of geologic hazards to protect life, health, property, and other resources by 

mitigating the effects of abandoned mines and other contaminated sites on NFS lands. 

Environmental compliance audits ensure adherence to applicable environmental laws and 

requirements to protect human health and safety. 

Minerals and Energy on NFS lands 

Energy and mineral production from NFS lands contributes almost $8 billion annually to the 

Nation’s economy. In addition to over $570 million in revenues returned to the Treasury, States, 

and counties in FY 2013, mineral and energy development on NFS lands supports on average 

approximately 56,000 jobs each year often in areas or communities where employment 

opportunities are limited. Of the total receipts received through energy and minerals production 

on NFS lands, 75 percent or 50 percent (depending on whether production is from Acquired or 

Public Domain lands) are returned to the Treasury. The other 25 percent or 50 percent (again, 

depending on land status) is returned to the States or counties where production occurred. 
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As the Nation’s economy continues its recovery, we anticipate a commensurate increase in 

industry interest for mineral resources from Federal lands. In FY 2013 every appropriated dollar 

invested in the Forest Service minerals and geology budget returned $7.35 to the Treasury from 

leasable mineral revenues alone. 

Energy and mineral production on NFS lands falls into the following four categories: 

Energy production from federal leases on NFS lands - Over 5.5 million acres underlying NFS 

lands are currently leased for oil, gas, coal, and geothermal operations. In FY 2013, coal from 

NFS lands accounted for about 25 percent of the Nation’s coal production, there were an 

estimated 4,200 Federal oil and gas wells on NFS lands, and production of geothermal energy on 

NFS lands contributed 16.5 million kilowatt-hours of electrical generation capacity. The returns 

to the Treasury from annual lease rentals, royalties on production, and bonus bids were $538 

million, of which $378 million came from coal, and $160 million came from oil and gas. 

Energy exploration and production from non-federal minerals underlying NFS lands - NonFederal, mostly private, mineral interests are associated with close to 11 million acres of NFS 

lands. In addition to activities associated with Federal minerals described above, close to 15,500 

oil and gas wells and a few other types of mineral development operations are associated with 

these private mineral interests on NFS lands. Small business interests conduct the majority of 

these operations. Each oil and gas well can directly contribute to up to 115 jobs through the life 

of the well, with about three additional indirect jobs associated with each direct job. 

Solid leasable minerals (non-energy) - Production of solid non-energy leasable minerals on NFS 

lands include phosphate, lead, zinc, and copper and in 2012 generated royalties of $21 million. 

Ongoing exploration projects for other valuable mineral deposits are occurring across the 

country. 

Mineral production from NFS Lands - At any given time, the agency administers operations on 

approximately 160,000 mining claims, and manages approximately 2,600 mineral material 

permits and/or sale contracts. In 2014, the eight largest hard rock mines on NFS lands produced 

resources with an estimated value of $1.6 billion. Mineral material sales (e.g., sand and gravel) 

vary from year to year but in FY 2014, 2.1 million short tons, at a value exceeding $2.0 million, 

were produced. A large portion of the material is provided as free use to other government 

agencies or for in-service use. The portion that was sold generates $1.7 million in revenue. 

Geologic Resources and Geologic Hazards on NFS lands 

Geologic resources, such as groundwater, cave systems, paleontological resources, geomorphic 

features, and outcrops, directly and indirectly support communities, recreation, watershed 

sustainability, and sensitive ecosystems. Management of some geologic resources – 

groundwater, caves, and paleontological resources – is nondiscretionary, with statutory and 

regulatory direction requiring special designation, management, and/or protection. Geologic 

resources directly and indirectly serve and support communities (e.g., groundwater contribution 

to water supplies, special features supporting tourism-based local economies), are critical to 

sustaining unique and valuable flora and fauna (e.g., groundwater-dependent ecosystems, caves), 

and are scientifically important to our understanding of earth processes and materials. Geologic 
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resources require specialized expertise and strategies for management, conservation, and 

protection. 

Geologic hazards are natural conditions or processes, such as floods, landslides, avalanches, 

earthquakes, volcanoes, and naturally occurring hazardous minerals and gases (e.g., asbestos, 

radon) that present a risk or have the potential to threaten life, health, property, or other natural 

resources. Hundreds of sites, especially those in areas with high recreational value and use, 

require specialized technical assessment, continuous monitoring, and/or mitigation to minimize 

threats to life, health, and infrastructure from geologic hazards.

Abandoned Mine Lands, and Environmental Compliance and Protection 

Analysis of available data indicates there may be 27,000 to 39,000 abandoned mines on NFS 

lands, of which approximately 18,000 to 26,000 are abandoned hardrock mines. Of these 

hardrock mines, an estimated 9,000 to 13,000 are past producers of valuable minerals and are 

therefore more likely to require environmental cleanup or safety mitigation work. Since 1998, 

the agency has mitigated more than 5,000 safety hazards at abandoned mines and cleaned up 

hazardous substances at more than 450 sites, with more than 100 cleanups in progress. 

Additionally, the agency conducts environmental compliance audits of approximately 20 percent 

of its administrative units annually. The agency emphasizes training and pollution prevention as 

a means to both achieve and maintain environmental compliance. 

The Minerals and Geology Management program is delivered through six activities: 

Administer Mineral Operations - Provides for the inspection, oversight, and monitoring of 

approved mineral operations on NFS lands. Administration ensures compliance with approved 

plans, and with State and Federal environmental laws and regulations, for the protection of 

public health and safety. 

Process Mineral Applications - Provides for the review and approval of plans for proposed 

mineral activities, including exploration and development of hardrock minerals under the 

authority of the Mining Act of 1872; coal, oil, gas, and geothermal exploration and production 

under the various mineral and geothermal leasing acts; and contracts for the extraction of mineral 

materials such as sand and gravel, by the public and local, State, and Federal agencies under the 

Materials Act of 1947. Also, this activity provides for necessary work to make lands available 

for leasing by the Department of the Interior. 

Manage Geologic Resources and Hazards – Identifies and assesses geologic resources under 

specific statutory and regulatory requirements for management and protection. Develops 

strategies and procedures for management consistent with statutory and regulatory direction. 

Provides assessments of geologic settings and processes for land management planning, 

provision of services, environmental protection and restoration, and cost-effective management 

of roads, recreation sites, and other infrastructure. Program delivery activities include inventory 

and management of geologic resources such as caves and karst areas, paleontological resources, 

groundwater, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems for protection, study, and appropriate use. 

The program also includes the identification and assessment of geologic settings and processes 

for hazardous conditions and potential risks to public health and safety. Potentially hazardous 
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settings and processes include landslides, debris flows, karst collapse features, earthquake zones, 

volcanoes, tsunamis, flooding, and naturally occurring hazardous minerals and gases (e.g., 

asbestos and radon). The activity works collaboratively with other staffs, agencies, and 

professionals to develop mitigations for geologic hazards. 

Mitigate Abandoned Mine Lands Safety Risk Features - Provides for the inventory, assessment, 

and mitigation of abandoned mine safety hazards and associated environmental damage. This 

work includes closing underground mine openings and vertical shafts; re-contouring open pits, 

trenches, and associated roads; and removing or stabilizing abandoned buildings, and equipment. 

Wherever feasible, work in this activity minimizes or mitigates adverse effects on dependent 

wildlife and abandoned mine lands-associated cultural and historic resources. 

Manage Environmental Compliance - This activity funds audits and our compliance program that 

assesses Forest Service compliance with environmental statutes and trains field personnel on 

compliance and pollution prevention. 

Manage Environmental Restoration - This activity provides for the inventory, assessment, 

cleanup, long-term operation and maintenance, and monitoring of sites where there is a release, 

or threat of release, of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant on NFS lands. 

Restoration occurs at both abandoned mine lands and non-abandoned mine lands sites and 

involves Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) 

and non-CERCLA authorities. Cleanup projects are typically initiated under requirements of 

CERCLA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or the Clean Water Act. This 

restoration helps minimize or eliminate threats to human health and the environment.

Allocation and Integration 

Regional allocation criteria for the Minerals and Geology Management program includes 

projected workload in response to new and ongoing mineral planning, exploration, leasing, 

development, production and reclamation activities; number of abandoned mine lands safety 

features requiring mitigations, as well as severity of and probability of human contact to 

abandoned mine hazards; projected need for inventory, interpretation, and protection of geologic 

resources; projected need for assessment and mitigation of geologic hazards; number of required 

environmental audits; and number of nationally prioritized environmental cleanup projects. 

Adjustments may be made between regions based on regional capability data to respond to new 

issues or emerging mineral development trends and markets. 

Integration with other resource programs is a priority that helps the agency facilitate 

environmentally sound mineral development while maintaining and restoring healthy 

watersheds. This integration is designed to ensure compliance with applicable environmental 

laws and regulations and to minimize impacts on natural resources. Integration with other 

programs also maximizes the achievement of diverse resource objectives that are compatible 

with program activities, such as interpretation of culturally significant sites, restoration of water 

quality, and conservation of threatened and endangered species. 

 
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Partnerships 

The Forest Service works in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to manage the 

Federal minerals on NFS lands. The Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land 

Management, has management responsibilities for the Federal mineral estate, including Federal 

minerals that underlie NFS lands. The Forest Service is responsible for the management of 

surface resources on mineral, oil, and gas projects proposed or operating on NFS lands. 

The Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and industry form partnerships through the 

issuance of various mineral leases. Industry provides capital, and expertise, while the agencies 

provide lands on which to explore and develop mineral and energy resources in an 

environmentally sound manner for the Nation. 

The Forest Service is also developing partnerships with geologic and hydrogeologic 

organizations to help raise awareness of the importance of applying geologic principles to ensure 

sound and sustainable management of geologic resources and safe management of geologic 

hazards on NFS lands. In addition, these partnerships will help improve awareness of the role of 

NFS lands in supplying groundwater and surface water to meet societal needs. Cooperative 

partnerships with other government agencies and non-profit organizations also supplement 

appropriated funds to inventory and assess geologic resources and restore streams and 

watersheds. 

The Forest Service is entering a partnership with mining associations through a Memorandum of 

Understanding addressing the need to mitigate abandoned mine lands safety hazards by closing 

underground mine openings and vertical shafts; re-contouring open pits, trenches, and associated 

roads; and removing or stabilizing abandoned buildings, and equipment. 

Agency emphasis within the environmental compliance and protection and abandoned mine 

lands activities includes cost recovery and efficient and effective use of partnerships including, 

but not limited to, Environmental Protection Agency, States, non-profit groups, and Tribes to 

restore and remediate abandoned mine lands and disturbed ecosystems. Costs of restoration 

work may be recovered when the potentially responsible party is identified. 

 
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Landownership Management 

Budget Line Item Landownership Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Landownership Management

Annual Appropriations $77,730 $77,730 $71,601 -$6,129 -8%

Landownership Management Total 77,730 77,730 71,601 -6,129 -8%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 560 560 592 32 6%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 560 560 592 32 6%

Landownership Management

Adjust Land Ownership 14,769 14,769 13,605 -1,164 -8%

Protect Land Ownership Title 7,773 7,773 7,160 -613 -8%

Locate Land Boundaries 22,542 22,542 20,765 -1,777 -8%

Administer Energy, Communication and Land Use 

Authorizations 21,764 21,764 20,047 -1,717 -8%

Process Land Use Proposals 10,882 10,882 10,024 -858 -8%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Landownership Management

Acres of land adjustments to conserve the integrity of 

undeveloped lands and habitat quality 26,330 23,566 22,860 7,383 16,816 7,500

Number of land use authorizations administered to 

standard 17,735 28,887 12,500 19,236 19,000 17,600

Number of land use proposals and applications processed 4,339 4,047 3,500 4,310 4,310 4,000

Miles of landownership boundary line 

marked/maintained to standard 3,862 2,322 2,707 2,377 2,400 2,070

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The President’s FY 2016 Budget includes $71,601,000 for Landownership Management, a 

decrease of $6,129,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. These funds will support the real 

estate aspects of the restoration of resilient ecosystems, maintenance and expansion of access to 

public lands, and support for economic and infrastructure development for communities. Special 

emphases include facilitating the development of energy transmission infrastructure and 

communications sites in an environmentally responsible manner. 

The Landownership Management program will lay the foundation for all natural resource 

management activities by surveying and locating public lands; maintaining all records associated 

with public ownership; granting authorizations for the use and development of National Forest 

System (NFS) lands for communication sites, energy transmission corridors, community and 

agricultural water supplies, and roads and highways; and protecting the NFS from 
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encroachments and trespass. This program will also facilitate land exchanges and other 

ownership adjustments that are critical to protecting sensitive lands while enabling community 

development and protection. 

Within the broad spectrum of Landownership Management, the following program activities are 

critical to meeting public needs and expectations: Administer Energy, Communication, and 

Land Use Authorizations; Adjust Land Ownership; Protect Land Ownership Title; Locate Land 

Boundaries; and Process Land Use Proposals. Agency priorities for FY 2016 within each 

activity areas are as follows: 

Administer Energy, Communication and Other Land Use Authorizations and Process Land Use 

Proposals - The FY 2016 President’s Budget provides funds for the administration of special use 

permits on NFS lands, which authorize 205 different categories of land use. This funding 

includes $8,000,000 for the evaluation of new proposals and the inspection, oversight, and 

monitoring of non-recreation infrastructure-related special use authorizations. In response to 

recommendations in an audit by the USDA Office of the Inspector General of the Special Uses 

program, we prioritize monitoring and inspections of situations where noncompliance can cause 

adverse impacts to natural resources or health and safety. We are also updating inspection 

requirements for all authorizations. By FY 2016, we expect to implement a revised inspection 

schedule that will improve our ability to monitor health and safety in the delivery of public 

services on the NFS. 

Key services provided by lands special uses are the authorization of energy development, energy 

transmission, communications sites, domestic and agricultural water developments, and roads, all 

of which are essential to community infrastructure. In FY 2016, the Forest Service will 

administer permits for approximately 18,000 miles of power lines, 6,600 miles of pipelines, 

1,500 communications sites, 14,000 recreation residences, and 2,000 domestic water 

impoundments (reservoirs). We will prioritize reduction of the expired authorization backlog, in 

Supporting the Nation’s goal for energy independence, constructing pipelines for 

oil and natural gas 

North Dakota is setting records in oil production at over 1 million barrels per day while 

providing over 65,000 jobs. With existing infrastructure, several thousand trucks are needed to 

transport products – a heavy burden on state, county and local roads. The Forest Service and 

Bureau of Land Management are working with the State and industry to plan pipelines and 

other infrastructure that more safely and efficiently move products to market. The plan will 

also include a dramatic reduction in the flaring of excess natural gas as producers will not be 

limited to trucks for transport.
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keeping with a commitment the agency made to the Office of the Inspector General. 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensed hydropower facilities are one of the largest 

sources of renewable energy produced on the NFS and have an installed capacity of over 18,000 

megawatts of power. In FY 2016, we anticipate participating in planned Commissionadministered license proceedings and responding to new proposals sufficient to meet all 

Commission-instituted deadlines. The Forest Service develops and submits Federal Power Act 

Section 4(e) conditions that include appropriate mitigation of project effects. Mitigation 

activities include fish protection upstream and downstream, integrated management of 

campgrounds along project reservoirs, provision of recreational flow releases, and protection of 

cultural resources potentially affected by project operations. 

Adjust Land Ownership - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal includes funds to exchange 

ownership of NFS and private lands. Landownership adjustment helps improve public access, 

conserve open space where its loss threatens the sustainability of national forests and grasslands, 

and to protect healthy forested lands and watersheds. Adjustments encourage private 

development on lands better suited for that purpose, including construction of infrastructure on 

private lands. Land adjustment also supports more effective and efficient Forest Service 

management by preserving intact watersheds and reducing fragmentation. Consolidating 

ownership allows us to reduce future land management costs for both landowners and taxpayers, 

respond to community development needs, and retain lands on local tax rolls. 

Protect Land Ownership Title - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal includes funds for 

resolving critical land title claims, encroachments, trespass, and other unauthorized uses, 

specifically those that involve litigation, legislation, or are associated with Tribal land claims. 

Resolution of these claims secures and protects the interest, rights, title, and land and resources 

of the United States and bona fide claimants. The Forest Service also identifies and processes 

critical changes in land classifications such as wilderness, roadless, and research areas, and 

assists in processing mineral withdrawals to protect these designated areas. By FY 2016, we 

anticipate completing our inventory of an estimated 40,000 title claims and encroachments on the 

Fossil Ridge Land Exchange – Gunnison National Forest 

This exchange of land for land eliminates Forest Service administration of a mining 

operation and structures that were located on the Federal parcels. In the first phase of 

the exchange, the Gunnison National Forest acquired a key inholding within the 

Congressionally-designated Fossil Ridge Recreation Management Area, reducing 

management costs by eliminating landlines and allowing for landscape level 

management. The parcel acquired provides important recreational and hunter access 

and excellent big game habitat. 
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NFS and, with that information, we will remove and resolve real and personal property claims to 

protect public interests on the land and support restoration. 

Locate Land Boundaries - The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposal includes funds to mark and 

maintain NFS property lines as part of priority restoration, watershed protection, and other 

resource management projects. Encroachments and trespass on NFS lands continue to grow due 

to increasing development in the rural landscape and the rapidly expanding wildland-urban 

interface. Marking and maintaining property lines is essential to all types of resource 

management. Clearly identifying NFS boundaries also provides landownership protection, 

security, and title defense. Leaving property lines unmarked and unmaintained can result in 

expensive and protracted litigation and loss of public lands and public trust. To maximize cost 

efficiencies, we prioritize cooperative and joint land surveys with other agencies through 

challenge cost-share and other agreements. 

Past Performance 

The Forest Service is responsible for managing the public estate of more than 193 million acres 

of national forests and grasslands to support mission critical objectives and public and economic 

benefits, and to carry out legal mandates. In FY 2014, we focused on maintaining and opening 

public access to the NFS, completing exchanges or conveyances required by law, implementing 

new policy regarding the inspection and administration of special uses, and implementing a new 

database to track more than 40,000 title claims and encroachments on the NFS. 

Energy, Communication, and Land Use Authorizations 

This past year we continued to implement changes to our inspection cycle for energy, 

communication, and other land uses authorizations. These changes are designed to ensure 

consistency in our monitoring and reporting and to enable our staff to plan their five-year 

program of work. These changes also help the Forest Service coordinate administration efforts 

with our customers. With these changes more simple authorizations, such as for a mailbox, are 

inspected on a five-year frequency while more complicated authorizations, such as 

communications sites, are inspected on an annual basis to ensure compliance with authorization 

and protection of natural resources. This change is expected to positively affect our performance 

beginning in FY 2015. 

The Forest Service has also been developing electronic forms to track incoming requests for land 

use proposals which are now required to be submitted through a paper application 

process. Electronic application submission will improve customer service as well as inform our 

own staff about outstanding work loads. Electronic submissions will also help us achieve our 

goals for paperwork reduction, enable us to track the number of proposals going through our 

screening process, and will help us keep potential customers informed of progress of their 

proposal. In FY 2014, we processed 4,310 proposals and applications for new land use 

authorizations on the NFS. Once implemented the new system will allow the Forest Service to 

manage the application process in a more responsive manner. 

 
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Land Adjustment 

Land adjustment, primarily conducted through land exchanges and conveyances, is one of many 

tools we have to support other resource objectives, and is often a multi-year process. In FY 

2014, we exchanged or conveyed more than 7,000 acres which are allowing us to convey lands 

that have lost their national forest character or which may be necessary for vital community 

expansion. In exchange, the United States acquired valuable resource lands and improve 

recreational access to NFS lands for communities and the public. These exchanges allow for 

simplified and more effective management through consolidated land ownership patterns. 

In FY 2014, the Gunnison National Forest completed the Fossil Ridge land exchange. The 

United States conveyed away NFS lands which had been heavily affected by a large uranium 

mine centered on private land. The lands had been significantly disturbed and were encumbered 

by a water treatment plant treating contaminated water from the mine. In exchange, the United 

States received undeveloped lands within the Congressionally-designated Fossil Ridge 

Recreation Management Area. The parcel provides important recreational and hunter access and 

excellent big game habitat. 

Management of Boundaries and the Public Estate

Properly marked boundaries and clear title ownership reduce trespass and encroachments, ensure 

public access to the national forests and grasslands, and enable land managers to carry out 

resource priorities on the ground. Without knowledge of boundary location, for example, fuels 

projects are either not implemented close to the wildland-urban interface or can inadvertently 

include private lands or roads. 

Encroachments and trespass on NFS lands, often resulting from unclear and unmaintained 

boundaries, threatens the loss of open space, increases the risk of invasive species, causes loss or 

damages to public resources, and reduces access to public lands. 

In FY 2014, we implemented a new database, the Title Claims and Encroachments Management 

System, providing a consistent and standard operating method to inventory, track, and monitor 

title claims and encroachments work/cases. This gives us, for the first time, the opportunity to 

see and analyze an estimated 40,000 trespass and encroachments (e.g. abandoned vehicles, 

buildings, roads) on the NFS lands, and will help inform decisions of where best to invest staff 

time and resources on title and encroachment resolution as well land adjustment, such as 

conveyances or exchanges, towards addressing significant threats to resource management. In 

FY 2014, we resolved significant encroachments from Federal land such as a gate blocking 

access to thousands of acres of public land and large abandoned vehicle dump sites. Removing 

these trespasses and encroachments restore the public’s ability to use these lands and reverses 

sometimes significant resource degradation. 
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Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Landownership Management program lays the foundation for all land and natural resource 

management activities on NFS lands. The program provides for basic real estate activities that 

enable the agency to carry out restoration activities on cross-boundary landscapes, prevent and 

settle potential liabilities and lawsuits that cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and work with 

communities to implement optimal ownership patterns of Federal and private land. This 

program is also responsible for administering activities that directly support thousands of private 

sector jobs through special use activities on NFS lands. 

Landownership Management enables essential public services such as emergency 

communications, broadband, radio, cellular service, as well as transportation and clean water, 

through special use authorizations; allows us to work with communities to exchange, convey, or 

acquire land to support agency goals as well as community growth and development; and ensures 

that we protect our natural resources while carrying out land and resource management priorities. 

Landownership Management is critical to effectively carry out agency and national priorities. 

Examples include the identification and administration of renewable energy development and 

energy corridors (approximately 15,000 miles of powerlines), management of 1,500 mountain 

top communication sites, funding the acquisition of lands to provide recreational access and 

consolidate aquatic and terrestrial habitats and fire buffers, management of 14,000 cabin lots for 

private use and residence, legal protection of watersheds that serve as natural reservoirs for water 

supplies, and many other economically and environmentally valuable land uses. Landownership 

Management also provides the legally defensible boundaries and records that are essential to 

implement any type of land management activity, from timber sales to habitat management to 

exploration for energy or gas production. Without the certainty of legally defensible boundaries, 

Federal investments on NFS lands are often subject to expensive and time-consuming legal 

disputes. 
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Marking and maintaining our boundaries and protecting the legal title of the NFS also helps us to 

manage our costs and optimize the use of taxpayer funds. Not administering permits or 

identifying boundaries can result in trespass, encroachments, title claims, expensive and 

protracted litigation, and loss of public lands, as well as damage or destruction of special areas, 

plants, fish, and wildlife. 

Some of the uses and activities we facilitate for the benefit of the American public include: 

 acquiring priority land to protect critical resources and to increase public recreation 

opportunities; 

 authorizing the use of NFS lands for power lines, fiber optic lines, and communication sites 

such as cell phone towers to provide electricity and communication infrastructure to cities 

and communities; 

 authorizing the use of NFS mountain tops for many types of communications, including 

emergency services, which are critical to rural and urban America, particularly in the West; 

 authorizing the use of NFS lands for pipelines to carry natural gas and oil; 

 ensuring that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission administered hydropower projects are 

managed to provide significant public benefits of energy and are designed to protect and 

restore rivers and streams; provide suitable fish and wildlife habitat and support water-based 

recreation; 

 exchanging and conveying lands to support community growth and development and to 

support forest land and resource goals and objectives; 

 conveying administrative sites to allow us to realign and enhance our asset portfolio; 

 surveying NFS boundaries to identify and protect private and public lands; 

 determining the market value of lands purchased, exchanged, or conveyed; 

 authorizing road access across NFS lands to a private subdivision within a national forest; 

 accepting donations of land to protect important resources, including archaeological or 

historical sites; 

 maintaining records of NFS land areas, transactions, status, permitted uses, and easements; 

and 

 securing public road and trail access across private land to public NFS lands. 

The program is delivered through the following activities: 

Administer Energy, Communication and Other Land Use Authorizations, Process Land Use 

Proposals - This activity allows the program to administer approximately 47,200 land use 

authorizations for a wide variety of purposes, including rights-of-way for roads, pipelines, 

communication and navigation sites, and electric transmission and distribution facilities. Such 

permitted uses on NFS lands directly support jobs, and builds community resilience, particularly 

in rural communities where the agency is a major landowner. The program funds inspection, 

oversight, and monitoring of existing non-recreation special use authorizations to ensure 

compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization while ensuring the health and 

safety of the public; protection of the environment; compliance with Federal, State, and local 

laws and regulations; and protection of the interests of the United States. 

This activity provides for evaluation of new proposals to occupy and use NFS lands for nonrecreational purposes. Included are proposals for roads, communications sites, hydropower 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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facilities, oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines, and other energy related uses to 

facilitate the delivery of reliable energy resources and communication links. 

Adjust Land Ownership - The exchange of ownership of NFS and private lands improves: public 

access, conservation of open space where its loss threatens sustainability of national forests and 

grasslands, and protection of healthy forested lands and watersheds. Adjusting land ownership 

improves the efficiency of land management, allows the agency to better meet public access 

needs, reduces intermingled ownership and boundary maintenance, eases fire protection and law 

enforcement control, facilitates road maintenance, and minimizes trespass and encroachment 

cases. It allows the agency to convey to private ownership lands which have lost their national 

forest character, are isolated from other public ownership, and/or are heavily encumbered with 

private uses. In addition, adjusting land ownership secures access across private lands necessary 

to reach NFS lands for resource management and public recreational use. Land ownership 

adjustment is carried out principally through exchanges, conveyances, and rights-of-way 

acquisitions. Case processing involves site analysis, title review, legal description verification, 

and appraisal and deed execution. 

Protect Land Ownership Title - This activity funds title defense and resolution of land title 

claims, Tribal claims, trespass, encroachments, other unauthorized uses, land sales, and grants 

and selections. It includes title claim identification, inventory, and investigation. This activity 

also includes managing the land status record system, which provides legally defensible 

boundaries and accurate, complete landownership records of NFS lands. 

Locate Land Boundaries - This activity provides professional land surveying services, including 

property boundary surveys, locating and marking NFS property lines and administrative 

boundary lines, boundary and property corner maintenance and perpetuation, legal land 

description preparation and review, land title research, expert witness testimony, and geospatial 

and geodetic services, in order to protect the title, land ownership, and use of the public estate. 

The Forest Service has 276,000 miles of property line, of which approximately 33,700 miles (12 

percent) are currently marked to Forest Service standards. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated to the regions based on regional program capability, core operations support, 

and national priorities. The allocation process considers past performance and future needs 

regarding boundary management, landownership adjustments, land use authorization processing 

and administration, and title protection. 

In both FY 2015 and FY 2016 we estimate that we will transfer up to $500,000 to the Bureau of 

Land Management for Federal authority cadastral surveys on NFS lands. 

Partnerships 

The agency cooperates with governments and landowners at every level, including many other 

Federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the 

Department of Defense; State agencies; interagency working groups; local and Tribal 

governments; non-Federal exchange parties; and private landowners. The program identifies and 

secures cost-share and partnership opportunities in order to enhance management of public lands, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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eliminate or reduce redundant efforts, and leverage funds to secure high-priority resource lands 

for public access and resource protection. 

 
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Law Enforcement Operations 

Budget Line Item Law Enforcement Operations

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Law Enforcement Operations

Annual Appropriations $126,653 $126,653 $126,030 -$623 -0%

Law Enforcement Operations Total 126,653 126,653 126,030 -623 -0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 813 813 680 -133 -16%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 813 813 680 -133 -16%

Law Enforcement Operations

Enforce Laws & Regulations 83,591 83,591 83,178 -413 -0%

Investigate Crime 43,062 43,062 42,852 -210 -0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Law Enforcement Operations

Percent of cases referred for adjudication 7.7% 8.1% 7.3% 7.1% 7.0% 7.0%

Number of documented law enforcement incidents per 

10,000 forest visits 6.5 6.3 6.1 6.4 6.0 6.0

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s budget proposes $126,030,000 for Law Enforcement & Investigations 

(LEI), a decrease of $623,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. LEI will continue to prioritize 

responses to emergency and life-threatening situations. This includes an emphasis on combating 

the illegal activities of Drug Trafficking Organizations operating on National Forest System 

(NFS) lands, particularly in California and along the Southwest and Northern borders. 

LEI will also continue crime prevention with the National Sheriff’s Association through the use 

of cooperative law enforcement agreements at a reduced level. In support of the National Fire 

Plan, LEI will continue to prioritize arson investigations. 

Specific priorities within each activity include: 

Enforce Laws and Regulations - The FY 2016 President’s Budget request of $83,178,000 

funds uniform patrol presence to protect natural resources, Forest Service employees, and the 

public and respond to safety incidents and violations of laws and regulations. 

Investigate Crime - The FY 2016 President’s Budget request of $42,852,000 will fund 

criminal and civil investigations for arson, drug possession, theft, and assaults. Drug 
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Trafficking Organizations have been identified as the key producer of marijuana on NFS 

lands. Drug Trafficking Organization activity has been confirmed on 72 national forests in 

21 States. 

In FY 2016, LEI estimates that 7 percent of cases will be referred for adjudication and there will 

be approximately 6 documented law enforcement incidents per 10,000 forest visits. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, there were 6.4 documented law enforcement incidents per 10,000 forest visits, 

compared to a target (desired outcome) of 6 or fewer. Many of these incidents were critical 

emergency incidents involving threats to the safety of the public, our employees, or property and 

resources. Also in FY 2014, 7.1 percent of all criminal cases were referred for adjudication 

compared to a target of 7.0 percent. Many of the adjudicated cases included serious felony 

violations of law such as assault, controlled substance violations, theft and damage of 

government property, and significant civil cases. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service LEI program is charged with providing a safe environment for the public, our 

employees, and protecting the Nation’s natural resources on approximately 193 million acres of 

NFS lands in 44 states. The program accomplishes this by enforcing laws and regulations and 

investigating crimes. Increasing population growth in the wildland-urban interface, increasing 

popularity of NFS lands for motorized recreational use, and illegal occupancy of NFS lands 

cause significant impacts to NFS lands and resources and increase risks to public and employee 

health and safety. 

The LEI program provides a highly visible uniformed patrol presence and rapid emergency 

responses to incidents affecting the public and employees visiting or working on NFS lands. LEI 

conducts regular and recurring patrols. The LEI staff responds to crimes and conducts complex 

criminal and civil investigations ranging from minor infractions to serious felonies such as 

homicide, rape, assaults, and threats against the public and employees, domestic disputes, 

robbery, drug production and trafficking, domestic terrorism, destruction of government 

property, theft of archaeological resources, gang activity, and fire investigations. 

The LEI staffs also frequently respond to catastrophic natural or manmade disasters at the local, 

regional, and national level, and commonly provide immediate emergency response in support of 

catastrophic wildland fire incidents on public lands. LEI is often the first law enforcement 

responder in these incidents and responsible for the safety of firefighting personnel and 

equipment, the evacuation of visitors and residents, and the protection of property. The LEI 

program is also a rapidly deployable national law enforcement asset under the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency Emergency Support Function #13- Public Safety and Security. 

Approximately 80 percent of marijuana grown on Federal public lands is grown on NFS lands. 

The LEI program is the lead organization combating this threat to public lands. LEI’s efforts to 

address illegal cannabis production, the associated severe environmental damage, and the 
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significant safety risk Drug Trafficking Organizations pose to public lands is a central tenet of 

the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy National Drug Control Strategy’s 

goal to Disrupt Domestic Drug Trafficking and Production and to Eradicate Marijuana 

Cultivation. 

This program performs the following two activities: 

Enforce Laws & Regulations - Includes uniformed patrol presence resource protection patrols 

and response to public and employee safety incidents and violations of laws and regulations. 

Common incidents on national forests include theft, assault, alcohol and drug use, unauthorized 

motor vehicle use, illegal occupancy, and trespassing. 

To protect NFS resources and visitors, Forest Service law enforcement officers carry firearms, 

defensive equipment, make arrests, execute search warrants, complete reports and testify in 

court. They establish a regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public lands, roads, 

and recreation sites. The primary focus is the protection of natural resources, protection of 

Forest Service employees and the protection of visitors. 

Investigate Crime - Covers criminal and civil investigations of both internal and external cases 

such as felony arson, drug possession, smuggling and manufacturing, thefts, and assaults. 

DTOs have been identified as the key producers of marijuana on NFS lands with activities 

confirmed on 72 national forests and in all regions except Region 10. Illegal ground importation 

and trafficking on or near NFS lands of immigrants, drugs, weapons, and other contraband, and 

illegal exportation of weapons and illicit cash profits create ongoing and imminent threats to the 

personal safety of employees and the visiting public. Special Agents plan and conduct 

investigations concerning possible violations of criminal and administrative provisions of the 

Forest Service and other statutes under the United States Code. These normally plainclothes 

officers carry concealed firearms and other defensive equipment, make arrests, carry out 

complex criminal investigations, and prepare investigative reports and present cases for 

prosecution to U.S. Attorneys. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funding allocations support core operations and address priority needs, based on competitive 

regional criteria including number of visitors and acreage of NFS lands. In addition to public 

safety, priority is placed on responding to activity by Drug Trafficking Organizations. 

Partnerships 

The LEI program maintains a partnership with Federal, State, and local law enforcement 

agencies and other programs by building strong relationships with State and local cooperators, 

and Federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency; Federal Bureau of Investigation; 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Office of the United States Attorney, 

the Federal Court System; and other Federal land management agencies. In addition, the LEI 

program uses approximately 500 Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreements, which utilize State 

and local cooperators to assist and augment patrols on NFS lands to enhance LEI patrol coverage 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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and to ensure public safety. However, in many remote areas or areas with diminished local law 

enforcement, LEI often provides the only law enforcement personnel available. 

 
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Valles Caldera National Preserve 

Budget Line Item Valles Caldera National Preserve

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Annual Appropriations $3,364 $3,364 0 -$3,364 -100%

Valles Caldera National Preserve Total 3,364 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 1 0 -1 -100%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 1 0 -1 -100%

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,364 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act designates the Valles Caldera National 

Preserve (Preserve) as a unit of the National Park Service (NPS). Transfer of the Preserve to the 

National Park Service will occur in FY 2015 and any unobligated balances remaining in FY 

2015 may be transferred to the Department of the Interior as well. As a result, the FY 2016 

President’s Budget for the Forest Service requests no funding for the Preserve. 

Past Performance 

The goals of the goals of the Preserve’s board of trustees, called the Valles Caldera Trust, 

focused on public access and use, forest restoration, and enhancement of the Preserve’s rich 

natural, cultural and historic resources. During FY 2014 further attention was aimed at 

increasing recreational opportunities for the public and making investments toward increasing 

the financial self-sustainability of the Trust. Visitation increased to approximately 120,000 

people in FY 2014, representing a 10 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. 

The Preserve continued to experience significant effects from the 2011 Las Conchas Fire and the 

2013 Thompson Ridge Fire, which burned almost two-thirds of the Preserve. Flash floods, 

falling dead trees, fence damage, road washouts, and the destruction of the Preserve’s entire 

surface drinking water system have constrained the Preserve’s public access and financial selfsustainability goals. Appropriated dollars were used for rehabilitation and repair from post-fire 

flooding events. 

The Preserve’s Landscape Restoration and Stewardship Plan Environmental Impact Statement 

and Record of Decision were completed in FY 2014, allowing the implementation of proposed 

forest restoration projects. This followed successful consultation with the Fish and Wildlife 

Service on the endangered Jemez Mountains Salamander. The plan received strong support from 

the public, receiving only a single comment in opposition. The thinning of 1,302 acres was 
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National Forest System 198

awarded in FY 2014 and will be completed in FY 2015. Additional outside grants awarded to 

groups in partnership with the Trust (e.g. Los Amigos de Valles Caldera) supported numerous 

riparian restoration projects across the Preserve. 

FY 2014 resource monitoring results indicated that forest stands subjected to high-severity burns 

in Las Conchas and Thompson Ridge had greater than 80 percent grass/forb cover re-established 

and erosion/flooding intensities, while still occurring, were substantially lower in FY 2014 than 

in previous years. Trout fisheries continue to recover from the fire, and the elk population has 

responded favorably to the new grassland prescribed burn program, along with riparian 

restoration programs. The Preserve continues to modify its livestock grazing program to protect 

habitat for the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. Two additional introductions 

of the northern leopard frog populations were completed on the Preserve during the summer of 

2014. These activities will continue on the Preserve in FY 2015 activities as well as on the 

adjacent Jemez Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Valles Caldera Preservation Act of July 25, 2000 (Public Law 106-248) provided for the 

acquisition of the Baca Ranch, located in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. The Act 

designated the Baca Ranch as a Preserve and provided for the management of the 88,900-acre 

tract as a unit of the National Forest System. The Preserve was established to protect various 

natural resources within its boundaries, and to provide multiple-use and sustained-yield of 

renewable resources. In addition, the Act required the tract to continue to be managed as an 

operating ranch with management to be by the Preserve’s board of trustees, a government 

corporation subject to the Government Corporation Control Act. 

In December 2014, the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act designated the Preserve as a 

unit of the National Park Service and transferred administration of the Preserve to the Secretary 

of the Interior. The transfer must occur within 180 days of the passage of the 2015 National 

Defense Authorization Act. 

While under the administration of the Trust, the Preserve’s program has been delivered through 

the following activities: 

Inventory, Monitoring, and Research - This activity includes the inventory, monitoring, and 

research of natural and cultural resources, such as vegetation, animals, soils, geologic 

formations, water resources, archaeological resources, and historic resources. These activities 

provide information for adaptive management of Preserve’s resources and for preparation of 

environmental documents. 

Ecosystem Management - The program emphasis is to restore the resilience and adaptive 

capacity of the Preserve’s forest and grassland systems by thinning forests, managing wildland 

fires, and eradicating or controlling the spread of noxious weeds. The program also promotes 

increased soil, riparian, and wetland resilience and reduced erosion by closing, 

decommissioning, and maintaining roads; rehabilitating the Preserve’s wetlands, geothermal 

exploration areas, log landing sites, aggregate pit source sites, and other historic infrastructure 
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created in support of logging, grazing and geothermal development. This includes re-vegetating 

and otherwise stabilizing stream banks, and restoring historic wetland flows. This also includes 

the management of domestic livestock grazing on the Preserve. 

Recreation and Special Use Management - This activity provides for the management of 

recreation and education programs, special use authorizations, and management of volunteers. 

This includes providing interpretive activities; reservation services for activities and special 

events; establishment and management of day-use programs, such as, fishing, elk hunting, 

guided and unguided hiking, horseback riding, and winter sports; authorizing special uses for 

commercial filming and photography; special events such as mountain bike rides, marathons, 

celestial and solar viewing, and group tours; and uses by Native Americans for religious and 

cultural purposes. 

Infrastructure Management - This activity includes the inventory, evaluation, planning, 

programming, and management actions related to occupancy, maintenance and improvement of 

buildings, water and wastewater systems, communication facilities, roads, trails, signing, and 

ranch infrastructure, such as corrals, fences, and earthen tanks. Evaluation includes determining 

the condition and effectiveness of the facility. Planning includes forecasting the development, 

disposal, and major alterations and renovations necessary to preserve or restore the functionality 

of the facility. This includes the use and daily maintenance of the Valle Grande Staging area, 

which is a self-sustainable contact station, used for visitor contact and information. 

Partnerships 

The Preserve benefits from monetary as well as non-monetary contributions. Non-monetary 

contributions include time and expertise contributed by many volunteers. These volunteers 

assisted with many of the recreation programs, along with wetland restoration projects 

throughout the year. 

Extramural funding refers to money invested in projects (mostly research, inventory, and 

monitoring) conducted on the Preserve by outside agencies and organizations. A continued 

objective for the Trust has been to encourage scientific activities on the Preserve. Indicators for 

science community interest in studying the Preserve can be gleaned from the number of projects 

conducted, the amount of funding generated to support these projects, and the number of 

publications and presentations resulting from the research. While these outside grant funds were 

not part of the Valles Caldera Trust budget, they nonetheless contributed to the regional 

economy through personnel salaries, purchasing of equipment and supplies, travel, contracts, and 

educational stipends – and all of these transactions generate tax revenues for the local, State and 

Federal governments. More importantly, the information gleaned from these studies is being 

used to advise managers on how best to apply manipulative actions on the ground including: 

forest thinning prescriptions, use of fire, distributions of livestock, predator impacts on elk 

populations, fisheries management, and other land management tools. 

 
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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 201

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 

Appropriation Capital Improvement and Maintenance

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Annual Appropriations $350,000 $360,374 $341,924 -$18,450 -5%

Capital Improvement and Maintenance Total 350,000 360,374 341,924 -18,450 -5%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 2,121 2,345 2,120 -225 -10%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,121 2,345 2,120 -225 -10%

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Facilities 71,000 71,600 71,695 95 0%

Roads 166,000 168,094 154,262 -13,832 -8%

Trails 75,000 77,530 82,516 4,986 6%

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement 3,000 3,150 33,451 30,301 962%

Legacy Roads and Trails 35,000(1) 40,000(2) 0 -40,000 -100%

Supplemental, Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 

(P.L.113-2) 0 0 0 0 0%

(1) In FY 2014, $12 million was transferred to IRR (see page 130) and the remaining $23 million was used for Legacy 

Roads and Trails in non-IRR pilot regions. 

(2) In FY 2015, $14.7 million was transferred to IRR (see page 130) and the remaining $25.3 million was used for Legacy 

Roads and Trails in non-IRR pilot regions. 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $341,924,000 for Capital Improvement and 

Maintenance, a decrease of $18,450,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The Forest Service 

will use up to $8,000,000 of Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure and Trails funds to 

improve recreational access and infrastructure on the eight national monuments managed by the 

Forest Service. This funding will leverage private and partnership funding and opportunities. 

The President’s Budget proposes to shifts activities previously conducted under the Roads 

program and the Legacy Roads and Trails program to the Integrated Resource Restoration 

program under the National Forest System (NFS) appropriation. Managing our primary capital 

investments that directly support local governments (Roads and Facilities) will allow continued 

economic interface between counties and cities, will connect villages with cities, will ensure safe 

public access to public lands, and will allow for safe and efficient infrastructure connectivity 

(e.g. fiber optic cables, utility lines, etc.). The Forest Service transportation system provides 

mission critical access for recreational, administrative, resource management, and commercial 

purposes. The transportation system also provides access to and between rural and gateway 

communities, contributing to community vitality and economic development. Infrastructure 

maintenance and improvement enables the Forest Service to supply goods and services to the 

American public, while helping meet critical natural resource needs. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 202

This proposal also includes significant investments in Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure 

Improvement as we prioritize the reduction of our maintenance backlog and associated future 

costs. The focus will be on facilities that pose serious threats to public health or safety, a natural 

resource, or to the ability of the Forest Service to implement its mission. Future costs savings 

include estimated costs reductions for utility payments, maintenance and repair, and other 

operational savings. These investments will also greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic failure 

for a number of our high hazard dams, bridges, and highly utilized facilities; mitigating threats to 

public life/health/safety and the environment. 

The agency will place a high priority on providing mission enabling infrastructure that is rightsized, environmentally sustainable, and safe for all users. A key objective of the program will be 

to reduce the agency footprint through the strategic consolidation and elimination of 

underutilized facilities as well as to promote and practice sustainability in our building 

operations, making our buildings more energy efficient and environmentally sound. 

We will continue to focus our roads program on the key outcomes of access, restoration, and 

safety. The National Forest Road System is an integral part of the rural transportation network. 

It provides escape routes in the event of wildland fire or other emergency situations, and 

emergency access for first responders. This system also supports recreation visitors who bolster 

local economies through expenditures in and around NFS lands. Maintaining this system is 

necessary to continue to provide this access, to meet Highway Safety Act requirements, and to 

protect the quality of critical water supplies provided by NFS lands to communities. 

Our agency priority is to provide safe and healthful environments for all users that are in 

compliance with all applicable regulations and codes. Funds will be prioritized to provide 

infrastructure that supports safe public, administrative, and recreation uses. Priority for Facilities 

funding will be placed on repairing and improving those facilities, including buildings, water and 

wastewater systems, dams, and recreation sites, that are used by the public and are critical to 

supporting agency mission and operations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 203

Facilities 

Budget Line Item Facilities

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Facilities

Annual Appropriations $71,000 $71,600 $71,695 $95 0%

Facilities Total 71,000 71,600 71,695 95 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 338 382 382 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 338 382 382 0 0%

Facilities

Maintain Facilities 59,000 55,369 55,674 305 1%

Improve Facilities 12,000 16,231 16,021 -210 -1%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Facilities

Facilities condition index 84.0% 88.0% 82.0% 84.3% 82.0% 82.0%

Percent of administrative facilities with "Good" or "Fair" 

condition rating 58.0% 57.0% 58.0% 60.8% 57.0% 58.0%

Percentage of recreation facilities with a "Good" or 

"Fair" condition rating 73.0% 73.0% 69.0% 77.2% 76.0% 72.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $71,695,000 for the Facilities program, an increase of 

$95,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The 21st century is changing the way we work, the locations we work from, and how the public 

uses our national forests and grasslands. This past year, the agency completed a significant 

analysis of our facility portfolio and its long-term financial sustainability. The analysis not only 

provided a snapshot of the overall health of the facilities program, but it also provided a number 

of strategies for improvement by better aligning the portfolio and agency business practices with 

available resources. The recent renovation project competed by the agency at the Sidney Yates 

Headquarters building serves as a great example for modernizing our offices by consolidating 

multiple locations into one facility, increasing utilization, providing a new 21st century office 

layout, and enabling a more inclusive and collaborative work environment. 

In FY 2016, our Facilities program will focus on providing mission enabling facility 

infrastructure that is “right-sized” (i.e., maintaining the appropriate amount of infrastructure to 

support program needs), environmentally sustainable, and safe for all users. We will achieve 

these objectives through the following activities: 
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Capital Improvement and Maintenance 204

 Reduction of the agency footprint through consolidation and elimination of underutilized 

facilities. Opportunities for footprint reduction will be realized through updating Forest 

Facility Master Plans, performing required financial and value analysis, and prioritizing the 

disposal of under and un-utilized assets. 

 Funding critical deferred maintenance and repair work on high priority agency assets, 

focusing on our high hazard dams, high use bridges, airtanker bases, and other assets that 

play a critical role in agency mission accomplishment or that effect public safety. 

 Promote and practice sustainability in multiple aspects of our building operations: making 

our buildings and equipment more energy and water efficient; buying green and recycled 

materials; reducing waste whenever possible; and using design techniques that mitigate and 

protect facilities against a changing climate. 

 Encourage construction projects to be designed and constructed with domestically harvested 

wood products, ideally locally sourced and from National Forest System (NFS) lands, 

whenever practicable. 

 We will continue to make safety a priority. When safety hazards are identified, we will 

mitigate, as much as possible, hazards at developed sites to ensure we are providing the 

safest possible facilities for the our employees and the recreating public. 

In FY 2016, we are updating and clarifying the number of outdoor recreation facilities 

maintained to standard measure to percent of outdoor recreation facilities with “Good” or “Fair” 

condition rating. This will parallel the percent of administrative facilities with “Good” or “Fair” 

condition rating. Likewise, we stopped reporting on the number of administrative buildings 

maintained to standard measure. 

The table at the end of this section provides a list of major projects costing more than $500,000. 

Investments in facilities infrastructure are essential to create sustainable public access and 

support a wide range of economic opportunities provided by NFS lands. These investments also 

ensure safe and efficient public access for the use and enjoyment of the national forests and 

grasslands. The Forest Service receives an estimated 160 million visits annually and these 

additional facilities investments will help to sustain the economic return to the Nation. Forest 

Service infrastructure supports recreation visitation that contributes almost $13.6 billion annually 

to the U.S. economy and sustains more than 205,000 full-and part-time jobs.21

Past Performance 

The primary objectives of the Facility program are to provide mission enabling facility 

infrastructure that is right-sized, environmentally conscious and resilient, and safe for all users. 

In FY 2014, over 40,000 facility assets were effectively operated in support of the agency’s 

diverse mission requirements. Of these facilities, 61 percent of the administrative facilities, and 

 

21 USDA Forest Service, March 2013. Chief Tidwell comments before the House Committee on Agriculture, 

Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry March 13, 2013; and National Visitor Use Monitoring Results 

USDA Forest Service National Summary Report (Data collected FY 2007 through FY 2011) Last updated May 22, 

2012.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 205

77 percent of the recreation facilities were maintained to standard, meaning that these assets met 

national standards for health and cleanliness, safety and security, were in usable condition, and 

met landscape setting and other resource objectives. 

In our continued effort to provide a right-sized facilities portfolio, 2,375 facility assets were 

disposed of in FY 2014, resulting in a reduction of 148,920 Gross Square Feet and a reduction of 

over $1,120,000 in deferred maintenance. We have also endeavored to ensure that our facility 

portfolio is safe for all users. This is done through the mitigation of health threats, reducing the 

risk of catastrophic infrastructure failure, and ensuring compliance with all necessary physical 

security regulations and policies. In FY 2014, there were no safety incidents reported involving 

Forest Service owned facilities. 

With over 26,750 recreation sites on the NFS lands, we support a broad spectrum of outdoor 

recreation opportunities and access to America’s great outdoors. In FY 2014, we provided 

natural resource recreation experiences for over 160 million visitors to national forests and 

grasslands. We have increased the accessibility of Forest Service administered recreation 

facilities and now provide the largest number, and widest range, of accessible recreation facilities 

in the country. 

Lava River Cave, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon 

 Before After 

A repair project recently completed in FY 2014 greatly improved visitor visibility, access, and safety 

within the Lava River Cave located in central Oregon on the Deschutes National Forest. 

In FY 2014, the Northern Region piloted a mobile inventory application that improves dispersed 

site monitoring. Since 2010, the Region has been using the inventory to prioritize facility 

maintenance and investments, as well as inform other management actions, including 

restoration. Knowing where the public is recreating allows us to work with fire, wildlife, and 

timber staff to reduce impacts to cultural and natural resources and ensure safe and resourcefriendly recreation opportunities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 206

Employing technological innovation, we have also improved the quantity and quality of 

information desired by the public for accessible recreation opportunities on the national forests 

and grasslands, while providing employment opportunities to local young people participating in 

the Youth Conservation Corps. The Corps members are now able, with minimal training, to 

input accessibility information and data onto digital tablet platforms, which will eventually be 

made available to the public to help them plan their visits to our public lands. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service Facilities program is integral to the agency themes of restoration, 

communities, wildland fire management and emergency response efforts, in addition, to support 

for recreation and research infrastructure. Facilities program funding supports the maintenance, 

improvement, and construction of facilities and sites used for fire, administrative, and other 

(FA&O) purposes. The program stems from a diverse set of over 40,000 assets across the 

agency, including administrative offices, warehouses, service buildings, research laboratories, 

airtanker bases, lookout towers, developed recreation sites, visitor centers, historical cabins, 

water and wastewater systems, nurseries, communications sites, and dams; all integral to the 

operation and success of the agency in executing its mission. These facilities include the iconic 

buildings that define our history; they are the offices in which we work, where we greet our 

public, and the backbone of our critical public safety and emergency response capabilities. 

The agency’s facility portfolio includes over 16,000 administrative buildings, 9,575 

water/wastewater systems, 23,000 recreation facilities, and 500 dams located on recreation and 

administrative sites scattered throughout almost every State in the country. The average Forest 

Service facility is 39 years old, with over 33 percent of the portfolio over 50 years old. Our 

agency policy is to provide safe and healthful environments that are in compliance with all 

applicable regulations and codes. The facility program emphasizes improving mission support 

and customer service, while managing the environmental footprint and the resilience of the 

agency’s operations and assets. 

A major part of the facilities program is to provide the recreation infrastructure for the over 160 

million visits that occur annually on NFS lands. Our recreation facilities support a variety of 

recreational opportunities for visitors as well as economic opportunities for neighboring 

communities such as lodging, fuel, food, and other supplies desired by outdoor recreation 

visitors. Our infrastructure includes 25 major visitor centers and more than 26,750 recreation 

sites, comprised of campgrounds, trailheads, and day-use sites. Healthy landscapes and healthy 

communities are inextricably linked. Jobs and economic benefits stem not only from our 

administration of the uses of the Nation’s forests and grasslands but also from investments in 

activities, access and infrastructure that ensure that Americans can enjoy outdoor recreational 

experiences. 

Managing the natural role of fire while protecting values from adverse impact of fire is a 

significant challenge in the changing landscape and environment in which we work. As part of 

the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, maintaining and improving fire 

related facilities is critical to executing a safe, effective, and efficient response to wildfire. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 207

The Facilities program consists of two primary activities, the maintenance and improvement of 

facilities: 

Maintain Facilities - Maintenance is defined as the act of keeping fixed assets in usable 

condition, and it includes repairs, preventive maintenance, and replacement of parts and 

structural components. Maintenance projects for developed recreation sites, such as 

campgrounds and day-use sites, and more expensive FA&O facilities projects are funded within 

this activity. Maintenance excludes operation costs. The maintenance of facilities is essential to 

prevent a potential risk to public or employee safety or health, maintain compliance with codes, 

standards and regulations, reduce energy and water consumption across the agency, and creates a 

sustainable network of facilities that meet Forest Service needs while reducing their 

environmental impact. This activity also funds disposal of excess assets, including demolition. 

Improve Facilities – This activity includes capital improvement projects for FA&O and 

recreation sites. Capital improvements include alteration of existing facilities to change function 

and expansion of facilities to enhance our capacity to meet needs that are different from the 

original intent. Improvements are often required to expand public service capability or 

recreational opportunities. In many cases, capital improvements eliminate deferred maintenance. 

The facilities program also supports the Forest Service’s sustainable operations effort, which is at 

the heart of the Forest Service mission, “to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the 

Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.” The Forest 

Service strives to promote and practice sustainability in all aspects of its facility operations and 

capital improvements, including making our buildings and equipment more energy and water 

efficient, striving for net-zero energy sites, and reducing waste whenever possible. 

Allocation and Integration 

Allocations to the field are based upon the agency’s FA&O master plans and high priority 

recreation facilities that address the agency’s long-term strategic asset management objectives 

and the visitor safety action plan. These objectives include reducing long-term operation and 

maintenance costs, reducing deferred maintenance, disposing of unnecessary assets, and 

identifying and mitigating significant potential threats to employee and public safety. 

FA&O facilities are also funded through the Facilities Maintenance Assessment funds (see 

Special Exhibit - Facilities Maintenance Assessment) and the Operation and Maintenance of 

Quarters Fund (see Permanent Appropriations Chapter). In addition to appropriated funds, 

annual maintenance and repairs to recreation facilities are also funded through other special 

authorities, including the Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund and the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act. Through the use of these funds the Forest Service is able to 

operate and maintain many of its recreation facilities that might otherwise have been closed due 

to increasing costs. 

Partnerships 

The agency accomplishes valuable facility work by leveraging funds for completing these 

activities through partnerships. Volunteers, concessionaires, and other partners are engaged to 

enhance recreation experiences and help maintain nearly 70 percent of recreation sites. The 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 208

agency currently has over 30,000 recreation special use authorizations which offer a great 

opportunity for partnership to support the more than 160 million visits that occur annually across 

NFS lands. 

The Forest Service also emphasizes the need to co-locate with other Federal agencies through the 

Service First initiative, resulting in shared facilities that lower operation costs and increase 

collaboration between organizations. Service First is a partnership authority among four 

agencies, including the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land 

Management, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 209

FY 2016 Facilities Major Projects List 

(dollars in thousands) 

Agency-wide Critical Infrastructure Support Total Cost 

Recreation Maintenance (Projects Under $500,000) $38,475 

FA&O Maintenance (Projects $250,000 - $499,000) 2,310 

Capital Improvement (Projects Under $500,000) 1,059 

Critical Infrastructure Support Projects 14,390 

Planning and Design for Future Projects 2,809 

Washington Office (Maintenance and Improvement) 2,772 

Albuquerque Service Center Business Management (Maintenance and Improvement) 7,458 

Project Management and Implementation Support 1,351 

Total for Agency-wide Critical Infrastructure Support $56,234

 

Region/ 

Station/ 

Area 

State Project Name and Type Unit 

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Eliminated 

Project Cost 

National Priority Projects 

Research OR Corvallis FSL HVAC Repairs and Energy 

Upgrades Phase I PNW $1,090 $1,090 

R10 AK Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Elevator 

Replacement Accessibility and Sustainability Tongass 374 799 

R05 CA Kern River RD Consolidated District Office Sequoia NF 88 1,500 

National Priority Subtotal $3,389

National Demolition & Disposal Projects 

R08 FL Camp Ocala Decommissioning Ocala NF $252 $325 

R06 OR Dale Ranger Station Facility Disposal Umatilla NF 300 125 

R04 UT Mill Creek Dam Decommissioning Uinta-WasatchCache NF 368 370 

National Demolition & Disposal Subtotal $820

Regional Priority Projects 

R01 MT Regional Office Building 26 Phase 3 

(Basement) 

RO-Fort 

Missoula $0 $1,850

R02 CO Grand Mesa Trailhead Improvements (Phase 1) 

Grand Mesa, 

Uncompahgre & 

Gunnison NF 60 650 

R02 SD North Cove Campground Water System 

Rehabilitation Black Hills NF 397 567 

R04 ID Salmon-Challis NF Seasonal Housing (Phase 2) Salmon-Challis 314 920 

R05 CA Groveland Hotshot Office and Engine Garage Stanislaus 44 1,394 

R08 NC Croatan Ranger Station Renovation Croatan NF/NFs 

in NC 155 1,440 

R09 NH Dolly Copp Campground Reconstruction, Phase 

1 White Mountain 639 1,320 

Research MT Fire Lab Burn Chamber/Wind tunnel Upgrades 

- Phase I RMRS 890 1,600 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 210

Region/ 

Station/ 

Area

State Project Name and Type Unit

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Eliminated

Project Cost

Research MT Fire Lab Burn Chamber/Wind Tunnel Upgrades 

- Phase II RMRS 325 541 

Research OR CFSL HVAC Repairs and Energy Upgrades 

Phase II PNW 970 970 

Regional Priority Subtotal $11,25 

Total – National, Demolition & Disposal, and Regional Facilities Projects Funding $15,461 

TOTAL FY 2016 FACILITIES MAJOR PROJECTS $71,695

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 211

Roads

Budget Line Item Roads

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Roads

Annual Appropriations $166,000 $168,094 $154,262 -$13,832 -8%

Roads Total 166,000 168,094 154,262 -13,832 -8%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,006 1,147 1,051 -96 -8%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,006 1,147 1,051 -96 -8%

Roads

New Road Construction 22,546 8,405 7,713 -692 -8%

Operations & Maintenance 126,926 141,199 129,580 -11,619 -8%

Reconstruction of Existing Roads 16,528 18,490 16,969 -1,521 -8%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Roads

Miles of passenger car roads receiving maintenance 37,437 34,281 36,000 36,824 34,000 32,000

Miles of high clearance system roads receiving 

maintenance 17,679 14,111 11,300 14,550 11,000 10,000

Miles of road reconstruction and capital improvement 2,512 2,037 1,900 2,539 2,000 2,000

Percent of road and trail rights-of-way acquired that 

provide public access through easement acquisitions or 

land adjustments 20.0% 90.0% 85.0% 90.0% 85.0% 85.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $154,262,000 for the Roads program, a decrease of 

$13,832,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted level. This funding is essential to deliver and accelerate 

watershed and resource restoration efforts. 

In FY 2016, we will focus on managing and protecting investments made in the existing 

transportation system; maintaining a safe passenger car road system; and providing required 

access in support of accelerated restoration projects, timber sales, and stewardship contracts. 

Most of the work on high clearance roads will focus on ecological restoration and protection that 

will be completed through integrated work under the Integrated Resource Restoration program, 

Timber Sale Purchasers, Stewardship Contracting, and other program and partnership funds. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 212

In FY 2016, we plan to focus our roads program on three key outcomes: access, restoration, and 

safety. We will achieve these outcomes by implementing recently developed plans and standards 

in the following areas: 

 Travel Management - The Minimum Roads System analysis (Sub Part A of the Travel 

Management Rule) in the national forests and grasslands will be completed in 2015 and 

implementation will continue in 2016 to move us toward a sustainable road system that is 

safe, environmentally sound, and more resilient to climate change. 

 Road Management Objectives will be updated to reflect the results of the Minimum Road 

System analysis and implementing decisions. 

 Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Water Quality – We are complying with Forest 

Service’s recently adopted BMPs to improve water quality, of which 11 are specific to road 

management. A monitoring program to determine effectiveness will be in place by 2016, 

allowing us to ensure water quality is protected or to revise BMPs when necessary. 

 Watershed Condition Assessments and Watershed Restoration Action Plans - Properly 

maintained road surfaces and drainage systems are critical components of watershed 

protection and restoration, not only reducing adverse effects to water resources, but also 

restoring hydrological functions and improving fish and wildlife habitat connectivity at roadstream crossings. This restoration work also addresses infrastructure preparedness and 

resiliency to the impacts of climate change. 

 Highway Safety Standards - We will comply with legal requirements including the use of a 

Safety Management System for Passenger Car Roads, and inspect our bridges in accordance 

with the National Bridge Inspection Standards. 

Our priority work will focus on achieving these outcomes and our performance measures are aligned 

with and support these outcomes. We will continue to use existing performance measures such as 

miles of road maintained; and we will begin to track outcome-based measures for roads in 2016, 

specifically: 

 percentage of existing road systems in alignment with minimum road system, 

 number of watershed restoration action plans where all identified road work has been 

completed, 

 percentage of passenger car roads with a Safety Condition rating of good or fair, and 

 percentage of bridges identified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. 

Past Performance 

The primary objectives of the Roads program are to operate and maintain a transportation 

network that meets the priority access needs of the public and the agency, while minimizing 

adverse impacts on the environment, and at all times striving to be safe for all users. In FY 2014, 

we accomplished maintenance activities on 36,800 miles of passenger car roads, and 13,915 

miles of high clearance roads. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 213

Layout Creek Crossing, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington 

       

 Before After 

This recently completed bridge project, one of the first Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil/ Integrated Bridge System designs in the 

Forest Service, has resulted in an improved watershed and has restored an important run of native Lower Columbia River 

Steelhead, an Endangered Species Act listed species. This new type of bridge design allowed for reduced construction time, 

lower life-cycle costs, and minimized impact on the local aquatic ecosystem during construction. 

To help ensure that our transportation system meets all applicable safety laws and standards, 

while providing desired access for the public and the agency, the Forest Service reconstructed 

over 1,330 miles of passenger car roads and 1,206 miles of high clearance roads. We also 

constructed eight miles of new roads that were critical to achieving agency resource management 

objectives, and 168 stream crossings were improved to provide better access and passage for 

aquatic organisms, contributing to the improvement of local ecosystems and their associated 

watersheds. 

The Forest Service recognizes the need to decommission both owned and unauthorized roads 

that are no longer needed, or that are not part of the authorized transportation network. Utilizing 

the results from a recently completed travel analysis, we have been able to better identify and 

prioritize our road decommissioning work. In FY 2014, we were able to decommission 1,415 

miles of road, 64 percent of which were non-Forest Service roads. As more Forests complete 

and implement their Travel Management Plans, we expect to see additional and accelerated 

improvements in road decommissioning. 

The Forest Service acquired 90 rights-of-way enabling access to the National Forest System 

where we did not have legal access. These 90 rights-of-way represent 33.5 miles of road and 

trail easements. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The National Forest System Roads System (NFRS) is essential for the management, protection, 

and public use and enjoyment of 193 million acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 214

Virtually all agency and public activities on the national forests and grasslands require travel 

over the NFRS. 

The below diagram shows the interdependency of the roads program and agency goals 

Preserving our investment in the transportation system and maintaining the system to meet safety 

standards are important areas of program emphasis. All units of the agency are currently 

completing a travel analysis of their road system to identify those roads needed for the 

protection, administration and enjoyment of the NFS lands, as well as those roads that can be 

decommissioned or placed in long term storage for future use. The travel analysis will allow the 

agency to focus our resources on preserving and maintaining roads that are determined to be 

necessary, while decommissioning roads that the agency no longer needs. Roads that are not 

currently needed but may be used in the future will be treated and placed in a storage status;

meaning that they will be closed to all traffic, including administrative traffic, for a period of at 

least one year. Many stored roads receive treatment to reduce ecological damage, which are 

customized by location, topography, and the expected duration of storage. This analysis will be 

completed across the country by the end of FY 2015. Significant resources have been expended 

to complete this analysis, and more will be necessary in the future to complete the required 

environmental analysis and ground work to implement the results. This work will allow the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 215

agency to focus its resources on maintaining and improving the safety and sustainability of our 

remaining roads and bridges. 

The Roads program supports the staff required to implement restoration, preservation, access, 

and safety activities across the transportation system. These include road decommissioning, 

storm proofing, implementing best management practices, and making recommendations where 

road/stream crossings need to be improved to support aquatic organism passage. 

The transportation system on each national forest and grassland provides for the protection, 

utilization, and administration of very diverse natural landscapes. The operation and 

maintenance of these transportation systems is complex. Work that supports public safety and 

resource protection are priorities for these program funds. Emphasis will be placed on the safety 

of our passenger car road system and minimizing erosion habitat and fragmentation. 

The NFRS currently has: 

 65,000 miles of roads open for use by and maintained for passenger cars and other State 

highway legal vehicles (Maintenance Levels 3 – 5), making them subject to Highway Safety 

Act requirements. These roads provide public access for camping, recreation, administrative 

uses, and resource management and development activities. 

 205,000 miles of roads managed for high clearance vehicles (Maintenance Level 2), which 

provide access primarily for recreational, administrative, and resource management and 

development activities, and 

 102,000 miles of road that have been placed in long-term storage for future use (Maintenance 

Level 1) and are not maintained for traffic. 

Over the past 11 years, the Forest Service has reduced the total number of road miles by 

approximately 8,400 miles. During that same period, the number of miles of road maintained for 

passenger cars has gone from approximately 79,800 to 64,622; a reduction of 19 percent. The 

Forest Service is continuing work to identify the minimum transportation system required to 

meet the needs of the various users while balancing our ability to properly maintain that system. 

Following are several of the key uses and associated benefits to the American public of a wellmaintained NFRS: 

Recreation visitors contributed an estimated $13.6 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The 

NFRS is the critical component in maintaining access to national forests and grasslands, and 

supporting rural recreation-dependent communities adjacent to NFS lands. A designated system 

of roads, trails, and areas for motor vehicle use provides for sustained recreation opportunities 

for motor vehicle enthusiasts and provides a foundation for provision of support facilities such as 

trailhead parking and information. The NFRS supports Goal A of the President’s America’s 

Great Outdoors Initiative to “Increase and improve recreational access and opportunities.” As 

the agency completes travel analysis, we will be able to focus our limited resources on the roads 

that are identified as needed for the enjoyment of NFS lands. 

 To maintain, reconstruct, and construct the NFRS, the Forest Service hires contractors that 

frequently supply jobs in rural areas. The NFRS also provides access to a variety of important 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 216

energy and forest product resources supporting additional rural jobs. In FY 2013, receipts from 

annual lease rentals, royalties on production, and bonus bids for competitive leases were $570 

million, with $386 million from coal and $184 million from oil, gas and other leasable minerals. 

 The NFRS provides critically important access for recreational, administrative, and commercial 

purposes, and it provides access to and between rural and gateway communities, contributing to 

community vitality and economic development. In some cases, these roads provide the only 

escape or access routes for forest users and local residents in the event of wildfire or other 

emergency situations, including access for emergency responders. The NFRS also provides 

access needed for watershed restoration and fuels reduction projects, including those supporting 

biomass utilization.

 Effective road maintenance is essential to protect the quality of waters originating from NFS 

lands, which provide the drinking water supply for approximately one-fifth of U.S. communities, 

and habitat for over 470 fish and 346 crayfish species, as well as more than 124 Threatened, 

Endangered and Sensitive aquatic species. The condition of our roads has a direct effect on our 

ability to provide clean water. Deferring maintenance or not repairing roads after storm events 

allows sediment to enter streams and rivers thereby degrading water quality and jeopardizing the 

safety of users. The Forest Service is committed to preventing watershed and habitat 

degradation associated with roads. We are working to reduce the size of our road system, while 

still providing sufficient access to NFS lands, and to ensure that our remaining roads do not add 

sediment to streams or block the movement of aquatic organisms through stream crossings. 

These improvements make the road system more resilient, as these crossings not only provide for 

aquatic organism passage, but the improved crossings are also better able to survive extreme 

storm events. 

The terms “Construction” and “Maintenance” are used as defined by 23 U.S.C. 101. The Roads 

program is delivered through the following activities: 

Operations and Maintenance - This activity includes the operation and maintenance of existing 

system roads, bridges, and other vehicle access areas such as parking lots. Operations include 

the inventory, classification, and mapping of the transportation system, traffic monitoring, road 

management, travel management, helps the agency identify opportunities to reduce the number 

of open roads and determine the appropriate service level for the roads remaining to obtain a 

sustainable transportation system. Maintenance includes actions necessary to preserve or restore 

a road to its original service level and condition, in order to provide acceptable service and 

achieve its expected life. This includes maintenance of the travel ways; roadside vegetation; 

drainage facilities; structures, including bridges; traffic control devices, including signs and 

gates; and engineering support for timber sale contracts that include required road maintenance 

by the timber purchaser. Engineering services includes the design, cost estimates, contract 

preparation, and contract administration necessary to assure applicable safety and environmental 

standards are met. 

Reconstruction of Existing System Roads - Reconstruction includes the renovation and 

restoration of existing roads, bridges, or other vehicle access areas such as parking lots that have 

deteriorated due to the accumulation of deferred maintenance. Reconstruction also includes 

rights-of-way acquisition, changing the function of existing roads to accommodate different uses, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 217

such as changing a logging road to a recreation road, increasing capacity of an existing road such 

as changing a single-lane road or bridge to a two-lane road or bridge, and safety improvements 

that correct or improve high hazard locations such as replacement of deficient bridges or 

culverts. Reconstruction also includes relocation of existing roads to prevent resource 

degradation, such as moving a road away from a stream, and other improvements to meet public 

and resource management needs. Engineering services are included in this activity for the 

design, cost estimates, contract preparation, and contract administration necessary to assure 

applicable safety and environmental standards are met. 

New Road Construction - New road construction includes the construction of roads, bridges, and 

vehicle access areas to meet public and resource management needs; reclassifying unauthorized 

roads; and rights-of-way acquisitions. This activity results in a minor addition of miles to the 

transportation system where none previously existed to improve safety and access to natural 

areas. Engineering services are included in this activity for the design, cost estimates, contract 

preparation, and contract administration necessary to assure applicable safety and environmental 

standards are met. 

Allocation and Integration 

In several of the past years, Congress has provided annual direction on the proportionate 

amounts of the Roads appropriation to be spent for construction and maintenance. When 

funding is allocated to the field, the agency uses a formula that implements this direction. The 

formula considers land area, visitor use, timber volume offered on timber sale and stewardship 

contracts, and acres treated for hazardous fuels. Adjustments may be made among regions based 

on capability information submitted by the regions or to mitigate situations where proposed 

allocations would create undesirable transition effects. 

The NFRS is an integral part of the rural transportation network and is operated and maintained 

to provide safe access for all resource program activities including terrestrial and aquatic 

ecosystem management programs such as Integrated Resource Restoration, Hazardous Fuels, 

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness, and Trails. The NFRS supports public enjoyment of NFS 

lands by providing access to recreation sites, trailheads, and special areas. We focus allocations 

on the implementation of completed travel analyses. Coordination across multiple program areas 

is integral to successfully managing the NFRS to ensure the transportation system is adequate to 

meet those needs. 

Partnerships 

The Roads program supports partnership opportunities such as Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Program projects, cooperative agreements, work with States and counties through 

the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, with local counties through Resource 

Advisory Committee agreements, and with Tribal governments. These partnerships leverage 

Roads program funds to complete decommissioning and resource restoration work and to help 

communities reduce hazardous fuels by providing access to remove the material for biomass use 

opportunities. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 218

The National Forest Roads and Trails Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-657, 16 U.S.C. 535) authorizes the 

cooperative construction and maintenance of our road system. Under this authority, the Forest 

Service enters into Cooperative Road Construction and Use Agreements with the owners of large 

tracts of lands intermingled with NFS lands. The Forest Service also enters into Cooperative 

Forest Road Agreements with public road authorities, such as States and counties, where NFS 

access, local residential access, and local commerce needs coincide. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 219

Trails 

Budget Line Item Trails

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Trails

Annual Appropriations $75,000 $77,530 $82,516 $4,986 6%

Trails Total 75,000 77,530 82,516 4,986 6%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 585 591 607 16 3%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 585 591 607 16 3%

Trails

Maintain Trails 58,000 69,777 74,264 4,487 6%

Improve Trails 17,000 7,753 8,252 499 6%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Trails

Miles of system trails maintained 59,274 50,915 48,000 53,128 54,500 58,000

Miles of system trail improved 1,886 1,018 1,000 1,368 1,100 1,400

Percentage of system trails that meet national quality 

standards 26.0% 22.0% 24.0% 23.3% 25.0% 28.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $82,516,000 for Trails, an increase of $4,986,000 

above the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The National Forest System (NFS) inventory of approximately 157,000 miles of trails offers a 

vast range of recreation opportunities to the American public, directly supporting the America’s 

Great Outdoors Initiative. By FY 2016, the agency expects to have completed designation of 

trails for motor-vehicle use and will be designating trails for over the snow vehicle use consistent 

with Forest Service policy. The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps has been enhanced and 

continues to provide opportunities to work with partners to address ongoing trails maintenance 

needs. Through the Trails program, we continue to focus on management and protection of the 

National Scenic and Historic Trails, and work on the comprehensive plans for the Arizona 

National Scenic Trail, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, and the Nez Perce National 

Historic Trail. 

We will continue to implement the USDA Statement of Action in response to the Government 

Accountability Office (GAO) Report: “Forest Service Trails: Long- Short Term Improvements 

Could Reduce Maintenance Backlog and Enhance System Sustainability.” Emphasis items 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 220

include developing and implementing a national strategy for a sustainable trail program, 

reducing the trail deferred maintenance backlog, increasing opportunities to more efficiently 

leverage additional partner/volunteer assistance, and developing and providing an expanded and 

integrated system of training for agency personal and volunteers. These efforts are coordinated 

with the Forest Service Partners and Volunteers in Service program, as we strive to provide a 

more efficient and robust program for conducting trails maintenance with partner and volunteer 

assistance. We continue our collaborative work with other public land agencies in implementing 

the trails training program and in looking for ways to increase and share efficiencies in 

associated volunteer training efforts. 

In FY 2016, we will emphasize increasing the “Percent of System Trails Meeting Standard”. 

This performance measure, included in the 2007-2012 Forest Service Strategic Plan, provides an 

overall indicator of the condition of trails. This measure reflects the percentage of NFS trails 

that meet National Quality Standards, consistent with the maintenance cycle identified for each 

trail. These standards address health and cleanliness, resource setting, safety and security, 

responsiveness to trail users, and condition of facilities. A trail that “meets standard” complies 

with all of the critical national standards, and the majority of the remaining standards, and has 

little or no deferred maintenance. We will work to bring 28 percent of NFS trails to the national 

standard. 

Maintain Trails - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes funding to maintain and repair trails, 

including repair and reconstruction of trails and trail bridges damaged by flooding and major 

storm events, wildfire, tree mortality from insects and disease, and other natural disasters. At 

least 25 percent of this work will be accomplished through the use of volunteers and partners. 

We will continue to validate and improve the NFS trail inventory, as well as collect trail 

assessment and condition survey data, to ensure that we have sound, accurate information on 

trails. We will also continue to increase and deliver training for consistent reporting of trail 

accomplishments. Trail maintenance reduces resource damage and improves safety conditions to 

provide a safe and quality experience for trail users. 

Improve Trails - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes funding to improve trails in the NFS, 

investing funds to provide increased connectivity and enhanced trail-related access and 

recreation opportunities. Funds will also be used to improve access to recreational rivers, 

directly addressing an AGO goal. Trail improvement helps ensure safe and quality experiences 

for trail users; protects valuable wildlife, fish, and plant habitat; and protects water quality by 

preventing sedimentation of streams. 

Investments in NFS trails improve public safety and backcountry access for wildland fire and 

natural resource management, support physical fitness, and support a range of recreational 

opportunities, including those in wilderness areas. Communities adjacent to public lands and 

individuals whose livelihoods are tied to public lands also benefit from investments in trails. 

With 50 million visitor days of non-motorized and motorized use each year, NFS trails 

contribute substantially to the nearly $13.6 billion that recreational visits to national forests 

contribute annually to the U.S. economy. The vast majority of outfitters and guides 

(approximately 5,000) who work on the NFS lands depend on trails that are safe, wellmaintained and available to the public. Trail investments will also create opportunities to 

employ youth, to develop skills among temporary and seasonal employees, and to expand 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 221

contract work. With increasing demand for lowcost recreation opportunities, additional investments 

are needed to sustain and expand the economic 

return to the Nation from NFS trails.

Past Performance 

The Forest Service works with partners, volunteer 

groups and communities in the maintenance of NFS 

trails. In FY 2014, volunteers and partners 

contributed nearly 1.3 million hours for trail 

maintenance to NFS trails. Trail maintenance 

provides opportunities for agency employees and 

communities to work together protect and maintain 

our network of trails. We work collaboratively with 

trail partner organizations to identify specific trail 

projects for which the partner will provide 

volunteers, and the Forest Service provides 

oversight and force account crews. 

In FY 2014, we began to develop the Chief’s 

Strategy for Trails as a follow-up to the 2013 

Government Accountability Office report on trails 

maintenance. We have developed a baseline assessment and tool to track how we are narrowing 

the gap for trails maintenance and to help us identify trail maintenance accomplishments. We 

are also beginning to incorporate trails information into the new Interactive Visitor Use Map. 

This new map will provide visitors with information on the wide variety of recreational 

opportunities available on the national forests and grasslands. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service’s system of trails is vital for connecting people with each other, their 

community, their heritage, and their public lands. Investment in trails creates safe sustainable 

public access and supports a range of economic activities on NFS lands. 

Through the trails program we manage an inventory of over 157,000 miles of trails, a portion of 

which are National Scenic and Historic Trails. Around 32,000 miles of trails are located within 

designated wilderness areas. Visitors recreating on our trail system contribute millions dollars of 

direct and indirect revenue to local economies, and trails maintenance volunteers leverage 

substantial amounts of direct and in-kind contributions to trail management. 

We strive to ensure public safety and backcountry access through the operation, maintenance, 

rehabilitation, and improvement of NFS trails, serving a wide constituency of visitors at a 

relatively low cost per visitor. Trail use by the public both directly and indirectly supports local 

economies from funds spent by the Forest Service to maintain and improve trails to expenditures 

Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Trail Maintenance

In 2014, the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church 

Foundation collaborated with the Forest Service to 

complete priority annual and deferred maintenance 

work on trails in the Bitterroot and Frank Church 

Wilderness areas. Contributions by 113 volunteers, 

10 college interns, and additional financial 

assistance resulted in 6,498 trees cleared from 

trails,424 miles of trail maintained, 457 pounds of 

trash removed, and 11,726 volunteer hours 

contributed.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 222

made by visitors. Trails infrastructure is fundamental to the important economic impacts 

recreation provides to gateway communities across the country. 

The NFS trails accommodate roughly 50 million visits of non-motorized and motorized travel 

and activities including hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing, 

snowmobiling, and off-highway vehicle use each year. The Trails program offers a vast range of 

recreation opportunities to the American public, directly supporting the America’s Great 

Outdoors and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” Initiatives. 

The Forest Service administers National Scenic and Historic Trails, including the Pacific Crest 

National Scenic Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Florida National Scenic Trail, 

Nez Perce (Nee Mee Poo) National Historic Trail, Arizona National Scenic Trails, Pacific 

Northwest National Scenic Trail, and portions of an additional 15 other National Scenic and 

Historic Trails, such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. This administration is 

accomplished in coordination with other Federal public land agencies (see the Special Exhibit on 

National Scenic and Historic Trails for further details.) 

Trails programs are delivered through the two following activities. The terms “Improvement” 

and “Maintenance” are used as defined by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board 

(GPO # 041-001-00462-9). The maintenance and improvement of system trails ensures trails are 

accessible, adequately designed, safe, and environmentally responsible as described below: 

Maintain Trails (both annual and deferred maintenance) - This activity includes the maintenance 

and operation of system trails and trail bridges. Maintenance activities include the actions 

necessary to preserve or restore a trail to its originally intended condition in order to provide 

acceptable service and achieve the expected trail lifespan. Work includes clearing encroaching 

vegetation and fallen trees and the repair, preventive maintenance, and replacement of trail signs, 

tread and surfacing, water drainage, trail bridges, and other trail structures. Trail maintenance 

also provides trail accessibility and promotes ecosystem health by protecting soil, vegetation, and 

water quality. 

Improve Trails - Provides for the planning and design, new construction, alteration and 

expansion of system trails, trail bridges, and trail structures, such as barriers, culverts, fencing, 

and wildlife viewing platforms. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funding is allocated based on the existing miles of NFS trails, regional capability, and 

management of National Scenic and Historic Trails. In addition to maintaining a base-level 

ability to maintain trails in all of the national forests and grasslands, a portion of the trails 

funding creates jobs for youth and others in rural areas by leveraging resources. Projects that 

leverage the most non-Federal dollars and create the most jobs are high priorities. Trail 

maintenance and improvement is also funded by Capital Improvement and Maintenance, 

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement, Integrated Resource Restoration, and 

some permanent appropriations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 223

Partnerships 

We rely on healthy and effective partner organizations to help carry out a sustainable recreation 

and trails program. Nearly 40 percent of the Trails program’s accomplishments result directly 

from work completed with public-private partnerships, the highest level of any program in the 

Forest Service. Sharing best practices of fundraising and management among Federal agencies, 

established partner groups and smaller, newer non-profit organizations will enable us all to 

expand recreation opportunities in support of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. 

The Trails programs leverage thousands of hours of trail work from partner organizations, 

volunteers and youth organizations to operate, maintain, and improve thousands of miles of trail 

each year. Trail crews are one of the primary means for the Forest Service to employ young 

adults and to partner with local communities and interest groups. Across the NFS trails overall, 

in FY 2014, partners and volunteers contributed nearly 1.3 million hours of trail maintenance 

work valued at approximately $29 million. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 224

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement 

Budget Line Item Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure 

Improvement

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement

Annual Appropriations $3,000 $3,150 $33,451 $30,301 962%

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure 

Improvement Total 3,000 3,150 33,451 30,301 962%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1 7 80 73 1,043%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 7 80 73 1,043%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $33,451,000 for Deferred Maintenance and 

Infrastructure Improvement, an increase of $30,301,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted level. 

Priorities for addressing our maintenance backlog, and making smart strategic investments in our 

infrastructure, will be on facilities that pose serious threats to public health or safety, a natural 

resource, or to the ability of the Forest Service to implement its mission. Critical investments 

have been identified for funding in the following areas: dams, bridges, significant facilities, and 

the disposal of underutilized facilities. By funding investments in these focus areas, it is 

estimated that over $33 million in deferred maintenance items will be addressed, over 225,000 

square feet of space will be disposed, and that over $900,000 will be realized in annual savings 

due to avoided future costs. Future costs savings include estimated costs reductions for utility 

payments, maintenance and repair, and other operational savings. These investments will also 

greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic failure for a number of our high hazard dams, bridges, and 

highly utilized facilities, mitigating threats to public life/health/safety and the environment. 

Past Performance

In FY 2014, the agency funded five major projects, with $2.9 million, that eliminate $1.3 million 

in deferred maintenance. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 225

FY 2014 Deferred Major Projects

(dollars in thousands)

Region State Forest Project name Allocation 

Deferred 

Maintenace 

Eliminated 

1 ID Nez Perce NF Sewer Systems Repairs $594 $310 

1 ID 

Idaho Panhandle 

National Fforest 

Coeur d’ Alene Air Tanker Base 

Environmental Repairs 415 304 

2 CO Rio Grande NF 

Jumper Lake Dam Repairs and Hazard 

Analysis 280 20 

3 NM Carson NF 

Canjilon RS & El Rito RS Water 

System Improvements 511 94 

8 NC Croatan NF 

Cedar Point Campground Wastewater 

System Rehabilitation & Energy 

Conservation 700 293 

9 MI 

Huron-Manistee 

NF 

Huron Shores Ranger Station 

Renovations 437 269 

TOTAL $2,937 $1,290 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The focus of this program is to address the 

critical deferred maintenance on priority 

infrastructure which compliments agency 

goals and objectives. 

The Deferred Maintenance and 

Infrastructure Improvement program 

provides for maintenance, repair, and 

improvement of the agency’s infrastructure. 

These assets currently have a backlog of 

over $5.1 billion dollars in maintenance 

needs, as of the end of FY 2014. The cost of 

addressing deferred maintenance varies each 

year (e.g. fluctuating building material 

costs). Please see the Special Exhibit on 

Deferred Maintenance for additional 

information. 

This program provides for maintenance of 

recreation developed sites, water-wastewater 

systems, roads, trails, road and trail bridges, 

fire, administrative, and other facility maintenance projects as well as infrastructure capital 

improvements as described below: 

North Lake Creek Bridge Replacement, Pike-San Isabel 

NF, CO

This project replaced a structurally deficient road bridge, 

that accesses three wilderness trailheads, numerous private 

inholdings, and an abandoned mine slated for hazardous 

waste cleanup for the next 15 years. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 226

Maintenance - This activity includes repairs, preventive maintenance, and replacement of parts 

and structural components. Maintenance that is not performed as needed or scheduled is referred 

to as deferred maintenance. Deferred maintenance leads to deterioration of performance, 

increased costs to repair, and a decrease in the value of the infrastructure. Deferred maintenance 

complements the Facilities, Roads, Trails, and the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) 

programs by directing funds specifically toward reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance in 

large part to ensure the safety of the recreating public, agency employees, volunteers, and 

contractors. 

Infrastructure Improvement - This activity includes the construction of new infrastructure, 

alteration of existing infrastructure to change its function, and the expansion of existing 

infrastructure to increase capacity. Improvements are often required to maintain public service 

capability or recreational opportunities. Capital improvement projects eliminate deferred 

maintenance and provide mission-critical infrastructure. 

Allocation and Integration 

Projects that achieve the greatest reduction in the agency’s total deferred maintenance backlog 

are given priority for funding. Starting in FY 2011, funds have been allocated to nationally 

selected projects that address the most critical health and safety infrastructure needs particularly 

in areas heavily used by the public and agency employees. Condition assessment surveys drive 

management decisions and national allocations regarding construction, use, maintenance or 

decommissioning, and disposal of assets. 

In addition to Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement, other programs and 

authorities are available to reduce deferred maintenance, including Integrated Resource 

Restoration; Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Facilities, Roads, and Trails programs; and 

Permanent Appropriations including the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Fund, Roads 

and Trails for States Fund, and Operations and Maintenance of Quarters Fund. Through the use 

of these funds, the agency is able to direct additional resources that address the significant 

backlog of deferred maintenance on the agency’s infrastructure. 

Partnerships 

The program has leveraged funds through partnerships with non-profit organizations and 

volunteers. Additional leveraging has been accomplished through concessionaire programs, user 

maintenance fees, and other partner-based work. These partnerships will continue to be 

maintained through the Facilities, Roads and Trails programs. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 227

Land Acquisition 

Appropriation Land Acquisition

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Land Acquisition

Annual Appropriations $43,525 $47,500 $63,000 $15,500 33%

Land Acquisition Total 43,525 47,500 63,000 15,500 33%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 51 49 53 4 8%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 51 49 53 4 8%

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition 43,525 47,500 63,000 15,500 33%

Appropriation Acquisition of Lands for National Forests 

Special Acts

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts

Annual Appropriations $912 $950 $1,950 $1,000 105%

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts 

Total 912 950 1,950 1,000 105%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

Appropriation Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land 

Exchanges

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges

Annual Appropriations $217 $216 $216 0 0%

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 

Total 217 216 216 0 0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 228

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Land Acquisition (Appropriation)

Number of acres acquired or donated (Discretionary 

funds) 26,330 62,133 43,378 54,230 35,548 27,823

Number of acres acquired or donated (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 33,343

Priority acres acquired or donated that reduce the 

conversion of forests, grasslands, and aquatic and 

riparian ecosystems to incompatible uses in order to 

improve and maintain ecological conditions for federally 

listed and candidate species, species of concern and 

species of interest (Discretionary funds) 20,624 20,954 34,463 51,644 26,661 20,868

Priority acres acquired or donated that reduce the 

conversion of forests, grasslands, and aquatic and 

riparian ecosystems to incompatible uses in order to 

improve and maintain ecological conditions for federally 

listed and candidate species, species of concern and 

species of interest (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 25,008

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $63,000,000 in discretionary funding for Land 

Acquisition, an increase of $15,500,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted level. An additional 

$64,673,000 of mandatory funding is proposed to be transferred from the Department of the 

Interior for a combined total of $127,673,000. Acquisitions address public support for the 

conservation of public lands for enjoyment and use by the public, as outlined in the America’s 

Great Outdoors Initiative. 

The President’s Budget proposes to permanently authorize annual mandatory funding, without 

further appropriation or fiscal year limitation for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture 

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs beginning in FY 2017. The Budget 

proposes $900 million in total LWCF funding, comprised of $500 million in mandatory and 

$400 million discretionary funds. The amounts requested include the authorized levels for the 

Department of the Interior and Agriculture. 

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Initiative 

The request includes $21,020,000 in discretionary and $27,428,000 in mandatory funds to 

support the projects described in this section under the heading “Collaborative Landscape 

Planning” (CLP), which addresses American Great Outdoors Action Item 5.2a: Implement an 

interagency process to invest part of the Federal LWCF funds in high-yield conservation projects 

that address shared ecological goals. These landscapes where the agencies can collaboratively 

respond to locally supported planning efforts to protect critical ecosystems before fragmentation 

occurs. 

Conserving large-scale landscapes provides multiple resource and economic benefits to the 

public, including clean drinking water, improved recreational opportunities and access, reduced 

wildfire risk, protection of habitat for at-risk and game species, more effective land management 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 229

and jobs creation on and off forests and grasslands. All proposed land acquisition projects will 

reduce expenditures associated with a wide variety of land management activities, including 

boundary management. Further, protecting contiguous landscapes also improves access for fire 

suppression for the Forest Service while also increasing public access to diverse recreational 

resources on public land not previously available to the public. 

There are CLP projects among the discretionary and mandatory requests. The Upper Rio Grande 

project focuses on the importance of water, history, and working lands anchored by the Rio 

Grande River in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. The High Divide Project seeks 

to protect animal and fish migration corridors thatlink Yellowstone National Park from its border 

in Idaho to the Frank Church Wilderness in Montana, and provide public access to Federal lands 

in those States. The National Trails System project receives a second round of investment for 

the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (NST) in Washington and California, and the Continental 

Divide NST in Montana. This discretionary request includes an initial investment in the George 

Washington and Jefferson National Forests for a tract in Virginia that will help protect water 

quality upstream of the Chesapeake Bay. The mandatory section of the FY 2016 Budget 

contains requests that would finish the Florida-Georgia Longleaf Pine project, which protects 

and restores Red-cockaded Woodpecker habitat in the Osceola National Forest, while protecting 

drinking water supplies of North Florida. Lastly, the Budget includes initial investments in the 

Pathways to the Pacific Project for strategic protection in the Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area, to support recreational access, and it includes funding for important forested parcels 

necessary for climate change resilience and watershed protection on the Shasta-Trinity National 

Forest in California. Each CLP project complements investments by the Department of the 

Interior and reinforces the Administration’s commitment to these important landscapes. 

Core Forest Service Acquisitions 

The request includes $56,475,000 for core Forest Service acquisitions ($26,230,000 discretionary 

and $30,245,000 mandatory) focused on acquiring the highest priority lands, which advance 

agency goals for restoring resilient ecosystems, watershed management under the Watershed 

Condition Framework, and increased hunter/angler access. Often, acquisition of a single parcel 

can provide significant large-scale benefits by ensuring that entire watersheds and ecosystems 

remain intact. Preventing incompatible development can greatly enhance the effectiveness of 

management on surrounding public lands. These tracts can also be the key to significantly 

increasing the availability of existing Federal lands to the public. 

Hunter/Angler Access/Critical Inholdings 

The Forest Service will use $7,000,000 ($5,000,000 hunter/angler access and $2,000,000 critical 

inholding/wilderness) of FY 2016 LWCF funds to acquire strategically-located parcels that: 1) 

secure or improve access, both motorized and non-motorized; and 2) prevent incompatible 

development in areas with special or congressional designations or within landscapes of 

predominantly Federal ownership. These funds will also be used to acquire parcels that provide 

direct use of important recreation resources such as hunting and fishing opportunities, hiking and 

climbing routes, and motorized uses. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 230

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts; and Acquisition of Lands to Complete 

Land Exchanges 

The request includes $1,950,000 for acquisitions authorized under National Forests Special Acts. 

These funds will be used to acquire lands necessary to protect watersheds, minimize soil erosion, 

and rehabilitate specified National Forests in Nevada, Utah, California, and Arkansas. The 

request includes $216,000 for Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges. 

Past Performance 

Through Land Acquisition we consolidate fragmented lands in order to connect important 

landscapes and habitats, and provide recreational access for the public. We evaluate potential 

acquisitions on their ability to further key agency goals around access to support outdoor 

recreation and protect threatened and endangered species. Connecting fragmented landscapes 

also greatly enhances restoration and protects watersheds, especially in the wildland-urban 

interface (WUI), areas where residential developments are intermingled with undeveloped 

forests. 

In FY 2014, we completed an historic investment on the Lolo and Flathead National Forests in 

Montana aimed at reconnecting “checkerboard” lands on those forests. Undoing checkerboard 

ownership often makes public lands accessible at a ratio of 3-to-1. For every square mile of 

checkerboard land acquired, three square miles are connected. It is estimated that the 144,000 

acres acquired in these Forests reconnected over 400,000 acres, bringing dramatic efficiencies of 

scale for wildfire protection, wildlife and game management, and public access. This area of 

Montana contains one of the last intact ecosystems on earth for large carnivores such as the 

Grizzly Bear, and is immensely popular for outdoor recreation and hunting and fishing. 

The benefits that this enhanced connectivity gives to the Flathead and Lolo are numerous but 

another immediate benefit is that no additional private homes will be built on those acres in the 

WUI, meaning no structures the Forest Service needs to protect from wildfire. In the West 16 

percent of the WUI is developed with homes. If 50 percent of the WUI were to be developed, 

the cost of protecting the homes from catastrophic wildfires could be as much as $4 to 5 billion. 

This example illuminates how connecting fragmented lands, especially in the WUI is a win-winwin: reduced costs for fire-fighting, reduced risk to firefighters, residents, and property, and a 

connected landscape to better support wildlife and recreation. [1]

http://headwaterseconomics.org/wphw/wp-content/uploads/wildfire_homes_solutions_presentation.pdf
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 231

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Land Acquisition program funds the acquisition and donation of lands, waters, and other 

interests within the National Forest System to further agency goals for resilient landscapes and 

communities. Acquired lands support Forest Service goals for restoration, recreation and access, 

habitat for wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, and water quality and quantity 

protection. Land acquisition best supports these goals through consolidating and connecting 

fragmented lands. Acquisitions are prioritized based on their ecological and social benefits such 

as recreational access, tourism, and economic support of gateway communities. 

Land acquisition reduces land management costs by consolidating and connecting large 

landscapes. Fragmented development within forest boundaries can exacerbate fire, insect, and 

disease management challenges, which brings high costs to both the agency and neighboring 

communities. Forest Service land acquisitions generally have broad support by stakeholders at 

the local level due to their potential effect to decrease management costs across the board and 

attract more visitors who want to recreate in a safe, accessible environment. 

Land acquisition is just one land adjustment tool we have to promote the long-term health and 

sustainability of the national forests and grasslands. The program is delivered through the 

following activities: 

 Land Acquisition Management - This activity covers expenses to complete land acquisitions 

and donations, including costs associated with employing technical expertise, and due 

diligence work such as title search, appraisals, land acquisition surveys, and legal document 

preparation. Acquisition management funds also cover administrative costs associated with 

high-priority land exchanges when the land to be acquired meets LWCF criteria. 

 Land Purchase - Funds pay for the costs of purchasing lands. 

 Cash Equalization - This activity provides for a cash payment needed to equalize values in a 

land exchange when the value of the non-Federal land exceeds the value of the Federal land 

(up to 25 percent of the Federal land value). 

 Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts – These funds are used to acquire 

lands necessary to protect watersheds, minimize soil erosion, and rehabilitate specified 

national forests in Nevada, Utah, California, and Arkansas. 

 Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges - This program provides for the 

acquisition of lands with funds collected from the exchange or sale of National Forest System 

lands with State, county, or municipal governments, public school authorities, or other nonFederal parties, allowed under various authorities. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 232

Allocation and Integration 

Core land acquisition projects funded through LWCF are selected using a two-stage process. 

First, Forest Service regions review and rank projects according to the Strategic Land 

Acquisition Rating System (SLARS). Top regional projects are submitted to agency 

headquarters, where they compete nationally against other projects proposed by other Forest 

Service regions. Criteria tie the selection process to the LWCF Act and the agency’s Strategic 

Plan goals and objectives, and are used to identify and prioritize acquisitions to maximize public 

benefit. Congressionally approved project funds are allocated to the benefiting regions as soon 

as all parties are ready to close on the sale of the property. Acquisitions may be funded through 

other means such as Sisk Act funds or revenue raised through sales or exchanges. Information 

about the SLARS and the national criteria are available on the Forest Service web site at 

http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/LWCF/index.shtml. The processes used to identify and 

recommend funding for the CLP are described elsewhere in this section. 

Acquisition management funding is allocated to the regions using criteria based on workload, 

including prior year accomplishments and new current fiscal year funded projects. Cash 

equalization funds are accessed at the time an individual land exchange is ready to close. 

Partnerships 

Forest Service land acquisition has been a partnership based program for over 30 years. Our 

work with partners on important conservation acquisitions funded by the LWCF is the 

foundation of several longstanding relationships that have protected key strategic lands that 

allow the Forest Service to provide a diversity of benefits to the public. The agency priorities 

articulated in our land acquisition project list are in many respects a compendium of years of 

collaboration and on-going dialogue with partners. Partnerships provide more than funding and 

logistical support for acquisitions. They are essential for communication, learning and 

innovation, helping us be responsive and deliver results. The land acquisition program relies on 

partnerships and relationships with local, State, Federal, Tribal, corporate and non-governmental 

organizations, and individuals. These partners often work with us on multiple programs such as 

the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, watershed protection and restoration, 

and the Forest Legacy Program. 

Key partnerships supporting CLP projects include Trout Unlimited on the Upper Rio Grande; the 

Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts for the High Divide; and The Friends of the (Columbia River) 

Gorge for the National Trails and Pathways to the Pacific CLP projects. Core acquisition 

projects such as Wasatch Watersheds-Bonneville Shoreline Trail are supported by the Trust for 

Public Land. The Conservation Fund is partnering with the agency on the Current River 

acquisitions on the Mark Twain and the Tennessee Mountain tracts on the Cherokee National 

Forests and several others. Other supporters and partners include the Nature Conservancy, the 

Wilderness Land Trust, the Teton Regional Land Trust and the Western Rivers Conservancy. 

This list does not capture the totality of partners’ national and local that help make strategic land 

protection possible in the National Forests and Grasslands, but it does provide a window into the 

diversity of relationships the Forest Service has built over time. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 233

Working with numerous partners, the land acquisition program leverages a significant amount of 

funding each year. Funding and other project support from partners for due diligence such as 

landowner outreach, title, appraisal, and environmental analysis, can provide 20 to 40 percent of 

administrative funding each year for projects. In FY 2014, partners and landowners donated 

more than $21 million in lands and due diligence nationwide, at least $17 million of which was 

the value of donated lands. This support equals nearly 40 percent of the appropriated funds the 

Forest Service was able to dedicate to land acquisition. Including donated lands, the Forest 

Service acquired 54,258 acres, nearly $70 million worth of land, and spent $4.5 million in direct 

costs associated with acquisitions and donations, which comes to approximately $83 dollars per 

acre spent by the Forest Service in Acquisition Management administrative dollars. 

Collaborative Landscape Planning 

Land Acquisition in FY 2016 builds on efforts started in FY 2013 to strategically invest in 

interagency landscape-scale conservation projects while continuing to meet agency-specific 

programmatic needs. The Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service collaborated 

extensively to develop a process to more effectively coordinate land acquisitions with 

government and local community partners to achieve the highest priority shared conservation 

goals. 

The FY 2016 Collaborative Landscape Planning projects have been evaluated by a Technical 

Advisory Committee according to merit-based criteria in the following categories: 

 Process - Ensure proposals are built through Federal agency and local stakeholder 

collaboration and make efficient use of Federal funding.

 Outcomes - Ensure Federal resources are targeted to achieve important biological, 

recreational, cultural, and socio-economic outcomes.

 Urgency - Ensure funding is focused on outcomes that may be lost today if no action is taken 

or that are particularly achievable today.

 Contribution to National Priorities - Ensure local proposals are important contributors to the 

highest priority national conservation goals.

Investing now in these ecologically important and threatened landscapes will ensure that they 

remain resilient in the face of development pressures and global climate change, and are made 

available to the public in the near term. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 234

Land and Water Conservation Fund Proposed Acquisition List Fiscal Year 2016 

Administration Funding Request 

Acquisition Management $8,500,000 

Cash Equalization $250,000 

Small Parcel Acquisitions Funding Request 

Sportsman/Recreational Access $5,000,000 

Critical Inholdings/Wilderness $2,000,000 

Priority Project Name State Forest/Unit Funding Request 

1 CLP: Upper Rio Grande CO Rio Grande $5,000,000 

2 Hurdygurdy CA Six Rivers $700,000 

3 

Wasatch Watersheds-Bonneville 

Shoreline Trail UT Uinta-Wasatch-Cache $2,320,000 

4 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Pisgah $1,250,000 

5 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Uwharrie $450,000 

6 CLP: High Divide MT Beaverhead-Deerlodge $1,525,000 

7 CLP: High Divide ID Caribou-Targhee $1,625,000 

8 CLP: High Divide MT Gallatin $2,000,000 

9 CLP: High Divide ID 

Frank Church River of No Return 

Wilderness $425,000 

10 CLP: High Divide ID Sawtooth $2,500,000 

11 Sierra Nevada Checkerboard CA Tahoe $1,400,000 

12 Toll Properties CO Roosevelt $800,000 

13 Tennessee Mountains TN Cherokee $1,635,000 

14 Current River MO Mark Twain $2,070,000 

15 CLP: Rivers of the Chesapeake VA George Washington and Jefferson $1,990,000 

16 Fossil Creek AZ Coconino $1,000,000 

17 Minnesota Northwoods MN Chippewa $2,175,000 

18 Minnesota Northwoods MN Superior $515,000 

19 Florida Longleaf Initiative FL Osceola $3,900,000 

20 CLP: National Trails WA Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail $3,000,000 

21 CLP: National Trails CA Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail $200,000 

22 CLP: National Trails MT Continental Divide National Scenic Trail $255,000 

23 Upper Gros Ventre WY Bridger-Teton $1,000,000 

24 Pacific Northwest Streams OR Umatilla $840,000 

25 Pacific Northwest Streams OR Rogue River-Siskiyou $550,000 

26 Greater Yellowstone Area WY Bridger-Teton $1,025,000 

27 Castle Crags CA Shasta-Trinity $2,800,000 

28 CLP: High Divide ID Sawtooth $2,300,000 

29 CLP: High Divide MT Beaverhead-Deerlodge $200,000 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 235

Priority Project Name State Forest/Unit Funding Request

30 Great Lakes- Northwoods MI Ottawa $1,800,000 

Subtotal Discretionary Funding $63,000,000 

31 Wedge Properties CO Arapaho $1,275,000 

32 CLP: Upper Rio Grande NM Carson $3,000,000 

33 CLP: Upper Rio Grande CO Rio Grande $6,000,000 

34 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Pisgah $1,100,000 

35 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Uwharrie $500,000 

36 Tennessee Mountains TN Cherokee $4,200,000 

37 Washington Cascades Yakima Basin WA Okanogan-Wenatchee $3,000,000 

38 CLP: Rivers of the Chesapeake VA George Washington- Jefferson $2,700,000 

39 CLP: Rivers of the Chesapeake WV George Washington -Jefferson $3,000,000 

40 Cube Cove AK Tongass $4,000,000 

41 Disappearing Wildlands of Georgia GA Chattahoochee-Oconee $3,035,000 

42 Heart Bar Ranch NM Gila $2,500,000 

43 CLP: National Trails CA Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail $1,000,000 

44 CLP: National Trails WA Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail $1,000,000 

45 Jenkins Gulch MT Helena $560,000 

46 Montana Legacy Completion MT Flathead $2,000,000 

47 Salmon Selway ID Sawtooth $3,500,000 

48 CLP: Pathways to the Pacific WA 

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic 

Area $660,000 

49 CLP: Pathways to the Pacific OR 

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic 

Area $465,000 

50 CLP: Florida-Georgia Longleaf Pine FL Osceola $6,775,000 

51 RMNA McMahon Owens CO Arapaho $250,000 

52 Wassen Creek OR Siuslaw $3,000,000 

53 Hoosier Uplands IN Hoosier $1,325,000 

54 CLP: Northern Coastal California CA Shasta-Trinity $2,828,000 

Acquisition Management $7,000,000 

Subtotal Mandatory Funding $64,673,000 

Total Funding $127,673,000 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Land Acquisition 236

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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 237

Other Appropriations 

Range Betterment Fund 

Appropriation Range Betterment Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Range Betterment Fund

Annual Appropriations $3,000 $2,320 $2,320 0 0%

Range Betterment Fund Total 3,000 2,320 2,320 0 0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 5 5 5 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 5 5 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Range Betterment Fund

Number of range structural improvements 350 339 250 222 300 300

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $2,320,000 for Range Betterment, the same level as 

the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. This funding will allow us to place more emphasis on addressing 

the backlog of structural and non-structural improvements prescribed in grazing allotment 

National Environmental Policy Act decision documents. These improvements will protect 

and/or improve water quality, soil conditions, and vegetative health while conserving threatened 

or endangered plant and animal species. Restoration of ecologically beneficial plant diversity 

through the treatment of invasive plants will continue to be a priority for non-structural 

rangeland improvement work. 

Past Performance 

The structures constructed or improved through this program help manage the movement of 

animals to provide for proper range management and maintain or improve plant health. 

Examples include fences and livestock watering facilities. The non-structural rangeland 

improvement activities, such as noxious weeds and invasive plants treatments and brush control, 

reduce fire risk on rangelands by limiting plant densities and/or by changing species 

composition. These activities also are important to maintain water quality and soil health. The 

mix of activities conducted in FY 2014 included slightly fewer structural improvements than 

anticipated, but a substantial increase in the acres of rangeland vegetation improvement—rising 

from 90,690 acres in FY 2013 to 131,707 acres in FY 2014. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 238

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Range Betterment Fund program supports the agency’s goal of sustaining the Nation’s 

forests and grasslands by fostering healthy ecosystems, mitigating wildfire risk, and conserving 

open space. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, (43 U.S.C. 1751) P.L. 94-

579, as amended by the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1751(b) (1) 

P.L. 95-514, authorizes the Range Betterment program and it authorizes the allocation of onehalf of grazing receipts from National Forest System (NFS) lands in the 16 Western States for 

rangeland rehabilitation, protection, and improvements on the NFS lands from which the receipts 

were collected. Allocations have historically been at one-half of the receipts level. This 

program supports all of the same economic activities associated with the Grazing Management 

program, but at a more limited scale. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated proportionately to the regions where receipts are collected. Activities 

performed to improve forage, change vegetative composition, control patterns of use, provide 

water, stabilize soil and water conditions, and provide habitat for livestock and wildlife include, 

but are not limited to: construction of water developments to aid in livestock distribution, 

building fences to protect sensitive resources, and treatment projects to alter soil and vegetation 

conditions on NFS lands. These activities enhance or stabilize vegetative conditions, improve 

water quality, maintain riparian areas and stream banks while conserving threatened or 

endangered plant and animal species. Funds may also be used to treat noxious weeds that are 

present as a result of permitted livestock grazing. 

Partnerships 

Grazing permittees are significant and important partners in the implementation of rangeland 

betterment projects. Program funds are leveraged with permittees’ fees or in-kind contributions 

to enhance livestock management. These partnerships also provides a foundation for involving a 

variety of special interest organizations such as cattlemen’s associations, resource conservation 

organizations, and land trusts further enhancing opportunities for rangeland betterment. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 239

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and Rangeland Research 

Appropriation Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest 

and Rangeland Research

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and 

Rangeland Research

Annual Appropriations $40 $45 $45 0 0%

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and 

Rangeland Research Total 40 45 45 0 0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $45,000 for Gifts, Donations, and Bequest for 

Research, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service received donations from individuals and businesses for research 

work units and other organizational sub-units to further their research and development 

programs. The funds were used to purchase supplies and equipment and to offset travel to 

training and seminars. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This special account serves for acceptance of gifts, donations, and bequests for deposit that are 

used to establish or operate any forest and rangeland research facility. These gifts or donations 

can be received from outside sources, such as individuals and businesses. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 240

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses 

Appropriation Management of National Forest Lands for 

Subsistence Uses 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses 

Annual Appropriations $2,500 $2,500 $2,441 -$59 -2%

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses Total 2,500 2,500 2,441 -59 -2%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 12 12 13 1 8%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 12 12 13 1 8%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $2,441,000 for Management of National Forest Lands 

for Subsistence, a decrease of $59,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. With this proposed 

funding, the Forest Service will continue to meet its responsibilities under the 1980 Alaska 

National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and provide vital employment in isolated 

rural communities where opportunities are severely limited. The proposed funding level will 

also enable the Forest Service to continue to fund approximately 40 seasonal employees that 

collect fish and wildlife population data. The data is used to inform the establishment of annual 

harvest levels and is essential for keeping fish and wildlife populations strong. 

Past Performance 

The Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses Program plays a vital role in 

sustaining the health of rural Alaskan communities by ensuring healthy fish and wildlife 

populations are available to provide a reliable food supply for residents, and maintaining vital 

employment in remote reaches where opportunities are limited. 

To ensure that the program is achieving its goals in supporting rural communities, the Forest 

Service has implemented a number of critical monitoring and management actions. Activities 

associated with this work were accomplished using both Management of National Forest Lands 

for Subsistence Uses funds and other NFS funds that complement the objectives of this program. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service completed 29 regular-cycle management analyses to determine 

current population, and appropriate harvest, levels for fish and wildlife species, and to determine 

appropriate management actions to provide for subsistence uses on the national forests in Alaska. 

The Forest Service also analyzed and implemented eight special actions to address immediate 

conservation and subsistence use issues. 

Together with the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service also continued to expand 

consultation on all facets of the Federal subsistence program, including annual rulemaking, with 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 241

all Alaska Tribes and Native Corporations in order to comply with presidential and secretarial 

policy direction and to be respectful of the current and historical role of native Alaskans in 

managing for their customary and traditional subsistence uses. 

In FY 2014, the agency oversaw 11 salmon stock assessments, one comprehensive assessment 

for the eulachon (a small anadromous fish), and four population surveys for subsistenceharvested wildlife species. Most monitoring was implemented through contracts and 

agreements, which supported about 45 local jobs in rural communities with tribal organizations. 

These assessments continue to be vital to effective management of subsistence uses, while 

providing for conservation of harvested species. 

In FY 2014, Forest Service law enforcement issued 14 citations and 15 warnings specific to 

subsistence uses. An emphasis for the upcoming year will be to reduce these numbers primarily 

through user education. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) (16 U.S.C. 3101) provides 

rural Alaskan residents a subsistence priority to harvest fish and wildlife on Federal lands over 

sport and commercial uses. ANILCA authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue regulations 

relevant to the taking of fish and wildlife on public lands in the State of Alaska. ANILCA 

envisioned that the State of Alaska would manage for this rural priority, as was the case for 10 

years. However, the statute was found to conflict with the Alaska State Constitution, which 

prohibits granting subsistence priority to only rural residents. As a result, the Federal 

government assumed responsibility for subsistence management on Federal public lands in 1990 

and expanded its responsibility to Federally-reserved navigable waters in Alaska in 1999. 

The Subsistence program is delivered through the following activities: 

Regulatory - This activity includes an annual cycle of rule promulgation for harvesting fish and 

wildlife, in-season actions to address immediate conservation issues, and administration of 

harvest permits to manage use. The Alaska Regional Forester serves on the inter-agency Federal 

Subsistence Board, and is delegated to act for the Secretary of Agriculture for all aspects of the 

Federal interagency program. Federal subsistence hunting and fishing regulations must be 

reviewed annually to ensure a sustained supply of wild food resources and that a harvest priority 

is provided for rural residents on Federal lands. Annually, the Forest Service, through the Board, 

addresses up to 60 proposed changes to existing regulations and responds to more than 1,500 

requests for harvest permits. 

Information Gathering - This activity includes fish and wildlife monitoring necessary for 

regulatory purposes and to ensure the conservation of fish and wildlife. Most monitoring is 

implemented through contracts and agreements, providing local jobs in rural communities with 

tribal and other local organizations. Collection and analysis of critical information is used to 

substantiate which regulatory changes should be implemented, and justification for those which 

cannot be supported. Monitoring information can also lead to emergency actions to curtail 

harvest in-season, to assure conservation of viable populations. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Other Appropriations 242

Law Enforcement and Education - This activity includes enforcement of Federal regulations for 

the taking of fish and wildlife on 22 million acres, approximately 75 waterways and navigable 

lakes, and areas of Prince William Sound. It also includes education of subsistence users and 

others to reduce the need for enforcement action. Enforcement of Federal subsistence hunting 

and fishing regulations requires protecting the subsistence priority and conserving healthy fish 

and wildlife populations. 

The subsistence program provides vital employment in isolated rural communities where 

opportunities are severely limited. Local residents are hired to monitor fish and wildlife 

populations which are essential for adjusting harvest regulations and sustaining fish and wildlife 

populations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 243

Wildland Fire Management 

Appropriation Wildland Fire Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Wildland Fire Management

Annual Appropriations $2,162,302$2,333,298 $2,354,029 $20,731 1%

Wildland Fire Management Total 2,162,302 2,333,298 2,354,029 20,731 1%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 12,115 12,266 12,310 44 0%

Recovery Act FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 12,115 12,266 12,310 44 0%

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness 1,057,580 1,145,840 1,082,620 -63,220 -6%

Suppression 680,488 708,000 794,534 86,534 12%

Hazardous Fuels 306,500 361,749 359,126 -2,623 -1%

Research and Development 19,795 19,795 19,820 25 0%

Joint Fire Science Program 6,914 6,914 6,917 3 0%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 0 0 0 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 0 0 0 0 0%

State Fire Assistance 78,000 78,000 78,012 12 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 13,025 13,000 13,000 0 0%

Wildland Fire Management Overview 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $2,354,029,000 for Wildland Fire Management 

(WFM), an increase of $20,731,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Through WFM 

programs, the Forest Service protects life, property and natural resources on the 193 million acre 

National Forest System and an additional 20 million acres of adjacent State and private lands 

through fee or reciprocal protection agreements. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget continues to call for a fundamental change in how wildfire 

suppression is funded to reduce fire risk, manage landscapes more holistically, and increase 

resiliency of the Nation’s forests and rangelands and the communities that border them. The cost 

of fire management has grown from 13 percent of the agency’s budget in the 1990s to over 50 

percent in 2014. It is subsuming the agency’s budget and jeopardizing our ability to successfully 

implement our full mission. The number and severity of fires has grown in recent years as has 

the frequency of catastrophic fires that risk life and property. At the same time, the wildlandurban interface (WUI) has continued to expand. These factors have contributed to the growing 

cost of suppression. Since 2000 suppression costs have exceeded amounts provided in annual 

appropriations every year with only two exceptions, requiring the Forest Service to transfer funds 

from other programs to cover those costs. The lost momentum of critical restoration programs as 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 244

fire transfers deplete the budget by up to $500 million annually is felt across critical programs 

nationwide and exacerbates the frequency and intensity of fires in subsequent years. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes a fiscally responsible funding strategy that considers 

catastrophic wildland fires as disasters, to be funded in part by budget authority provided through 

a wildfire suppression cap adjustment which is outside the discretionary appropriation of the 

agency. In FY 2016, the President’s Budget continues to propose discretionary funding for 

wildland fire suppression at a level that provides for suppression of 99 percent of fires within the 

Forest Service discretionary program, represented by 70 percent of the 10-year average of fire 

suppression spending. In addition, up to $855 million would be available under a disaster 

funding cap adjustment to meet suppression needs above the base appropriation. This strategy 

provides increased certainty in addressing growing fire suppression funding needs, better 

safeguards non-suppression programs from transfers that have diminished their effectiveness, 

and allows us to stabilize and invest in programs that will more effectively restore forested 

landscapes, treat forests for the increasing effects of climate change, and prepare communities in 

the WUI for future wildfires. However, while the cap adjustment proposal helps to stabilize the 

rapidly increasing portion of the Forest Service’s budget that is going towards fire suppression, 

the amount of funding requested for suppression is still tied to the 10-year average, which has 

been steadily increasing over the last decade and increased again in FY 2016, resulting in the $86 

million increase in the Suppression request. 

The agency has made great progress in its continued focus on risk based decision making when 

responding to wildfires, and in FY 2016 will continue this important work to better inform 

decision makers on the risks and tradeoffs associated with wildfire management decisions. Prior 

to the FY 2015 fire season the Forest Service will host a Risk Management Summit along with 

risk practitioners from other Federal agencies to forge the path forward of continuous 

improvement and learning on how risk management is practiced in wildland fire management. 

The outcomes of the summit will solidify the concept of shared risk, a central tenant of the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, which establishes a shared vision 

between Federal and non-Federal entities for managing wildland fires. 

The WFM program also recognizes the importance of integrating fire as a critical natural process 

in land and resource management plans and activities, managing wildfire across landownership 

boundaries, and applying the best available science. 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget also furthers efforts to focus hazardous fuels treatments in the 

WUI on the highest priority acres in areas that are identified in community wildfire protection 

plans (CWPPs) or equivalent plans, with hazardous fuels treatments targeted on reducing the risk 

of catastrophic fire on over 1.725 million WUI acres. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 245

Preparedness 

Budget Line Item Preparedness

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Preparedness

Annual Appropriations $1,057,580$1,145,840 $1,082,620 -$63,220 -6%

Preparedness Total 1,057,580 1,145,840 1,082,620 -63,220 -6%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 7,371 6,781 7,134 353 5%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 7,371 6,781 7,134 353 5%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Preparedness

Percent change from the 10-year average for the number 

of wildfires controlled during initial attack. -1.2% -0.1% 0.2% 1.3% 0.2% 0.2%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President's Budget proposes $1,080,620,000 for Preparedness, a decrease of 

$63,220,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. This funding reflects the full costs of readiness 

resources and program management. As directed by Congress in the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, a detailed table of actual and proposed estimated spending on fire 

operations, including aviation resources, is included as a Special Exhibit. 

The Preparedness program ensures agency capability to protect life, property, and natural 

resources while responding to wildfires in an appropriate, risk informed, and effective manner 

that is consistent with land and resource management objectives. Firefighter and public safety 

are the primary considerations for all operations. In FY 2016, the agency will continue 

emphasizing strategies to increase operational efficiency, including: 

 predictive services analysis of the potential for strategic deployment of firefighting resources 

during fire seasons; 

 risk-informed, performance-based fire suppression; 

 web-based wildfire decision support tools; 

 development, enhancement, and integration of technology applications; 

 centralized management of aviation assets; and 

 modernizing the firefighting airtanker fleet. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 246

Resource Summary FY 2014 to FY 2016 

Resource 

FY 2014 

Actual 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres. Budget 

Firefighters (FFTR) – Total is inclusive of categories below 10,000 10,000 10,000 

Type I Interagency Hot Shot Crews (20-person) 67 crews 

1,340 FFTR 

67 crews 

1,340 FFTR 

67 crews 

1,340 FFTR 

Other Firefighters 7,940 7,940 7,940 

Smoke Jumpers 320 320 320 

Prevention Technicians 400 400 400 

Engines 900 900 900 

Heavy Equipment – Dozers, Tractor Plow Units, Tenders 210 210 210 

Helicopters 

Type 11 34 Up to 34 Up to 34 

Type 2 33 33 33 

Type 32 43 46 46 

Airtankers 

Legacy Airtankers3 6 Up to 6 Up to 6 

Next Generation Airtankers3 Up to 12 Up to 15 Up to15 

Excess US Coast Guard aircraft converted airtankers C-130 

H

0 Up to 1 Up to 1 

Single Engine Airtankers 1 Up to 1 Up to 1 

Scoopers 1 Up to 1 Up to 1 1

 Includes only agency owned/leased or exclusive use contracted assets. 2

 Includes only helicopters whose primary purpose is wildland fire response. 3

 Numbers reflect maximum number of aircraft allowed under the contracts

The FY 2016 President’s Budget will fund up to 21 airtankers under exclusive use contracts. 

This includes legacy airtankers, next generation large airtankers, and an agency-owned C-130H 

aircraft. The Forest Service will exercise a Call When Needed contract or leverage 

cooperators/partners for additional airtankers, if necessary. The agency will also phase out the 

legacy airtankers as the next generation large airtankers become available, thereby maintaining 

18 to 28 contracted and agency-owned next generation large airtankers as identified in the Large 

Airtanker Modernization Strategy. The 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 

transferred seven C-130H aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Forest Service. These 

aircraft will initially be transferred to the U.S. Air Force for retrofitting and installation of a 

retardant delivery system. One C-130H airtanker may be available for airtanker missions in FY 

2015. 

The NDAA provided the U.S. Air Force with $130,000,000 to retrofit all seven aircraft and 

$5,000,000 per plane for the installation of retardant delivery systems. The Forest Service will 

pay for operation and maintenance of the C-130Hs within our requested budget by implementing 

programmatic efficiencies that will decrease our costs and maintain or increase our operational 

capability. Programmatic efficiencies include implementation of optimized dispatching analysis; 

streamlining of our information technology (IT) investments through the Wildland Fire IT 

initiative; and decreasing programmatic administrative costs by managing aviation assets under 

national contracts, streamlining hiring processes, centralizing training opportunities, and sharing 

fire leadership positions between administrative units. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 247

Past Performance 

The 2014 fire season was concentrated primarily on the West Coast. We experienced aboveaverage wildfire activity in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, while the remainder 

of the country experienced average or below-average activity. At several points in August 2014, 

nearly 20,000 firefighters, including State, local, private, and Federal personnel, were deployed 

to support wildland firefighting efforts. Although the highest preparedness level (PL), PL 5, was 

never reached nationwide, the Pacific Northwest was at PL 5 for 30 days and Northern California 

was at this highest preparedness level for more than 10 days. Maintaining this high level of 

activity required significant financial resources and affected the health and well-being of our 

firefighters. Regardless of the intensity or severity of the fire season, the Forest Service utilizes a 

risk-based approach to ensure an appropriate, risk informed, and effective response to all 

wildfires. We are continuing to improve and enhance our predictive capabilities and decision 

support tools to enable us make the best possible decisions on every wildfire event. 

The success of initial attack efforts is dependent on several factors including weather, location of 

the wildfire, values at risk, and management objectives. The agency’s initial attack success 

rate – the percent of fires that were suppressed before they reached 300 acres in size – was 98.9 

percent in FY 2014, which is 1.31 percentage points higher than the 10-year average. Wildfire is 

an essential and natural element of many of the ecosystems within National Forest System lands. 

The Forest Service strives to make decisions that minimize the negative impacts of wildfire to 

life and property and ensure the highest level of safety for our firefighters, while restoring 

wildfire as a natural and beneficial change agent when practical. The Forest Service is 

continuing to analyze better ways to articulate and measure this balance. For example, in FY 

2014 we began to use a new data decision support tool, the Incident Risk Console (RisC), a data 

analytics dashboard and business intelligence tool for wildland fire decision makers. RisC 

contains eight specific attributes of individual fires that summarize a range of conditions and 

activities on a fire-by-fire basis. RisC provides a readily-accessible overview of the national fire 

situation, a quick glimpse of individual fires, and an early alert to potential problem areas. The 

Forest Service will expand our use of RisC in FY 2015 and FY 2016. 

In FY 2014, we also began to implement the 2012 Large Airtanker Modernization Strategy by 

flying up to 12 next generation airtankers in wildfire response operations. These next generation 

airtankers flew a considerable number of missions, which complemented the efforts of our 

ground-based firefighters. The expanded capability and increased retardant delivery capacity of 

these aircraft enabled more effective responses to wildfires. We also continued the Aerial 

Firefighting Use and Effectiveness study in FY 2014 to determine how next generation 

airtankers can best work with our other firefighting resources and improve our overall response 

capabilities. We will continue to implement the Large Airtanker Modernization Strategy in FY 

2015 and FY 2016. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Wildland fire is a natural and necessary element that serves to restore and maintain the majority 

of ecosystems the Forest Service manages. Due to climatic shifts and above normal fuel loads, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 248

fire seasons are becoming longer and fires are becoming more severe, in some cases causing 

extraordinary damage to the landscape. In the West, climate change and other factors have 

contributed to hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons, on average 60 to 70 days longer than in the 

prior decade. For example, the six worst fire seasons since 1960 have all occurred since 2000. 

The wildland-urban interface (WUI), where there are higher densities of both people and 

infrastructure, is of particular concern as nearly 65 million acres of WUI are adjacent to or near 

National Forest System lands. In order to protect the WUI and sustain the natural landscape in 

the face of climate change, the need for emergency response – and qualified personnel to provide 

that response – has increased rapidly over the past few decades. The Forest Service utilizes the 

Preparedness program to maintain a fire organization that is capable of ensuring timely, 

appropriate, risk informed, and effective response operations to all wildland fires. The 

Preparedness program provides fire management assets that protect National Forest System, 

other Federal, state, and private lands from damaging wildfires, reducing threats to life and 

values at risk commensurate with land management objectives laid out in the National Cohesive 

Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy). Preparedness also supports other vital 

elements of a comprehensive wildland fire management program, like planning, prevention, 

education, development of information technology and decision support systems, training and 

education, development and advancement of firefighting technology, and organizational learning 

through program analysis and review. A robust Preparedness program is also essential to 

reducing the costs of wildland fire to the American public. Forest Service analysis has 

demonstrated that for every $1.00 of reduction in Preparedness funding we can expect an 

increase of $1.70 in Suppression costs. Therefore, it is important that we maintain adequate 

resources through the Preparedness program or risk substantial increases in firefighting costs and 

more devastating losses to life, property, and natural resources. 

The Preparedness program is a core component of the Cohesive Strategy, which is a national 

collaborative effort between wildland fire organizations, land managers, and policy-making 

officials representing Federal, State, and local governments; Tribal interests; and 

nongovernmental organizations. The Cohesive Strategy builds on the successes of the National 

Fire Plan and other foundational documents and aims to address the Nation’s wildland fire 

challenges holistically across all lands and jurisdictions. 

The Cohesive Strategy identifies three key areas that present the greatest challenges and the 

greatest opportunities for making a positive difference in addressing our national wildfire issues: 

 restoring and maintaining fire resilient landscapes, 

 creating fire-adapted communities, and 

 responding effectively to wildfire. 

On April 9, 2014, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack 

released the final phase of the Cohesive Strategy. This report was developed with significant 

effort and input from Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners and private property owners to 

address our Nation’s wildland fire management challenges. The Forest Service, along with 

many partners, has embraced a holistic approach to achieving the Cohesive Strategy’s goals of 

creating resilient landscapes, promoting fired-adapted communities, and ensuring efficient and 

effective responses to wildfires. Recognizing that the type of fire we see on the landscape today 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 249

is an outcome of past land management actions (and inactions) and community decisions, the 

Cohesive Strategy provides a framework to address multiple objectives simultaneously within 

and among the goals. 

The Cohesive Strategy is more than a report – it is a commitment to the doctrine that as 

stakeholders we all share in the responsibility for managing our lands; protecting our Nation’s 

natural, Tribal, and cultural resources; and making our communities safe and resilient for future 

generations. The Cohesive Strategy provides a framework for addressing some of our most 

challenging issues – including fire, invasive species, water supply, threatened and endangered 

species, community planning, and other land management issues – and recognizes that all 

stakeholders must do their part to engage and work collaboratively to address these challenges. 

Allocation and Integration

Preparedness funds are allocated to regions based on predicted fire activity and anticipated 

wildfire workloads. The placement and associated funding allocations of specific resources 

considers logistical and mobilization efficiencies. The agency’s overall readiness capability and 

geographical resource placements have been established through various fire planning and 

budgeting analyses. However, as the fire season develops and ongoing risk is assessed, national 

and local resources are repositioned to ensure timely and effective responses. Predictive services 

and other relevant data sources are used to analyze potential seasonal fire activity to guide the 

strategic placement of resources. 

The Forest Service continues to deploy, assess, and improve our decision support systems to 

develop our Preparedness budget requirements. Prior to FY 2015, the Fire Program Analysis 

(FPA) system was used to support and inform our budget formulation and to assess trade-offs 

between different potential preparedness and suppression scenarios. Recently, we have begun to 

develop a new decision support tool to replace FPA. This new tool will facilitate long-term 

strategic planning and budget formulation exercises to determine how to best deliver a costeffective fire management program. The FPA system incorporated highly complex science 

principles associated with the modeling of natural resource variables over an immense and 

highly variable geographic area. The new system, the Wildland Fire Investment Portfolio 

System (WFIPS), will use many of the foundational elements of its predecessor but enhances its 

overall capability by inserting new principles and inputs that have been determined to affect the 

outcomes of our wildfire management responses. Since FY 2012, the FPA has provided both the 

Forest Service and the Department of the Interior (DOI) with key outputs for budget formulation, 

and the new system will continue this legacy. WFIPS will help Forest Service wildland fire 

managers to better understand the complex relationships that exist in managing wildland fire. 

Enhancements include an improved capability to simulate fire occurrence at the national scale, 

the ability to assess the effects of different levels of fuels treatments on fire behavior, and 

enhanced firefighting dispatching algorithms to better understand how increased or decreased 

asset levels can influence fire outcomes in terms of both cost and size. These changes will 

facilitate more well-informed budget development processes as well as an increased 

understanding of the influences of critical fire management components on fire outcomes and 

investment levels. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 250

Partnerships 

The Preparedness program has partnerships with numerous other Federal agencies and States, 

which include protection agreements, collaborative research efforts, and development of an 

interagency fire planning and budgeting analysis system. The agency also collaborates with 

cooperators, including the National Association of State Foresters and DOI, for training, 

planning, equipment use contracts, and interagency fire coordination centers. In addition, the 

agency has an agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide support in fire 

suppression through the Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) program. The DOD 

provides C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS units as surge capacity for aerial firefighting 

when requested by the Forest Service. The MAFFS are portable fire retardant delivery systems 

that are inserted into military C-130 aircraft to convert them into large airtankers when needed. 

The MAFFS program is a 40-year long joint effort between the Forest Service and the DOD. 

The Forest Service owns the MAFFS equipment and supplies the retardant, while the DOD 

provides the C-130 aircraft, pilots, and maintenance and support personnel to fly the missions. 

The Forest Service both sponsors and participates in interagency training exercises. Municipal, 

State, and other fire, emergency, and medical professionals are actively recruited for incident 

training drills. The experience and education provided to these participants strengthens job 

performance and communication throughout the U.S. emergency response community. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Suppression 

Budget Line Item Suppression

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Suppression

Annual Appropriations $680,488 $708,000 $794,534 $86,534 12%

Suppression Total 680,488 708,000 794,534 86,534 12%

Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 0 854,578 854,578 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 2,652 3,069 2,760 -309 -10%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,652 3,069 2,760 -309 -10%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Suppression

Percent of fires not contained in initial attack that exceed 

a Stratified Cost Index (SCI) 24.0% 36.4% 24.0% 26.7% 24.0% 24.0%

Three-year average percent of fires not contained in 

initial attack that exceed a Stratified Cost Index (SCI) 28.2% 27.1% 26.0% 29.1% 26.0% 26.0%

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $794,534,000 for Suppression within discretionary 

limits, an increase of $86,534,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget, and $854,578,000 as a 

budget cap adjustment. 

The President’s Budget again proposes a cap adjustment as a new approach to budgeting for 

wildland fire suppression. This will minimize the risk of fire transfers and provide greater 

stability and certainty of funding to other programs that support critical forest and rangeland 

management needs. A joint analysis between the Department of Agriculture and the Department 

of the Interior (DOI) found that one percent of fires are responsible for 30 percent of suppression 

costs. The remaining 70 percent of costs are generated by the other 99 percent of fires. 

Therefore, this request proposes funding 70 percent of the 10-year average for suppression, 

currently calculated at $1.126 billion (see Table 1), within the discretionary spending limits 

($788,442,000). The Suppression request also includes increases for pay and health benefits for 

seasonal hires ($6,092,000). The proposed cap adjustment would fund the remaining 30 percent 

of the 10-year average as well as any costs accrued above the 10-year average (which are 

currently funded through fire transfers) equal to the high end of the 90 percent confidence 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 252

interval predicted by the outyear forecast22. For FY 2016, the total proposed cap adjustment is 

$855 million (see Table 2). 

As directed by Congress in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, a detailed table of 

actual and proposed spending on fire operations, including aviation resources, is included as the 

Special Exhibit, Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs. 

Table 1 – Forest Service Suppression Obligations FY 2005-FY 2014* 

(dollars in thousands) 

Fiscal Year 

Net 

Nominal 

Suppression 

Obligations 

GDP 

Inflator 

[2005=1.00] 

GDP 

Deflator 

[2013=1.00] 

Adjusted 

Obligations 

[2013=1.00] 

Rolling 

10-year 

Average 

2005 $524,900 0.9109 0.8362 $627,702 $879,461 

2006 1,280,419 0.9405 0.8634 1,482,999 945,988 

2007 1,149,654 0.9642 0.8852 1,298,815 1,050,871 

2008 1,193,073 0.9970 0.9153 1,303,525 1,138,639 

2009 702,111 1.0000 0.9180 764,809 1,165,530 

2010 578,284 1.0140 0.9309 621,228 1,083,361 

2011 1,055,736 1.0349 0.9501 1,111,231 1,105,078 

2012 1,436,614 1.0566 0.9700 1,481,075 1,088,074 

2013 1,356,535 1.0738 0.9858 1,376,116 1,096,302 

2014 1,195,955 1.0893 1.00 1,195,955 1,126,345 

*Suppression obligations from FY 2005-FY 2011 have now been adjusted to remove cost pool and exclusive use aviation contract 

costs that should have been charged to Preparedness. This provides the ability to compare analogous numbers after rebaselining

occurred for the obligations for FY 2012 and beyond. 

In Table 1 above, the net nominal suppression obligations are inflated to constant 2014 dollars to 

calculate the rolling 10-year average. This is accomplished by using the Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP) inflator and the GDP deflator together to calculate a factor that is then applied to the 

nominal suppression obligations to adjust them to constant 2014 dollars. The nominal 

suppression obligations are then divided by the GDP deflator to get the adjusted obligations (i.e., 

obligations converted to constant 2014 dollars), which are used to calculate the rolling 10-year 

average. The rolling 10-year average for a particular fiscal year is calculated by adding the 

adjusted obligations from that fiscal year to the previous nine years and dividing by 10. 

 

 

22 Abt, K.L., J.P. Prestemon, and K. Gebert. 2009. “Wildfire suppression cost forecasts for the US Forest Service”. Journal of 

Forestry 107(4):173-178. Note: models have been and are continuously being updated since publication of this article, and 

only changes that result in improved fit statistics are used for the forecasts.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Table 2 – FY 2016 Forest Service Suppression Expenditure Forecast 

and Confidence Interval (CI) 

(dollars in thousands) 

Median total 

Forest Service 

expenditure 

Lower 90 

Percent CI 

Upper 90 

Percent CI 

70% of the 10-

year Average 

FY 2016 

Proposed Cap 

Adjustment 

FY 2016 $1,196,000 750,000$ $1,643,000 $788,442 $854,578 

Funds within the budget cap adjustment will only be accessible for wildland fire suppression 

operations if a declaration has been issued by the Secretary of Agriculture that one or more of the 

following conditions are met: 

 a fire has required an emergency Federal response based on significant complexity, severity, 

or threat posed to human life, property, or resource; 

 the fire covers 1,000 acres or more; 

 a fire is within 10 miles of a major urban area (defined as 50,000 inhabitants or more); or 

 the cumulative costs of wildland fire suppression operations will exceed all of the amounts 

previously appropriated within 30 days. 

Suppression is an “all-lands” program that funds activities to suppress wildland fires on or 

threatening National Forest System (NFS) lands, other Federal lands, and 20 million acres of 

non-Federal lands under fire protection agreements. Funding for Suppression enables the agency 

to respond to unplanned wildland fire incidents which threaten lives, property, and resources. 

Wildfires continue to become larger and more difficult to suppress due to the effects of a 

changing climate, persistent drought and hazardous fuels conditions, and the increased size and 

complexity of housing developments adjacent to the wildland-urban interface (WUI). 

Recognizing the costs associated with WUI suppression activities, the Forest Service will 

continue to aggressively pursue risk management measures including: 

 focusing hazardous fuels funding for treatments in the WUI, 

 using risk-informed, performance-based suppression strategies, 

 clarifying roles and responsibilities in the WUI, 

 using appropriate cost-share agreements, and 

 deploying decision support tools. 

The Forest Service and DOI are committed to restoring the resilience and diversity of fireadapted ecosystems on the landscape, consistent with public safety needs. The agencies will 

identify, establish, and maintain necessary governance and risk management protocols that will 

guide program management and incident response by applying resources to reduce unnecessary 

risk to firefighter safety in the short-term and contribute to the long-term resiliency of fireadapted ecosystems. 

The Forest Service will expand efforts to manage wildfires to meet land management objectives. 

We will make a concerted effort to allow fire to return to the landscape when these fires will 

improve the health of the forest and when risks to safety and communities make doing so 

appropriate. Phase III of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) 

involved the development of models that will better inform decision-makers and allow them to 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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understand the risks and trade-offs associated with wildland fire management decisions more 

fully. 

Past Performance 

The FY 2014 fire season was particularly challenging in California and the Pacific Northwest, 

both of which experienced above-normal fire activity. Location is the most important variable 

contributing to significance, severity, and cost of any wildfire. We believe it is important to look 

beyond national statistics and focus on regional and local data to understand the FY 2014 fire 

season. Wildfires that occur in California present unique challenges, given the population and 

infrastructure density in that State. Generally, fires that occur in or near communities or other 

values at risk are more costly than those in more remote areas. This is particularly the case in 

California because every fire that occurs there inevitably affects large population centers and 

requires extensive firefighting resources to manage, which results in disproportionately high 

costs as compared to fires in other areas of the country. For example, in FY 2014 we had five 

wildfires in California that cost in excess of $25 million and two fires that cost nearly $100 

million each. In comparison, there were no fires in this cost range in other parts of the country in 

FY 2014. The continued severe drought in California magnified the challenges presented by 

high fuel loads and dry conditions, so any wildfire that occurred there had the potential to 

become a catastrophic event. Managing wildfires under these extreme conditions required 

substantial firefighting resources and full coordination of the entire wildland fire community, 

including State, local, and private partners. 

The Pacific Northwest also experienced record levels of wildfire activity in FY 2014. There was 

a record-setting wildfire in the State of Washington, as well several lightning-induced highfrequency wildfire days. In FY 2014, the Pacific Northwest exceeded its 10-year average of 

number of fires and acreage burned by nearly 21 percent and 200 percent respectively. 

To help analyze suppression costs on wildfires, the agency uses an efficiency measure that 

compares actual to expected suppression costs via a stratified cost index (SCI). The SCI is a set 

of predictive models based on historical large fire data from 1995 to 2004. This data set provides 

a baseline for comparison. The SCI estimates suppression costs for each fire utilizing several 

factors associated with suppression costs. In real time, the SCI compares expenditures for an 

individual incident to those of historical fires with similar characteristics (including fuel type, 

slope, elevation, and total housing value), thus increasing cost awareness and providing a basis 

for fire incident budgeting. Nationally, the SCI provides data we can evaluate for the entire fire 

season and trends to compare year-to-year. The percentage of incidents not contained in initial 

attack that exceeded the SCI in FY 2014 was 27 percent—a decrease from 34 percent in FY 

2013. 

We are continuing to refine the methodology used to calculate the SCI as we obtain more data 

and improve computational ability. Two of the main factors that may influence wildfire 

management cost outcomes are long-term ecological conditions and changing climatic 

conditions, neither of which are currently modelled within SCI. These factors can cause our 

management strategies to change for fires of similar characteristics that occur in different years 

since the potential outcomes can be drastically different. The SCI is a good indicator of cost 

alignment with previous similar incidents, but it is not an absolute measure of efficiency, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 255

effectiveness, or overall performance. We will continue to develop new performance elements 

and improve the SCI calculation to enable us to more thoroughly analyze how our wildland fire 

management response decisions affect response outcomes. 

In FY 2014, we also continued to implement risk management and fiscal accountability 

initiatives to help ensure that we have appropriate, risk informed, and effective responses to all 

wildland fires. We also continued to refine how large and complex wildfires are managed, 

focusing on improving risk management protocols and striving to increase incident management 

efficiency. In FY 2014, the National Incident Management Organization teams once again 

actively engaged national forests and local communities in risk assessment and the development 

of risk-informed decision making. Fire managers used the latest decision support tools, 

emerging technology, and localized knowledge to make decisions and measure the probability of 

success of those decisions to reduce risk while more effectively managing cost. The Forest 

Service will continue these efforts in FY 2016. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Suppression program provides the primary source of funding for wildfire response 

operations. The Forest Service is known for its excellence in emergency response and works in 

coordination with other Federal agencies, State, Tribal and local government partners to protect 

life and property against wildfire and other natural disasters. This program also protects the 

health of our forests and watersheds from the impacts of fires so that forests maintain their 

capacity to sequester and store carbon, mitigate climate change, and deliver benefits such as 

clean water, wildlife and fish habitat, and recreation opportunities. The Suppression program 

also helps to restore and maintain resilient landscapes through management of naturally ignited, 

unplanned wildfires on NFS lands and to accomplish resource management, ecological 

restoration, and fuels reduction goals where appropriate. 

This program provides resources to efficiently respond to wildland fires on or threatening NFS 

lands and other Federal and non-Federal lands under fire protection agreements through a risk 

management decision-making framework in the context of the Cohesive Strategy. The program 

funds firefighter salaries and equipment in direct support of a fire incident, aviation asset 

operations, incident support functions, and fire management administration. 

We also provide suppression resources to DOI incidents on a reciprocal non-reimbursement 

basis. In addition, the Suppression program funds personnel and resources for the following 

activities: 

Attainment of Resource Benefits - Management of naturally ignited, unplanned wildland fires on 

NFS lands to accomplish resource management, ecological restoration, and fuels reduction goals 

consistent with the revised guidance for the implementation of the Federal wildland fire policy 

and land management plan direction. 

Burned Area Emergency Response - Post-fire actions on NFS lands to prevent or minimize 

unacceptable erosion and loss of soil productivity, deterioration of water quality and downstream 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 256

damage, changes to ecosystem function, establishment of non-native invasive species, and 

degradation of cultural and natural resources. 

Severity - Increasing readiness and response capability when predicted or actual burning 

conditions are extraordinary or are deemed imminent. This capability is also used during early 

or extended fire seasons. 

Non-Fire Incident Response - Supports the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency through Forest Service participation in the National Response 

Framework and other activities authorized by the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5121, as amended). 

The quality of decision-making on a fire incident determines outcomes of safety, cost, 

relationships, and environmental effects. All fires are managed in accordance with risk 

management protocols that emphasize firefighter and public safety and determine the most 

effective response to protect values at risk and achieve management objectives on NFS lands. 

The Forest Service utilizes the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) in managing 

wildfires. This system is structured to provide access to a suite of data and decision support tools 

and to document fire-management decisions and long-term operational plans when needed. 

Managers use the system to assess management options with regard to risk and tactical 

implementation strategies on wildland fires. 

Allocation and Integration

The Forest Service allocates funds from the Suppression account only for active incident 

response. Wildland fire management is extremely complex and each fire is unique. Each 

incident is immediately evaluated and an incident risk analysis is completed. Costs for managing 

the fires will depend on the complexity and duration of the incident. 

Partnerships 

The Suppression program is a key component of implementing the Cohesive Strategy. The 

Cohesive Strategy, developed in FY 2010 with the final phase completed in April of 2014, is a 

national collaborative effort among wildland fire organizations, land managers, and policymaking officials representing Federal, State and local governments, Tribal interests, and 

nongovernmental organizations that builds on the successes of the National Fire Plan and other 

foundational documents. 

The Cohesive Strategy is broad and national in scope meant to address wildland fire issues 

across the Nation. Together with our partners, we identified three key areas that present the 

greatest challenges and the greatest opportunities for making a positive difference in addressing 

our national wildfire issues: 

 restoring and maintaining fire resilient landscapes, 

 creating fire-adapted communities, and 

 effectively responding to wildfire. 

The wildland firefighting community is an interagency, inter-jurisdictional partnership because 

wildland fire crosses all boundaries. We maintain strong partnerships with other Federal 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 257

agencies, States, local government entities, and contractors. Mutual-aid response agreements are 

often at the State level, but may be created at the local level. We encourage our wildland 

firefighters to cross train with State and local forces to be familiar with their communications, 

equipment, and capabilities if and when a complex multi-party response incident occurs. These 

local partnerships are essential to ensure protection of life, property, and resources through 

appropriate, risk informed, and effective operations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 258

Hazardous Fuels 

Budget Line Item Hazardous Fuels

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Hazardous Fuels

Annual Appropriations $306,500 $361,749 $359,126 -$2,623 -1%

Hazardous Fuels Total 306,500 361,749 359,126 -2,623 -1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,910 2,254 2,254 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,910 2,254 2,254 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Hazardous Fuels

Number of acres restored and maintained per million 

dollars gross investment. 3,649 4,490 3,800 4,234 4,000 4,000

Acres moved to a better condition class per million 

dollars gross investment. 944 1,018 1,005 1,106 1,000 1,000

Percent of treated acres identified in Community 

Wildfire Protection Plans or equivalent plans. 93.0% 85.4% 90.0% 77.3% 90.0% 80.0%

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 1,867,202 1,736,927 1,250,000 1,725,077 1,725,000 1,725,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $359,126,000 for Hazardous Fuels, a decrease of 

$2,623,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding of this program is a critical part of the 

Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, improve water quantity and 

quality, and increase carbon sequestration. 

The Forest Service will expand its partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS) by selecting additional projects under the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration 

Partnership to mitigate fire risk on Federal and non-Federal land in FY 2016. The Forest Service 

will also continue to focus on the most strategic acres for treatment, which are often the most 

expensive because they require mechanical treatment or a combination of mechanical treatment 

and prescribed fire. Funding will be used to treat approximately 1,725,000 acres of the highest 

priority areas in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Fuels treatment cost per acre can be up to 

four times more expensive in the WUI than in non-WUI areas because most work is done 

mechanically, by hand crews, or with machinery. 

Projects completed using Hazardous Fuels funds will support the goals of the National Cohesive 

Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) by focusing on: 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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 strategically protecting communities (and associated lives, property, and public 

infrastructure) which are at the highest risk from damaging wildfire; 

 providing a safer environment for wildland fire management operations; and 

 supporting communities that are working to achieve Firewise standards, have identified acres 

to be treated in community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) or equivalent plans, and have 

made an investment in implementing local solutions to protect against wildland fire. 

As in FY 2015, this request includes $38,000,000 to fund nationally competitive projects that 

reduce the risk to communities and firefighters and increase the resilience of the forests. These 

funds will be targeted to areas of high risk near communities that are actively working on 

reducing their local fire risk. 

In FY 2016, this program will continue to support the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative. Under 

the Wood Innovations Grant Program, the Forest Service will provide technical and financial 

assistance to projects so their proponents can leverage external funding, secure financing, and 

successfully compete for Rural Development’s loans and grants. Funding will also support other 

facets of the Wood to Energy Initiative, including technical and financial assistance to facilitate 

conversion to wood energy in communities, air quality improvement through development of 

better combustion technology, and expanding the use of wood into new markets. Please refer to 

the Special Exhibit on Biomass and Bioenergy for further details. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service focused on evaluating the risk to communities and monitoring the 

effectiveness of fuels treatments to ensure we addressed the highest priority acres where risk 

could be reduced the most. The Hazardous Fuels program began developing and testing new 

performance measures designed to assess outcome-based results. One measure would assess the 

relative potential for a wildfire to become large and be difficult to contain, which may be 

represented as an index of wildfire potential. The other measure would assess the risk that 

wildfire presents to highly valued resources such as communities and watersheds. This second 

measure may be able to represent that a fire could have beneficial effects in some 

circumstances. With both measures, we endeavor to demonstrate landscape change over 

time. In FY 2015 we will continue to test the index of wildfire potential using the Collaborative 

Forest Landscape Restoration Program landscapes as a proving ground and seek opportunities to 

test and further develop the risk assessment measure. If successful, these measures could be 

implemented agency-wide in FY 2016. 

In FY 2014, the Hazardous Fuels program treated more than 2.5 million acres on National Forest 

System (NFS) and adjacent lands both inside and outside the WUI. We targeted the highest 

priority areas for treatment, focusing on those areas where there are highly valued resources (like 

communities), where fire potential is high, and where risk can be most effectively mitigated. 

Assessments of fuel treatment effectiveness show that 84 percent of treatments were effective in 

changing fire behavior and/or helping to control wildfire in FY 2014. The Hazardous Fuels 

program helps to protect communities, lives, property, and public infrastructure, and important 

assets that are at the highest risk for damage from wildfire. The program strives to provide an 

environment where wildland fire can be managed more safely and effectively, and to create 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 260

healthy landscapes that help maintain our Nation’s natural resource wealth and provide places 

for the public to visit. 

Of the total acreage treated for hazardous fuels, the Forest Service field-verified that more than 

188,000 acres burned by naturally ignited wildfires moved ecosystems toward specific desired 

conditions for forests and grasslands based on land management objectives identified in Land 

and Resource Management Plans or other planning documents. We reported these acres as part 

of the total Hazardous Fuels program accomplishment. We used tools such as satellite imagery 

and burn severity mapping, as well as site-specific data to assess the effects of each fire. 

Naturally-ignited fires that benefit ecosystems continue to be an important part of the total 

Hazardous Fuels program, and the acres treated each year vary with fire season activity. 

In FY 2014, we also expanded partnerships with our Federal, state and private partners to reach 

across boundaries and address risk on a landscape scale. For example, the Forest Service and the 

NRCS initiated the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership. In FY 2014, 13 new 

partnership efforts across the country collaboratively implemented mitigation activities on 

Federal and non-Federal land to reduce wildfire threats to communities and landowners, protect 

water quality and supply for communities and industry, and improve habitat quality for at-risk or 

ecosystem surrogate species. We also worked closely with communities to identify their priority 

areas for treating hazardous fuels. Over 77 percent of the acres that we treated in the WUI were 

identified in areas covered by a CWPP or equivalent plan. The Forest Service continues to focus 

on targeting fuels treatments in those communities that are working to prepare for wildland fire, 

including by having a CWPP in place. We also work in cooperation with communities at risk to 

provide assistance and expertise in preparing such plans. 

Wood Energy 

In FY 2014, State and Private Forestry awarded $1.25 million in grants for wood energy projects 

and $2.5 million in cooperative agreements to establish 11 Statewide Wood Energy teams. This 

funding stimulates the use of low-value wood in areas of the country with significant forest 

restoration needs, especially areas of high wildfire risk. The funding promotes use of 

commercially proven technologies to produce heating, cooling, or electricity. Communities and 

businesses use the funding to complete the feasibility analyses, cost assessments, or engineering 

designs needed to obtain and leverage construction funding. The Forest Service also invested $3 

million in strategic alliances that have successfully leveraged substantial non-Federal funding for 

wood energy initiatives. 

Our continued focus on bioenergy and biobased products will result in secure, sustainable, 

renewable energy sources; strong rural economies; and more acres of hazardous fuels treated 

with less air pollution. Since 2005, this program has awarded over $45 million to over 170 grant 

recipients across the country, including small businesses, non-profits, Tribes, and State agencies. 

Forest Service employees and partners provide technical assistance to grant applicants and assist 

in the administration of the awarded grants. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 261

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Hazardous Fuels program restores forest health and reduces wildfire risks. Our Nation’s 

ability to protect its forest and grassland resources is now at risk due to drought, the impacts of 

climate change, increasingly severe wildfires, and uncharacteristically large outbreaks of insects 

and disease. Such stresses and disturbances are impacting forests, grasslands, and watersheds on 

an unprecedented scale, causing millions of dollars in damage and limiting the ability to obtain 

economically viable products from our forests. There is an urgent need to increase the pace and 

scale of our restoration efforts and the Hazardous Fuels program is a linchpin in that effort. 

Healthy, resilient landscapes have greater capacity to adapt to and withstand natural disturbances 

and large scale threats to sustainability, especially under changing and uncertain future 

environmental conditions such as those created by climate change and increasing human use. 

The Hazardous Fuels program reduces the quantity or changes the arrangement of living and 

dead vegetation in forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands through prescribed burning, 

mechanical treatments, and other methods, to protect communities (and associated lives, 

property, and public infrastructure) and important assets which are at the highest risk from 

damaging wildfire; provides an environment where wildland fire can be managed more safely 

and effectively; and creates healthy landscapes that help maintain our Nation’s wealth and 

provide places for the American public to visit and enjoy nature. 

Hazardous fuels are treated using a wide range of tools with the goals of: 

 reducing the spread, intensity, and severity of wildfire to protect lives and values at risk; 

 restoring and maintaining the resilience of natural systems by reducing high fuel loads so that 

when wildfires do occur their ecological impacts are positive or neutral; 

 increasing our capability to manage wildfire for resource benefits; and 

 increasing options for safe and efficient wildfire management tactics that reduce the spread 

and impact of damaging wildfire. 

While hazardous fuels projects can emit greenhouse gases, they also mitigate potentially greater 

quantities of emissions from uncharacteristic wildfire. Whether through prescribed fire or 

mechanical means, hazardous fuels treatment requires skilled workers, and this serves as an 

important source of jobs, especially in rural communities. 

To measure success and allow for program evaluation, fuels treatment effectiveness assessments 

are completed for every wildfire that starts in or intersects with a fuels treatment area. These 

assessments increase our understanding of the effects of hazardous fuels treatments on fire 

behavior, severity, and suppression effectiveness and help direct program improvements that 

increase success. These assessments have also shown that fuel treatments sufficiently modify 

fire behavior to prevent loss of private property and to provide a safer working environment for 

fire management personnel. The agency is improving data availability by incorporating spatial 

data for fuel treatments into the Wildland Fire Management Decision Support System to help 

support wildfire incidents and inform risk management decisions. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 262

The Hazardous Fuels program is a key component 

of implementing the Cohesive Strategy and will 

contribute to successful outcomes in restoring and 

maintaining resilient landscapes, creating fire 

adapted communities, and responding to wildfires 

by funding projects that restore forest landscape 

health and reduce wildfire risks to communities. 

Hazardous fuels reduction is often the most 

effective way to protect community values, restore 

forest and grassland health, improve firefighter and 

public safety, and potentially reduce large fire 

suppression costs. 

Wood Energy 

The Hazardous Fuels program currently funds 

biomass grants through the Wood Innovations 

Grant Program (formerly known as the “Woody 

Biomass Utilization Grant” program). Since 

FY 2005, the Hazardous Fuels program has 

provided funding to help build capacity for 

biomass utilization in support of fuels reduction 

and landscape restoration. These funds are 

implemented in coordination with Rural 

Development programs resulting in greater overall 

investment beyond the Forest Service budget. 

Using biomass residues from hazardous fuels 

treatments for renewable energy, instead of 

burning it in open piles, improves rural economic 

vitality, increases national energy security, reduces 

energy costs, and improves air quality. Expanding 

markets and demand for wood products, such as 

wood construction materials, can increase the 

market value for traditionally low-value wood, 

which in turn can offset hazardous fuels treatment 

costs. 

Collaborative Forest Restoration Program 

The Hazardous Fuels program will provide approximately $3 million to fund the Collaborative 

Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) in New Mexico in FY 2015. CFRP provides grants to 

diverse stakeholder groups for projects that develop, demonstrate, and evaluate ecologically 

sound forest restoration techniques and small diameter utilization projects on Federal, Tribal, 

State, county, and municipal lands. Projects promote healthy watersheds, reduce the threat of 

high intensity wildfires, and improve forest ecosystem functions. A Federal Advisory 

Committee evaluates grant proposals and provides funding recommendations. 

Oak Creek Canyon Fuels Reduction 

Coconino National Forest 

Photo: Ted Grussing. 

The spring 2014 human-caused Slide Fire in Oak 

Creek Canyon, Arizona covered 21,227 acres; 

however, only 3,115 acres burned at high intensity 

while more than 11,000 acres burned at low intensity 

or were unburned, mimicking the expected ecological 

effects in a healthy ponderosa pine forest. The Slide 

Fire could have been much more damaging, but preplanning by communities and cooperating agencies, 

landscape-level treatment of fuels, and an effective 

wildfire response minimized the 

losses. Communities were actively pursuing the 

goals of their Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 

including hazardous fuels reduction. The Coconino 

NF treated thousands of acres of ponderosa pine to 

reduce fuel loadings and maintain these fire-adapted 

landscapes in a condition that more closely 

resembled their natural condition as maintained by 

frequent fires. Local resources responded effectively 

to this very aggressive fire, steering the fire away 

from communities toward areas that had previously 

been thinned and prescribed burned. Not only were 

they able to contain the fire, but the ecosystem will 

be healthier and the community more resilient in the 

long run. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 263

Allocation and Integration 

The Forest Service will continue to use the Hazardous Fuels Prioritization and Allocation System 

to allocate funds to the field, emphasizing areas where probability of fire is high, expected fire 

severity is high, and important values - particularly communities - are at risk. The FY 2015 

national model will incorporate results from the most recent Large Fire Simulation Model to 

estimate probability of fire occurrence and expected fire severity for all National Forest System 

lands. These data, in combination with proximity of residential development and municipal 

watersheds, will help to identify areas where fire risk to communities and municipal water 

supplies is greatest. The Forest Service will prioritize investments in hazardous fuels treatment 

in high risk areas with CWPPs or equivalent plans and where communities have made an 

investment in mitigating risk. 

Partnerships 

In addition to the integrated efforts within the Forest Service, we use our authorities and the 

Hazardous Fuels program to work with outside partners to address wildland fire threats on other 

Federal, State, and private lands to: 

 conduct fuel treatments on adjacent non-Federal lands, 

 partner with local communities in the development of CWPPs, 

 coordinate fuels treatment programs with NRCS and the Department of the Interior, and 

 conduct treatments on National Forest System lands in cooperation with nongovernmental 

organizations. 

Expanded partnerships and collaborative efforts increase treatment efficiencies and allow the 

agency to reduce costs, treat additional areas, and reduce the risk to communities. For example, 

national application of the Good Neighbor Authority will allow States to conduct hazardous fuels 

treatments on the national forests and grasslands when performing similar activities on adjacent 

sSate or private land. 

Under the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative, Rural Development, State agencies (e.g. forestry, 

energy, and economic development), nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector have 

created partnerships through cooperative agreements funded by the Forest Service and other 

USDA agencies to expand wood energy opportunities in participating States. In 2013, USDA 

entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Biomass Power Association, the Biomass 

Thermal Energy Council, the Pellet Fuels Institute, and the Alliance for Green Heat to expand 

wood energy use in the United States. 

The budget also funds institutes established in the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire 

Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-317) to enhance our capacity to execute practical sciencebased forest restoration treatments that will reduce the risk of severe wildfires and improve the 

health of dry forest and woodland ecosystems in the Interior West. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Research and Development 

Budget Line Item Research and Development

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Research and Development

Annual Appropriations $19,795 $19,795 $19,820 $25 0%

Research and Development Total 19,795 19,795 19,820 25 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 102 99 99 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 102 99 99 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Research and Development

Customer satisfaction index score for R&D 79 79 79 79 79 79

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $19,820,000 for the National Fire Plan Research and 

Development (R&D), an increase of $25,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted level. The proposed 

budget will support fire research that informs management to reduce the negative impacts of 

wildland fire on human communities and protect and enhance the ecological benefits forests 

supply including clean water, recreational opportunities, fish and wildlife habitats, biological 

carbon sequestration, and forest products. Investments will continue to focus on partnerships 

that leverage Forest Service funding. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, National Fire Plan R&D program provided new tools in areas such as firefighter 

safety, national-level risk assessment, climate change and changing fire regimes, and fire effects 

on landscapes and human communities. A few key products delivered since implementation of 

these tools are summarized below. 

Forest Service researchers collaborated with university partners to assess how projected regional 

climate change in the U.S. may affect the frequency of occurrence of weather conducive to 

extreme fire behavior. Using atmospheric moisture and temperature data obtained from regional 

climate model simulations of the current (1971–2000) and future (2041-2070) climates, scientists 

identified areas in the U.S. where future climate conditions may lead to more extreme wildfire 

behavior. Project results will help natural resource managers develop long-term plans that 

account for changing baseline conditions and the effects of regional climate change on extreme 

wildfire occurrence. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Forest Service scientists, in collaboration with university partners, explored the effects of 

vegetation, wind, slope, and crew characteristics on the location and size of safety zones and 

escape routes for wildland firefighters. The work has resulted in new understanding about how 

energy released from wildfires affects fire behavior and implications for firefighter and public 

safety. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The program conducts research to support management of fire-affected landscapes to sustain 

forest health, to reduce the risk of damaging wildland fires in the context of changing social and 

physical environments, and to ensure public and firefighter safety. It supports vital wildland fire 

management and research activities for the benefit of land managers, policy makers, and the 

citizens of the United States. As a result of this research we develop and deliver information, 

products, and tools to help communities and homeowners mitigate fire risk, to restore fireadapted ecosystems, and to support integrated, risk-based management. 

The National Fire Plan R&D program is managed under a strategic plan that outlines five 

portfolio areas: 1) core fire science, 2) ecological and environmental fire science, 3) social fire 

science, 4) integrated fire and fuels management research, and 5) science application. This plan 

states that the goal of National Fire Plan R&D program is 

to provide the knowledge and tools that managers use to 

reduce the negative impacts and to enhance the beneficial 

effects of fire and fire management for society and the 

environment. These investments help fire managers, 

policy makers, and citizens to make scientifically sound 

wildfire and fuels management decisions; wisely invest 

fuel and fire expenditures to minimize the negative social, 

economic, and ecological impacts of fire; avoid 

environmental damage when dealing with fuel and fire 

risk problems; and develop effective community 

programs to speed the adoption of fire-safe construction 

and landscaping practices. 

Overall, the National Fire Plan R&D program has 

implications for many highly important issues related to 

forested landscapes, including protection of timber and 

other natural resources; recreation; protection of 

communities, people, and wildlife in the wildland-urban 

interface; creation of resilient landscapes; and climate 

change mitigation and adaptation. The results of this 

research influence suppression spending, demonstrate and 

account for the effectiveness of hazardous fuels 

treatments, inform allocation of funding for fuels 

management and restoration, and reveal opportunities to 

utilize biomass from thinning treatments. 

National Risk Assessment for the National 

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management 

Strategy 

Forest Service Research and Development led 

an interdisciplinary team commissioned to 

provide analytical support and risk assessment 

for the development of the Cohesive Strategy. 

Using a structured risk assessment and 

decision, the science team worked with 

interagency partners (both Federal and nonFederal) to identify and explore alternative 

courses of wildland fire management activities 

and response, and to identify and implement 

options for leveraging resources to improve 

landscape resiliency, protect human 

communities, and enhance response to wildfire. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 266

Allocation and Integration 

Wildland Fire Strategic Program Area and Portfolio teams made up of Washington Office staff 

and research station representatives evaluate and recommend allocations of National Fire Plan 

R&D funds annually. The teams enhance integration and collaboration across stations on 

research focused in four major areas, including firefighting, rehabilitation and restoration, 

hazardous fuels reduction, and community assistance. 

Partnerships 

Partnerships with users and other research organizations are a fundamental component of Forest 

Service fire research. These partnerships include Federal agencies, a number of national forests, 

90 U.S. colleges and universities, 30 nongovernmental organizations, more than 50 State and 

local governments, industry partners, and international organizations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 267

Joint Fire Science Program 

Budget Line Item Joint Fire Science Program

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Joint Fire Science Program

Annual Appropriations $6,914 $6,914 $6,917 $3 0%

Joint Fire Science Program Total 6,914 6,914 6,917 3 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 11 13 13 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 11 13 13 0 0%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget, includes $6,917,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), 

an increase of $3,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. This funding supports the 

development of important science and technology required to support the national research and 

development efforts focused on accounting for the effects of vegetation management to reduce 

hazardous fuels; establishing and maintaining resilient 

landscapes and human communities; and reducing 

harmful effects of wildfires on wildlife, atmospheric 

emissions, and other natural resources and ecosystem 

services. Forest Service Research and Development 

(Forest Service R&D) will continue to work jointly 

with the Department of the Interior in managing the 

JFSP and setting priorities. This funding will allow 

completion of an existing line of work related to 

smoke and emissions and the development of smaller 

lines of work potentially focused on the effectiveness 

of hazardous fuels programs and organizational 

effectiveness relative to social and behavioral 

economics. Additionally, the program will continue 

to invest heavily in fire science application and 

delivery and responsive research focused on 

addressing emerging needs of wildland fire managers. 

Past Performance 

Forest Service R&D, along with partners, developed 

The Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support 

System, as a way for users to learn one interface, 

access a variety of data and models all in one place, 

and prepare the information and reports necessary for implementing fuel reduction and 

Science Exchange Through Regional Consortia of 

Scientists and Land Managers 

Forest Service scientists and partners continue to 

develop and enhance the JFSP Fire Science 

Exchange Network focused on partner involvement, 

translation of scientific and technical information 

into tools and products for field managers, and 

continuous adaptive feedback between the producers 

and consumers of fire science. Customer growth in 

the exchanges continues and currently reaches nearly 

8,000 members across the United States. In 2014, 

the 15th science exchange consortia comprised 10 

States in the North Atlantic region of the United 

States. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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restoration treatments. The system provides planners with the structure to reuse and share their 

work products and provide a consistent basic analysis framework for all users. 

Forest Service R&D scientists from four research stations led a group of more than 90 

interdisciplinary scientists to conduct the broad scale Prescribed Fire Combustion and 

Atmospheric Dynamics Research Experiment on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. This field 

campaign targeted critical data requirements for developing and evaluating next-generation fire 

and smoke chemistry and transport models targeted for use by the wildland fire management and 

response communities. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The JFSP is an interagency fire research and development partnership between the Departments 

of the Interior (DOI) and Agriculture. The JFSP contributes to sound decision-making and 

project implementation through credible research tailored to the needs of fire and fuel managers. 

Research projects compliment and build on other Federal research programs, such as those 

carried out by the Forest Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of 

Defense, and other research partners. Synthesis of research findings and targeted delivery to 

managers are essential components of the program. The JFSP supports research, tool 

development, and science application related to specific emphasis areas defined by Congress. 

These areas include: 1) fuel inventory and mapping; 2) fuel treatment scheduling and risk 

assessment; 3) fire effects and fire behavior; monitoring and evaluation; 4) restoration of fireadapted ecosystems; 5) post-fire stabilization, rehabilitation, and restoration; 6) remote sensing; 

and 7) developing and integrating research information for local land managers. Land managers 

use results from JFSP projects to plan and implement fuels treatments, support fire management 

decisions, restore lands affected by fire, and meet regulatory requirements. More information 

can be found at http://www.firescience.gov.

Allocation and Integration 

Funding priorities and policies are set by the JFSP governing board with representatives from the 

DOI and the Forest Service. Proposals are accepted for topics determined annually by the 

governing board. Allocations are determined by the board following a competitive peer review 

of submitted proposals. The reviews are conducted by land managers, technical specialists, and 

scientists, resulting in approximately 20 percent of research proposals receiving funding. 

Partnerships 

The JFSP is a partnership-based program. The governing board has representatives from the 

Forest Service and five DOI agencies. The program office is staffed with personnel from both 

the DOI and the Forest Service. The JFSP collaborates with other governmental and 

nongovernmental entities including more than 90 colleges and universities. In all, the JFSP has 

engaged nearly 200 organizations in its research. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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State Fire Assistance 

Budget Line Item State Fire Assistance

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

State Fire Assistance

Annual Appropriations $78,000 $78,000 $78,012 $12 0%

State Fire Assistance Total 78,000 78,000 78,012 12 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 69 50 50 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 69 50 50 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

State Fire Assistance

Communities at risk from wildfire assisted - NFP 

(number) 9,946 7,576 12,180 10,141 12,500 12,800

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $78,012,000 for the State Fire Assistance (SFA) 

program, an increase of $12,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding of this program is 

a critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk of wildland fire to communities, 

residents, property, and firefighters. The efforts of State, local, and private landowners are key 

to reducing these risks and help to leverage the parallel efforts of Federal wildland fire agencies. 

The agency will focus funds on assisting communities to become fire adapted by conducting 

hazardous fuel mitigation projects, planning and preparing for wildland fire, creating defensible 

space in and around communities, and obtaining equipment to respond to and mitigate fire. 

States will report data on an annual basis to document accomplishments in these focus areas. 

Additionally, program reviews will be conducted on an annual, rotating basis among Forest 

Service regions to determine program effectiveness. 

To help ensure funds are focused on the highest priority projects, we will continue to issue 

program direction encouraging states to focus program funds on areas and communities that are 

working to become fire adapted, as contemplated in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire 

Management Strategy. A portion of funding will continue to be allocated for competitive 

projects that help create more Fire Adapted Communities through the completion of community 

wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and hazardous fuel reduction projects. Competitive projects 

are selected through a rigorous application process that is managed by the State Foresters in 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 270

consultation with the Forest Service. Proposed projects are then screened by an expert panel and 

ranked prior to final project selections. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the State Fire Assistance (SFA) 

program focused on mitigating the risk of 

wildland fire in communities, particularly those 

communities taking an active role in preparing 

and planning for wildland fire. In the West, 84 

percent of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) is 

yet undeveloped; however, since 1990, 60 

percent of new homes nationwide in the United 

States were built in the WUI.23 We work 

proactively with these communities to help them 

become “fire adapted”, or well-prepared for 

wildland fire. This proactive approach is 

integral to reducing suppression costs and to 

ultimately restoring wildlands to functionality 

and fire-resiliency. The SFA program provided 

$6,673,668 of funding to support 3,117 risk 

assessments and fire management planning 

projects in 2,222 communities in FY 2014. 

Another key component of mitigating risk, 

especially in the rapidly-developing WUI, is 

prioritizing and treating hazardous fuels at the 

landscape scale. For example, research shows 

that the $300,000 spent on mitigation work prior 

to the Waldo Fire in Colorado helped to avoid 

over $77 million in losses from the fire.24 The 

SFA program provides Federal assistance in treating fuels on state and private lands, which make 

up most of the WUI. In FY 2014, SFA provided $20,936,145 for hazardous fuels treatments in 

the WUI, directly paying for the treatment of 111,002 acres of hazardous fuels and leveraging 

treatment of another 120,241 acres with in-kind partner support. These projects lowered risk in 

1,557 communities. In addition, over 9,972 SFA prevention and education programs conducted 

in FY 2014 benefitted 5,482 communities. 

In FY 2014, SFA also focused on preparedness of state and local firefighting resources, to enable 

them to effectively address all hazard events, as well as respond to wildland fire situations, 

including those on Federal lands. Close to 65 million acres of WUI are adjacent to or near 

 

23 Headwaters Economics. “Reducing Wildfire Risks to Communities; Solutions for Controlling the Pace, Scale and Pattern of 

Future Development in the Wildland-Urban Interface”. Fall 2014. http://headwaterseconomics.org/wphw/wpcontent/uploads/paper-reducing-wildfire-risk.pdf. 24 Quarles, Leschak, Cowger, Worley, Brown and Iskowitcz. “Lessons Learned from Waldo Canyon: Fire Adapted Communities 

Mitigation Assessment Team Findings”. 2013. 

http://www.fireadapted.org/~/media/Fire%20Adapted/Images/News%20Images/Waldo-Canyon-Rpt-FINAL-shrunk%203.pdf. 

Fire Adapted Communities 

Photo: Frank Riley, Chestatee/Chattahoochie RC&D 

SFA funds are supporting the Fire Adapted 

Communities (FAC) approach as outlined in the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management 

Strategy, emphasizing mitigation as a shared 

responsibility by federal, State, local, and private 

stakeholders, and thereby helping individual 

communities become fire adapted. Towns County, 

Georgia, one of the hub communities in the Fire 

Adapted Communities Learning Network, is 

increasing engagement in FAC activities by the local 

community, governmental, non-profit organizations 

and local businesses. For more information visit: 

http://townscountyfireprevention.wordpress.com/ and 

http://facnetwork.org 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 271

National Forest System lands and local firefighters are often the first on the scene of a wildland 

fire. In FY 2014, the SFA program supported $14,171,220 in preparedness activities and 

$10,890,950 in suppression operations. In addition, SFA funded the training of 85,965 

firefighters and invested $5,912,156 in the purchase, maintenance, and rehabilitation of needed 

firefighting equipment for state agencies. In total, SFA assisted 10,141 communities in FY 2014. 

The Forest Service FY 2014 Fire-Adapted Communities program, a component of the National 

Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) designed to reduce risks in 

WUI areas, also received significant support through SFA funding. Examples of these national 

level partnerships and agreements include: 

 the wildfire prevention campaign with the Ad Council; 

 the fire adapted communities public awareness campaign with the Ad Council, 

http://fireadapted.adcouncil.org; 

 support of the International Association of Fire Chief’s Ready, Set, Go! programs with 1,251 

fire departments in 48 States, www.wildlandfiresg.org; 

 support of the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise program with 1,100 

recognized Firewise Communities, www.Firewise.org; 

 support of The Nature Conservancy’s and the Watershed Center’s Fire Adapted 

Communities Learning Network with 18 hubs nationwide built upon multi-jurisdictional 

collaboration at the local level, http://facnetwork.org; 

 expanding partnerships with national, state, and local organizations and non-governmental 

organizations that leverage funding and support for fire-adapted communities, including the 

Institute for Business and Home Safety and a growing number of insurance companies; 

 development of the Wildland Fire Assessment Program training through the National 

Volunteer Fire Association to help volunteer fire departments in the WUI areas conduct 

needed assessments; and 

 support of The Nature Conservancy Fire Learning Network, a coalition of hundreds of 

partners in 30 landscapes across the country that work together in regional collaborative 

networks, and work locally to promote the resiliency and restoration of fire-adapted 

ecosystems across the country. 

Funding to States through SFA fluctuates from year-to-year depending on the type and costs of 

the individual projects that the States choose to implement. For example, States with relatively 

expensive priority projects generally accomplish fewer projects and therefore assist fewer overall 

communities. States that spread the funds across a larger number of communities to accomplish 

less expensive priority projects assist a greater total number of communities. The Forest Service 

strongly encourages States to focus their efforts on the objectives of the Cohesive Strategy - 

creation of fire adapted communities, landscape restoration, and wildfire response - and 

encourages the States to focus funds on areas covered by CWPPs or equivalent plans. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The SFA program provides financial assistance through partnership agreements with State 

Foresters for fire management activities. SFA funds are directed toward helping communities 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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become fire adapted by conducting hazardous fuel mitigation projects, planning and preparing 

for wildland fire, creating defensible space in and around communities, and obtaining equipment 

to respond to and mitigate fire. This program maximizes cross-jurisdictional partnerships to help 

homeowners and communities in fire-prone areas take responsibility for fire protection. Helping 

communities become more fire adapted reduces the risk and cost of large wildfires. More than 

46 million homes in the United States, representing 40 percent of U.S. housing units, are located 

in fire-prone WUI areas, and this number is expected to climb in coming years. The SFA 

program’s focus on the Fire Adapted Communities approach helps communities take more 

responsibility for their wildfire risk and implement appropriate actions to address safety of 

residents, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces, and 

other community assets. Creating communities that are more fire adapted reduces suppression 

and structural protection costs, while also increasing firefighter and civilian safety. 

The SFA program funding helps Federal, state, and local agencies implement a pre-fire strategy 

and deliver a cohesive suppression response to wildfire. This program emphasizes pre-fire 

planning in the WUI and hazardous fuels mitigation near communities at risk of catastrophic 

wildfire in order to create communities more adapted to fire. Training funded by SFA, also part 

of the Fire Adapted Communities strategy, builds capacity to provide effective initial attack 

response to wildfire. The first responders on almost 75 percent of wildfires are local fire 

departments or state agencies. 

Allocation and Integration 

SFA funding is distributed to the State Foresters to assist them in improving wildfire response, 

creating fire adapted communities, and restoring and maintaining landscapes. A base level of 

funding is provided to the State Foresters to maintain and enhance coordination and 

communication with Federal agencies, as well as supply needed performance data. Funding 

allocations take into consideration the number of wildland fires, amount of homes and area 

within the WUI, treatment cost per acre, and the amount of non-Federal land. State Foresters 

make determinations about how best to direct funding to target the highest priority needs in their 

State, as suggested in their State Forest Action Plans and through other strategic documents. A 

percentage of these funds are also used on a competitive basis for hazard mitigation projects. 

Partnerships 

The SFA program is delivered through partnerships with States, local agencies, local 

communities, and other organizations such as Fire Safe Councils and funds are leveraged on at 

least a 1:1 basis. These groups can then participate actively in protecting their communities from 

wildland fire and ensuring adequate resources are available for wildland fire response. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Volunteer Fire Assistance

Budget Line Item Volunteer Fire Assistance

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Annual Appropriations $13,025 $13,000 $13,000 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance Total 13,025 13,000 13,000 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Number of Volunteer fire departments assisted - NFP 

(number) 6,120 6,427 8,120 11,018 8,500 8,700

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $13,000,000 for the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) 

program, the same as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding of this program is a critical part of 

the Forest Service’s ability and capacity to reduce the risk of wildland fire to communities, 

residents, property, and firefighters. 

The program will provide matching financial assistance to approximately 8,500 rural 

communities (less than 10,000 people per community) to build and maintain fire suppression 

capacity by creating new, or strengthening existing, volunteer fire departments. The Forest 

Service will work with states to help ensure funds are focused on the highest priorities and in 

areas with communities that are working to become fire adapted. States will also continue to 

report how program funds were utilized by eligible volunteer fire departments on an annual 

basis. Additionally, program reviews will be conducted on an annual rotating basis among 

Forest Service regions to determine program effectiveness. 

Past Performance 

Where little or no fire protection is available, the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program 

assists in organizing, training, and equipping communities to provide for their basic protection. 

There are over 26,000 rural and predominantly volunteer fire departments nationwide. In recent 

years, fewer citizens are available or willing to serve in this volunteer capacity and small rural 

communities often lack the resources to properly equip and train these firefighters. Rural Fire 

Departments represent the first line of defense in addressing fires and other emergencies in rural 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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areas and communities and they provide nearly 80 percent of initial attack on wildland fires in 

the United States – including fires on Federal lands. Without the cooperation of Rural Fire 

Departments we would be unable to provide the level of fire response needed to keep fires near 

communities small. 

In FY 2014 our investments in VFA were targeted to the areas of highest risk and greatest need 

by States to assist volunteer fire departments in 11,018 communities; train 16,371 firefighters; 

expand or organize 182 fire departments; and purchase, rehabilitate and maintain $6,119,234 in 

equipment. The number of volunteer fire departments assisted fluctuates annually depending on 

the types and cost of individual projects the States choose to implement. 

The Forest Service strongly encourages the States to focus their efforts on the objectives of the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy: creation of fire-adapted communities, 

landscape restoration, and wildfire response. 

Program Description

Program Overview 

Through the VFA program, the Forest Service provides technical and financial assistance 

(through the States) to local volunteer fire departments serving communities with a population of 

10,000 or less to protect state and private forestlands threatened by wildfire. The VFA program 

is delivered through the State Foresters and supports local fire preparedness and suppression 

efforts by providing grants for equipment, training programs, and technical assistance in 

organizing or expanding volunteer fire departments. More than 1.5 billion acres in the United 

States are privately owned or owned by state and local governments and basic fire protection on 

these lands is the responsibility of state and local entities. Loss of human lives, natural 

resources, crops, homes, facilities, and rural businesses by fires can displace people, eliminate 

jobs, and further depress rural communities due to loss of community tax bases. The VFA 

Program helps to enhance stability of rural areas by reducing these losses. Volunteer fire 

departments that protect communities of less than 10,000 inhabitants from wildfire are eligible 

for this program, and the VFA program assists them in becoming better prepared to respond to 

wildfire. Local fire agencies are often the first to respond to wildfire, but often lack the financial 

and technical resources to obtain the equipment and training necessary to ensure safe and 

effective wildfire response. Volunteer fire departments also play a key role in educating their 

jurisdictions about fire adaptation and the need for mitigation, along with meeting expanded fire 

protection needs within the wildland-urban interface (WUI). 

Grants are matched dollar-for-dollar by the recipients to maximize the value of Federal 

investment. Program funding helps Federal, state, and local agencies deliver a uniform and 

coordinated suppression response to wildfire by training, equipping, and organizing volunteer 

fire departments. Through this program, the Forest Service provides support that better enables 

local communities in rural areas to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to natural and humancaused fires prior to the fires spreading to lands managed by other jurisdictions. All of these 

initiatives work together to create more fire-adapted communities, an important Forest Service 

effort that will reduce the risk, cost, and impact of wildfires. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 275

Allocation and Integration 

Allocation of funds takes into account the number of volunteer fire departments; number of state 

wildland fires; number of Forest Service wildland fires; and the number of communities with 

populations equal to, or less than, 10,000. State Foresters determine which volunteer fire 

departments within their State should receive priority for VFA funding, utilizing their State 

Forest Action Plans and other strategic documents. 

Partnerships 

The VFA program directly supports local fire suppression initial attack efforts by providing 

technical assistance grants for training and fire department development. The program supports 

volunteer fire programs throughout the country in rural areas with populations of less than 

10,000 people. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Wildland Fire Management 276

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FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 277

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 

Appropriation FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve 

Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of

Program

Changes

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

Annual Appropriations $315,000 $303,060 0 -$303,060 -100%

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund Total 315,000 303,060 0 -303,060 -100%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 315,000 303,060 0 -303,060 -100%

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes no funding for the Federal Land Assistance, 

Management, and Enhancement (FLAME) Act account, a decrease of $303,060,000 from the FY 

2015 Enacted Budget. This request provides Suppression funding equal to 70 percent of the 10-

year average, which reflects the level of spending associated with suppressing 99 percent of 

wildfires. In addition, the Budget includes up to $855 million to be available under a disaster 

funding cap adjustment to meet suppression needs above the base appropriation. Additional 

information on funding for wildfire suppression and the proposed cap adjustment can be found in 

the Wildland Fire Management chapter. 

Past Performance 

The Forest Service received authorization and funding in the FLAME account in FY 2014. 

During the FY 2014 fire season we experienced above average wildfire activity in Northern 

California and the Pacific Northwest while the remainder of the country experienced average or 

below average activity. The most significant fire activity occurred in August, during which there 

were several times where nearly 20,000 firefighters were supporting wildfire incidents. 

Although we never reached the highest preparedness level of 5 nationally, the Pacific Northwest 

was at this level for 30 days and Northern California for more than 10 days. Maintaining this 

high level of activity required significant financial resources and so the Secretary of Agriculture 

issued a declaration on August 18, 2014 that all funds in the FLAME account be transferred due 

to the imminent exhaustion of funds within the Suppression account. 

The Forest Service will issue an annual report that describes the obligations and expenditures of 

amounts transferred from the FLAME account in FY 2014, as required by the FLAME Act. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 278

Program Description 

Background 

The FLAME Act of 2009 was authorized in P.L. 111-88, as part of the Department of the 

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. 

Program Overview 

The FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund is a separate Treasury account and distinct 

appropriation providing funds to cover fires escaping initial attack (response) that are sufficiently 

large and complex or when the Suppression account is expected to be completely obligated. It is 

intended to address the impacts of increasing wildfire suppression costs and their effects on other 

agency programs. These funds are available to the Secretary of Agriculture to be transferred into 

the Suppression account. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 279

Permanent Appropriations 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Brush Disposal 

New Budget Authority $8,062 $8,700 $8,700 0

Program Level 8,715 8,500 8,500 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 63 62 62 0

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research 

New Budget Authority 3 30 60 30

Program Level 66 46 46 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Timber Salvage Sales 

New Budget Authority 33,152 20,000 20,000 0

Program Level 20,746 22,000 22,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 207 215 215 0

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 

New Budget Authority 4,897 5,400 5,700 300

Program Level 2,987 6,400 6,400 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 41 41 0

Forest Botanical Products 

New Budget Authority 1,482 1,500 1,500 0

Program Level 1,553 2,000 2,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 20 24 24 0

Stewardship Contracting 

New Budget Authority 11,159 14,000 14,000 0

Program Level 9,669 15,000 14,000 -1,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Recreation Fees, Forest Service 

New Budget Authority 70,690 65,225 66,625 1,400

Program Level 71,285 75,175 75,575 400

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 576 599 597 -2

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

New Budget Authority 2,000 2,000 2,000 0

Program Level 883 1,000 1,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 1 1 0

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters 

New Budget Authority 8,041 7,200 7,100 -100

Program Level 8,683 9,000 8,100 -900

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 21 21 20 -1
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 280

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Roads and Trails for States 

New Budget Authority 17,354 17,000 17,000 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Land Between the Lakes Management 

New Budget Authority 4,175 4,200 4,200 0

Program Level 4,753 4,200 4,200 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 11 10 10 0

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fee 

New Budget Authority 4 600 600 0

Program Level 299 600 600 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Restoration 

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Quinault Special Management Area 

New Budget Authority 0 2 2 0

Program Level 3 5 5 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera Fund 

New Budget Authority 482 600 0 -600

Program Level 733 600 0 -600

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Restoration of Forest Lands & Improvements 

New Budget Authority 2,213 13,000 13,000 0

Program Level 27,408 51,400 47,400 -4,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 110 172 163 -9

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use 

Fee Retention 

New Budget Authority 625 554 544 -10

Program Level 422 841 780 -61

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 5 5 0

Organizational Camps Programs 

New Budget Authority 964 600 600 0

Program Level 466 700 700 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 5 5 0

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-of-Way) 

New Budget Authority 5,374 5,200 5,200 0

Program Level 5,185 6,900 5,400 -1,500

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 42 49 42 -7
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 281

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Licensee Program Smokey Bear 

New Budget Authority 70 100 100 0

Program Level 14 120 120 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl 

New Budget Authority 1 6 6 0

Program Level 3 12 12 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation) 

New Budget Authority 66 69 70 1

Program Level 10 67 70 3

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Conveyance of Administrative Sites 

New Budget Authority 9,487 9,400 9,400 0

Program Level 4,238 6,000 6,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 4 5 5 0

Site-Specific Lands Acts 

New Budget Authority 1,115 2,400 2,400 0

Program Level 7,466 5,600 3,900 -1,700

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2 2 2 0

Payment to States 

New Budget Authority 337,447 77,150 316,000 238,850

Program Level 325,690 77,150 316,000 238,850

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 78 0 78 78

Permanent Funds New Budget Authority 518,863 254,936 494,807 239,871

Permanent Funds Program Level 501,277 293,316 522,808 229,492

Permanent Funds Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,169 1,211 1,270 59

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 282

Brush Disposal 

Budget Line Item Brush Disposal

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Brush Disposal

New Budget Authority $8,062 $8,700 $8,700 0

Program Level 8,715 8,500 8,500 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 63 62 62 0

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Brush Disposal

Acres of harvest related woody fuels treated 51,852 73,813 73,000 63,420 70,000 70,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $8,500,000 for the Brush Disposal 

fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funding will be used to treat an estimated 

70,000 acres of woody debris resulting from timber harvesting on the national forests. 

Past Performance 

The disposal of unmerchantable material upon completion of timber harvest not only reduces 

hazardous fuel loading, but it is necessary for maintaining, improving forest health conditions. 

In some instances this treatment facilitates site preparation for tree planting or seed dispersal. In 

FY 2014, 63,420 acres were treated to remove woody debris associated with timber harvesting 

on national forests. This is slightly lower than estimated due to increased costs associated with 

brush disposal activities to meet environmental constraints and desired objectives as disclosed in 

National Environmental Policy Act documentation for projects. The ability to dispose of 

unwanted slash and debris generated by commercial timber sales depends on availability of the 

units for treatment, weather and fuel conditions, smoke management prescriptions, and 

geographical location. Brush disposal treatments where prescribed fire is the preferred alternative 

requires optimal environmental conditions to achieve desired objectives and must follow strict 

burning parameters and guidelines. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 283

Authorities 

The Brush Disposal Act of August 11, 1916, as amended (16 U.S.C. 490). This Act authorizes 

the Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of national forest timber to deposit the 

estimated cost to dispose of brush and other debris resulting from their cutting operations. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This program provides for the disposal of unmerchantable brush and other debris resulting from 

timber harvest operations. Timber harvest activities create logging slash which, when left 

untreated, can increase the risk of fire, impair reforestation, and contribute to the buildup of 

insect populations. Logging slash can be mechanically treated by scattering, chipping, or 

crushing down with logging equipment and allowed to decay. The treatment selected depends 

upon the amount of debris generated, as well as the relative fire hazard created. Slash can also 

be subjected to broadcast burning or collected into piles and burned during non-hazardous 

weather conditions. 

Timber sale operators can perform the required work, or they can request that the agency 

complete this work by depositing funds to cover these costs. Brush Disposal funding comes from 

deposits required of timber purchasers and is used only on timber sale areas. 

Allocation and Integration 

The allocation of Brush Disposal funds responds to each region’s assessment of budget authority 

required to accomplish necessary treatments. These treatments are integrated with hazardous fuel 

reduction treatments outside timber sale areas to achieve optimal progress toward agency forest 

health and fire hazard reduction goals. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 284

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research 

Budget Line Item Hardwood Technology Transfer and 

Applied Research 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied 

Research 

New Budget Authority $3 $30 $60 $30

Program Level 66 46 46 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $46,000 for the Hardwood 

Technology Transfer and Applied Research fund, the same level as FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

The permit holder in 2013-2014 ceased operations and went out of business. A new permit 

holder/lessee is being sought for the mill and shop facilities. Funds received from fees will 

provide for the operation and maintenance of the Wood Education and Resource Center, which 

includes an office building, training annex, rough mill, and wood shop. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, no fees were collected from lessee rent. The permit holder/lessee for 2013-2014 

went out of business. Annual collections for this fund can vary for several reasons, including 

potential escalating monthly payments built into the special use permit, fee adjustments due to 

market and business conditions, vacant rental/lease space and collection challenges. FY 2013 

was the last year rent was collected, at a level of $5,000. 

Authorities 

P.L. 106–113, div. B, §1000(a)(3) [Title III, §332], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A–197. 

Title 16 – Conservation; Chapter 36 - Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning, 

Subchapter II – Research; Sec. 1650 - Hardwood technology transfer and applied research. This 

Act provides authority for the Wood Education and Resource Center to conduct technology 

transfer and development, training, dissemination of information, and applied research in the 

management, processing and utilization of the hardwood forest resource. The Act authorizes the 

generation of revenue and funds to be deposited into a special fund in the U.S. Treasury, known 

as the Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research fund, which shall be available until 

expended, without further appropriation, in furtherance of the purposes stated in the Act 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 285

including upkeep, management, and operation of the Wood Education and Resource Center and 

the payment of salaries and expenses. 

Program Description 

The Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research fund allows for funds to be collected 

from leasing the wood shop and rough mill under a special use permit and are used to pay for 

utilities, salaries, repairs and maintenance expenses. While the majority of the funds are 

generated from lessee rent, a portion of the funds may be derived from machine/timeshare rentals 

for start-up wood businesses and workshop fees. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 286

Timber Salvage Sales 

 

Budget Line Item Timber Salvage Sales

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Salvage Sales

New Budget Authority $33,152 $20,000 $20,000 0

Program Level 20,746 22,000 22,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 207 215 215 0

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Timber Salvage Sales

Volume of salvage timber sold (million board feet 

(MMBF)) 306 329 250 409 300 300

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $22,000,000 for the Timber 

Salvage Sales fund, which is the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The funding will 

be used to analyze, prepare, and offer new salvage sales while administering salvage timber sales 

awarded in the recent past. Salvage sale treatments primarily follow recent fire and insect 

outbreaks. In FY 2016 the Forest Service expects to sell approximately 300 MMBF (million 

board feet). The volume outcome from this permanent fund is included in the unified volume 

sold target displayed under the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item for FY 2015 

and FY 2016. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the agency sold 409 million board feet from timber salvage sales. This 80 million 

board feet increase from last year is due largely to salvage volume from the Rim Fire area in 

Region 5. Additional amounts have also come from natural mortality within the Big Thorne 

stewardship contract in Region 10.

Authorities 

The National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a (h)). This Act authorizes the 

Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of salvage timber to make monetary deposits in a 

designated Treasury fund to cover the costs for sale preparation and administration, and the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 287

engineering design and administration of any needed roads necessary for the harvesting of 

salvage timber. Funds are available until expended. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Salvage sales permit the timely removal of fire damaged, insect damaged, and diseased trees to 

aid in developing healthy and resilient forest stands. The Timber Salvage Sale program collects 

revenues from the sale of timber from dead and dying trees to prepare and administer future 

salvage timber sales, including the provision of engineering support. These revenues are 

deposited into the Timber Salvage Sale fund and are available to immediately respond to timber 

salvage opportunities. The removal of fire-damaged, diseased and insect-infested timber through 

timber sale contracts is a valuable tool to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildland fires and 

other hazards associated with dead or dying trees. Timely salvage sales also help maximize the 

recovery of timber product value that would otherwise be lost. Through the collection of 

Knutson-Vandenberg Act funds, timber salvage sales can also provide for restoration of an 

affected area. 

Allocation and Integration 

Timber Salvage Sale funds are allocated based upon the amount of cash available in regional 

salvage accounts and the relative need for treatment each fiscal year. In addition to the Timber 

Salvage Sale fund, timber sales are funded through regular appropriations and other special 

authorities, including the Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration fund, the Knutson-Vandenberg fund, 

and the Stewardship Contracting fund. All of these funds may receive a portion of the revenues 

received from timber sales. 

Partnerships 

Effective implementation of this program requires partnership with local timber industries, since 

timber processing infrastructure located close to the national forests facilitates salvage timber 

sales. Without this infrastructure, these sales may not be economically viable, and removal of 

this material not possible. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 288

Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration 

Budget Line Item Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 

New Budget Authority $4,897 $5,400 $5,700 $300

Program Level 2,987 6,400 6,400 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 41 41 0

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund

Volume of pipeline timber prepared (million board feet 

(MMBF)) 211 242 225 307 242 275

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $6,400,000 for the Timber Sales 

Pipeline Restoration fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Specific program 

funding within this request is as follows: 

Timber Sale Pipeline Sale Preparation - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes funding for 

the timber sales pipeline preparation. The timber sale pipeline represents the queue of timber 

being prepared for future sales. Sales being prepared with this funding will contributed 

approximately 275 million board feet (MMBF) of timber volume sold towards the unified 

volume sold target displayed under the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item for FY 

2015 and FY 2016. 

Timber Sale Pipeline Recreation Backlog - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes funding for 

the backlog of recreation maintenance projects. Emphasis will be placed on repairs to correct 

health and safety deficiencies, reductions in the backlog of deferred maintenance at priority 

recreation sites as identified in forests’ Recreation Facility Analyses, and maintenance of system 

trails. Specific use of these funds include addressing the backlog of trail maintenance on three 

national forests in the Southern Region, asbestos removal and an electrical upgrade to the 

Sylvania day use facilities in the Eastern Region, and the replacement of a historical facility in 

the Pacific Northwest Region. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 289

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, 307 MMBF of timber pipeline volume was prepared for offer in future fiscal years. 

Outputs associated with the recreation backlog projects are combined and reported under the 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Facilities and Trails programs. Recreation projects 

included the decommissioning of recreation facilities on multiple national forests in the Southern 

Region and recreation facilities and trail improvements activities on several national forests in 

the Eastern Region. 

Authorities 

Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-134, Sec. 

101 (c), [title III Sec. 327], April 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 1321-206 and 207). The Secretary of 

Agriculture is authorized to collect and deposit revenues from a specific set of timber sales (i.e., 

sales released under P.L. 104-19, [title II, Sec. 2001(k)], July 27, 1995) for the purpose of 

preparing timber sales and addressing the backlog of recreation projects. Revenues from the sale 

of timber prepared using these funds are also deposited into this fund and are available for 

preparation of additional timber sales and recreation backlog projects. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund contributes to many land and resource management 

objectives, such as improving forest health, restoring wildlife habitat, and providing forest 

products to meet local and national needs. In addition, the Fund helps to address health and 

safety issues in recreation facilities and on system trails, benefiting the recreating public by 

addressing maintenance issues that may cause harm or otherwise detract from the outdoor 

experience. These activities are aligned with the agency’s watershed improvement goals and 

ensure forest and grasslands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change. 

The following programs are included in the Fund: 

Timber Sale Pipeline Sale Preparation – Seventy-five percent of the Timber Sales Pipeline 

Restoration funds are used for the preparation of future non-salvage timber sales to restore the 

timber sales pipeline volume. This activity provides for the National Environmental Policy Act 

analysis to meet long-term forest health and desired condition objectives, determination of the 

volume and value of the trees to be removed, and timber sale layout and design necessary for 

future timber sales. Expenditures may also include the necessary planning and design for the 

associated timber roads. 

Recreation Backlog - Twenty-five percent of the Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration funds are 

expended on backlog recreation facility projects and system trails. This activity includes 

maintenance and improvement of recreation sites, system trails, bridges, and trailheads. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 290

Allocation and Integration 

Funding is allocated to the field each year based upon the actual prior year collections from 

qualifying timber sales, with 75 percent of the net receipts collected in each region returned to 

the region for additional timber sales pipeline preparation work, and the remaining 25 percent 

used for the recreation backlog. 

In addition to this fund, timber sales are funded through the National Forest System, Integrated 

Resource Restoration budget line item as well as the Salvage Sale Fund and the KnutsonVandenberg Trust Fund. Recreation facility and trail projects are also funded through the 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Facilities, Trails, and Deferred Maintenance and 

Infrastructure Improvement budget line items, the Legacy Roads and Trails activity in Integrated 

Resource Restoration, and the Permanent Appropriation, Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund. 

Partnerships 

Effective implementation of this program requires partnership with local timber industries. 

Without the necessary infrastructure, timber sales might not be economically viable, and 

associated projects that contribute to resource management objectives could not occur. 

The agency accomplishes valuable recreation facility and trails work by leveraging funds and inkind contributions through many partnerships. The Forest Service engages volunteers, 

concessionaires, and other partners to enhance recreation experiences and help maintain nearly 

70 percent of agency owned recreation sites. Trail crews are one of the primary means for the 

Forest Service to employ young adults and partner with local communities and interest groups. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 291

Forest Botanical Products 

Budget Line Item Forest Botanical Products

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Forest Botanical Products

New Budget Authority $1,482 $1,500 $1,500 0

Program Level 1,553 2,000 2,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 20 24 24 0

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Forest Botanical Products

Sold value of forest botanical products $1,633,714 $1,450,419 $1,700,000 $1,564,200 $2,046,000 $1,700,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $2,000,000 for the Forest Botanical 

Products Pilot Program fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The Forest Service 

will use these funds to accomplish and further develop important projects and activities designed 

to ensure the viability and sustainability of forest botanical products while responding to the 

significant demand for culturally important, medicinal, and the wide variety of other botanical 

products. 

Past Performance 

The total value of agency forest botanical products sold in FY 2014, based on collections, was 

$1,564,200. This is an increase of $113,781, or 7.8 percent, compared to FY 2013. Of the total 

collections during FY 2014, limbs/boughs ($559,772), mushrooms ($357,705), foliage 

($255,038), and grasses ($234,567) were the predominant contributors - totaling over $1.4 

million dollars. Beyond collections, the sale of these products provided jobs and revenue sources 

for local gathers; thus, helping to maintain livelihoods and sustain local economies. 

Authorities 

Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 528 note) 

(P.L. 106-113, div. B, Sec. 1000(a)(3), [Appendix C, title III, Sec. 339], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 

1535, 1501A-199, as amended by P.L. 108-108,[title III, Sec. 335], Nov. 10, 2003, 117 Stat. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 292

1312, and P.L. 111-88, [title IV, Sec. 420], Oct. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 2960). This Act authorizes 

the Secretary of Agriculture to charge and collect fees from persons who harvest forest botanical 

products to cover at least a portion of the fair market value for the harvest of forest botanical 

products and a portion of the costs the agency incurs in administering the pilot program. Funds 

collected are deposited in a special fund in the Treasury. 

Extension of Forest Botanical Products Authorities; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 

113-76). This Act extends until September 30, 2019, the original authorization enacted through 

Section 339(h)(1) of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 

2000 (enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law 106–113; 16 U.S.C. 528 note). This 

authority will expire on September 30, 2019, unless it is reauthorized by Congress. However, all 

funds collected on or prior to September 30, 2019 will remain available for expenditure through 

September 30, 2020. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This authority provides a mechanism for charging and collecting fees from persons who harvest 

forest botanical products. The term “forest botanical products” refers to any naturally occurring 

mushrooms, fungi, flowers, seeds, roots, bark, leaves, and other vegetation (or portion thereof) 

that grow on National Forest System lands. Fees collected are available to cover the costs 

associated with granting, modifying, or administering the authorization for harvesting, including 

the costs for environmental analyses. Work activities include inventory, analysis, sustainability 

determination for harvest levels, permit issuance and administration, and monitoring to facilitate 

the sale and harvest of forest botanical products. The objectives of this program are to maintain, 

enhance, or restore forest ecosystems to desired conditions, and to provide for the sale and 

harvest of forest botanical products in a sustainable manner that contributes to meeting the 

Nation’s demand for these goods and services. 

Allocation and Integration 

Under this authority, funds collected through FY 2019 are authorized for expenditure through FY 

2020, on the unit where the funds were collected. The Forest Botanical Products fund 

supplements the Integrated Resource Restoration program for the sale and administration of 

forest botanical products. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 293

Stewardship Contracting 

Budget Line Item Stewardship Contracting 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Stewardship Contracting 

New Budget Authority $11,159 $14,000 $14,000 0

Program Level 9,669 15,000 14,000 -$1,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $14,000,000 for the Stewardship 

Contracting fund, a decrease of $1,000,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The continued 

use of stewardship contracting supports the agency’s goal of creating jobs while restoring forest 

and watershed health. 

In stewardship contracting, when the value of the sale of forest products exceeds the cost of the 

service work to be performed on an Integrated Resource Timber Contract, the excess receipts are 

retained by the Forest Service and deposited in the Stewardship Contracting fund. These retained 

receipts are utilized to implement an array of resource restoration work. In FY 2016, the 

Stewardship Contracting funds will be used to complete resource work, including: 

 improving, maintaining, and restoring forest and rangeland health; 

 restoring and maintaining water quality; 

 improving fish and wildlife habitat and reestablishing native plant species; 

 reducing hazardous fuels that pose risks to communities and ecosystem values; and 

 decommissioning roads. 

The Agricultural Act of 2014 extended stewardship contracting as a permanent authority. This 

provides the agency flexibility to accomplish collaborative restoration work at a landscape scale. 

Now that the Authority is permanent the Forest Service will codify existing policy on 

stewardship contracting into regulation. This will provide greater uniformity in the 

administration of the various contract and agreement mechanisms used by the agency to 

implement stewardship contracting projects. The rule will add a new Subpart I to the 36 CFR 

223, Sale and Disposal of National Forest System Timber, Special Forest Products, and Forest 

Botanical Products regulation. 

Past Performance 

Key accomplishments in FY 2014 utilizing the Stewardship Contracting fund include: 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 294

 4,848 acres of forest vegetation established, 

 26,829 acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) hazardous fuels treated, 

 39,120 acres of non-WUI hazardous fuels treated, and 

 8,093 acres of terrestrial habitat enhanced. 

Retained receipts deposited in the Stewardship Contracting fund may be used to accomplish a 

wide variety of activities through the stewardship contracting authority. The mix and level of 

accomplishments vary annually. This is due in part to the variability both in the resource work 

needed in the region where the receipts are collected and the cost of those activities. The 

performance accomplishments described above are a subset of the total accomplishments 

associated with the stewardship contracting authority. Appropriated funds from a variety of 

program areas may also be used to implement projects utilizing stewardship contracting 

authority. Further discussion of accomplishments associated with Stewardship Contracting can 

be found in the Stewardship Contracting Special Exhibit. 

Authorities 

The stewardship contracting authority authorizes the Forest Service, via agreement or contract, to 

enter into stewardship projects to perform services to achieve land management goals and to 

meet local and rural community needs. Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations 

Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 2104 note) (P.L.105-277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), [title III, Sec. 347], Oct. 21, 

1998, Stat. 2681-231, amended by Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations Act, 

2003, P.L. 108-7, div. F, [title III, Sec. 323], Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 275). Section 323 of P.L. 

108-7 supersedes the original authority granted to the Forest Service in section 347 of P.L. 105-

277. This authority was made permanent, pursuant to P.L. 113-79, the Agricultural Act of 2014. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Stewardship Contracting permits the Forest Service to apply the value of timber or other forest 

products from stewardship contracts as an offset against the costs to accomplish additional land 

and resource management objectives. If the offset value exceeds the value of the resource 

improvement treatments, those receipts are retained and deposited in the Stewardship 

Contracting fund and are available until expended for other authorized stewardship projects. 

Stewardship Contracting funds may be used for: 

 road and trail maintenance or decommissioning to restore or maintain water quality; 

 work to improve soil productivity, or other resource values; 

 prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of forest stands 

or to improve wildlife habitat; 

 removal of vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forests, reduce fire hazards, or 

achieve other land management objectives; 

 restoration and maintenance of watersheds; 

 restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fish habitat; and 

 control of noxious and invasive weeds, and re-establishment of native plant species. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 295

Allocation and Integration 

Stewardship contracting retained receipts remain on the unit where the receipts were collected 

for use on other authorized stewardship projects. Funds can be used on other units after approval 

by the Regional Forester in the region where the receipts were collected. 

Partnerships 

Stewardship contracting allows for national, regional, and local-level partnerships and 

collaboration with local communities. Significant partnerships exist with national organizations, 

such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and The Nature Conservancy. These partnerships 

range from collaboration during stewardship project development to entering into stewardship 

agreements with the Forest Service. These collaborative partnerships have resulted in 

community support for stewardship projects and have helped the agency to move forward with 

projects without litigation costs and delays that often confront traditional timber sales and some 

hazardous fuel reduction projects. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 296

Recreation Fees, Forest Service 

 

Budget Line Item Recreation Fees, Forest Service

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Recreation Fees, Forest Service

New Budget Authority $70,690 $65,225 $66,625 $1,400

Program Level 71,285 75,175 75,575 400

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 576 599 597 -2

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $75,575,000 for the Recreation 

Fees, Forest Service fund, an increase of $400,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Specific priorities within each program include: 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Site Specific - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a 

program level of $51,700,000 to conduct annual maintenance and repairs to recreation facilities, 

enhance visitor services such as interpretation and education, and provide for the presence of law 

enforcement and other uniformed employees in recreation areas where fees are generated. The 

Forest Service will prioritize reducing deferred maintenance at high-priority fee sites and will 

improve the condition of the facilities used by the recreating public. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Agency Specific - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a 

program level of $22,300,000 to continue providing guidance from regional offices, grant money 

for projects at the forest level, and continue to serve as the contracting agency for the National 

Recreation Reservation Service for all Federal agencies. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Grey Towers National Historic Site Fees - The FY 2016 

President’s Budget includes a program level of $75,000. Specific priorities within each activity 

will use recreation fees to support visitor services at Grey Towers National Historic Site that 

include, but are not limited to, interpretive and education programs that perpetuate the 

conservation legacy of Gifford Pinchot and conference center programs and activities that foster 

leadership within the natural resource community. 

Shasta-Trinity Marina Fees - The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of 

$1,500,000. Fees collected from the marina special use permits are used for the direct operating 

or capital costs associated with issuance of the permits and provide services, protect resources, 

and meet the needs of the estimated 2.1 million annual visitors to the Shasta-Trinity National 

Recreation Area. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 297

Past Performance 

From 2005 to 2014, the Forest Service collected more than $618 million, cumulatively, in fee 

revenue under this authority. This total includes fee revenue from outfitters and guides. 

Annually, the Forest Service collects approximately $66 million in recreation fees. From 2005 to 

2014 the Forest Service has expended over $600 million to maintain and improve recreation sites 

and services for the American public, across the Nation. Ninety-five percent of the recreation 

fees collected on a national forest stay at that national forest to be reinvested back into recreation 

sites and services. 

The recreation fee program has been successful in providing quality recreation facilities and 

services to the American public that recreate on Federal lands. National Visitor Use Monitoring 

surveys show that 94 percent of visitors are satisfied with their recreation experience and 85 

percent are satisfied with the value received for the fee paid. The overall visitor satisfaction 

number has been steady to slightly increasing over the last several years. 

Authorities 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6806 and 6807) (P.L. 108-447, div. J, 

[title VIII, Sec. 807 and Sec. 808] Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3388). This Act provides authority to 

implement a fee program for certain recreation sites on Federal lands. Fees collected from users 

of recreation facilities are used to pay for on-the-ground operation, maintenance, and 

improvements of recreation sites and services to maintain and enhance recreation opportunities, 

visitor experiences, and related habitat. Funds are available until expended. The Act directs the 

creation of Recreation Resource Advisory Committees to allow for public involvement in 

recreation fee programs. This authority was originally set to expire on December 8, 2014, but 

was extended through December 8, 2015 pursuant to P.L. 113-46, Continuing Appropriations 

Act, 2014, through December 11, 2015 pursuant to P.L. 113-164, Continuing Appropriations 

Act, 2015, and through September 30, 2016 pursuant to P.L. 113-483, Consolidated and Further 

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.

Section 422, Div. F, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161; 121 Stat. 2159). 

This Act provides authority through September 30, 2014 for the Forest Service to retain permit 

fees collected for marinas on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest under the Term Permit Act and 

use the retained fees for the purposes in the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These 

purposes include repair, maintenance and facility enhancement, interpretation and visitor 

services, habitat restoration, and law enforcement. The fees may also be used for direct 

operating or capital costs associated with the issuance of a marina permit. This authority was 

originally set to expire on September 30, 2014, but was extended through September 30, 2019 

pursuant to P.L. 113-76, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

When recreation fees are collected by the Forest Service, 95 percent of the fees collected are 

deposited in the Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund and are spent on maintaining and 

improving the area, site, or projects that directly relate to visitor enjoyment, access, and health 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 298

and safety. Work activities include: annual operation and maintenance, interpretation, signage, 

wildlife habitat restoration, resource preservation, and law enforcement. We execute a large 

amount of work in this program through contracts. 

There are four programs within the Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund:

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Site Specific - We collect approximately $50 million annually to 

maintain and improve facilities and services for which the fees are collected. At least 80 to 95 

percent of the fees collected are deposited in the Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund and are 

spent on the area, site, or projects that directly relate to visitor enjoyment, access, and health and 

safety. Work activities include: annual operation and maintenance, interpretation, signage, 

wildlife habitat restoration, outfitter and guide enhancement, resource preservation, and law 

enforcement. Five percent goes to the regional offices to support strategic program oversight, 

financial management, training, and grants to forests for improvements/special projects on the 

ground. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Agency Specific - The Forest Service is the contracting agency 

for the National Recreation Reservation Service, part of Recreation.gov, an e-government 

initiative. The $120 million contract supports reservations for all recreation facilities on public 

lands that allow reservations. One task of administering the contract is to manage the pass 

through account for the reservation fees for all agencies. Approximately $13 million annually is 

included in this program, and as more sites come on to the reservation system throughout the 

entire Federal public lands system, this account will continue to grow. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Grey Towers National Historic Site Fees - Recreation fees are 

used for annual operations and maintenance of the historic mansion and 102 acre landscape; 

interpretive and education programs and projects that perpetuate the legacy of Gifford Pinchot 

for general public and youth; public programs that foster stewardship of natural resources; safety 

of the visitor and security of the resource; and support for the conference facility that provides 

conservation leadership development programs and enhances the dialogues taking place within 

the natural resource community. 

Shasta-Trinity Marina Fees - Fees received from the marina project provide funding needed in 

the Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area to meet critical health and safety standards, address 

portions of the maintenance backlog, provide for many noteworthy, innovative projects including 

high quality interpretive and environmental education programs, installation and maintenance of 

over 300 underwater obstacle markers and 100 safety-related floating directional signs, 

establishment and maintenance of the National Recreation Area Boating Safety Program, 

implementation and administration of the program’s Marina Standards, maintaining a floating 

toilet program, and the construction of accessible facilities to provide greater access for persons 

with disabilities. The goal of these projects is to meet the National Recreation Area’s intent, 

which is to showcase recreation opportunities in the agency. 

Allocation and Integration

Recreation fees supplement discretionary appropriations such as National Forest System – 

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness; and Capital Improvement and Maintenance – Facilities and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Trails budget line items. Outputs associated with this program are combined and reported under 

individual resource programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. A significant 

benefit from recreation fees is that these fees can roll over from one year to the next, so forests 

can save some money to tackle a costly capital improvement project later. Because 95 percent of 

the recreation fee dollars stay at the forest where they were collected, the forest has the authority 

to direct spending to their priorities. 

Partnerships 

Recreation fees are used to fund volunteer projects and leverage grants and other challenge costshare dollars. These fees provide for the health and safety of visitors to national forest recreation 

areas and restore ecosystem damage caused by recreation use.

The Forest Service has chartered five Recreation Resource Advisory Committees, which include 

the Southern, Eastern, and Pacific Northwest Regions, and the States of California and Colorado. 

In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, the agency participates in 12 additional 

advisory committees. These committees meet several times a year to review proposed changes 

to the recreation fee program. Chartering and sustaining these advisory committees, along with 

our other comprehensive public involvement efforts, demonstrates our continued commitment to 

improving our effectiveness and efficiency through increased public involvement and 

cooperation. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 300

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction

Budget Line Item Timber Purchaser Election Road 

Construction 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

New Budget Authority $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 0

Program Level 883 1,000 1,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 1 1 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $1,000,000 for the Timber 

Purchaser Election Road Construction, the same as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Program level 

and accomplishments in FY 2016 will depend upon the number of qualifying small businesses 

purchasing timber sales and the number of those businesses that do not have the capability to 

perform the required road work under those sales. This program provides funding for 

construction or improvement of specified roads and bridges supporting the timber harvest 

operations of small business operators. 

Each year, the agency usually performs between one and 10 miles of high clearance road 

reconstructions and/or maintenance on behalf of timber purchasers depending upon the particular 

need that year. 

Authorities 

National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a(i)). The act authorizes the Secretary 

of Agriculture to use any receipts from the sale of timber for the construction of roads required 

under the timber sale contract. 

Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 535a (c)) (P.L. 105-

277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), [title III, Sec. 329], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-231, 2681-292). This 

act authorizes small business timber purchasers to elect to pay the Forest Service to construct or 

reconstruct any permanent roads or bridges required by the timber sale. The timber purchaser 

must be classified as a small business operator, and the total estimated reconstruction and 

construction cost in the timber sale contract must exceed $50,000. 

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161, 

Sec. 6., div. F, [title IV, Sec. 423], Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 2150). The Forest Service shall 

allocate to the regions of the Forest Service, $15,000,000 from the current balance in the ‘‘timber 

roads purchaser election fund,’’ to remain available until expended. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 301

Program Overview 

Program Descriptions 

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

The Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction program supports the construction and 

reconstruction of any permanent road or bridge as required under the terms and conditions of a 

timber sale contract. When a small business timber purchaser is awarded a contract, the 

purchaser may elect to pay the Forest Service to construct or reconstruct specified roads in the 

timber sale contract area to a standard necessary to harvest and remove timber and other forest 

products. The agency then uses the funds to contract for the required road work and administer 

the contract. This program benefits small timber contractors who might otherwise be unable to 

bid on Forest Service timber sales, as well as provides for appropriate road improvements 

preventing soil degradation, stream sedimentation, or other damages. 

Purchaser Election Vegetative Treatment 

The Purchaser Election Vegetative Treatment funds support the following actives to improve 

forest health: vegetative treatments in timber stands at high risk of fire due to insect, disease, or 

drought; road work in support of vegetative treatments to support forest health objectives; and 

maintenance of infrastructure for the processing of woody fiber in regions where it is critical to 

sustaining local economies and fulfilling forest health objectives. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 302

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters

Budget Line Item Operation and Maintenance of Forest 

Service Quarters

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service 

Quarters

New Budget Authority $8,041 $7,200 $7,100 -$100

Program Level 8,683 9,000 8,100 -900

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 21 21 20 -1

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $8,100,000 for the Operation and 

Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters program, a decrease of $900,000 from the FY 2015 

Enacted Budget. These funds maintain employee occupied living quarters in safe and healthy 

conditions. The program will emphasize improvements to water systems and health and safety 

issues. 

Past Performance 

Accomplishments under this program are recorded in the Capital Improvement and Maintenance 

- Facilities Section. 

Authorities 

Forest Service Quarters Operation and Maintenance (5 U.S.C. 5911, Other Provisions). This Act 

authorizes the collection of rental income from employees living in government owned or leased 

residences. Such rents and charges are deposited in a special Treasury fund and remain available 

for obligation for operation and maintenance of quarters until expended. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This program provides for operation, maintenance, and management of employee housing 

facilities, including associated utility systems. Funds may also be used to pay the rental costs for 

leased quarters, including utilities, due to extreme housing shortages in an area. In addition to 

maintaining safe and pleasant housing, work using this fund contributes to the reduction of the 

agency’s deferred maintenance backlog. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 303

This fund covers all types of maintenance of a structure or building, including any governmentowned property and any appliances integral to the facility. The fund does not cover betterments, 

additions, replacement construction, or new construction. 

Allocation and Integration 

Rental deposits are pooled and remain on the forest where the deposits are collected. If Quarters 

Maintenance funds are not available, maintenance may be funded using Facilities Maintenance 

Assessment funds or the Capital Improvement and Maintenance - Facilities and Deferred 

Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 304

Roads and Trails for States 

Budget Line Item Roads and Trails for States

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Roads and Trails for States

New Budget Authority $17,354 $17,000 $17,000 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget program level is zero. The Forest Service proposes to transfer 

$17 million (FY 2015) and $17 million (FY 2016) in unexpended collections under this authority 

to the General Fund of the Treasury. In the FY 2014 and 2015 Omnibus appropriation, Congress 

directed that funds becoming available under the Act of March 4, 1913 be transferred to the 

Treasury. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the agency did not have any accomplishments from Road and Trails for States 

funds. No new funds were available in FY 2014. 

Authorities 

The Act of March 4, 1913, as amended (16 U.S.C. 501). This act authorizes ten percent of all 

National Forest Fund receipts received by the national forests during each fiscal year to be 

expended for the construction and maintenance of roads and trails within the national forests in 

the States from which proceeds are derived. 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110–161, div F, title III, Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 

2129). This act directed “That funds becoming available in fiscal year 2008 under the Act of 

March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury and shall 

not be available for transfer or obligation for any other purpose unless the funds are 

appropriated.” 

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-88, 

div. A, title III, Oct. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 2940). This act directed “That funds becoming available 

in fiscal year 2010 under the act of March 4, 1913, (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred to the 

General Fund of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any other 

purpose unless the funds are appropriated.” 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 305

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74). This act directed “That funds becoming 

available in fiscal year 2012 under the act of March 4, 1913, (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred 

to the General Fund of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any 

other purpose unless the funds are appropriated.” 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). This act directed “That funds becoming 

available in fiscal year 2014 under the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred 

to the General Fund of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any 

other purpose unless the funds are appropriated.” 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 306

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Under this fund, ten percent of all National Forest Fund receipts, which is inclusive of both fees 

and other types of revenue, are used by the Forest Service without regard to the State in which 

the amounts were derived, to repair or reconstruct roads, bridges, and trails on National Forest 

System (NFS) lands. Funds are directed towards correcting road and trail deficiencies that 

adversely affect ecosystems. 

Beginning in FY 1999 and continuing in subsequent appropriation acts, the authority was 

expanded to allow the use of funds for the purpose of improving forest health conditions and 

repairing or reconstructing roads and bridges on NFS lands in the wildland-urban interface where 

there is an abnormally high risk of fire. The program reduces risk to human safety and public 

health and property and enhances ecological functions, long-term forest productivity, and 

biological integrity. Work previously funded under this program has been funded through the 

Legacy Roads and Trails line item. 

The last fiscal year that the Forest Service was authorized to obligate new collections from the 

Roads and Trails Fund was in FY 2007. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 307

Land Between the Lakes Management

Budget Line Item Land Between the Lakes Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Land Between the Lakes Management

New Budget Authority $4,175 $4,200 $4,200 0

Program Level 4,753 4,200 4,200 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 11 10 10 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $4,200,000 for the Land Between 

the Lakes (LBL) Management fund, the same as the FY 2015 estimate. Funds will be used to 

support operational costs for customer-focused recreation and environmental education 

programs, as well as capital improvements at the facilities where funds are collected. The LBL 

Management funds will continue to be used to assess, analyze, and implement the highest 

priorities identified in the LBL Area Plan for integrated forest management. The LBL Area will 

continue to maintain recreation facilities to standard for public use, and small infrastructure 

replacement projects will be completed in several of the developed facilities. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014there were approximately 1.5 million visits to the LBL National Recreation Area, 

which is consistent with previous years. LBL has historically covered 30 percent of its costs by 

receipts through the LBL Management fund authority, supporting a diversity of recreation, fish 

and wildlife, and environmental education activities. Fee collections were over $4,000,000 in 

FY 2014. 

The LBL Management fund covers routine and inflationary increases to operational costs for the 

facilities that generate revenue. 

Authority 

Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 460lll-24) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, 

Sec. 101(e) [title V, Sec. 524], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-315). This Act establishes the Land 

Between the Lakes Management fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, responsibility for 

the LBL National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee transferred from the Tennessee 

Valley Authority to the Secretary of Agriculture.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 308

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The LBL National Recreation Area provides public recreational opportunities; conserves fish 

and wildlife and their habitat; provides for a diversity of plants and animals; and offers 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, and environmental education. LBL hosts an average of 1.5 

million visits annually from people all over the Nation and more than 30 foreign countries. LBL 

continues to demonstrate success with its camping reservation system, which allows visitors to 

register for camp sites before arrival. 

Section 524 of the Land Between the Lakes Protection Act established a special fund known as 

the Land Between the Lakes Management fund. All amounts received from charges, user fees, 

and natural resource use, including timber and agricultural receipts, are deposited into the fund. 

Funds are available for management of LBL, including payment of salaries and expenses. 

Partnerships 

LBL’s program of work provides the opportunity to partner with a number of regional and 

national conservation organizations, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited. Further, LBL’s volunteers, 

coordinated through the Friends of LBL partnership, log more than 116,000 hours of volunteer 

time on LBL projects annually. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 309

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees 

Budget Line Item Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental 

Fees 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees 

New Budget Authority $4 $600 $600 0

Program Level 299 600 600 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $600,000 for the Midewin National 

Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds restore 

and manage prairie and wetland habitats on the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNTP). 

Past Performance 

The rental fee funds collected on the MNTP are used to restore ecosystems and habitats for 

native prairie and wetlands. Restoration activities including: 

stream debris removal, demolition of old Army infrastructure, purchasing and planting of native 

prairie seeds and plants, management of grassland bird habitat, control of invasive species on 

restoration sites, and purchasing of miscellaneous restoration equipment and supplies. 

Authorities 

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 (16 U.S.C. 1609 note) (P.L. 104-106, div. B, [title 

XXIX, sec. 2915 (b), (c)], Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 601-602). The Secretary of Agriculture is 

authorized to issue agricultural special use authorizations or grazing permits for purposes 

primarily related to erosion control, provision for food and habitat for fish and wildlife, or other 

resource management activities consistent with the purposes of the MNTP. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 established the MNTP to be managed as part of the 

National Forest System. The act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to issue agricultural 

special use authorizations and grazing permits. After appropriate payments to the State of 

Illinois and Will County, pursuant to the act of May 23, 1908, and section 13 of the act of March 

1, 1911 (16 U.S.C. 500), available receipts from rental fees may be used to cover the cost of 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 310

ecosystem restoration, prairie improvements, and administrative activities directly related to 

those activities. These funds provide for maintenance of native plant communities and grassland 

bird habitat at the MNTP. The ability to collect funds from grazing and agricultural uses 

provides an essential financial resource to MNTP managers to continue to restore ecosystems 

and habitats in order to enhance biodiversity; promote scientific, environmental, and educational 

research; and develop best practices for land management. 

 

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 

 BEFORE AFTER

An old railroad bed put through a wetland years ago to link up and restore former wetland areas was 

removed. Black-necked stilts nested in the restored wetland after the rail bed removal. This is an 

example of how rental fee funds were used to work with partners to complete restoration projects. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 311

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Restoration

Budget Line Item Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 

Restoration 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Restoration 

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

No funds are included for this program in the FY 2016 President’s Budget. 

Past Performance 

There were no collections or expenditures for this account in FY 2014. To date, salvage 

opportunities anticipated by the legislation have not materialized. Less than $4,000 has been 

generated by the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNTP) Restoration fund over the past 10 

years. No expenditures have been made from this account since its creation in 1995. 

Authorities 

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 (16 U.S.C. 1609 note) (P.L. 104-106, div. B, [title 

XXIX, sec. 2915 (d), (e) and (f)], Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 602). The Secretary of Agriculture is 

authorized to charge reasonable user fees for the admission, occupancy, and use of the Midewin 

National Tallgrass Prairie, and may sell for salvage value any facilities and improvements which 

have been transferred under this Act. The Secretary may use amounts in the fund, in such 

amounts as are provided in advance in Appropriation Acts, for restoration and administration of 

the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 established the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 

to be managed as part of the National Forest System. There are two separate funds: the 

agricultural rental fund that funds prairie restoration and the salvage fund that may be used for all 

other activities. Receipts from grazing fees, agricultural leases for row crops, sales of surplus 

equipment, and the salvage value proceeds from the sale of any facilities and improvements can 

be used to cover the cost of restoration of ecosystems; construction of a visitor center, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 312

recreational facilities, trails, and administrative office; prairie improvement; and operation and 

maintenance. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 313

Quinault Special Management Area Fund

Budget Line Item Quinault Special Management Area 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Quinault Special Management Area 

New Budget Authority 0 $2 $2 0

Program Level $3 5 5 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $5,000 for the Quinault Special 

Management Area (QSMA) fund, the same as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The Olympic 

National Forest annually reviews the current deposits of the 10 percent of proceeds from the sale 

of forest products, and requests authority to use those funds for work performed on the QSMA. 

Past Performance 

The Forest Service annually reviews the current deposits to the 10 percent of proceeds fund, and 

requests authority to use those funds for work performed on the QSMA. In FY 2014, expenses 

were $3,075 and we collected $216 for management of those lands. 

Authorities 

The Act of November 8, 1988 (P.L 100-638) (102 Stat. 3327). This Act established the Quinault 

Special Management Area from part of the Olympic National Forest, and it assigns responsibility 

to the Forest Service for managing its natural resources and distributing proceeds from the sale 

of forest products according to provisions of the Act. 

The Act provides that 10 percent of the gross proceeds from the sale of forest products on the 

QSMA are transferred to this account and are available for administration of future timber sales. 

The Act also provides for the distribution of gross receipts from a special management area to 

compensate the Quinault Indian Tribe and the State of Washington for land that the Forest 

Service gave back to the Tribe. The distribution must be used for roads and schools. 

Program Description 

Program Overview

This program and budget line item for the QSMA is unique to the Forest Service. The QSMA is 

over 5,400 acres, as prescribed by law, which the Olympic National Forest manages for the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 314

Quinault Indian Nation. Specifically, the lands are defined under Section 2 of the 

aforementioned Act. All receipts from use of this land, including timber sales, firewood, 

botanicals, special use permits, and minerals, are divided with 45 percent going to the State of 

Washington, 45 percent to the Quinault Tribe, and 10 percent towards management of those 

lands by the Olympic National Forest. Quarterly, the Olympic National Forest processes the 

receipts and sends a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Tribal Chair, documenting the 

receipts that will be transferred to Bureau for disbursement to the Tribe. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 315

Valles Caldera National Preserve 

Budget Line Item Valles Caldera 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Valles Caldera 

New Budget Authority $482 $600 0 -$600

Program Level 733 600 0 -600

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act designates the Valles Caldera National 

Preserve (Preserve) as a unit of the National Park Service. Transfer of the Preserve to the 

National Park Service will occur in FY 2015 with any unobligated balances remaining in FY 

2015 being transferred to the Department of the Interior as well. As a result, there will be no 

balance remaining in this fund in FY 2016. 

Past Performance 

In previous years, the goals of the Preserve’s board of trustees, called the Valles Caldera Trust, 

focused on public access and use, forest restoration, and enhancement of the Preserve’s rich 

natural, cultural and historic resources. During FY 2014 further attention was aimed at 

increasing recreational opportunities for the public and making investments toward increasing 

the financial self-sustainability of the Preserve. 

The Preserve continued to experience significant effects from the 2011 Las Conchas Fire and the 

2013 Thompson Ridge Fire, which burned almost two-thirds of the Preserve. Flash floods, 

falling dead trees, fence damage, road washouts, and the destruction of the Preserve’s entire 

surface drinking water system have constrained the Preserve’s public access and financial selfsustainability goals. Appropriated dollars were used for rehabilitation and repair from post-fire 

flooding events. 

In FY 2014, the Trust’s focus was on keeping the Preserve open year round by offering 

additional recreation and education programs and activities. Visitation increased to 

approximately 120,000 people in FY 2014, representing a 10 percent increase from the previous 

year. Public programs included hunting, fishing, hiking, van tours, and environmental education, 

along with special events. Total revenue generated from these recreation programs in FY 2014 

was $781,844. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 316

The Preserve’s Landscape Restoration and Stewardship Plan Environmental Impact Statement 

and Record of Decision were completed in FY 2014, allowing the implementation of proposed 

forest restoration projects. 

Authorities 

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, Sec. 3043 (H.R. 3979 EAH, 113th 

Cong.), December 12, 2014. This Act abolishes the Valles Caldera Trust and designates the 

Valles Caldera National Preserve as a unit of the National Park System. 

Valles Caldera Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 698v-4, 698v-6). (P.L. 106-248, [title I, Sec. 106, 

Sec. 108], July 25, 2000, 114 Stat. 603 and 607; as amended by P.L. 109-132, [Sec. 2 (b)-(d)], 

119 Stat. 2570). This Act authorized the Valles Caldera Trust to receive and collect funds in 

support of the management and administration of the Preserve. This included the authority to 

assess fees for admission to, the use, and occupancy of the Preserve. In addition, it allowed the 

Trust to solicit and accept donations of funds, property, supplies, or services for the purpose of 

management of the Preserve. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Valles Caldera Preservation Act provided for the acquisition of the Baca Ranch located in 

the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, designated the acquired lands as the Valles Caldera 

National Preserve, and created the Valles Caldera Trust (a government corporation that prepared 

annual budgets with the goal of achieving a financially self-sustaining operation by 2015) to 

manage the 88,900 acre tract. The Preserve protects scientific, scenic, geologic, watershed, 

wildlife, historic, heritage, and recreational values and provides for multiple uses and the 

sustained yield of renewable resources. 

While under the administration of the Trust, the Valles Caldera Preservation Act allowed for a 

variety of approaches to generate revenue in support of management of the Preserve and to carry 

out the duties of the Trust. Various funding mechanisms existed from private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Options included accepting donations from foundations or the private 

sector through charitable giving; or charging fees for use (e.g., grazing, forest products, filming); 

and assessing admission fees and use fees. All monies received were deposited in the Valles 

Caldera fund, an interest bearing account. These receipts were available without further 

appropriation for the administration, preservation, restoration, operation, maintenance, and 

improvement of the Preserve and its properties. 

In December 2014, the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act designated the Preserve as 

a unit of the National Park Service and transferred administration of the Preserve to the Secretary 

of the Interior. The transfer must occur within 180 days of the passage of the authorization act. 

Partnerships 

The Valles Caldera Preservation Act required management of the Preserve by the Trust, a 

government corporation subject to the Government Corporation Control Act. A nine-member 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 317

Board of Trustees was responsible for the protection and development of the Preserve. Seven of 

its members were appointed by the President of the United States. In addition, the 

Superintendent of nearby Bandelier National Monument and the Forest Supervisor of the Santa 

Fe National Forest also served on the Board. The Board was required to meet in public at least 

three times per year and all Board decisions were made at public meetings. In August of 2002, 

management authority was transferred to the Trust. The National Defense Authorization Act 

mandated termination of the Trust 180 days after the law was enacted, and imposed a deadline 

for the transfer of jurisdiction from the Trust and the Forest Service to the National Park Service 

on that same day. 

During the term of the Trust’s management, the Preserve benefited from monetary as well as 

non-monetary contributions. Non-monetary contributions included time and expertise 

contributed by many volunteers. These volunteers assisted with many of the recreation 

programs, along with wetland restoration projects, throughout the year. 

External funding from outside agencies and organization were invested in projects; mostly 

research, inventory, and monitoring conducted on the Preserve. A continued objective for the 

Trust is to encourage scientific activities on the Preserve. Indicators of the science community’s 

interest in studying the Valles Caldera National Preserve could be gleaned from the number of 

projects conducted, the amount of funding generated to support these projects, and the number of 

publications and presentations resulting from the research. Current (FY 2014) funding from 

outside (non-Trust) sources came from 38 different project sources and exceeded $4.8 million. 

While these outside grant funds were not part of the Trust budget, they nonetheless contributed 

to the regional economy through personnel salaries, purchasing of equipment and supplies, 

travel, contracts, and educational stipends. All of these transactions generated tax revenues for 

local, state, and Federal governments. More importantly, the information gleaned from these 

studies was used to advise managers on how best to apply manipulative actions on the ground, 

including informing forest thinning prescriptions, use of fire, distributions of livestock, predator 

impacts on elk populations, fisheries management, and other land management tools. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 318

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 

Budget Line Item Restoration of Forest Lands and 

Improvements

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements

New Budget Authority $2,213 $13,000 $13,000 0

Program Level 27,408 51,400 47,400 -$4,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 110 172 163 -9

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $47,400,000 for the Restoration of 

Forest Lands and Improvements fund, a decrease of $4,000,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted 

Budget. These funds will provide for the rehabilitation of forest resources or infrastructure that 

has been damaged due to negligence or contract non-performance of other parties. The 

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements fund provides a mechanism to quickly bill, 

collect, and obligate funds necessary to restore damages to critical ecosystems and facilities so 

that repairs are not deferred or foregone. 

Past Performance 

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvement funds are used to perform important restoration 

and rehabilitation activities or infrastructure repair due to contractor damage, negligence, or nonperformance. This can include a variety of activities that will vary from year to year depending 

upon the need. In FY 2014, activities included: 

 473 acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high priority hazardous fuels treated; 

 1,179 acres of hazardous fuels treated outside the WUI to reduce the risk of catastrophic 

wildland fire; 

 924 acres of forest vegetation established; 

 1,515 acres of forest vegetation improved; 

 758 acres of noxious weeds/invasive plant treatments; 

 534 acres of water or soil resources protected, maintained, or improved to achieve desired 

watershed conditions; and 

 16 miles of system trail maintained to standard. 

Many of the accomplishments in the above activities were greater in FY 2014 than in FY 2013. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 319

Authorities 

The Act of June 20, 1958 (16 U.S.C. 579c) (P.L. 85-464, Sec. 7, June 20, 1958, 72 Stat. 217). 

This Act authorizes establishment of a fund for improvement, protection, or rehabilitation of 

lands under the administration of the Forest Service. This fund receives monies from: (a) 

forfeiture of a bond or deposit by a permittee or timber purchaser for failure to complete 

performance of improvement, protection, or rehabilitation work required under the permit or 

timber sale contract; or (b) the result of a judgment, compromise, or settlement of any claim, 

involving present or potential damage to lands or improvements. Funds are available until 

expended to cover the costs of performing the required work. Any funds received in excess of 

the amount expended in performing the work shall be transferred to miscellaneous receipts. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This authority protects the interests of the Forest Service by allowing the agency to address a 

variety of situations. When work under a permit or timber sale contract is not completed by a 

permittee or timber purchaser, they forfeit their bond or deposit. These funds then transfer to the 

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements fund, allowing the Forest Service to complete the 

needed restoration and rehabilitation work. 

This authority also protects the interests of the American public from present or potential damage 

to National Forest System lands or improvements due to the actions of another party. This 

authority provides the Forest Service with the ability to use funds from a judgment, compromise, 

or claim settlement to address those damages. 

Based on a Comptroller General's Decision (67 Comp. Gen. 276), collections may be used to 

reimburse the Forest Service for any restoration costs paid from Forest Service appropriations 

before the collections were received. 

Allocation and Integration 

The proposed FY 2016 program funding level is based on field projections of anticipated work. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 320

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention 

Budget Line Item Commercial Filming and Still Photography 

Land Use Fee Retention

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land 

Use Fee Retention

New Budget Authority $625 $554 $544 -$10

Program Level 422 841 780 -61

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 5 5 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $780,000 for Commercial Filming 

and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention, a decrease of $61,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted 

Budget. 

Past Performance 

During FY 2014, the Forest Service collected $624,510 from commercial filming. These 

collections are retained at the national, regional and forest unit level and are separate from the 

fees the agency collects associated with processing film/photo requests. Units use the 

commercial filming collections to respond to film/photo requests in a timelier manner and to 

proactively manage the program. More recently, these fees have been used to coordinate interregional or inter-forest requests for filming as a means of streamlining the authorization process 

and reducing the number of authorizations necessary for large landscape filming requests. 

Authorities 

The Act of May 26, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 460l-6d) (P. L. 106-206). This Act authorizes retention of 

fees collected for commercial filming and photography land use authorizations and obligation of 

the monies for maintenance of the filming site. Land use fees are based on a schedule to use and 

occupy National Forest System land for filming/photo activities. This fee is separate from the 

cost recovery fee to process applications and to monitor the authorization for compliance with 

the commercial filming permit. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 321

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Fees retained by the Forest Service in this fund are used to respond to film/photo use requests 

and to initiate management activities that help respond to these requests in an expedited manner. 

For example, forest units use these funds to assess popular film/photo locations in advance of 

requests and to develop and post information on film/photo procedures specific to the unit. 

Regional and national units use these funds to provide management oversight, develop policy, 

and coordinate inter-regional or inter-forest film/photo requests prior to accepting a proposal as a 

formal application. 

Allocation and Integration 

In accordance with the Act of May 26, 2000, 90 percent of the fees collected remain at the forest 

unit where the fee is collected. These funds are used for managing the film/photo program and 

to defer costs associated with collecting the fee. The remaining 10 percent is used to provide 

management oversight, to develop policies, and to coordinate inter-regional or inter-forest 

film/photo requests. Of this 10 percent, 5 percent is retained at the Washington Office and 5 

percent is retained at each Regional Office where the film/photo authorization is contained. 

Partnerships 

Many forest units work cooperatively with State film commissions to inform these entities of 

Forest Service film/photo processing procedures. The Forest Service is also engaged in 

coordination with the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management, National Park 

Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) effort to develop a national fee schedule applicable 

to film and photo authorizations. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 322

Organizational Camps Program 

 

Budget Line Item Organizational Camps Program

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Organizational Camps Program

New Budget Authority $964 $600 $600 0

Program Level 466 700 700 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 5 5 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $700,000 for the administration of 

the Organizational Camps Program fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds 

will be used to monitor organizational camp special use authorizations; conduct environmental 

analysis related to the organizational camp special uses program; maintain, recondition, renovate, 

or improve federally-owned facilities covered by organizational camp special use authorizations; 

complete environmental restoration projects; administer the special uses program; provide 

interpretive programs; and conduct other programs and projects deemed appropriate by the 

authorized officer. 

Past Performance 

During FY 2014, we collected $963,763 through the organizational camps program, which units 

used for program administration, monitoring special use authorizations, interpretive programs, 

environmental analysis and restoration activities related to organizational camps throughout the 

National Forest System. 

Authorities 

National Forest Organizational Camp Fee Improvement Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6231 et seq.) 

(P.L. 108-7). This Act defines an organizational camp as a public or semipublic camp developed 

by a nonprofit or government entity to introduce young people or people with disabilities to 

activities they might not otherwise experience and to educate them on natural resource issues. 

The Act establishes a land use fee system for organizational camps located on National Forest 

System lands and authorizes the Secretary to retain and spend these fees without further 

appropriation. The Act also exempts certain ministerial actions from the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 323

Program Description 

Program Overview 

Organizational camp fees are based on a percentage of the agricultural land value, adjusted 

downward for services provided to disabled individuals and at-risk youth. Fees collected are 

available until expended for program administration, monitoring special use authorizations, 

interpretive programs, environmental analysis and restoration activities, and similar purposes. 

The Forest Service administers approximately 285 permits for organizational camps. Work 

activities include performing oversight, inspection, and monitoring of existing authorizations to 

ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization. 

Organizational camps have a three-part fee system: 

Land Use Fees - Fees are based on a percentage of the agricultural land value, adjusted 

downward for services provided to disabled individuals and at-risk youth. The land use fee may 

be offset by work performed pursuant to Section 3 of the Federal Timber Contract Payment 

Modification Act (16 U.S.C. 539f). 

Facility Use Fees - If an organizational camp utilizes a federally-owned facility, a fee is assessed 

based on five percent of the value of the government owned improvements. 

Fees based on other revenue - If permit holders earn revenue from activities other than providing 

youth services, a fee is assessed based on five percent of revenue. 

Allocation and Integration 

Retained land use fees supplement discretionary 

appropriations from the National Forest System 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program and from 

other budget line items. These revenues are an integral 

part of sustaining the agency’s special use programs. 

Outputs associated with these programs are reported as 

permits administered to standard. 

Partnerships 

Through the organizational camps program the Forest 

Service works with many partner organizations, such as 

the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, faith-based, and 

community-based groups to provide outdoor recreation programs and services for youth. 

 

Enjoying Camp 

Two boys sit by a campfire at an 

organizational camp on a national forest. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 324

Cost Recovery (Land Uses) 

Budget Line Item Cost Recovery (Land Uses)

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Cost Recovery (Land Uses)

New Budget Authority $5,374 $5,200 $5,200 0

Program Level 5,185 6,900 5,400 -$1,500

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 42 49 42 -7

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $5,400,000 for the Cost Recovery 

(Land Uses) program, a decrease of $1,500,000, from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds will 

be used to process lands special use proposals and applications in a timely manner, provide 

customer service, and administer authorizations for which we have no other statutory authority to 

recover or retain funds for the use and occupancy of National Forest System (NFS) lands. We 

will continue to implement the program to recover our costs for processing special use 

applications and monitoring for compliance with the authorizations. We will review progress to 

ensure consistent and cost-effective management, improve customer service, and reduce the 

backlog of permit applications. This authority ensures timely customer service, reduces the 

potential liability to the government associated with uses on NFS lands under an expired 

authorization, and enables the agency to accept new applications thereby expanding our support 

for local and regional economies. 

In FY 2016, the Forest Service expects to continue working in cooperation with the Bureau of 

Land Management to update their interagency flat fee schedule relative to applicable special use 

applications and authorizations. Working cooperatively with the Bureau of Land Management 

ensures interagency consistency for similar uses and works to assess fees that are appropriate. 

Past Performance 

Our FY 2014 financial records indicate a total of $5.4 million recorded in either advance 

collections or earned revenue on advances. However, some of the earned revenue was tied to 

agreements received in years prior to FY 2014. The above revenue was for the processing and 

monitoring of approximately 1,800 new land use authorizations. Cost recovery helps ensure that 

we continue to make progress in administering authorizations. We have used our current 

authority to respond to numerous requests for use of NFS land for the purposes of transmitting 

electricity, oil and gas, and broadband communication, as well as responding to requests for 

major modifications to resort operations and numerous smaller private or commercial requests. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 325

Authorities 

Numerous Federal statutes authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to assess and collect fees from 

applicants for, and holders of, special use authorizations. These fees pay for the agency’s 

administrative costs to process and monitor applications for such authorizations. These 

authorities include the Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952 (P.L. 82-137); Mineral 

Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (P.L. 66-146); and the Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-579). In addition, specific legislation authorizing the implementation of 

each program within this account is as follows: 

Special Use Application and Permit Monitoring Fees (Recovery of Costs). P.L. 106-113, Interior 

and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000, Section 331 (113 Stat. 1501A-196 - 197), as 

amended by P.L. 108-447, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Division E, Section 345 (118 

Stat. 3105), P.L. 109-54, Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, 

Section 425 (119 Stat. 555), P.L. 110-161 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 and P.L. 113-6 

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013. This Act provides authority 

through September 30, 2013, to implement a pilot program to improve customer service to 

applicants and holders of special land use authorizations and reduce the agency’s backlog of 

expired authorizations. 

Forest Service Administration of Rights-of-Way and Land uses; Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). This act provides permanent authority to retain and spend fees as 

originally authorized under Section 331 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law 106–113; 16 

U.S.C. 497 note). 

Program Description 

Programs included in this fund are: 

Cost Recovery Lands Major Projects - All recreation and non-recreation (land) uses that require 

more than 50 hours of agency time to process or monitor. Uses involving 

construction/reconstruction are deemed to be Major Categories for which the agency collects all 

appropriate administrative costs. 

Cost Recovery Lands Minor Projects - Excluding recreation uses, all non-recreation (land) uses 

not subject to exemption or waiver that require 50 hours or less of agency time to process or 

monitor are deemed Minor Categories. These categories use a flat fee schedule established in 

four different tiers, subject to annual indexing. 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service processes over 6,000 applications each year for the use and occupancy of 

NFS lands. In FY 2012, we administered nearly 82,000 authorizations for a wide variety of nonoccupancy purposes, including energy-related uses, broadband and communication facilities, and 

campground management. Processing and authorizing these uses is an important component of 

facilitating the development and transmission of affordable and reliable energy and 

communication services, supporting national security, supporting economic development, and 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 326

promoting the public health and safety of populations within or in proximity to national forests 

and grasslands throughout the nation. Work activities include: 

 Evaluating applications to use Federal land for other government use, commercial, and 

private requests to assure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, land use 

management plans, and the technical and financial capability of applicants to conduct use on 

NFS land. 

 Conducting appropriate environmental, social, and economic analyses on requests to use 

NFS land pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. 

 Developing special use authorizations with appropriate terms and conditions that ensure 

protection of public health and safety and resource protection measures. 

 Performing oversight and inspection of certain authorization activities associated with 

construction/reconstruction activities. 

All determinations are subject to dispute, allowing the applicant or holder to confront the 

superior officer of the initial determination as to the validity of the estimated cost recovery fee. 

Disputes must provide written rationale and evidence as to why the estimated fee is in error, and 

suggest alternative fee estimations based in fact. Waivers of cost recovery fees are provided for 

local, State, or Federal governmental applicants and authorizations for recreation uses that 

require 50 hours or less to process. 

Allocation and Integration 

Major Categories - For uses not subject to exemption or waiver, the Forest Service estimates 

actual expenses and works with the applicant or holder to determine if the costs are reasonable in 

accordance with the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976 as amended or are 

required actual expenses in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 as amended. 

Minor Categories - Uses subject to Forest Service cost recovery regulations (not exempt or 

waived) that require 50 hours or less of agency time to process or monitor are assessed a fee in 

accordance with a fee schedule published in the Federal Register. 

Partnerships 

We cooperate with many other Federal agencies, such as Department of the Interior agencies 

including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife 

Service; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Army Corp of Engineers; interagency working 

groups; State, local, and Tribal governments; and partners such as the Western Utility Group and 

the National Forest Recreation Association. Partnership opportunities lead to streamlined 

procedures in order to deliver consistent and clear direction. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 327

Licensee Program Smokey Bear

Budget Line Item Licensee Program Smokey Bear

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Licensee Program Smokey Bear

New Budget Authority $70 $100 $100 0

Program Level 14 120 120 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $120,000 for the Licensee Program 

Smokey Bear fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds will support special 

projects regarding Smokey Bear’s 70th Birthday preparations, as well as the national fire 

prevention awards program, and licensing agent/contractor services. This program supports 

national initiatives, local programs, and products that help increase public awareness with regard 

to wildfire prevention. 

Authorities 

Fees for the use of the Smokey Bear character by private enterprises are collected under 

regulations formulated by the Secretary of Agriculture. They are available to further the 

nationwide forest fire prevention campaign (16 U.S.C. 580 p-2) (18 U.S.C. 711). 

Program Description 

The Smokey Bear program supports national initiatives, programs, and products that help 

increase public awareness in regard to wildfire prevention. The licensee contractor manages the 

marketing and administration of the commercial license program and receives 35 percent of the 

royalties collected for its services. The national fire prevention program staff manages the 

licensing contract. Smokey Bear royalties also support the National Smokey Bear Award 

program and the national fire prevention public service campaign. The Chief of the Forest 

Service has discretionary authority to use money from royalties in special projects that support 

the Smokey Bear fire prevention message. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 328

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl 

Budget Line Item Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

New Budget Authority $1 $6 $6 0

Program Level 3 12 12 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $12,000 for the Licensee Program 

Woodsy Owl fund, the same level as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds support the 

development of Woodsy Owl educational products and the licensing contract. This program 

supports national initiatives, local programs, and products that help increase public awareness 

about the importance of maintaining environmental quality. 

Authorities 

Fees for the use of the Woodsy Owl character by private enterprises are collected under 

regulations formulated by the Secretary of Agriculture. They are available to promote wise use 

of the environment and programs that foster maintenance and improvement of environmental 

quality (16 U.S.C. 580 p-1) (formerly classified as 31 U.S.C. 488a, 488b-3, 488b-6) (18 U.S.C. 

711a).

Program Description 

The Woodsy Owl program supports national initiatives, programs, and products that help 

increase public awareness of activities and issues related to improvement and maintenance of the 

environment. The Conservation Education program identifies funding for the Woodsy Owl 

conservation program initiative to develop products, to manage the licensing program, and to 

enhance partnerships. One of these activities includes the management of the licensing program. 

The licensing contractor receives 35 percent of the royalties reported. In addition, during FY 

2015 a share of the licensing fund will be used to continue Woodsy’ s participation in the 

government challenge (through Challenge.gov) to provide a public service advertising campaign 

to promote Woodsy Owl and his message to social media users. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 329

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation) 

Budget Line Item Forest Service Go Green Program 

(Conservation)

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation)

New Budget Authority $66 $69 $70 $1

Program Level 10 67 70 3

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $70,000 for the Forest Service Go 

Green program, an increase of $3,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Past Performance 

The funding level in this program depends on the proceeds collected. Total collections for this 

program have grown from $3,701 in the inaugural year of FY 2009 to a cumulative total of 

$229,317 as of September 20, 2014.

Authorities 

Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2002. This Act authorizes Federal 

agencies to receive and use revenue resulting from waste prevention and recycling programs. 

Such revenue shall be available until expended for the purpose of waste reduction, prevention, 

and recycling programs. 

Accountable property is excluded from this program, which includes all capital leases and all 

owned personal property having an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more. Excess property, such as 

electronics and other personal property that is not considered accountable property, follows an 

initial screening by USDA agencies which determines if the property is eligible for donation, to 

be transferred to another government agency, or to be recycled. Other items excluded from the 

scope of this program are Forest Service and General Services Administration vehicles, which 

also have disposal/excess rules in place. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 330

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Forest Service promoted the implementation of the “Go Green” program on the national 

forests and grasslands in FY 2009 to help meet the agency’s recycling and waste reduction goals. 

Go Green funds are collected not only from recycling simple items such as cans, but also from 

recycling abandoned vehicles and appliances which makes this funding essential for land 

management. This funding enables field units to also accomplish clean-up activities they 

otherwise might not be able to accomplish due to reduced budgets. 

Since FY 2009, the implementation of the authority to collect revenue resulting from waste 

prevention and recycling programs has increased significantly. The funding level in this 

program depends on the proceeds collected. As information on Go Green is more widely shared, 

funding levels are expected to increase. Every dollar collected under this authority offsets 

funding from other programs. 

In FY 2016, we anticipate our Go Green program will continue to grow given increasing 

awareness through our Sustainable Operations peer learning series and the agency’s Climate 

Change Scorecard Element 10. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 331

Conveyance of Administrative Sites

Budget Line Item Conveyance of Administrative Sites

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Conveyance of Administrative Sites

New Budget Authority $9,487 $9,400 $9,400 0

Program Level 4,238 6,000 6,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 4 5 5 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $6,000,000 for the Conveyance of 

Administrative Sites, the same as the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Retaining proceeds from these 

conveyances provides the Forest Service with funds for maintenance, rehabilitation, and 

construction for specified projects, while we continue to right-size the agency’s real property 

portfolio. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the agency collected property valued at $9.49 million through land and facility 

conveyances reducing deferred maintenance by approximately $2.5 million, as displayed in 

Table A. Outputs associated with this program are combined with and reported under individual 

resource programs in the National Forest System, Land Acquisition, and Capital Improvement 

and Maintenance chapters. 

Authorities

Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005, (FSFREA), Title V of the 

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (P.L. 

109-54). This Act provided authority through September 30, 2008 to convey unneeded 

administrative sites and retain the proceeds for building maintenance, rehabilitation, and 

construction provided certain criteria contained in Title V are met. This authority was extended 

through September 30, 2011, pursuant to the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8). 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74, Title IV, Sec. 421). This Act amends 

Section 503(f) of the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (Title V 

of the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, 

P.L. 109-54; 16 U.S.C. 580d note), as amended by section 422(1) of Public Law 111-8 (123 Stat. 

748), by extending authorization to September 30, 2016.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 332

Revenues received from the sale of land or structures are deposited into the Sisk Act Fund and 

are available without further appropriation. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Administration has made it a priority for Federal agencies to dispose of unneeded properties 

and make more efficient use of the Government’s real estate. This effort builds upon the 

Administration’s ongoing work to sell unneeded Federal properties. 

The Administrative Site Conveyances Program provides for the realignment of the agency’s 

facility portfolio by providing an incentive for local managers to liquidate obsolete or 

underutilized assets and reinvest in assets that best support the agency’s mission. This authority 

provides the opportunity to efficiently address current and future needs, reduce annual lease 

costs, and reduce the deferred maintenance backlog. In addition to operational benefits, the 

program provides substantial economic and social benefits. These include providing local 

communities with an additional tax base and opportunities for redevelopment to align with 

community plans and economic stimulus strategies. 

The Forest Service currently owns approximately 17,000 administrative and research buildings. 

A large number of these facilities do not meet the agency’s needs and are either underutilized or 

in need of maintenance in order to meet current health and safety standards. More than 60 

percent of Forest Service facilities are more than 30 years old and more than half have exceeded 

their design life. Without major and often costly renovations, these structures frequently fail to 

meet administrative needs due to inadequate space, improper location, high maintenance costs, 

and failure to meet current health, safety, and accessibility codes. Improving asset management 

allows the agency to fully utilize mission critical and mission dependent assets and manage those 

assets in the right condition and at the right cost. 

Work functions for this program include: notification, analysis, valuation, and realty case 

processing services; facility repairs, preventive maintenance and replacement of parts and 

structural components; construction of new facilities; alteration of existing facilities to change 

function; and expansion of facilities to meet the needs of changing mission critical functions. 

Allocation and Integration 

Proceeds from FSFREA projects compliment discretionary appropriations in the Landownership 

Management budget line item of the National Forest System appropriation and, Facilities and 

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items of the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance appropriation. The revenues generated from the sale of land and 

facilities play an integral role in enhancing the agency’s land and facility program. Outputs 

associated with this program are combined with and reported under other individual resource 

programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. The authority for obligation and 

expenditure of these funds is allocated to the regions based on the amounts collected from sales 

within that region. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 333

Partnerships 

The agency participates in partnerships with other Federal agencies through this program, 

including the General Services Administration who maintains a national memorandum of 

agreement with the Forest Service to fulfill the requirements of FSFREA, as well as Tribal 

governments, local communities, local governments, and many private landowners. The 

program is enhanced by partnership opportunities that eliminate or reduce redundant efforts. 

Examples include leveraging funds to secure high priority resource lands for public access and 

resource protection or co-locating facilities with other Federal agencies and nongovernmental 

organizations to lower operational costs 

.
FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Permanent Appropriations 334

TABLE A 

FY 2014 Final Accomplishments Land and Facility Conveyance Projects 

(dollars in thousands) 

Region 

State 

Congressional 

District 

Forest 

Project Name 

Year Initiated 

*Sale Value 

2 CO 2 Arapaho/Roosvelt Rollinsville Administrative Site 2012 $420 2 CO 3 White River Aspen Administrative Site - Ducote 2011 3,000 2 CO 3 White River Aspen Administrative Site - Aspen Dragonfly 2011 2,860 2 CO 3 Grand Mesa/Gunnison Coon Creek AD Site - Parcel 2 2008 72 2 CO 3 Grand Mesa/Gunnison Coon Creek AD Site - Parcel 3 2008 70 4 NV 1 Humboldt-Toiyabe Minden Warehouse Site 2010 144 5 CA 41 0 March Conveyance 2007 970 6 OR 4 Siuslaw Mapleton Ranger Station 2012 195 8 VA 6 George Wash-Jeff Dry River District WC (Bridgewater) 2000 120 9 MI 1 Ottawa Ottawa Combined Project 2006 (Old Watersmeet Admin Site) 2006 18 9 MI 1 Hiawatha Sault Ste. Marie Administrative Site 2008 214 9 MI 2 Huron-Manistee White Cloud Administrative Site 2007 122 

10 AK 

Atlarge Tongass Scow Bay Warehouse 2008 311 

10 AK 

Atlarge Tongass Scow Bay Upper Lot 2008 55 

Total, Forest Service $8,570 

*Sale amounts may not equal actual collections by September 30. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Permanent Appropriations 335

TABLE B 

Change in Land and Facility Planned Conveyance Projects for FY 2015 

(dollars in thousands)

Change 

Region 

State 

Congressional District 

Forest 

Project Name 

Gross Square Feet Reduced 

Acres 

Deferred Maintenance 

Reduction 

Estimated Sale Value 

The following 15 projects have been added for FY 2015. These are in addition to the projects listed in the FY2015 Budget Jus

New 1 ID 3 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 4 0 10.00 $ - $200 New 1 ID 4 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 5 0 10.00 $ - $200 New 1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 6 0 14.00 $ - $200 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Thomas Cr WC - Barracks-1320 1,840 $30 $10 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Thomas Cr WC - Wrhs 2200 1273 $50 $5 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Thomas Cr WC - Gas Hs 2506 96 $1 $0 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Thomas Cr WC - Light Plnt 2602 36 $1 $0 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Lakeview RD - Geotech 2207 5184 $50 $10 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Lakeview RD - Eng.Off. 2014 1222 $20 $10 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Silver Lake RD-Trailer 1209 891 $5 $1 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Silver Lake RD - Storage 2606 1049 $10 $2 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Chemult RD - Res - W1037 1132 $20 $50 New 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Chemult RD - Res - W1038 1046 $20 $40 
FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Permanent Appropriations 336

Change 

Region 

State 

Congressional District 

Forest 

Project Name 

Gross Square Feet Reduced 

Acres 

Deferred Maintenance 

Reduction 

Estimated Sale Value 

New 9 WI 7 

ChequamegonNicolet NF Laona Dwelling West 314100 2834 1.00 $110 $10 

New 9 WI 7 

ChequamegonNicolet NF Laona Dwelling East 315100 2834 1.00 $110 $10 

Total 19,437 36.00 $427 $748 

The following 5 projects, which were listed in previous Budget Justifications, have changed in Gross Square Feet and/or A

Reduced 1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 1 0 34.00 $0 $200 Reduced 1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 2 0 34.00 $0 $200 Reduced 1 ID 2 Idaho Panhandle Lone Mountain Seed Orchard 3 0 34.00 $0 $200 

Increased 1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Clarkia RS 37,162 27.95 $2,605 $300 

Reduced 6 WA 6 Olympic Norwood 3,364 5.00 $ 110 $200 

The following 6 projects, which were listed in a previous Budget Justification, are no longer available for conveyance

Remove 1 MT 1 Bitterroot Rye Creek Admin Parcel 0 1.83 $0 $10 Remove 2 CO 3 San Juan Pagosa Dwelling #1 & Garage 2835 0.3 $92 $500 Remove 2 CO 3 San Juan Pagosa Dwelling #2 & Garage 3160 0.2 $86 $550 Remove 2 CO 3 San Juan Durango 7th Ave. Dwelling & Garage 3254 0.3 $60 $550 Remove 3 AZ 1 Prescott Willow Admin Site 9,690 3.50 $32 $969 Remove 4 UT 2 Dixie Widtsoe Administrative Site 0 40.00 0 $24 
FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Permanent Appropriations 337

TABLE C

FY 2016 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

Region 

State 

Congressional. District. 

Forest 

Project Name 

Gross Square Feet Reduced 

Acres 

Deferred Maintenance 

Reduction 

Estimated Sale Value 

Proceeds for Maintenance 

1 MT 1 Beaverhead-Deerlodge Sheridan Work Center 4,802 1.09 $62 $175 $1 MT 1 Beaverhead-Deerlodge Wise River Office 4,493 2.00 92 250 2 CO 3 San Juan Mancos Horse Pasture 0 1.50 0 22 3 AZ 1 Apache-Sitgreaves Lakeside Admin Site 0 40.00 151 4,000 3 NM 3 Carson Piedra Lumbre VC 14,289 18.00 273 350 3 AZ 1 Prescott Verde Land Parcels 0 55.00 0 1,500 3 AZ 1 Prescott Chino Valley DO 7,000 7.00 250 1,000 6 OR 4 Umpqua 

Wolf Crk Guard Sta (Christian Camp) 2,479 4.80 138 200 

6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Lakeview RD - Site 36,618 5.00 500 400 6 OR 2 Fremont-Winema Chemult RD - Res - W1027 1,014 0 20 40 6 OR 2 DESCHUTES - 0601 Bldg Decom Phase 1 6,573 0.00 1,625 0 6 OR 2 OCHCOCO - 0607 Bldg Decom: Ochoco RS Phase 1 12,956 0.00 702 5 6 OR 2 OCHCOCO - 0607 Bldg Decom: Rager RS Phase 1 42,173 0.00 3,065 10 8 AR 4 Ouachita NF Thornburg Work Center 5,502 10.00 003 0 8 AR 3 Ozark-St. Francis Mountainburg Work Center 5,582 1.61 15 350 
FY 2016 Budget Justification 

Permanent Appropriations 338

Region 

State 

Congressional. District. 

Forest 

Project Name 

Gross Square Feet Reduced 

Acres 

Deferred Maintenance 

Reduction 

Estimated Sale Value 

Proceeds for Maintenance 

9 VT 1 

Green Mountain & Finger Lakes 

Middlebury Office Administrative Site 6,661 3.90 215 400 

10 AK 

AtLarge Tongass Sitka Duplexes 3,168 0.57 799 250 

Total, All Forest Service 153,310 150.47 $7,907 $8,952 $
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 339

Site-Specific Lands Act

Budget Line Item Site-Specific Lands Acts

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Site-Specific Lands Acts

New Budget Authority $1,900 $2,400 $2,400 0

Program Level 7,466 5,600 3,900 -$1,700

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2 2 2 0

FY 2016 Program Changes

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $3,900,000 for the Site-Specific 

Lands Acts fund, a decrease of $1,700,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. This program of 

work pertains to site specific acts passed by Congress pertaining to the sale of National Forest 

System (NFS) land and the use of retained receipts to make specific improvements. The 

proceeds from each of these transactions are used in strict accordance with the terms and 

provisions of the authorizing legislation. The collected receipts under these Acts are available 

without further appropriation. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, we collected $1,900,000 from the conveyance of NFS land. Funds were used 

towards Capital Improvement and Maintenance and Land Adjustment projects. 

Authorities 

The Sisk Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 484a; P.L. 90-171). The Sisk Act is an exchange authority 

that allows certain parties to deposit cash, in lieu of land, to complete a land exchange. The 

funds are then utilized by the Secretary to acquire non-Federal properties. Subsequently, other 

authorities have specified that the Sisk Act account be utilized to hold other proceeds until 

expended, consistent with the legislation. Revenues received from the sale of land or structures 

are deposited into the Sisk Act Fund and are available without further appropriation for the 

purpose(s) specified in the statutes. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 340

Program Description 

Program Overview 

This program enables the collection of receipts from the sale of NFS land pursuant to special acts 

passed by Congress. The proceeds are used for specific improvements to lands and facilities 

within the same national forest or State. 

The legislated project may include work functions such as: notification, analysis, valuation, and 

realty case processing services; construction of new facilities; alteration of existing facilities to 

change function; and expansion of facilities to meet the needs of changing mission critical 

functions. Projects are identified annually through the legislative process. As a result, benefits 

and funds collected vary each year based on legislation. 

Allocation and Integration 

Conveyances under Special Legislation proceeds may compliment discretionary appropriations 

in the Landownership Management budget line item of the NFS appropriation and the Facilities 

and Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items of the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance appropriation. The revenues generated from the sale of land and 

facilities may contribute to enhancing the agency’s land and facility program. Outputs 

associated with this program are combined with and reported under other individual resource 

programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. The authority for obligation and 

expenditure of these funds are available without further appropriation. 

Partnerships 

The level of collaboration and partnerships that occurs through this program depends on the 

direction provided in each site specific act passed by Congress.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 341

Payment to States 

Budget Line Item Payment to States

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

President's 

Budget

FY 2016 vs 

FY 2015

Payment to States Funds

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III

New Budget Authority $91,369 0 $50,850 $50,850

Program Level 83,445 0 50,850 50,850

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to States Act of 1908 

New Budget Authority 0 50,000 10,000 -40,000

Program Level 11,078 50,000 10,000 -40,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to States Supplemental

New Budget Authority 180,000 0 164,000 164,000

Program Level 175,604 0 164,000 164,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to Minnesota Counties

New Budget Authority 6,150 6,150 6,150 0

Program Level 5,707 6,150 6,150 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to Counties, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act

New Budget Authority 29,764 21,000 21,000 0

Program Level 21,605 21,000 21,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II

New Budget Authority 29,934 0 64,000 64,000

Program Level 28,046 0 64,000 64,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 78 0 78 78

Secure Payments for States/Repayment per DOT Reauthorization

New Budget Authority 230 0 0 0

Program Level 205 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payment to State Funds New Budget Authority $337,447 $77,150 $316,000 $238,850

Payment Funds Program Level $325,690 $77,150 $316,000 $238,850

Payment to States Funds Full-Time Equivalent (FTEs) 78 0 78 78
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 342

FY 2016 Program Changes 

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes a mandatory reauthorization and a four-year phase-out 

through 2019 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Secure Rural 

Schools Act), starting in FY 2015. 

Under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service deposits all receipts to be used for Title I 

and Title III payments into the National Forest Fund Payments to States Available account, from 

which payments are made. The FY 2016 President’s Budget projects a level of $50,850,000 for 

this account, an increase of $50,850,000 from the FY 2015 estimate. The FY 2015 estimate 

reflects the fact that the Secure Rural School Act was not reauthorized in FY 2014, which means 

that there were no receipts available to make payments in FY 2015, resulting in an account level 

of $0. 

Payment to States Act of 1908 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $10,000,000 for Payments to States under the Act of 

1908 (25 percent fund), a decrease of $40,000,000 from the FY 2015 estimate. This reflects 

payments under the 1908 Act with the proposed reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act. 

The large decrease from FY 2015 reflects the fact that the Secure Rural Schools Act was not 

reauthorized in FY 2014, which means that all payment to States in FY 2015 occurred under the 

terms of the 1908 Act. Payments under the 1908 Act are made one year in arrears based on 

receipts and credits specified in the authorizing legislation. 

Payments to States Supplemental 

Under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service first uses all forest receipts from the 

National Forest Fund receipt account to fund payments. If those receipts are insufficient, a 

transfer from Treasury to supplement receipts is obtained for the amount required. The FY 2016 

President’s Budget proposes $164,000,000 for supplemental funding to continue the payments, 

an increase of $164,000,000. The FY 2015 estimate reflects the fact that the Secure Rural 

School Act was not reauthorized in FY 2014, which means that no Treasury funds were used to 

supplement National Forest Fund receipts, resulting in an account level of $0. 

Payments to Minnesota Counties 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget contains the mandatory Payments to Minnesota Counties of 

$6,150,000 as required by the authorizing legislation. 

Payment to Counties Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes $21,000,000 in Payments to Counties BankheadJones Farm Tenant Act based on receipts from activities on the national grasslands and from land 

utilization projects, approximately the same level as the FY 2015 estimate. 

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 343

The FY 2016 President’s Budget request is $64,000,000 for Secure Payments for States. This is 

an increase of $64,000,000 from the FY 2015 estimate. The FY 2015 estimate reflects the fact 

that the Secure Rural School Act was not reauthorized in FY 2014, which means that there were 

no receipts available to make payments in FY 2015, resulting in an account level of $0. 

Secure Payments for States/Repayment per DOT Reauthorization 

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act as reauthorized in Public Law 

110-343 required an eligible county that received a share of the State payment greater than 

$100,000 to submit its election to allocate its share among titles of the Act not later than 

September 30 each year. An eligible county that failed to make a timely election was considered 

to have elected to return 15 percent of its share of the State payment to the Treasury as required 

in 16 U.S.C. 7112(d)(3)(A)(ii) as in effect for fiscal year (FY) 2011 under Public Law 110-343. 

For FY 2011 approximately $2,500,000 was returned to the Treasury as required by this 

provision. 

Section 100101(b) of Public Law 112-141 makes available to the Forest Service an amount equal 

to the shares of the State payment forfeited by counties that failed to meet the deadline for fiscal 

year 2011. These funds are referred to as recovered funds. The recovered funds must be used to 

carry out projects that further the purposes of Title II of the Act. Specifically, they are to be used 

to carry out projects that protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat; improve the 

maintenance of existing Forest Service infrastructure; enhance forest ecosystems; and restore and 

improve land health and water quality. Project objectives include maintenance or obliteration of 

roads, trails, and infrastructure; improvement of soil productivity; improvements in forest 

ecosystem health; restoration and maintenance of watersheds; control of noxious and exotic 

weeds; and reestablishment of native species. In FY 2014 recovered funds are $204,989. 

Program Overview 

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III 

The National Forest Fund Payment to States Available is an account where all receipts that are 

projected to be used for Title I and Title III payments under Secure Rural Schools are deposited. 

These funds, combined with Payments to States Treasury transfer, are the source of payments to 

states under the Secure Rural Schools Act. 

Payments to States Act of 1908 

Payments to States Act of 1908 of May 23, 1908, as amended (16 U.S.C. 500 note), Payment for 

Receipts for Schools and Roads. This Act commonly known as “the 25 percent fund” or “the 

Act of 1908,” authorizes annual payments on a seven-year rolling average basis to States equal to 

25 percent of revenues from the sale of goods and services by the national forests. States shall 

use these payments to benefit public schools and roads in the county or counties containing 

national forests and grasslands. P.L. 110-343 amended the Act of 1908 which, among other 

things, changed the payment formula. Instead of being based on each year’s receipts, payments 

to the States are now based on a rolling seven-year average of receipts (16 U.S.C. 500 note). 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 344

Payments to States Supplemental 

Under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service first uses all forest receipts from the 

National Forest Fund receipt account to fund SRS payments. If those receipts are insufficient, a 

request is made to Treasury to transfer the additional amount required. 

Payments to Minnesota Counties 

Thye-Blatnick Act of June 22, 1948, as amended (16 U.S.C. 577g), Payment for Additional 

Lands Acquired in Northern Minnesota. This Act directed the Secretary of Agriculture to 

acquire resorts, cabins, and private lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 

and permanent residents were prohibited after 1974. Additionally, in-lieu-of-tax payments were 

authorized to Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties for Federal wilderness land from any national 

forest receipts not otherwise appropriated. At the close of each fiscal year, the State of 

Minnesota is paid three-fourths of 1 percent of the appraised value of certain Superior National 

Forest lands in the counties of St. Louis, Cook, and Lake for distribution to those counties. The 

land value is reappraised every 10 years. New appraisals were done in 2008. 

Payments to Counties, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 

Title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of July 22, 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1012). 

This Act pertains primarily to national grasslands and land utilization projects. Annual payments 

are authorized to counties which contain Forest Service lands that were acquired under the 

Bankhead-Jones Act. Twenty-five percent of the revenues received during the year (excluding 

receipts from the sale of land) from each national grassland or land utilization project are paid to 

the counties in which such lands are located. The funds are restricted to uses that benefit public 

schools and roads. 

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II 

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 500 note) 

originally authorized through FY 2006 as P.L. 106-393, provides choices to counties to either 

receive a guaranteed level of annual payments for roads and schools and other authorized 

purposes, as well as funding for specific resource improvement projects on the national forest 

where the county is located, or to receive payments under the Act of May 23, 1908. The Act was 

reauthorized through FY 2011 on October 3, 2008 in P.L. 110-343, Division C, Title VI. The 

program was reauthorized through FY 2012 by P.L. 112-141 and reauthorized again through FY 

2013 by P.L. 113-40. 

Counties that opt to not receive payments under this Act as reauthorized do receive, with few 

exceptions, 25 percent of all moneys collected from the national forests and grasslands in which 

the counties are located, under the Act of 1908. Counties electing to receive their share of a 

State’s “full payment amount” under the Secure Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act of 2000, as amended by P.L. 110-343, receive payments under a formula 

based on several factors, including acreage of Federal land, previous payments, and per capita 

personal income. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Payments to Communities 345

Payments to Communities 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes a mandatory reauthorization and a four-year phase-out 

through 2019 of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Act starting in FY 2015 with $275 million from 

mandatory sources. The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes funding through mandatory 

appropriations supplemented by funds from the Treasury. The FY 2016 payment proposed is for 

$247 million and includes payments for both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 

Management. 

Payments to Communities Proposal – Funding Source 

(dollars in thousands)

Funding 

Source* FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 

Mandatory $275,000 $247,000 $154,000 $118,000 $97,000

*Funding totals estimated payments of $50 million to reflect payments under the Payments to States Act of 1908, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 500) 

This proposal titled “Payments to Communities” continues to split allocations between the three 

portions of the program from the previous authority emphasizing enhancement of forest 

ecosystems, restoration and improvement of land health, and water quality and the increase of 

economic activity. The common types of work funded by each title are listed below: 

Title I: Title I payments provide funding for county roads and schools. 

Title II: Title II payments fund projects that enhance forest ecosystems, restore and improve the 

health of the land and water quality; and protect, restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat. 

Title III: Title III payments are used by counties for activities under the Firewise Communities 

program, reimbursement for emergency services on national forests, and preparation of a 

community wildfire protection plan. 

Past Performance 

The SRS Act was not reauthorized to make FY 2014 payments. As such, receipts collected in 

FY 2014 will be paid to States according to the terms and conditions of the Payments to States 

Act of 1908 Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 500 note). For further details on the Payments to States 

Act 1908 Act fund see the Payments to States exhibit in the Permanent Appropriations chapter. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Payments to Communities 346

Program Description 

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (SRS Act), P.L. 106-

393, was enacted to provide for transitional assistance to rural counties affected by the decline in 

revenue from timber harvests on federal lands. The last payment authorized under P.L. 106-393 

was for 2006. Section 601 of Division C of P.L. 110-343 amended and reauthorized the SRS Act 

(P.L. 106-393) through 2011. P.L. 112-141 reauthorized the program through FY 2012, and P.L. 

113-40 reauthorized the program through FY 2013. The SRS Act, as amended, retains the 

original title. The amended SRS Act was similar to P.L. 106-393, although it is structured to 

phase out payments. The amended Act is no longer authorized as of the end of FY 2014; 

payments issued in FY 2015 are for the 2014 fiscal year. 

In FY 2014, the SRS Act was not reauthorized. As a result, the States reverted to the Payments to 

States Act of 1908, as amended (16 U.S.C. 500). The Payments to States Act requires, with a 

few exceptions, that 25 percent of all monies received from the national forests and deposited 

into the National Forest Fund during a fiscal year from timber, grazing, special-use permits, 

power and mineral leases, and admission and user fees be paid to the States in which the national 

forests are located, for public schools and public roads in the county or counties in which the 

national forests are situated. 

The Budget reflects a reauthorization and a four-year phase-out through 2019, starting in 2015, 

of the Secure Rural Schools Act with funding through mandatory appropriations. This SRS 

proposal revises the allocation split between the three portions of the program from the currently 

expired authority emphasizing enhancement of forest ecosystems, restoration, and improvement 

of land health and water quality and the increase of economic activity. 

Refer to the Payment to States section under the Permanent Appropriations chapter for more 

details on other payments. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 347

Trust Funds

Budget Line Item Trust Funds

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg 

New Budget Authority $249,579 $46,000 $40,800 -$5,200

Program Level 65,146 70,000 65,900 -4,100

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 481 502 484 -18

Cooperative Work, Other 

New Budget Authority 34,631 35,000 31,000 -4,000

Program Level 40,051 81,000 73,000 -8,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 206 207 207 0

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund 

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level 13 250 200 -50

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Reforestation Trust Fund 

New Budget Authority 30,000 30,000 30,000 0

Program Level 29,255 30,000 30,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 155 158 158 0

Trust Funds New Budget Authority 314,210 111,000 101,800 -9,200

Trust Funds Program Level 134,465 181,250 169,100 -12,150

Trust Funds Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 842 867 849 -18

. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 348

Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg 

Appropriation Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg

New Budget Authority $249,579 $46,000 $40,800 -$5,200

Program Level 65,146 70,000 65,900 -4,100

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 481 502 484 -18

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg

Acres of forest vegetation established 40,677 44,237 67,600 38,988 50,000 40,000

Acres of forest vegetation improved 29,161 18,643 42,000 22,306 39,000 35,000

Acres of lake habitat restored or enhanced with nonWildlife funds 206 97 206 94 100 100

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 7 4 350 35 10 10

Acres of hazardous fuels treated to reduce risk of 

catastrophic fire 67,079 91,073 30,310 89,157 27,500 80,000

Miles of high clearance system roads improved 2 1 7 3 6 6

Highest priority acres treated annually for noxious weeds 

and invasive plants on NFS lands 9,768 9,446 39,863 9,835 1,000 8,000

Acres of rangeland vegetation improved 581 491 800 93 321 120

Miles of roads decommissioned 29 12 5 1 10 5

Acres of watershed improvement 2,843 79 9,200 2,330 7,630 3,500

Acres of wildlife habitat (terrestrial) (TES and Non-TES) 

restored or improved with non-Wildlife dollars 93,929 72,774 184,600 124,986 60,000 90,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 349

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg - Regional 

Work

Acres of forest vegetation established 61 124 200 119 150 150

Acres of forest vegetation improved 504 1,714 867 504 1,000 600

Forestlands treated to achieve healthier conditions 7,610 3,450 0 2,174 2,000 2,000

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 3 0 5 7 5 5

Miles of landownership boundary line 

marked/maintained to standard 0 16 20 13 15 15

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 64 27 120 24 27 27

Acres of hazardous fuels treated to reduce risk of 

catastrophic fire 116 4,318 200 662 700 700

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 821 2,959 700 597 500 500

Highest priority acres treated annually for noxious weeds 

and invasive plants on NFS lands 72 15 100 638 50 200

Acres of wildlife habitat (terrestrial) (TES and Non-TES) 

restored or improved with non-Wildlife dollars 454 750 400 967 400 800

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $65,900,000 in the KnutsonVandenberg (K-V) program, a decrease of $4,100,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. Funds 

will be used to conduct sale area improvement work on timber sale areas on national forests. 

Funds will also be used within timber sale areas to implement reforestation following timber 

harvest as well as other sale area improvements approved in the related environmental analyses. 

The request fully funds the required sale area improvement work planned for accomplishment in 

FY 2016. 

A total of $13,800,000 of the K-V program will be used for the K-V Regional Work program. 

This work will provide for vegetative treatments to meet forest health and resource restoration 

objectives. Activities include wildlife habitat improvement, control of insects, disease, and 

noxious weeds, community protection activities, and the maintenance of forest roads. An 

estimated outcome from these vegetation treatments is 27.5 million board feet (MMBF) of 

timber volume sold. The timber volume sold from this fund is accounted for in the timber 

volume sold accomplishment displayed in the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item 

in FY 2015 and FY 2016. 

Past Performance 

Completion of K-V timber sale area projects is dependent upon the rate at which timber is 

harvested. Factors that influence the rate of harvest include weather and decisions made by the 

timber sale purchaser regarding which units are harvested. In FY 2014, 38,988 acres of forest 

vegetation was established, just slightly less than in FY 2013. Each year, treatments also 

include, but are not limited to, forest vegetation improved, fuels reduction, plant invasive species 

and noxious weed control, terrestrial habitat enhancement, and water and soils improvement. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 350

Authorities 

The Act of June 9, 1930, (16 USC 576b) (P.L. 71-319, Ch. 416, June 9, 1930, 46 Stat. 527, as 

amended by P.L. 94-588, 1976, and P.L. 109-54, [title IV, Sec. 412], Aug. 2, 2005, 119 Stat. 

551). The Act, known as the Knutson-Vandenberg Act, established a special fund to collect a 

portion of timber sale receipts to pay for reforesting the area from which the timber was cut. The 

Act was amended in 1976 to allow the Forest Service to use these funds for other sale area 

improvement activities. The FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Act amended this authority to 

allow for the expenditure of unused funds, not needed to accomplish work on the sale area, on 

other areas “...within the Forest Service region in which the timber sale occurred.” 

Program Description 

Program Overview

The following programs are included in this fund: 

Knutson-Vandenberg - This program uses funds derived from timber sale revenues to 

accomplish improvement work within the timber sale area. Planned resource project work is 

documented in the sale area improvement plans as determined by the project environmental 

analysis. The first priority for K-V program funds is reforestation of harvested areas. These 

funds can also be used to perform timber stand improvement and protection, and for the 

improvement of other resource values, including wildlife, soil, watershed, range, and recreation. 

Knutson-Vandenberg Regional Work - The FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Act expanded the 

authority to allow for the expenditure of unused funds, not needed to accomplish work on the 

timber sale area, on another area “...within the Forest Service region in which the timber sale 

occurred.” Unused collections are generated when actual costs are less than planned costs. This 

authority is used to accomplish watershed restoration; wildlife habitat improvement; control of 

insects, disease, and noxious weeds; community protection activities; and the maintenance of 

forest roads. The work can be performed through the use of contracts, forest product sales, and 

cooperative agreements. If forest product sales are used to accomplish these objectives, K-V 

Regional Work program funds may be utilized for timber sale planning, preparation, 

administration, engineering support, and land line location. 

Allocation and Integration

The K-V program funding is allocated to the regions based upon cash collected on timber sale 

areas and the planned resource projects identified on approved sale area improvement plans. The 

K-V Regional Work program funds are allocated based upon cash availability, which includes 

unused collections when actual costs are less than planned cost. 

Partnerships

The K-V program has contributed to partnerships and productive working relationships with 

State fish and game agencies and organizations such as the Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, and the Ruffed Grouse Society. These productive relationships and partnerships are 

critical in the identification and planning of some K-V funded projects. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 351

Cooperative Work, Other 

Budget Line Item Cooperative Work, Other

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Other

New Budget Authority $34,631 $35,000 $31,000 -$4,000

Program Level 40,051 81,000 73,000 -8,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 206 207 207 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $55,000,000 for the Cooperative 

Work, Agreement Based program, a decrease of $8,000,000 from FY 2015 Enacted Budget. The 

Budget also includes $18,000,000 for the Cooperative Work, Non-Agreement Based program, 

equal to the FY 2015 enacted level, for a total of $73,000,000. This level is consistent with 

anticipated collections from partners and cooperators. The collections allow the agency to 

leverage appropriated funds to deliver a variety of treatments and services, which benefit Forest 

Service lands and other resource programs. 

Cooperative projects vary in size and scope each year depending on partner interest, objectives, 

and financial resources, and meet both agency and partner needs. Each agreement specifies the 

type of work to be done as well as the funds being donated. 

Past Performance 

A variety of work activities are performed each year using funds deposited in advance by 

partners and cooperators. No targets are set because it is difficult to predict the mix of collections 

or the specific work that will be needed. Activities include wildlife habitat enhancement; 

recreation program activities; research; fire prevention and education; construction, 

reconstruction, and maintenance of roads, trails, and other improvements; scaling services; fire 

protection; and other resource purposes as authorized by law. For example, American 

Conservation Experience crews were hired under this authority to install new trail as an 

extension to the Lower Bones Trail outside Dead Horse State Park in the Coconino National 

Forest. Lower Bones is a multi-purpose trail for all non-motorized users and one favored by the 

bourgeoning mountain biker community. The extension was designed and installed with a focus 

on sustainability to reduce erosion and limit the need for future maintenance. Larger projects are 

also funded by this authority including the Stanislaus National Forest collection agreement with 

Pacific Gas and Electric to provide the cost of constructing, reconstructing, and rehabilitation of 

Forest Service-owned recreation facilities as described in the Recreation Implementation Plan for 

the Spring Gap-Stanislaus project.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 352

Authorities 

The Act of June 30, 1914 (16 U.S.C. 498). This act authorizes the acceptance of contributions for 

cooperative work in forest investigations, protection, management, and improvement of the 

National Forest System. 

The Granger-Thye Act of April 24, 1950 (16 U.S.C. 572). This act authorizes cooperation with 

other parties to perform work for permittees, agencies, organizations, and persons for the kinds 

of work that the Forest Service is authorized to do on lands of the United States. 

The Roads and Trails Act of October 13, 1964 (16 U.S.C. 532-537). This act authorizes the 

construction of roads using cooperative financing from other agencies. 

The Act of June 30, 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1643). This act authorizes the acceptance and use of 

donated funds for research activities. 

The Act of October 10, 1978 (7 U.S.C. 2269). This act authorizes agencies within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture to accept donations for non-research activities. 

The Act of June 6, 1968 (16 U.S.C. 693d). This act authorizes cooperation in the operation of the 

Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum and Nature Center. 

The Act of July 4, 1968 (16 U.S.C. 471h). This act authorizes cooperation in the operation of the 

Cradle of Forestry. 

Title 31, United States Code, section 1321 (31 U.S.C. 1321). Section 1321 of Title 31 of the 

United States Code authorizes Trust Funds. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Cooperative Work, Other fund is used to collect deposits received from partners and 

cooperators for protecting and improving resources of the National Forest System (NFS) as 

authorized by cooperative agreements. The deposits are for a wide variety of activities that 

benefit and support programs in Forest and Rangeland Research, on NFS lands, and for other 

agency activities. 

Cooperative Work, Agreement Based – This is a direct project-to-customer relationship, 

typically involving long-term liability on the part of the Forest Service to perform work for the 

contributor. An example of this work are special use permits with collection provisions under 

the Granger-Thye fee offset where the Forest Service has a liability to perform work for the 

permit holder specially tied to the permit. These agreements should typically be accompanied by 

a collection agreement. 

Cooperative Work, Non-Agreement Based – These deposits occur when the terms of the 

authorizing instrument, such as a permit or sale contract, allow for deposits from multiple 

contributors to be pooled and expended for the intended purpose. The majority of these pooled 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 353

collections are not subject to refunds in accordance with the provisions of the respective 

authorizing instrument. 

Cooperative deposits are received from a vast assortment of local, regional, and national 

organizations and individuals; State and other public agencies; industrial associations; and other 

private sources. The deposits are made under a variety of cooperative instruments that specify 

the mutual benefits of the work. Cooperative deposits leverage appropriated funds to increase 

effectiveness and complement the objectives of Forest Service appropriated resource 

management programs and cooperative research projects. These programs and projects may 

involve any aspect of forestry and vary widely in scope and duration. 

Cooperative road maintenance deposits can be made by commercial users of the National Forest 

Road System in lieu of actually performing their commensurate share of road maintenance. 

These deposits are used in conjunction with the other road maintenance appropriations to provide 

maintenance of National Forest System roads by the Forest Service. 

Deposits for administering and protecting non-Federal land within or near the national forests 

can be made by owners of non-Federal lands that are intermingled with, or adjacent to, NFS 

lands. These deposits help landowners manage their lands in accordance with good forest 

management practices and provide for wildfire protection on State and private lands intermingled 

with Federal ownership. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 354

Reforestation Trust Fund 

Budget Line Item Reforestation Trust Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Reforestation Trust Fund

New Budget Authority $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 0

Program Level 29,255 30,000 30,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 155 158 158 0

Performance Measure Accomplishment and Targets (1)

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Actual Actual Estimate Actual Estimate Estimate

Reforestation Trust Fund

Acres of forest vegetation established 108,457 79,734 96,300 80,751 81,250 81,250

Acres of forest vegetation improved 28,078 33,727 27,300 27,177 35,450 31,000

(1) The Past Performance narrative below provides detailed information on aspects of program management, strategies, 

and/or improvements in relation to the accomplishments associated with the performance measures.

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $30,000,000, the same as the FY 

2015 Enacted Budget. Funds are used to analyze, prepare, and implement reforestation and 

forest vegetation improvement projects outside of timber sale areas on National Forest System 

lands. The request will fund an estimated 81,250 acres of reforestation work and 31,000 acres of 

forest vegetation improvement activities. The FY 2016 program continues to prioritize 

reforestation treatments arising from unplanned disturbance events such as wildfires, insects, and 

diseases. In such places, timely reforestation is required to meet specified land management 

objectives. 

The agency will give high priority to reforestation treatments and forest vegetation improvement 

activities on lands where appropriated or Cooperative Work Knutson-Vandenberg funds are not 

available. Financing reforestation and forest vegetation improvement treatments ensure that 

appropriate forest vegetation is established on National Forest System lands within acceptable 

timeframes. Improvement treatments help to maintain and improve forest health conditions. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, the agency accomplished 80,751 acres of reforestation and 27,177 acres of timber 

stand improvement through the Reforestation Trust Fund. Reforestation includes planting and 

field examination and certification of acres successfully regenerated to meet specified land 

management objectives. This certification is completed the third year after plantation 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 355

establishment, or five years after natural regeneration. The purpose is to demonstrate that the 

area is satisfactorily stocked with acceptable levels of live seedlings at the time of examination 

survey, and also to determine that there is no additional work required other than protection. The 

field examination and certification procedures are accomplished at lower unit cost than any other 

reforestation or timber stand improvement activities. This allows for implementation of timber 

stand improvement treatments, such as pre-commercial thinning on high priority areas to meet 

forest health, future stand development, and critical hazardous fuel reductions, while exceeding 

reforestation objectives. 

Authorities 

Reforestation, Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Act of 1980, Title III, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 1606a(d)) P.L. 96-451. This act established the Reforestation Trust fund. 

Program Description 

Program Overview 

A maximum of $30,000,000 is transferred to the Reforestation Trust Fund by the U.S. Treasury 

each fiscal year to reduce the backlog in reforestation and timber stand improvement work. 

Reforestation activities include site preparation for planting or seeding of the appropriate tree 

species, site preparation to encourage natural regeneration, and certification of acres naturally 

regenerated without the need of site preparation. In addition, as part of the reforestation activity, 

various treatments are applied to improve initial seedling survival rates. Benefits of reforestation 

include restoration of forest vegetation on areas impacted by wildfire, floods, and hurricanes; 

increased carbon sequestration capacity; establishment of forest vegetation resilient to the effects 

of climate change; and improved habitat diversity for many wildlife species. More detailed 

information on related activities is presented in the Reforestation Special Exhibit. 

Timber stand improvement activities include release treatments through removal of competing 

vegetation; pre-commercial thinning to regulate stand density, composition and structure; 

pruning treatments that reduce ladder fuels, reduce the effects of pathogens (such as white pine 

blister rust) and improve future wood product quality; and fertilization treatments to maintain 

and improve soil productivity and enhance rapid stand development to improve carbon storage 

capacity. Benefits of timber stand improvement include improved forest health and productivity; 

hazardous fuel reductions; improved forest resiliency to the impacts of drought, insects and 

disease; and diversified wildlife habitat. In addition, timber stand improvement generates woody 

biomass that is available to meet renewable energy needs. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated based on reforestation or timber stand improvement needs, which include 

reforestation needs created by wildfires and other natural events. Prior year accomplishments are 

also a factor. Allocation decisions consider the combined accomplishments from the Integrated 

Resource Restoration program and the Reforestation Trust Fund program. These funds are used 

in conjunction with other vegetation management funds to provide an integrated, effective means 

of accomplishing forest vegetation establishment, maintenance, or improvement of forest health 

conditions under a variety of ecological and biological settings. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 356

Partnerships 

Partnerships in reforestation are critical for program accomplishments. Several key reforestation 

partners are American Forests, The National Forest Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation, the 

National Garden Clubs, Batesville Casket Company, and individual donations under the Plant-ATree program. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 357

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund 

Budget Line Item Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level $13 $250 $200 -$50

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget includes a program level of $200,000 for the Land Between the 

Lakes (LBL) Management fund, a decrease of $50,000 from the FY 2015 Enacted Budget. 

Funds will be used to support operational costs for customer-focused recreation and 

environmental education programs, as well as capital improvements at the facilities where funds 

are collected. The LBL Management funds will continue to be used to assess, analyze, and 

implement the highest priorities identified in the LBL Area Plan for integrated forest 

management. The LBL Area will continue to maintain recreation facilities to standard for public 

use, and small infrastructure replacement projects will be completed in several of the developed 

facilities. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, there were approximately 1.5 million visits to the LBL National Recreation Area, 

which is consistent with previous years. LBL has historically covered 30 percent of its costs by 

receipts through the LBL Management fund authority, supporting a diversity of recreation, fish 

and wildlife, and environmental education activities. Fee collections were over $4,000,000 in 

FY 2014. 

The LBL Management fund covers routine and inflationary increases to operational costs for the 

facilities that generate revenue. 

Authority 

Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 460lll-24) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, 

Sec. 101(e) [title V, Sec. 524], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-315). This Act establishes the Land 

Between the Lakes Management fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, responsibility for 

the LBL National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee transferred from the Tennessee 

Valley Authority to the Secretary of Agriculture.
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Trust Funds 358

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The LBL National Recreation Area provides public recreational opportunities; conserves fish 

and wildlife and their habitat; provides for a diversity of plants and animals; and offers 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, and environmental education. LBL hosts an average of 1.5 

million visits annually from people all over the Nation and more than 30 foreign countries. LBL 

continues to demonstrate success with its camping reservation system, which allows visitors to 

register for camp sites before arrival. 

Section 524 of the Land Between the Lakes Protection Act established a special fund known as 

the Land Between the Lakes Management fund. All amounts received from charges, user fees, 

and natural resource use, including timber and agricultural receipts, are deposited into the fund. 

Funds are available for management of LBL, including payment of salaries and expenses. 

Partnerships 

LBL’s program of work provides the opportunity to partner with a number of regional and 

national conservation organizations, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited. Further, LBL’s volunteers, 

coordinated through the Friends of LBL partnership, log more than 116,000 hours of volunteer 

time on LBL projects annually. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 359

Special Exhibits

Special Exhibits 

Contents

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West ...................................................................................... 360

Biomass, Wood Products, and Wood Energy ....................................................................... 364

Chief’s Reserve Fund ............................................................................................................ 369

Conservation Education ........................................................................................................ 372

Cost Pool Totals .................................................................................................................... 375

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management .................................................................... 384

Equal Access to Justice Act .................................................................................................. 390

Facilities Maintenance Assessment ...................................................................................... 396

Fire Transfers ........................................................................................................................ 400

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs ........................................................................... 402

FY 2015 National Scenic and Historic Trails ....................................................................... 404

Office of General Counsel Reimbursement .......................................................................... 414

Office of Tribal Relations ..................................................................................................... 415

Partnerships ........................................................................................................................... 417

Reforestation ......................................................................................................................... 431

Region, Station, and Area Allocations .................................................................................. 435

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers ...................................................... 447

Stewardship Contracting ....................................................................................................... 458

Sustainable Operations.......................................................................................................... 466

Unobligated Balances ........................................................................................................... 470

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges ....................................................... 473

Wood Education and Resource Center ................................................................................. 487

Working Capital Fund, Forest Service.................................................................................. 490

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management ................................................. 491

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 360

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report accomplishments 

for the Bark Beetle Infestation in the West program. 

Overview

Current information indicates that tree mortality caused by western bark beetles has declined 

significantly since 2011. 

For the period of 2000 to 2010, over 43 million acres in the West had trees infested with bark 

beetles, of which nearly 32 million acres are National Forest System (NFS) lands. During the 

same period the infestation was growing at approximately 600,000 acres per year. In 2011, it 

was estimated that 100,000 beetle-killed trees fell daily in southern Wyoming and northern 

Colorado, posing a serious health and safety threat to forest visitors, residents, and employees25. 

On July 11, 2011, the Forest Service released the five-year Western Bark Beetle Strategy26, 

which identified how the Forest Service was going to respond to the western bark beetle 

epidemic in Regions 1 through 6. The strategy focuses on the future and on the continued need 

to integrate and prioritize our response around three goals: human safety, forest recovery, and 

long-term forest resiliency. 

Agency Priorities and Actions

Protecting human health and safety is the Forest Service priority when allocating funds to treat 

forests. The decision to remove trees to mitigate the effects of the western bark beetle takes into 

consideration both the health and safety of the public, as well as that of Forest Service 

employees. Priorities include: treatment near roads, trails, and campgrounds that experience 

high public use; treatment in areas adjacent to communities and homes for protection from fire; 

and coordination of larger-scale projects with other governmental agencies and partners that 

identify and communicate risks to public safety and leverage treatments across boundaries. 

Additional priorities include recovery and forest resiliency. Effective recovery improves 

watershed health, wildlife habitat, and water quality; creates more resilient forests following 

infestation; and provides benefits above and beyond what would be expected if nature were 

allowed to take its course. Active forest management can increase the resiliency of forests not 

yet infested by bark beetles. Thinning young stands to decrease basal area and creating a 

diversity of age classes over time can mitigate potential catastrophic beetle losses. Species and 

age diversity are key elements of a forest’s resiliency to insects, disease, and wildfire. Managing 

for resiliency can reduce the environmental, health, and safety impacts of beetle infestation. 

 

25 USDA Forest Service 2011 Western Bark Beetle Strategy page 4, http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/bark-beetle/bark-beetlestrategy-appendices.pdf 

26 USDA Forest Service 2011Western Bark Beetle Strategy, http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/bark-beetle/bark-beetle-strategyappendices.pdf 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 361

Research and Development 

The Forest Service is investing in knowledge and management tools needed to guide the above 

priorities. Research efforts will provide better strategies for mitigating tree hazards to people 

and community infrastructure; improving the ability of fuel and fire behavior models to map fire 

hazards due to bark beetles; exploring pest management treatments for beetle control; and 

improving our understanding of the effects of increased vegetation diversity, thinning and, 

disturbance agents on the population dynamics of various bark beetle species. 

Tracking Performance

The Forest Service is tracking activities related to bark beetle recovery using existing 

performance measures. These include hazardous fuels acres treated, road and trail hazard acres 

mitigated, and recreation site hazards mitigated. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service treated 320,930 acres. Of these, 14,080 acres were treated as a 

subset of the resiliency total with funding from State and Private Forestry. A total of 10,667 

acres were treated to improve human safety (safety goal), 18,406 acres were reforested (recovery 

goal), and 291,857 acres were thinned to improve resiliency (resiliency goal). The Forest 

Service removed hazard trees along 206 miles of roads and trails. 

These treatments resulted in 176.2 million board feet (MMBF) of timber sold and 59,337 green 

tons of biomass produced. The planned treated acres are in line with the Accelerated Restoration 

Initiative, which seeks a 20 percent increase in the number of acres being mechanically treated 

over the three years FY 2012 through FY 2014. 

Regions have invested additional resources in implementing the bark beetle strategy. Actual 

accomplishments exceed planned levels. 

FY 2014 Funding and Accomplishments

In FY 2014, the Forest Service invested $101.5 million on bark beetle mitigation activities in 

Regions 1 through 6. Specific mitigation activities were funded under various programs 

including Recreation, Roads, Trails, Forest Health Management, Hazardous Fuels, Facilities 

Maintenance, Forest Products, Vegetation and Watershed Management, and Salvage Sale Fund. 

FY 2014 Accomplishments 

Performance Safety Recovery Resilience Total 

Treated Area (acres) 10,667 18,406 291.857 320,930 

Volume Sold (MMBF) 19.1 26.0 131.1 176.2 

Bio-Energy Production (green tons) 6,193 7,070 46,074 59,337 

Road and Trail Maintenance (miles) 40 8 198 206 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 362

Research and development

Forest Service researchers and their partners continued to study the biology, ecology, and 

management of the principal species of tree-killing bark beetles and the socioeconomic effects of 

bark beetle activity. More specifically, scientists examined: 1) the effects of forest thinning and 

other silvicultural methods on the occurrence and severity of bark beetle-caused tree mortality, 2) 

interactions between bark beetles and forest fires, 3) ecological, economic, and social 

consequences of bark beetle outbreaks, 4) effects of climate change on beetle dynamics, and 5) 

use of pheromones and insecticides-based strategies for managing bark beetles in high value 

areas. 

In FY 2014, researchers developed 24 new publications and several other tools aimed at 

improving bark beetle management in western forests. Some highlights include: 

 Researchers published the most thorough synthesis of current knowledge about any forest 

bark beetle in North America. The Western Bark Beetle Research Group, which is an 

assemblage of Forest Service entomologists working on bark beetles in western forests, 

published a special section in the journal Forest Science that includes 10 papers concerning 

different aspects of the biology, ecology, and management of mountain pine beetle. Topics 

are relevant to land managers, forest health specialists, scientists, and students from a variety 

of disciplines. 

 Researchers working with their university colleagues examined and summarized the effect of 

interactions beetle low level populations of dwarf mistletoe and bark beetle on forest 

dynamics, fuel heterogeneity, and species composition. Most studies have addressed 

outbreak populations of bark beetles only, not the effects of other biotic disturbance agents 

that could have a major influence on forest dynamics, fuel heterogeneity, and species 

composition. 

 Researchers reviewed multi-aged lodgepole pine stand dynamics and discussed variableretention harvesting as a silvicultural option for managing mountain pine beetles. They 

agreed that silvicultural treatments can simulate mixed-severity disturbances that create 

multi-aged lodgepole pine stands, which, along with heterogeneous forest landscapes, can 

play a role in mitigating susceptibility to primary disturbance agents (bark beetles and 

wildfire). 

 Researchers recently developed a compendium describing the various kinds of impacts 

caused by the major bark beetle pest found in western forests. Several recent and current 

beetle outbreaks were reviewed as case studies, including: spruce beetle on the Kenai 

Peninsula in Alaska, western pine beetle in California, mountain pine beetle in Colorado, 

Douglas-fir beetle in the northern Rockies, and multiple insect interactions in southern 

Arizona. The impacts of these bark beetles were described for the provision services (e.g., 

timber and water production, wildlife habitat), regulating services (e.g., nutrient cycling, 

energy flows, carbon sequestration), supporting services (e.g., flood control, erosion 

mitigation, air purification), cultural services (e.g., recreational experience, spiritual 

renewal), and preserving services (e.g., genetic repositories, biodiversity). 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 363

FY 2015 and FY 2016 Funding

The Forest Service plans to invest $101.5 million in FY 2015 and $101.5 million in FY 2016 to 

implement the Western Bark Beetle Strategy. In both FY 2015 and FY 2016, the target is to treat 

293,293 acres per year. This target increase reflects greater capacities derived from expanded 

collaborative restoration partnerships and increased efficiency in the agency’s National 

Environmental Policy Act analyses. In FY 2016, specific mitigation activities will be funded by 

the national Integrated Resource Restoration program proposed for FY 2016. 

Priority beetle-related work in FY 2015 and FY 2016 will continue to promote human safety, 

forest recovery, and ecological resilience as well as research and development. We will 

coordinate work with our partners and continue to maximize appropriated dollars to mitigate 

negative impacts from these unprecedented outbreaks. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 364

Biomass, Wood Products, and Wood Energy 

Biomass, Wood Products, and Wood Energy

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to report Forest 

Service accomplishments related to agency work on biomass, wood products, and wood energy. 

Overview 

Our Nation’s forests are strategic assets that benefit the United States’ energy security, economic 

opportunity, environmental quality, and global competitiveness by providing raw material for the 

renewable wood energy and wood products markets. These markets are a growing source of 

jobs, particularly in rural America, that contribute to a sustainable future based on a locallygrown renewable resource. The tremendous potential for the use of wood residues in the 

generation of heating, cooling, and electricity has not been realized. Moreover, the wood 

products sector, which has experienced a steep decline over the past few decades, has a 

significant opportunity to contribute to the greater use of wood in building construction. With 

additional research, wood could be converted to high value liquid or gaseous bioenergy and 

bioproducts that serve as cost-effective renewable substitutes for fossil fuel intensive products. 

Sustainable development of healthy bioenergy and biobased products sectors depends on rapid 

and robust research and development. 

From a land management perspective, expanding biomass, wood products, and wood energy 

markets reduces forest treatment costs and wildfire risk, restores forested landscapes, and 

generates new income streams for forest landowners. The following table shows Forest Service 

funding by budget line item. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 365

Forest Service Funding for Biomass, Wood Products, and Wood Energy 

(dollars in thousands)

Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Actual 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres, Budget 

Biomass Production 

Forest Products $5,000 $5,000 -

Integrated Resource 

Restoration - - 5,000*

Bioenergy & Biobased Products 

Research Research and Development 12,476 12,476 11,511

Wood Innovations: Wood Energy 

and Wood Products Markets 

Hazardous Fuels 6,750 7,500** 9,500**

Integrated Resource 

Restoration 800

Biomass Air Quality 

Improvement*** Hazardous Fuels - 1,000

Geographically Target Wood 

Utilization*** Hazardous Fuels - 2,500

Expanded Use of Wood in Green 

Building*** Hazardous Fuels 1,000 2,000

Total $25,226 $24,976 

$26,811 to 

$32,311 *

This includes funding for the national target of 2.8 million green tons of biomass and funding for wood supply assessments. **Administered by Regions/Area with support from the Forest Products Laboratory. 

*** Funding for these items will be dependent on specific needs identified and dollar amounts may vary. 

Other participating USDA agencies provide the bulk of funding for the USDA Wood to Energy 

Initiative. The Forest Service is increasing its investment in this work, but our primary focus is 

delivering subject matter expertise and technical assistance.

FY 2016 

Forest Service’s emphasis on biomass, wood products, and wood energy encourages market 

development for woody biomass and provides high quality data to inform business decisions. 

The work planned for FY 2016 is primarily structured around the USDA Wood to Energy 

Initiative. We will continue to support and develop sustainable management and wood 

utilization technologies and practices to effectively integrate biomass production into forest 

management activities. The following describes the work to be accomplished with respect to 

each of the items listed in the table above. 

Biomass Production 

In FY 2014 the Forest Service was instrumental in helping the Farm Services Agency implement 

the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which provides eligible farmers, ranchers, and 

foresters with an incentive to harvest forest and agricultural residues and deliver them to 

qualified energy facilities. The program provided transportation subsidies to loggers and energy 

facilities for the removal and delivery of biomass for energy generation. Key program 

accomplishments include: 

 In Colorado’s Front Range, 18,000 tons of forestry residues that the Forest Service targeted 

for removal to reduce forest fire threats was delivered for energy generation. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 366

 In the Rim Fire area of Tuolumne County, California, the vast majority of the 40,000 tons of 

forestry residues the Forest Service had targeted for removal was transported to energy 

facilities. 

 In Apache and Navajo Counties, Arizona, 41,000 tons of forest residues were approved for 

removal and transport to energy facilities. 

 In Oscoda County, Michigan, home of the Huron Manistee National Forest, 5,000 tons of 

forest residues were approved for removal and transport to energy facilities. 

The delivery of these residues advanced an important component of the restoration activities 

occurring on National Forest System Lands. 

Bioenergy and Biobased Products Research 

We continuously strive to provide more accurate national and regional feedstock availability 

projections; models to assist in bioenergy facility site selection; sustainable management 

systems, options, and practices for forest bioenergy feedstocks; logistics and decision support 

tools to improve treatment, harvest, and transport efficiency; integrated models of land use 

patterns and bioenergy markets; and life cycle analysis and assessment tools for forest bioenergy 

and bioproducts supply chains. 

We will continue the development of wood-based biofuels, chemicals, and products that can 

substitute for petroleum-based materials, including developing biomass deconstruction science 

and technology, conversion technologies for wood-based liquid fuels including drop-in fuels and 

science and technology for manufacturing chemicals and other co-products from biomass-toenergy conversion. 

USDA Wood to Energy Initiative 

The USDA Wood to Energy Initiative is a collaborative interagency effort within USDA’s Rural 

Development (Rural Utilities Service, Rural Housing Service, and Rural Business Cooperative 

Service), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Forest Service. This initiative synergistically 

facilitates achievement of all cooperating agencies’ goals, such as Rural Development’s goal of 

creating renewable energy and Forest Service’s goal to expand markets for low value wood to 

reduce forest management costs. The Forest Service annually issues a small amount of grant 

funds and provides technical assistance so that project proponents can successfully compete for 

Rural Development’s loans and grants as well as other funding opportunities. The Forest Service 

works in a variety of areas that support the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative, including the 

following. 

Expand Wood Products and Wood Energy Markets - The Forest Service established the 

Wood Innovations initiative in 2014 to strategically expand wood products and wood energy 

markets that support forest management and deliver economic and environmental benefits to 

communities throughout America. 

Expand Wood Energy Markets - Since 2013, 16 States have established Statewide Wood 

Energy Teams through separate cooperative agreements with the Forest Service of up to 

$250,000 in value. The teams create opportunities for communities and facilities to convert 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 367

to wood energy in the highest priority areas of each State. States have identified an 

unprecedented number of wood energy projects that need financial or technical assistance. 

The Forest Service will facilitate State efforts by issuing grants for projects that make use of 

low value wood generated from National Forest System and other forest lands with high 

wildfire risk. The Forest Service will also continue to dedicate funding to establish more 

Statewide Wood Energy teams because the cross collaboration among participating States 

has leveraged opportunities and outcomes that have exceeded expectations. 

Expand Wood Products Markets - In 2016, the Forest Service will issue grants to expand 

wood products markets in traditional and emerging sectors. Preference will be given to 

projects that promote wood as a construction material in commercial building or expand 

markets that use traditional or innovative wood products. Grant amounts will not exceed 

$250,000 in most cases and all grantees must provide a 35 percent match. 

 

Biomass Air Quality Improvement - Wood energy development can be impeded by poor air 

quality conditions caused in part by old residential wood stove technology. Improving 

combustion technology enhances air quality and creates opportunities to expand residential 

wood energy markets that support forest management. The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) recently reduced the ambient air quality standard for particulate matter, which 

will result in more communities being classified as nonattainment areas under the Clean Air 

Act. In partnership with the EPA, a competitive grant process will be used to provide 

funding for the replacement of inefficient residential wood stoves with EPA certified wood 

stoves in areas where there are high levels of particulate matter in the air. 

Geographically Target Wood Utilization - This program, in conjunction with geographicallyfocused hazardous fuels work, will support wood utilization to reduce treatment costs 

through technical assistance, grants, and cooperative agreements, if specific needs are 

identified. 

Expand the use of Wood in the Commercial Building Sector - Engineered wood products and 

innovative building designs for commercial high rise buildings are opening extensive new 

markets for the conversion of relatively low-value small dimension lumber into higher-value 

structural materials. This new market has the potential to produce significant benefits for 

climate change; energy conservation; and the reduction of costs for hazardous fuels 

reduction, forest restoration, and other forest treatments. This promising market promotes 

the storage of carbon in long-lived building materials by “making big wood out of small 

wood,” reduces the amount of energy needed for building construction, and generates a 

higher monetary value for wood. Funding will be used to work with architects, engineers, 

developers, and others to increase the use of wood construction materials, establish 

demonstration projects, conduct Life Cycle Assessments, and pursue Environmental Product 

Declarations, if specific needs are identified.

The combination of up to $15 million from the Hazardous Fuels program and up to $5,800 from 

the Integrated Resource Restoration program in the FY 2016 proposed budget will be 

strategically targeted to advance the development of biomass, wood products, and wood energy. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 368

Past Performance 

The Forest Service has a long history of success in encouraging the expansion of wood products 

and wood energy markets, but sees a more urgent need to support these goals. Selected 

accomplishments include the following. 

 In FY 2014, State and Private Forestry awarded $1.25 million in grants to small businesses 

and community groups for wood energy projects and $2.5 million in cooperative agreements 

to establish 11 Statewide Wood Energy teams. This funding stimulates the use of low value 

wood in areas of the country with significant forest restoration needs, especially areas of high 

wildfire risk. The funding promotes the use of commercially proven technologies for the 

production of heat, cooling, or electricity. Communities and businesses use the funding to 

complete the feasibility analyses, cost assessments, and engineering designs needed to obtain 

and leverage construction funding. 

 In FY 2014, Forest Service Research and Development (R&D) scientists produced more than 

85 publications and presentations advancing science and technology in biomass production 

and management systems, biofuels and bioproducts, and decision support and policy 

analysis. 

 Forest Service R&D scientists produced a Community Biomass Handbook and a wood 

energy financial application that allow users to quickly assess whether wood energy is a 

feasible option for their community or small business. 

(http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/45769). 

 Forest Service R&D co-authored a major publication synthesizing the literature on biomass 

carbon accounting, which is used to identify and examine scientific insights that advance our 

understanding of forest bioenergy and “carbon debts.” (http://dx.doi.org/10.5849/jof.14-009). 

 Forest Service R&D scientists used a life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis to evaluate a 200-

kilowatt (electrical) modular advanced biomass pyrolysis system, referred to as the Tucker 

renewable natural gas (RNG) unit. They found that the system is energy efficient and has the 

potential to assist lumber mills and other manufacturing facilities with the management of 

biomass byproducts and conversion into useful co-products. 

(http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/46266). 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 369

Chief’s Reserve Fund 

Background 

This exhibit is required by P.L. 109-54, House Report 109-80, page 151, Administrative 

Provisions, which directed: 

The Committee also requests that future budget justification displays on this fund include a 

complete presentation of spending from the fund during the most recent complete fiscal year, 

with a brief explanation why the uses were indeed important, unanticipated, and appropriate. 

Overview 

The Chief’s Reserve Fund (CRF) is managed by the Chief’s Office to fund emergencies or 

unforeseen events that occur throughout the fiscal year. This reserve fund allows units to 

respond quickly to unplanned urgent work without impacting the planned program of work. 

FY 2016 Program 

At the Chief’s discretion, funds from this reserve are available for unplanned and/or emergency 

circumstances. Requests are evaluated against criteria including the urgent nature of the event, 

relevance of proposed use to priorities, other funding source considerations, and risks from being 

unfunded. Requests must be for work or projects exceeding $25,000. Initial fund mixes are 

determined at the beginning of the fiscal year, but may be remixed during the year to meet 

unanticipated needs. Funds are only spent in accordance with the purposes for which they were 

appropriated. Unused funds are distributed to the Regions, Stations, and Northeastern Area as 

carryover in the following year. 

FY 2014 to FY 2016 Funding

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 

Actual 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

Budget 

FY 2016 

President’s 

Budget 

$6,318 $6,318 $6,318 

Past Performance 

In FY 2014, CRF funds were approved for some unplanned projects and provided additional 

funding for others. Total program amounts assessed and obligated in FY 2014 are illustrated in 

the table below 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 370

FY 2014 Program Amounts 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Program Approved 

Forest & Rangeland Research $280 

Forest Health Management-Cooperative Lands 126 

Forest Health Management-Federal Lands 189 

Forest Stewardship 79 

Urban & Community Forestry 63 

Land Management Planning 253 

Inventory & Monitoring 505 

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness 569 

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 316 

Grazing Management 126 

Forest Products 569 

Minerals & Geology Management 158 

Vegetation & Watershed Management 569 

Landownership Management 253 

Law Enforcement Operations 131 

Hazardous Fuels 253 

Cooperative Fire Protection, State Fire 

Assistance 

142 

Preparedness 478 

Suppression 406 

Facilities 379 

Roads 253 

Trails 158 

Infrastructure Improvement 63 

Total $6,318

Projects funded by the Chief’s Reserve Fund in FY 2014 include: 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Projects (CFLRP) ($2,142,409) 

The CRF provided additional funding to supplement the regions for their Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration Fund projects. Each region is required to fund up to 50 percent of the 

cost of carrying out and monitoring ecological restoration treatments on National Forest System 

(NFS) lands for each of their proposals selected. The CFLRP budget line item contributed $31.9 

million of the $47.3 million of funding required for these projects in FY 2014 and other NFS 

funds were used to supplement the program funding to insure the successful continuation of 

these projects. The additional funding from the Chief Reserve Fund assisted the regions in 

accelerating restoration activities and sustaining forest product inventory. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 371

RadioTower Construction ($552,516) 

Funds were used to replace critical towers listed below that were deemed unserviceable, unclimbable and could not use during the winter season. 

 Region 5 - Tahoe National Forest, Babbitt PK; 

 Region 5 – Six Rivers National Forest, Orleans; 

 Region 8 – National Forests in Mississippi, Stoney; and 

 Region 9 – Monongahela National Forest, Barton Knob. 

Region 1 Office Relocation Costs ($300,000) 

Funds were used to award Phase 1 of the Building 26 reconstruction project. Building 26 is at 

Ft. Missoula and it will be the new home of the R1 Regional Office as the Regional Office leaves 

the General Service Agency lease. The Building 26 renovation will continue into FY 2016. The 

regional office move to Fort Missoula is planned to: 

 vacate a high cost lease (approximately $1.9 million /year), reducing cost pools, 

 reduce 30-year life cycle costs by 65 percent, a savings of $23,706,982 over this period, 

 have a design/construction payback period of approximately five and a half years, 

 reduce the footprint and meet Department space policies, 

 preserve and use a historic structure, and 

 construction will occur in FY 2016. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 372

Conservation Education 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to provide 

information about this program, which is funded by multiple budget line items. 

Overview 

Since 1905, the Forest Service has recognized a role and responsibility to educate people about 

management and conservation of our Nation’s forests and grasslands. Increasingly, citizen 

knowledge of forests and natural and cultural resources continues to be critical to the 

accomplishment of the Forest Service mission. The Forest Service provides expertise in science, 

land management, and outdoor experiences as the foundation of environmental literacy efforts. 

Private landowners, local community leaders, elected officials, forest visitors, homeowners, 

students, and educators are among the audiences reached by Forest Service Conservation 

Education (CE) programs. Through these opportunities, the Forest Service plays an effective 

role in developing an environmentally literate citizenry to sustain our Nation’s forests and 

grasslands, public and private, for future generations, and to develop future generations of 

conservation leaders by connecting people to our Nation’s forests and grasslands. 

The Forest Service connects an average of more than five million people each year with nature 

and public lands through its CE programs. CE teaches people about natural resource 

management and gives them the tools to make informed decisions and take action to sustain 

natural and cultural resources. CE efforts provide a full range of educational experiences, 

including awareness and knowledge-building, engagement, and action-based programs for youth, 

and their educators in classroom and non-formal settings. 

The CE programs are delivered by a network of land managers, scientists, educators, and 

interpreters representing all branches of the agency, and are supported by extensive partnerships 

with nongovernmental organizations, State, Tribal, and local agencies, and educational 

institutions. Learning experiences include outdoor recreation and interpretive activities, formal 

school-based programs that adhere to national and local standards of learning, capacity building 

for educators, and service-learning projects. Some of the CE program focus areas include 

education about climate change, reconnecting children with nature, and preparing youth for jobs 

in the green economy. 

FY 2016 Program 

In FY 2016, CE will continue to use the National Guidelines for Excellence as a guide to develop 

new programs and materials and to evaluate existing agency programs and materials. We will 

continue working through trusted professionals to connect children to nature and provide 

experiential learning opportunities. Conservation Education will continue to: 

 Expand the Discover the Forest Campaign to include targeted outreach to Urban Youth. 

The campaign will also focus on celebrating American cultural diversity. Activities currently 

in development include television, radio, and outdoor public service advertisements, as well 

as maintaining strong social media communities in English and Spanish. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 373

 Support the agency’s climate change emphasis area, specifically through climate change 

educational materials and “Green Schools!” activities. 

 Support the agency’s pollinator education, specifically through pollinator education materials 

for elementary and middle school students. 

 Contribute to the general body of knowledge regarding the field of environmental education 

by continuing distribution of an updated Environmental Literacy in America report, and 

supporting the study of evaluation of environmental education programs. 

 Foster first hand experiences in nature through innovative uses of technology. 

 Continue to build outreach to underserved populations into our programs. 

 Continue to expand programming directed at early childhood populations. 

 Continue to support social media campaign featuring Woodsy Owl. 

 Continue the Forest Service Conservation Education distance learning programing with a 

unit on Fresh Water. 

CE will support teacher training through the Forest for Every Classroom program and continue 

distribution of an invasive species information guide to 4th and 5th grade teachers to generate 

awareness and initiate a dialog among children about invasive species and their impacts on 

nature and the economy. The program will continue to produce and distribute Natural Inquirer

and Investi-gator science journals for students, encourage the expanded adoption of the revised 

Junior Snow Ranger program, support the participation of underserved populations in 

environmental education events such as Environmentors and the Envirothon, and continue our 

support for large event days such as National Public Lands Day. 

CE will outreach to Head Start to reach the early learner and underserved populations through 

Woodsy Owl themed materials. Studies show that outdoor play promotes young children’s 

physical and emotional health and enhances their learning capabilities and brain function. 

In addition, CE will continue our strong partnership with the National Garden Clubs, Inc. for the 

Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl poster contest. Over 25,000 children nationwide participate in 

this contest every year. 

Past Performance 

In 2014, the “Discover the Forest” campaign specifically targeted girls, as research shows they 

are even less likely to go outside. The campaign encouraged them to reconnect with nature and 

our Nation’s forests. A new set of Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) featuring characters 

from the Rio 2 movie was launched as a result of a private-public partnership between the Forest 

Service, 20th Century Fox, and the Ad Council. All of these assets encourage parents and their 

children to reconnect with nature. From FY 2008 through half of FY 2014, the campaign has 

received over $224 million in donated media. 

In FY 2014, over 6 million people participated in environmental education, recreation, and 

related literacy programs on public lands and waters to increase understanding of the natural 

world and its benefits to society. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 374

CE and its partners also fund many other new and ongoing projects, including: 

 “A Forest for Every Classroom” Teacher Training Initiative, an intensive teacher training 

model that emphasizes place-based education and service-learning; 

 The Natural Inquirer journals where scientists share their research with students; 

 Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, America’s conservation icons whose messages continue to 

resonate with youth; 

 Nature Explore classrooms and learning spaces to connect children with nature in 

economically disadvantaged urban areas; 

 The Green Schools! program, designed to raise environmental literacy; 

 The Envirothon, which develops an understanding of the principles and practices of natural 

resource management and ecology in young people through practice dealing with complex 

resource management decisions; and 

 Hands on the Land, a national network of field classrooms that connects students, teachers, 

and parents to their public lands and waterways. 

Allocation and Integration 

CE is one of the most broadly integrated programs in the Forest Service and operates with an alllands approach. The CE program in the national office supports field offices in the 

implementation of agency and Department priorities related to conservation education. At the 

national forest and Region/Station/Area levels, conservation education efforts are funded through 

leveraged investments of over a dozen agency programs including: Recreation, Heritage, and 

Wilderness; Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and Rare Plants; Forest and Rangeland Research; 

Forest Health Management; Urban and Community Forestry; Hazardous Fuels; and Wildfire 

Prevention. 

Partnerships 

Partnerships are critical to the success of CE in the Forest Service. More than 2,500 individual 

organizations at the national, State, Tribal, and local levels help to ensure that our Conservation 

Education efforts meet local needs through both financial and in-kind contributions that leverage 

the agency’s investment of resources each year. The Forest Service creates and nurtures 

partnerships nationwide that provide technical assistance to our vast network of providers across 

the agency and improve our outreach to diverse, underserved, and urban populations. The 

Discover the Forest Campaign, developed in partnership with the Ad Council, has leveraged a 

Forest Service $6.92 million investment over the past 5 and 1/2 years to provide $224.2 million 

in donated media exposure for this outreach campaign.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 375

Cost Pool Totals (both Direct and Indirect) 

Background 

This exhibit is required by P.L. 107-63, 115 Stat. 452, as follows: 

The Forest Service shall fund indirect expenses, that is expenses not directly related to specific 

programs or to the accomplishment of specific work on-the-ground, from any funds available to 

the Forest Service: Provided, that the Forest Service shall implement and adhere to the 

definitions of indirect expenditures established pursuant to Public Law 105–277 on a nationwide 

basis without flexibility for modification by any organizational level except the Washington 

Office, and when changed by the Washington Office, such changes in definition shall be reported 

in budget requests submitted by the Forest Service: Provided further, that the Forest Service 

shall provide in all future budget justifications, planned indirect expenditures in accordance with 

the definitions, summarized and displayed to the Regional, Station, Area, and detached unit 

office level. The justification shall display the estimated source and amount of indirect 

expenditures, by expanded budget line item, of funds in the agency’s annual budget justification. 

The display shall include appropriated funds and the Knutson-Vandenberg, Brush Disposal, 

Cooperative Work-Other, and Salvage Sale funds. Changes between estimated and actual 

indirect expenditures shall be reported in subsequent budget justifications. 

Overview 

Cost pool expenses support every Forest Service employee at every level of the agency. Cost 

pools are a financial management tool. The purpose is to allocate funding for items directly 

related to delivery of Forest Service programs that are not directly related to a specific program. 

Cost pools fund line officers’ salaries (e.g. District Rangers) and expenses, administrative 

support, information technology, human resources, computers, telephones, rent, utilities, and 

other common services. 

The Forest Service receives appropriations by program and does not receive a general 

administration or management appropriation. Cost pools are not a source for funding, but are a 

mechanism to charge expenses that cannot reasonably be charged directly to a single program. 

The cost pools are designed to maintain accurate reporting of the true costs by program, by 

having each program contribute into the cost pools an amount based on its share of indirect, 

support, and common services charges. 

Appropriate application of cost pools allows the Forest Service to accurately reflect the cost of 

doing business in compliance with the federal financial reporting standards articulated by the 

Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). Accurately reflecting the true cost of 

doing business improves the government's ability to account for public funds, provides 

information for evaluating agency costs, accomplishments, and impacts of accomplishments, and 

provides a basis to assess agency financial systems and controls. 

Direct and Indirect Costs 

Forest Service definitions of direct and indirect costs are consistent with FASAB Statement #4. 

The agency published the definitions in the FY 2000 Budget Justification. The Department of 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 376

Agriculture Chief Financial Officer and the Office of Management and Budget cleared, and the 

Government Accountability Office, United States Department of Commerce’s Office of 

Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, and the Department of Justice reviewed the 

definitions prior to publishing. 

Direct Costs 

Direct costs are specifically identified with the delivery of a program or a program’s 

accomplishments. Direct costs include expenses associated with employees working directly on 

the production of an output. Program management is an integral cost of the production of an 

output and therefore is included as a direct cost. Direct costs might also include costs not 

associated with employees involved in the production of output(s), such as office and other 

facility space, computer equipment, and utilities, as well as materials, supplies, and equipment. 

Direct costs are generally charged directly to a single primary purpose budget line item. 

Indirect Costs 

Indirect costs are costs that are necessary for the operation of the Forest Service as an 

organization but are not traceable to any specific outputs. These include Legislative and Public 

Communication, Ongoing Business Services, and Common Services (cost pools 3, 4, and the 

indirect portion of cost pool 5). 

Cost Pools 

For management and tracking purposes, categories of similar expenses are combined into five 

cost pools. Cost pools 1 and 2 track those expenses defined as direct costs, cost pools 3 and 4 

include those expenses classified as indirect costs, and cost pool 5 includes both indirect and 

direct components. 

The terms cost pool 6 and cost pool 7 have been previously used to describe the pooled costs for 

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and Unemployment Compensation 

Insurance (UCI) respectively. Please see the section on Other Pooled Costs below for more 

details. 

There is no cost pool 8. 

Cost pool 9 collects facilities maintenance assessment funds and assesses Forest Service 

programs separately from pools 1 through 5. 

In addition to being a cost allocation mechanism, cost pools also serve as an accounting tool, 

providing the Forest Service with financial data on categories of similar expenses. This permits 

the Forest Service to plan for and manage support, indirect and direct pool costs at different 

levels of the organization. A description of these pools and their associated costs are listed 

below. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 377

Cost Pool 1 - General Management 

This cost pool includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for general line 

managers and officers (including secretarial staff) at the Washington Office (WO), 

Regions/Stations/Area (R/S/A), national forest, and ranger district levels. In addition, union 

officials, civil rights positions, and safety officers are included in Cost Pool 1 to show their direct 

connection and link to line management. Related costs include uniforms, travel, transfer of 

station, vehicles, cell phones for the positions that charge to this cost pool, specialized supplies 

and equipment, and discretionary expenses associated with these positions. Cost Pool 1 consists 

entirely of direct costs and is based on total FTEs charged in the previous 12 months. 

Cost Pool 2 - Direct Project Approved Activities 

This cost pool includes salaries, benefits, and related costs for a limited set of nationally 

designated cross-cutting projects, currently limited to Conservation Education, Tribal Relations, 

Freedom of Information Act, Resource Advisory Council administration, and Grey Towers. 

Cost Pool 2 consists entirely of direct costs. It is based on total FTEs charged in the previous 12 

months. 

Cost Pool 3 - Legislative and Public Communications 

This cost pool includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for public 

affairs, and legislative liaisons at the WO, R/S/A, national forest, and ranger district levels. 

Related costs include uniforms, travel, transfer of station, vehicles, cell phones for the positions 

that charge to this cost pool, specialized supplies and equipment, and discretionary expenses 

associated with these positions. Cost Pool 3 consists entirely of indirect costs and is based on 

total FTEs charged in the previous 12 months. 

Cost Pool 4 - Ongoing Business Services 

Cost Pool 4 includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for business 

operations at the WO, R/S/A, national forest, and ranger district levels. Business operations 

include budget, finance, acquisition, human capital management, some procurement and grants 

and agreements, general receptionists and information systems management. Cost Pool 4 

consists entirely of indirect costs and is based on total FTEs charged in the previous 12 months. 

Cost Pool 5 - Common Services 

This cost pool generally includes rent, utilities, corporate communications, equipment, supplies, 

radios, and corporate computer and phone related expenses for all employees. Cost Pool 5 

consists of both indirect and direct pool costs. The distribution of costs in pool 5 is based on 

FTEs for permanent employees only; the division between direct and indirect costs is based on 

the ratio of direct to indirect employees. For example, if the common services for a unit with 

100 employees, consisting of 80 direct and 20 indirect, is $500,000, then $400,000 of these costs 

would be direct and $100,000 would be indirect. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 378

Cost Pool 9 - Facilities Maintenance Assessment Fund 

This cost pool contains the Facilities Maintenance Assessment Fund. This is a direct cost pool 

used to allocate facilities maintenance work funded by assessing each R/S/A based on gross 

square foot of facilities. These charges are then allocated by BLI using the same basis as Cost 

Pool 5 in compliance with the FY 2006 Appropriations Act and accompanying conference report 

language. Refer to the Facilities Maintenance Assessment Special Exhibit for more information. 

Other Pooled Costs 

The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and Unemployment Compensation 

Insurance (UCI) do not assess Forest Service programs. These are for required payments and 

unlike cost pools 1-5 and 9, are charged directly to a program and then pooled to make required 

payments out of a single BLI. These pooled costs are used as methods of payment, and are not 

mechanisms to allocate costs. 

Both OWCP and UCI costs are charged directly to the program in which they were incurred. 

OWCP costs are distributed based on the work being performed at the time of the injury and UCI 

costs are distributed based on the work performed while employed. 

Cost Allocations 

The Forest Service allocates indirect and direct pool costs among programs through the cost 

allocation process, which assesses each Forest Service budget line item a certain percentage of 

total cost pool expenses. Cost pools are generally allocated using direct labor hours (DLH). 

DLH are converted to FTEs; 1 FTE = 2,096 DLHs (the DLH number varies depending on the 

year). For cost pools 1 to 4, DLHs are used for all employees charging to direct costs (all 

employees includes those holding permanent, temporary, intermittent, and other types of 

positions). 

This approach for Cost Pools 1 to 4 is used because these costs generally reflect the entire 

organization. For Cost Pools 5 and 9, only permanent employees DLHs are used, because these 

costs (rent, communication, utilities, etc.) are driven primarily by the need to support the 

permanent workforce. Planning estimates for OWCP and UCI are based on actual past cases. 

Because of their nature, the FTEs associated with supplemental, transfer, and emergency funds 

are dropped from the cost pools and are not used in calculating indirect costs. 

The Forest Service uses cost allocation to charge expenses back to a single budget line item. 

Cost allocation is used for expenses that: 

 are indirect (e.g., Cost Pools 3 and 4), 

 simultaneously support multiple programs in a way that cannot be efficiently charged directly 

to a budget line item (BLI) (e.g., Cost Pools 1 and 2), 

 involve multiple transactions that need to be summarized for payment purposes (e.g., OWCP 

and UCI), and 

 are otherwise directed by congressional or administrative action (e.g., Cost Pool 9). 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 379

Cost allocation compliance review is performed to determine the consistency in which the field 

organization and the WO headquarters implement cost pool policy and to identify areas for 

improvement. The agency uses the information gathered from the reviews to improve the cost 

allocation process and update cost allocation directions for the following fiscal year. 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 President’s Budget proposes a ceiling of $957 million for cost pool expenses. This 

level of cost pool funding represents a $100 million decrease from FY 2012 levels. This 

reduction has been achieved through a variety of measures such as reduced management 

contracts, utilities, travel and training. Rent savings were realized through building 

consolidations. The Forest Service will continue to strive for efficiency and to keep cost pool 

expenses low. 

FY 2014 to FY 2016 Cost Pool (1-5) Assessments 

(dollars in thousands) 

Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres. Bud. 

Cost Pool Assessment $967,000 $957,000 $957,000

Percent of Total Forest Service Budget 15.8% 17.3% 14.8%

Forest Service Cost Pool Exhibits 

In FY 2016, the Forest Service is estimating that cost pools will be $957,000,000, representing 

14.8 percent of the FY 2016 President’s Budget. For an estimate of FY 2016 Total Cost Pool 1-5 

Assessments by Budget Line Item, see Exhibit 1. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service estimated that $967,000,000 would be charged to the cost pools, 

representing 15.8 percent of the Enacted Budget. Actual costs totaled $967,000,000. In FY 

2015, cost pools are estimated to decrease by another $10 million, however due to a decrease in 

the total Forest Service Enacted Budget, this will result in a percentage increase to 17.3 percent. 

For a comparison of FY 2014 Planned and Actual Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments and FY 2015 

Estimated Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line Item, see Exhibit 2. 

Actual cost pool expenditures decreased from $972,682,000 in FY 2013 to $967,000,000 in FY 

2014. For a display of Cost Pool Actuals for FY 2013 and FY 2014 by Pool and Region, see 

Exhibit 3. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 380

Exhibit 1 

Estimate of FY 2016 Total Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line Item 

(dollars in thousands) 

Budget Line Item 

FY 2016 

President's 

Budget 

Estimated 

Total Cost 

Pool 

Assessments 

by BLI 

Cost Pool 

Assessments 

as Percent of 

BLI 

Amount 

Assessed as 

Percent of 

Total Cost 

Pools 

Forest and Rangeland Research $291,982 $44,022 15.1% 4.6% 

Total Research $291,982 $44,022 15.1% 4.6% 

Forest Health Fed Lands $58,998 $12,441 21.1% 1.3% 

Forest Health Coop Lands 40,678 1,914 4.7% 0.2% 

Forest Stewardship 23,049 1,914 8.3% 0.2% 

Forest Legacy 61,000 957 1.6% 0.1% 

Urban and Community Forestry 23,686 1,914 8.1% 0.2% 

International Forestry 4,004 957 23.9% 0.1% 

Total State and Private Forestry $211,415 $20,097 9.5% 2.1% 

Integrated Resource Restoration $822,110 $172,260 21.0% 18.0% 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 60,000 10,527 17.5% 1.1% 

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and 

Monitoring 184,236 41,151 22.3% 4.3% 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 263,942 86,130 32.6% 9.0% 

Grazing Management 49,706 15,312 30.8% 1.6% 

Minerals and Geology Management 70,689 19,140 27.1% 2.0% 

Landownership Management 71,601 21,054 29.4% 2.2% 

Law Enforcement Operations 126,030 20,097 15.9% 2.1% 

 Total National Forest System $1,648,314 $385,671 23.4% 40.3% 

Preparedness $1,082,620 $243,078 22.5% 25.4% 

Suppression 794,534 87,087 11.0% 9.1% 

Hazardous Fuels 359,126 66,990 18.7% 7.0% 

State Fire Assistance 78,012 1,914 2.5% 0.2% 

Total Wildland Fire $2,314,292 $399,069 17.2% 41.7% 

Facilities $71,695 $16,269 22.7% 1.7% 

Roads 154,262 39,237 25.4% 4.1% 

Trails 82,516 21,054 25.5% 2.2% 

Legacy Roads & Trails 33,451 0.0% 0.0% 

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $341,924 $76,560 22.4% 8.0% 

Land Acquisition $63,000 $1,914 3.0% 0.2% 

Total Land Acquisition $63,000 $1,914 3.0% 0.2% 

Brush Disposal $8,500 $1,914 22.5% 0.2% 

Timber Salvage Sales 22,000 8,613 39.2% 0.9% 

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenburg Trust Fund 52,100 13,398 25.7% 1.4% 

Reforestation Trust Fund 30,000 5,742 19.1% 0.6% 

Total Permanent and Trust Funds $112,600 $29,667 26.3% 3.1% 

Total Assessed BLI's $4,983,527 $957,000 19.2% 99.9% 

Total Forest Service $6,472,318 $957,000 14.8% 100.0% 

Only includes appropriations (BLIs) which will be assessed for cost pools 1-5 in FY 2016. 

Supplemental, emergency, transfer, or Payments to States funds are not assessed for cost pools 1-5. 

BD/KV/SSF budget amounts based upon FY16 RSA estimated obligation data 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 381

Exhibit 2 

Comparison of FY 2014 Planned and Actual Total Cost Pool Assessments 1-5 and 

FY 2015 Estimated Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line Item 

(dollars in thousands) 

Only includes appropriations (BLIs) which were assessed for cost pools 1-5. 

Supplemental, emergency, transfer, or Payments to States funds are not assessed for cost pools 1-5. 

Displays BLI's after transfers for the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot. 

BD/KV/SSF budget amounts based upon FY15 RSA estimated obligation data 

 

 Budget Line Item 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

Budget

Estimated 

Cost 

Pools

1-5

Cost 

Pools 

as a 

Percent 

of BLI

FY 2014 

Actual 

Cost 

Pools 1-5

Cost 

Pools as 

a 

Percent 

of BLI

Percent 

of Total 

FS Cost 

Pools

1-5

FY 2015 

Enacted 

Budget

Estimated 

Cost 

Pools

1-5

Cost 

Pools as 

a 

Percent 

of BLI

Percent 

of Total 

FS Cost 

Pools

1-5

Forest and Rangeland Research $292,805 $42,547 14.5% $42,547 14.5% 4.4% $296,000 $44,022 14.9% 4.6%

Total Research $292,805 $42,547 14.5% $42,547 14.5% 4.4% $296,000 $44,022 14.9% 4.6%

Forest Health Fed Lands $58,922 $12,571 21.3% $12,571 21.3% 1.3% $58,922 $12,441 21.1% 1.3%

Forest Health Coop Lands $45,655 3,868 8.5% $3,868 8.5% 0.4% $45,655 1,914 4.2% 0.2%

Forest Stewardship $22,398 1,934 8.6% $1,934 8.6% 0.2% $23,036 1,914 8.3% 0.2%

Forest Legacy $50,965 967 1.9% $967 1.9% 0.1% $53,000 957 1.8% 0.1%

Urban and Community Forestry $28,040 1,934 6.9% $1,934 6.9% 0.2% $28,040 1,914 6.8% 0.2%

International Forestry $8,000 967 12.1% $967 12.1% 0.1% $8,000 957 12.0% 0.1%

Total State & Priv Forestry $213,980 $22,241 10.4% $22,241 10.4% 2.3% $216,653 $20,097 9.3% 2.1%

Integrated Resource Restoration $170,000 $25,142 14.8% $25,142 14.8% 2.6% $190,321 $26,796 14.1% 2.8%

Collaborative Forest Landscape $40,000 6,769 16.9% $6,769 16.9% 0.7% $40,000 10,527 26.3% 1.1%

Land Management Planning, $188,773 45,449 24.1% $45,449 24.1% 4.7% $188,773 41,151 21.8% 4.3%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness $261,719 92,832 35.5% $92,832 35.5% 9.6% $261,719 86,130 32.9% 9.0%

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat $109,466 28,043 25.6% $28,043 25.6% 2.9% $109,106 28,710 26.3% 3.0%

Grazing Management $55,356 17,406 31.4% $17,406 31.4% 1.8% $55,356 15,312 27.7% 1.6%

Forest Products $286,130 86,064 30.1% $86,064 30.1% 8.9% $273,570 79,431 29.0% 8.3%

Vegetation and Watershed $134,716 30,945 23.0% $30,945 23.0% 3.2% $134,135 33,495 25.0% 3.5%

Minerals and Geology Management $76,423 19,340 25.3% $19,340 25.3% 2.0% $76,423 19,140 25.0% 2.0%

Landownership Management $77,730 23,208 29.9% $23,208 29.9% 2.4% $77,730 21,054 27.1% 2.2%

Law Enforcement Operations $126,653 18,373 14.5% $18,373 14.5% 1.9% $126,653 20,097 15.9% 2.1%

Total Nat. Forest System $1,526,966 $393,571 25.8% $393,571 25.8% 40.7% $1,533,786 $381,843 24.9% 39.9%

Preparedness $1,057,580 $234,980 22.2% $234,980 22.2% 24.3% $1,145,840 $243,078 21.2% 25.4%

Suppression $680,488 87,030 12.8% $87,030 12.8% 9.0% $708,000 87,087 12.3% 9.1%

Hazardous Fuels Management $282,500 65,756 23.3% $65,756 23.3% 6.8% $333,672 66,990 20.1% 7.0%

State Fire Assistance $78,000 1,934 2.5% $1,934 2.5% 0.2% $78,000 1,914 2.5% 0.2%

Total Wildland Fire $2,098,568 $389,700 18.6% $389,700 18.6% 40.3% $2,265,512 $399,069 17.6% 41.7%

Facilities $71,000 $18,373 25.9% $18,373 25.9% 1.9% $71,600 $16,269 22.7% 1.7%

Roads $166,000 40,614 24.5% $40,614 24.5% 4.2% $168,094 39,237 23.3% 4.1%

Trails $75,000 24,175 32.2% $24,175 32.2% 2.5% $77,530 21,054 27.2% 2.2%

Legacy Roads and Trails $23,000 3,868 16.8% $3,868 16.8% 0.4% $25,257 3,828 15.2% 0.4%

Total Capital Improv. & Mntce. $335,000 $87,030 26.0% $87,030 26.0% 9.0% $342,481 $80,388 23.5% 8.4%

Land Acquisition $43,525 $2,901 6.7% $2,901 6.7% 0.3% $47,500 $1,914 4.0% 0.2%

Total Land Acquisition $43,525 $2,901 6.7% $2,901 6.7% 0.3% $47,500 $1,914 4.0% 0.2%

Management of NF Lands for $2,500 967 6.7% $967 38.7% 0.1% $2,500 $0 0.0% 0.0%

Total Other Appropriations $2,500 $967 6.7% $967 38.7% 0.1% $2,500 $0 0.0% 0.0%

Brush Disposal $8,715 $1,934 22.2% $1,934 22.2% 0.2% $8,500 $1,914 22.5% 0.2%

Timber Salvage Sales $20,746 7,736 37.3% $7,736 37.3% 0.8% $22,000 8,613 39.2% 0.9%

Cooperative Work, KnutsonVandenburg Trust Fund (CWKV)

$50,682 12,571 24.8% $12,571 24.8% 1.3% $56,000 13,398 23.9% 1.4%

Reforestation Trust Fund $29,255 5,802 19.8% $5,802 19.8% 0.6% $30,000 5,742 19.1% 0.6%

Total Permanent and Trust Funds $109,398 $28,043 25.6% $28,043 25.6% 2.9% $116,500 $29,667 25.5% 3.1%

Total Assessed BLI's $4,622,742 $967,000 20.9% $967,000 20.9% 100.0% $4,820,932 $957,000 19.9% 100.0%

Total Forest Service $6,115,352 $967,000 15.8% $967,000 15.8% 100.0% $5,530,812 $957,000 17.3% 100.0%

FY 2014 Planned FY 2014 Actual FY 2015 Planned
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 382

Exhibit 3 

Cost Pool Expenditures for FY 2013 and FY 2014 by Pool and Region 

(dollars in thousands) 

 Cost Pool FY 2013 FY 2014 

Cost Pool 1 General Management $159,665 $161,636 

Cost Pool 2 Direct Project Approved Activities 13,618 13,492 

Cost Pool 3 Legislative and Public Communications 35,165 34,344 

Cost Pool 4 Ongoing Business Services 350,625 345,965 

Cost Pool 5 Common Services 413,609 411,564 

 Total Cost Pool Expenditures $972,682 $967,000 

 Region/Station/Area FY 2013 FY 2014 

Region 1 Northern $41,126 $41,975 

Region 2 Rocky Mountain 39,394 37,237 

Region 3 Southwestern 42,392 41,203 

Region 4 Intermountain 41,448 41,943 

Region 5 Pacific Southwest 63,250 63,880 

Region 6 Pacific Northwest 71,914 71,906 

Region 8 Southern 46,395 45,673 

Region 9 Eastern 37,076 40,140 

Region 10 Alaska 17,536 16,890 

Region 12 International Institute of Tropical Forestry 1,495 1,485 

Region 13 Washington Office-HQ 84,090 75,901 

Region 14 Chief's Reserve 0 0 

Region 15 National Operations 104,781 101,283 

Region 17 Accounting Adjustments 0 

Region 25 Central Business Services 379,911 385,879 

Region 26 Pacific Northwest Research Station 185 189 

Region 42 Northeastern Area 1,689 1,416 

 Total Cost Pool Expenditures $972,682 $967,000 

Region 13 Washington Office –HQ funds support staff, programs, operations, and facilities of 

the National Headquarters office located in Washington, D.C. and units considered attached to 

the National Headquarters and includes the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC); NIFC 

Aircraft Working Capital Fund; Geospatial- Salt Lake City; the National Advisory Resource 

Technical Center; the Chief’s Office; Washington Office Operations and Common Services; 

Washington Office National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and Research; 

International Forestry; Chief Financial Officer; Law Enforcement and Investigations; San Dimas 

Technology and Development Center; Missoula Technology and Development Center; and 

Working Capital Fund. 

Region 15 National Operations funds are held and allocated at the national level and support 

work and programs nationwide such as FLAME, Law Enforcement, and portions of other funds 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 383

including USDA Working Capital Fund National Services, National Operations, Budget and 

Finance Service Wide Cost Pools, Grey Towers, Facilities Maintenance Cost Pool, and other 

Service Wide Cost Pools. 

Region 25 Central Business Services include Albuquerque Service Center (ASC) Budget & 

Finance, ASC Human Resources, Chief Information Officer, IT – Information Solutions 

Organization, Acquisition Management Support for IT & Fire, and Competitive Sourcing and 

Business Process Reengineering Implementation Unit. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 384

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management 

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 111-88 House Report 111-80 

page 132, which directed: “The Committee notes that the budget justification indicates a 

deferred maintenance backlog. The Forest Service should continue to update this information in 

its future budget requests.” 

Overview 

Deferred maintenance is maintenance scheduled to be performed on an asset that was delayed 

due to a backlog of priority work, funding availability, or other reasons. Repairs, replacements, 

and rehabilitation to restore functionality are actions that can be taken to preserve an asset so that 

it continues to provide acceptable service and achieve its expected lifespan. Maintenance 

excludes activities aimed at expanding the capacity of an asset or otherwise upgrading it to 

service needs different from those originally intended. 

Over the past decade, the Forest Service has implemented a national effort to collect detailed 

data on infrastructure condition and maintenance and improvement needs. This effort was 

initiated in response to both financial reporting requirements and direction from Congress, but 

has also shown significant value in support of additional agency priorities. 

The Forest Service uses condition surveys to estimate deferred maintenance on all major classes 

of its property, plant, and equipment. No deferred maintenance exists for fleet vehicles and 

computers. Deferred maintenance estimates for most assets are based on condition surveys 

performed on a 5-year maximum revolving schedule, with the exception of the Bridges Asset 

Class which is on a 2-year maximum revolving schedule. To date, surveys of all administrative 

buildings, dams, bridges, roads open to passenger cars, and recreation sites have been 

accomplished. The agency’s deferred maintenance for the national forest passenger car road 

system (Maintenance Levels 3 through 5) is determined annually from random sample surveys 

providing a 90 percent level of confidence. In FY 2013, the sample included 340 roads. 

Specific programmatic tools in support of asset management include: 

Asset Management Planning 

Executive Order 13327 - “Federal Real Property Asset Management” established a framework 

for improved use and management of real property owned, leased, or managed by the Federal 

Government. The agency recognizes the importance of real property resources and has increased 

management attention and established clear goals, objectives, policies, and levels of 

accountability. We expect to implement active management of our infrastructure portfolio based 

upon asset management principles established by the Office of Management and Budget. 

All facility projects exceeding the General Services Administration prospectus level ($2.79 

million) and up to $10 million are reviewed by a Forest Service Asset Management Review 

Board (FS-AMRB). Similarly, projects exceeding $10 million are reviewed by both the FS-
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 385

AMRB and USDA-AMRB. All projects proposed for Deferred Maintenance funding are 

reviewed and prioritized by the FS-AMRB. 

We continue to evaluate the road management objective levels for each road in our system 

through site specific project analysis utilizing the Travel Analysis Process. Our goals are to 

operate and maintain a road system that is financially sustainable and consistent with forest land 

management plan objectives, and to align funds to address critical deferred maintenance. 

Facility Master Planning 

Forest Service field units continue to complete or update their facility master plans which 

identify fire, administrative, research, visitor center, and recreation facilities for 

decommissioning, retention, alternate use, or acquisition. These plans will be used to actively 

manage the facility inventory and decommission unneeded facilities. 

For recreation sites, such as campgrounds, the agency is implementing both the results of the 

Recreation Facility Analysis (RFA) and Recreation Site Improvement processes as a means to 

reposition the recreation sites program to better meet the current and future needs of recreation 

visitors. One of the primary goals was to reduce the deferred maintenance of recreation sites on 

each national forest by 20 percent over the five years covered by the RFA program of work for 

each national forest. As of December 31, 2008, all national forests completed an RFA and 

produced a five-year program of work that prioritized recreation site investments based on public 

needs. At the end of FY 2014, two regions had met this goal with a national five-year average 

reduction of five percent. 

Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act 

In FY 2006, the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act (Title V, 

Appropriations Act, P.L. 109-54) was enacted. This legislation authorizes the sale of unneeded 

administrative sites and the use of receipts for acquisition, maintenance, reconstruction, and 

construction of administrative infrastructure, creating incentives to dispose of these unneeded 

facilities. To date, activities under this authority, including pilot projects authorized under P.L. 

107-63, Section 329 as amended, have generated over $66 million in revenues and reduced 

facilities deferred maintenance by more than $23 million. 

In FY 2014, we collected approximately $9.49 million in receipts through the conveyance of real 

property sale authorities. We reduced the deferred maintenance backlog by $2.5 million, and 

disposed of 14 properties. The agency plans to initiate the conveyance of an estimated $8.9 

The Forest Service Facility Realignment Enhancement Act Outcomes 

(dollars in thousands)

Fiscal Year Receipts Deferred Maintenance Reduction

2004-2012 $53,018 $15,418 

2013 $3,849 5,389 

2014 $9,490 2,497 

Total $66,357 $23,304
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 386

million in land and excess administrative facilities, reducing deferred maintenance by an 

additional $7.9 million in FY 2016. 

Facilities Maintenance Assessment 

Beginning in FY 2006, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act of 2006 authorized the agency to assess all funds available to the agency for 

the purpose of performing facilities maintenance on fire, administrative, and other facilities and 

major visitor centers (Title III, Administrative Provisions, P.L. 109-54). Using a program 

assessment to fund facility maintenance provides an incentive to identify and invest in only those 

facilities that are needed to accomplish the agency’s mission, dispose of unneeded buildings, and 

exercise restraint on starting new construction because the cost of facilities maintenance is borne 

by an assessment of program funds. In FY 2016, proposed language would increase the 

assessment cap from $55 million to $65 million. Refer to the Facility Assessment Special Exhibit 

for additional information. 

The table below displays facilities maintenance - Cost Pool 09 (CP09) by Budget Line Item for 

FY 2014. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 387

FY 2014 Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI 

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI 

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

Forest & Rangeland Research 

Total Forest & Rangeland Research FRRE $3,960 

State & Private Forestry 

Forest Stewardship SPST $55 

Forest Health Mgmt - Cooperative Lands SPCH $220 

Forest Health Mgmt - Federal Lands SPFH $550 

Urban and Community Forestry SPUF $55 

Total State & Private Forestry $880 

National Forest System 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration CFLN $330 

Land Management Planning NFPN $550 

Grazing Management NFRG $1,100 

Forest Products NFTM $5,555 

Inventory & Monitoring NFIM $1,980 

Landownership Management NFLM $1,485 

Minerals and Geology Management NFMG $1,265 

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness NFRW $5,500 

Integrated Resource Restoration NFRR $3,795 

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management NFWF $1,760 

Vegetation and Watershed Management NFVW $1,870 

Subsistence Management - Alaska SMSM $55 

Unit Recreation Enhancement FDDS $55 

Total National Forest System $25,300 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 

Facilities CMFC $1,100 

Roads CMRD $2,750 

Trails CMTL $1,320 

Legacy Road Remediation CMLG $220 

Total Capital Improvement and Maintenance $5,390 

Land Acquisition 

Total Land Acquisition LALW $165 

Wildland Fire Management 

Preparedness WFPR $13,475 

Hazardous Fuels Reduction WFHF $3,905 

Coop Fire Plan - State Fire Assistance WFCF $110 

Total Wildland Fire Management $17,490 

Permanent Appropriations 

Brush Disposal BDBD $110 

Timber Salvage Sales SSSS $550 

Total Permanent Appropriations $660 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 388

FY 2014 Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI 

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI 

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

Trust Fund Appropriations 

Cooperative Work – Knutson-Vandenberg CWKV $770 

Reforestation Trust Fund RTRT $385 

Total Trust Fund Appropriations $1,155 

TOTAL $54,999 

The table below displays deferred maintenance by asset class as reflected in the agency’s 

financial statement. 

Deferred Maintenance by Asset Class as of September 30, 2014 

(dollars in thousands) 

Asset Class Critical1 Non-critical2 Total 

Bridge 32,593 151,801 $184,394 

Building 51,482 1,104,994 $1,156,475 

Dam 11,237 14,824 $26,061 

Fence 263,565 389 $263,953 

Handling Facility 21,823 22 $21,845 

Heritage 4,657 18,510 $23,167 

Minor Constructed Features 90,639 $90,639 

Roads3 229,000 2,692,000 $2,921,000 

Trail 4,062 265,844 $269,906 

Trail Bridge 3,407 5,718 $9,125 

Wastewater System 16,413 15,754 $32,168 

Water System 48,689 45,879 $94,568 

Wildlife, Fish, and TES 4,537 1,969 $6,507 

Grand Total 691,464 4,408,344 $5,099,808 1 Critical Deferred Maintenance: Deferred maintenance that results in a serious threat to public 

health or safety, a natural resource, or the ability to carry out the agency mission. 

2 Non-critical Deferred Maintenance: Deferred maintenance that results in a potential risk to public 

or employee safety or health, compliance with codes, standards, regulations, and so forth; or needs 

that address potential adverse consequences to natural resources or mission accomplishment. 3 The roads deferred maintenance amount is for passenger-car roads (Levels 3 through 5). 

Maintenance Level 1 and 2 roads have been classified as stewardship assets. 

The overall condition of major asset classes range from poor to good depending on the location, 

age, and type of property. The standards for various classes of general property, plant, and 

equipment, stewardship, and heritage assets are as follows: 

Roads and Bridges - Conditions within the National Forest System (NFS) road system are 

measured by various standards, including: Federal Highway Administration regulations for the 

Federal Highway Safety Act, best management practices for the non-point source provisions of 

the Clean Water Act from the Environmental Protection Agency and States, road management 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 389

objectives developed through the National Forest Management Act forest planning process, and 

Forest Service directives. 

Administrative Buildings - Administrative facilities are Forest Service buildings on designated 

administrative sites. The condition of administrative facilities ranges from poor to good based 

on the facilities condition index (FCI). The FCI is one minus the ratio of repair needs to the 

facility current replacement value. Good or Fair facilities have an FCI of greater than 90 percent. 

Dams - The condition of a dam is acceptable when the dam meets current design standards and 

does not have any deficiencies that threaten the safety of the structure or the public. For dams to 

be rated in acceptable condition, the agency needs to restore the dams to the original functional 

purpose, correct unsightly conditions, or do work to prevent more costly repairs in the future. 

Range Structures - The condition assessment for range structures (fences and stock handling 

facilities) is based on a determination by knowledgeable range specialists or other district 

personnel of whether the structure would perform the originally intended function, and a 

determination through the use of a protocol system to assess conditions based on age. A longstanding range methodology is used to gather this data. 

Heritage Assets - Condition surveys are performed annually on a minimum of 20 percent of the 

agency’s priority heritage assets. Deferred maintenance is considered critical if there is a 

potential health or safety risk, or an imminent threat of loss of significant resource value. 

Heritage assets include archaeological sites that require determination of status by the National 

Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks, and significant historic properties. 

Recreation Sites - Quality standards for operating and maintaining recreation sites are established 

as measurable outputs for health and cleanliness, setting, safety and security, responsiveness, and 

the condition of the facility. Recreation sites include developed recreation sites, recreation areas 

within general forest areas, campgrounds, trailheads, trails, water and wastewater systems, 

interpretive facilities, and visitor centers. These components are included in several asset classes 

of the deferred maintenance exhibit. 

Trails and Trail Bridges - Conditions within the NFS trail system are measured by various 

standards including: trail national quality standards, trail management objectives, and Forest 

Service directives. Condition surveys are conducted to provide up to date information about the 

condition of all physical features and to provide data to identify deficiencies and any corrective 

measures that need to be taken. Deferred maintenance is identified for trails and trail bridges 

that are in disrepair due to lack of scheduled maintenance and are in violation of applicable 

safety codes or other regulatory requirements such as applicable accessibility guidelines, or 

which are beyond their designed service life. 

Wildlife, Fish, and Threatened and Endangered Species Structures - Conditions are determined 

by field biologists using their professional judgment. The deferred maintenance is considered 

critical if resource damage or species endangerment would likely occur if maintenance were 

deferred much longer. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 390

Equal Access to Justice Act 

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of House Report 112-151, page 8; 

Conference Report 112-331, page 1046, which directed: 

Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) Fee Payments - The Committee has learned that the Forest 

Service does not comprehensively track EAJA fee payments, identify the funds used to pay 

EAJA fees, nor routinely make this information publicly available. Accordingly, the Committee 

directs the Forest Service to provide to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and 

make publicly available, and with each Agency’s annual budget submission thereafter, the 

following information: detailed reports on the amount of program funds used; the names of the 

fee recipients; the names of the Federal judges; the disposition of the applications (including any 

appeals of action taken on the applications); and the hourly rates of attorneys ad expert witnesses 

states in the applications that was awarded, for all EAJA fee payments awarded as a result of 

litigation against the Forest Service, or their respective employees. The report shall also include 

the information listed above for litigation relating to the Endangered Species Act and the 

amounts, outside of EAJA awards, paid in settlement for all litigation, regardless of the statute 

litigated. 

Overview 

The Equal Access to Justice Act was enacted in 1980 to provide individuals, small businesses 

and non-profit organizations with the means to ensure federal agencies make their decisions 

transparent and in accordance with law. Since 2009, the Forest Service has tracked the payment 

of both EAJA and other attorney’s fees. 

FY 2011 through FY 2014 Funding and Reporting 

In FY 2012 the Forest Service provided EAJA information to Government Accountability Office 

(GAO), in response to a request, on EAJA case names and docket/court number, the name of the 

award recipient, the amount of program funds used and dates paid. The final EAJA report to 

Congress is available on the internet at the following world-wide web address. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/aboutus/budget/requests/7105962_Equal%20Access%20to%20Justice%20

Act_Letters%20and%20Report.pdf

Subsequent FY 2014 EAJA information is reported in Table 1 of this Special Exhibit. 

The Forest Service does not track and therefore cannot report on the following information: 

 the Federal judges making the awards, 

 the disposition of the applications for EAJA fees (including any appeals of action taken on 

the applications), and 

 the hourly rates of the attorneys and expert witnesses stated in the applications for which an 

award was made. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 391

Table 1. Forest Service Equal Access to Justice Act Statistics for FY 2011 through FY 2014 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date 

Certified Program Amount 

12/21/2010 

CV 1:09-

cv-00003-

JWS, D. 

AK 

Tongass 

Conservation 

Society, Sierra 

Club... v. Forrest 

Cole Tongass NF, 

USFS, USDA 

Orion North 

Reoffer timber 

sale, Tongass NF 

Earthjustice 12/28/2010 Forest 

Products $53,000 

1/13/2011 

08-01185-

MHP, D. N 

Cal 

California 

Resources Agency 

v. USDA 

Inventoried 

Roadless Areas, 

CA NFs 

Earthjustice 2/9/2011 

Land 

Management 

Planning 

250,000 

3/10/2011 

CV-04-127-

M-DWM, 

D. Mont 

Native Ecosystems 

Inc v. Tidwell 

Grazing Permits, 

BeaverheadDeerlodge NF 

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies 3/11/2011 Grazing 

Management 85,000 

3/11/2011 

08-01927 

CW, D. N 

Cal 

Citizens for Better 

Forestry v. USDA 

National Forest 

Management Act 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center 

3/17/2011 

Land 

Management 

Planning 

170,047 

3/11/2011 

08-01927 

CW, D. N 

Cal 

Citizens for Better 

Forestry v. USDA 

National Forest 

Management Act Earthjustice 3/17/2011 

Land 

Management 

Planning 

251,312 

4/6/2011 10-cv01514-JDB 

Public Employees 

for Environmental 

Responsibility v. 

USDA, USFS 

 

Public 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Responsibility 

4/8/2011 Cost Pools 1,848 

4/25/2011 CV 08-43-

M-DWM 

Forest Service 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Ethics v. USFS and 

National Marine 

Fisheries Service 

 Bechtold Law 

Firm PLLC 4/25/2011 Wildland Fire Supression 95,000 

5/2/2011 

CV 07-

1043-JBACT, D. 

NM 

Wildearth 

Guardians v. USFS, 

New Mexico Cattle 

Growers 

Association 

Livestock 

grazing, Gila NF 

Wildearth 

Guardians 5/12/2011 Grazing Management 27,500 

5/25/2011 

CV 09-164-

N-EJL, D. 

ID 

The Lands Council 

v. Leslie Weldon 

Region 1, Ranotta 

MaNair Idaho 

Panhandle NF, 

USFS 

Bussel 484, 

Idaho Panhandle 

NF 

Public Interest 

Defense 6/9/2011 Forest Products 50,064 

5/26/2011 5:08-CV00091-TBR 

Forest Service 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Ethics v. USFS 

Continued 

Maintenance of 

Open Lands, 

Land Between 

the Lakes 

Bechtold Law 

Firm PLLC 5/26/2011 

Land 

Between the 

Lakes 

Management 

Fund 

29,400 

6/13/2011 

09-cv00160-

DWM 

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies v. 

Paul Bradford 

Kootenai NF 

Grizzly 

Vegetation and 

Transportation 

Management 

Project 

Public Interest 

Defense 6/16/2011 Timber Salvage Sales 28,000 

6/20/2011 05-107M 

(DWM) 

Rock Creek 

Alliance v. USFS 2001 EIS 

Western 

Mining Action 

Proj 

6/22/2011 

Minerals & 

Geology 

Management 

186,500 

7/25/2011 08-1067-

JCC 

Conservation 

Northwest v. Harris 

Sherman and D.R. 

Johnson Lumber 

Co. 

EIS Survey and 

Manage 

Mititgation 

Measure 

Standards and 

Guidelines, 2007 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center 

7/27/2011 Forest 

Products 155,555 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 392

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date 

Certified Program Amount 

Supplement 

9/8/2011 CV F 09-

392 LJO 

Sequoia 

Forestkeeper v. 

USFS 

Special Use 

Permit to Robert 

Sellers and 

Quarter Circle 

Five Ranch 

Paul Hastings 

LLP 9/13/2011 

Landownershi

p 

Management 

74,640 

9/8/2011 CV F 09-

392 LJO 

Sequoia 

Forestkeeper v. 

USFS 

Special Use 

Permit to Robert 

Sellers and 

Quarter Circle 

Five Ranch 

Rene Voss 9/13/2011 

Landownershi

p 

Management 

13,800 

Subtotal FY 2011 $1,471,666 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date Certified Program Amount 

10/6/2011 10-cv01514-JDB 

Public Employees 

for Environmental 

Responsibility v. 

USDA, USFS 

 

Public 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Responsibility 

10/11/2011 Cost Pools $1,848 

1/23/2012 09-cv-1500-

SU 

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council v. USFS 

Sled Springs Off 

Highway Vehicle 

Trail System and 

Road 

Management Plan 

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council 

1/27/2012 

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers 

79,874 

1/27/2012 10-cv-6337-

TC 

Cascadia 

Wildlands v. USFS Daniel Kruse 1/30/2012 Forest 

Products 56,500 

2/15/2012 2:10-cv02830-WBS 

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity v. Mike 

Crawley, USFS 

Motor vehicle use 

on Bridgeport 

Ranger District 

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity 

2/16/2012 Roads 9,000 

3/6/2012 CV 09-107-

M 

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies v. 

Leslie Weldon, 

USFS 

Rat Creek Salvage 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center 

3/6/2012 

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration 

53,000 

5/29/2012 CV 07-39-

M-DWM 

Montana 

Wilderness 

Association v. 

Vicki Christiansen, 

USFS 

 Earthjustice 6/4/2012 

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers 

137,000 

6/14/2012 CV 08-92-

DWM Smith Creek Bechtold Law 

Firm 6/19/2012 

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration 

48,489 

7/5/2012 3:09-CV03048 

Wilderness Society 

v. US DOI 

West-Wide 

Energy Corridors Earthjustice 7/5/2012 Landownership Management 10,000 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 393

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date 

Certified Program Amount 

8/8/2012 10-CV00026 

Idaho 

Conservation 

League and The 

Wilderness Society 

v. Frank Guzman 

and USFS 

Travel 

Management Plan 

for the SalmoChallis NF 

Earthjustice 8/10/2012 

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration 

90,000 

8/22/2012 11-VC-830-

RCC 

Defenders of 

Wildlife v. USFS Hardshell Project Defenders of Wildlife 8/28/2012 

Minerals and 

Geology 

Management 

10,500 

9/18/2012 09-CV-131 

CW 

Sierra Club v. 

USFS 

Ogden Ranger 

District's 

Motorized Travel 

Plan 

Western 

Wildlife 

Conservancy 

9/18/2012 

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers 

69,027 

Subtotal FY 2012 $565,237 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date 

Certified Program Amount 

10/11/2012 No.10-2039-

WHA CV-10-2039 

Orleans 

Community Fuels 

Reduction (OCFR) 

& Forest Health 

Marianne 

Dugan 10/11/2012 Hazardous Fuels 

 

$30,000 

1/7/2013 CV-11-125-

M-DWM 

Friends of the 

Wild SWAN 

Colt Summit 

NEPA Litigation 

Western 

Environmental 

Law 

1/18/2013 

Land 

Management 

Planning 

 

40,000 

2/12/2013 12-CV-286-

BLW 

Advocates for the 

West Inc Advocates for the West Inc 2/12/2013 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

52,000 

2/28/2013 CV-01477-

GEB-CMK 

Californians for 

Alternatives to 

Toxics 

Paiute Cutthroat 

Trout Restoration 

Western 

Environmental 

Law 

3/1/2013 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

8,000 

2/28/2013 CV 11-99-

M-DWM 

Native 

Ecosystems Rebecca Smith 3/1/2013 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

33,279 

2/28/2013 CV 11-99-

M-DWM 

Native 

Ecosystems Tim Berchtold 3/1/2013 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

13,598 

3/1/2013 CV-1212-CL Oregon Natural 

Desert Assoc. 

Environment & 

Natural Resources 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 3/1/2013 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

137,000 

5/9/2013 CV-00048-

WJM 

National Ski 

Areas Assn. Inc. 

Natural Resources 

& Environment 

Ducker 

Montgomery 

Lewis /Bess, 

Williams & 

Weese, P.C. 

5/9/2013 

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers 

 

125,000 

5/23/2013 10-CV01797-JCC 

Wilderness 

Watch 

Glacier Peak 

Wilderness Are. 

Green Mountain 

Lookout. 

Wilderness 

Watch 5/24/2013 Facilities 

70,804 

5/23/2013 12-CV01757-TC 

Central Oregon 

LandWatch 

Bend Waterpipe 

Deschutes NF 

Central Oregon 

LandWatch 5/24/2013 

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management, 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

66,350 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 394

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date 

Certified Program Amount 

6/18/2013 08-CV-1460 

PJH 

Watersheds 

Project 

Western 

Watersheds Project 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 6/19/2013 Grazing Management 

 

264,358 

6/18/2013 08-CV-1460 

PJH 

Watersheds 

Project 

Western 

Watersheds Project 

Keher and Van 

Nest LLP 6/19/2013 Grazing 

Management 

 

172,703 

9/10/2013 09-cv01272-WJM 

WildEarth 

Guardians 

Email sent 

09/18/13 

requesting FS6500-224 

WildEarth 

Guardians 9/18/2013 

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management 

 

141,886 

9/11/2013 11-CV-95-

BLW 

Idaho Rivers 

United 

Idaho Rivers 

United 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 9/14/2013 

Roads, 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 

 

45,500 

09//19/2013 11-CV-23-

PK 

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council 

Grazing CE's Hells 

Canyon 

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council 

9/17/2013 

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers 

 

136,500 

9/24/2013 09-cv-2523-

LKK-JFM 

Center for Sierra 

Nevada 

Conservation 

National Forest 

Management 

Act/Endangered 

Species Act 

Bahr Law 

Offices, P.C. 9/25/2013 Trails 110,000 

9/25/2013 

10-cv00612-EJLREB Western 

Watersheds 

Project 

FC #7600034286 

created & posted 

09/25/13 - Waiting 

for final settlement 

approval amount 

to pay 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 11/14/2013 Hazardous Fuels 

 

125,000 

9/5/2013 

11-cv02921-MCEDAD 

Snowlands 

Network, Winter 

Wildlands 

Alliance & 

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity 

Over snow vehicle 

(OSV) recreation 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 9/6/2013 

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management 

 

15,000 

 Subtotal FY 2013 $1,586,978 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date Certified Program Amount 

9/25/2013 10-cv-00612-

EJL-REB 

Western 

Watersheds 

Project 

Western 

Watersheds 

Project 

Advocates for 

the West Inc 11/14/2013 

Hazardous 

Fuels 

Reduction 

 

125,000 

1/10/2014 3-11-CV-895-

ST 

Friends of the 

Columbia Gorge 

Inc 

Special 

Management 

Area 

Friends of the 

Columbia 

Gorge Inc 

1/10/2014 Land 

Management 

Planning, & 

Landownershi

p 

Management 

 17,855 

3/14/2014 CV-12-27-MDLC 

Native 

Ecosystems for 

the Wild Rockies 

Fleecer Mointains 

Projec 

Public Interest 

Defense 3/19/2014 

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration 

 

19,802 

3/19/2014 CV-10-2141 BreakerAttorney's Fees Martin Breaker Siegel Brill 

P.A Trust 3/21/2014 

Landownershi

p 

Management 

 

155,000 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 395

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name Date Certified Program Amount 

3/21/2014 13-CV-1827-

CL 

Murphy Co High 

Cascade Inc 

Stipulation for 

Temporary Stay 

of Proceedings 

American 

Forest 

Resource 

Council 

3/24/2014 Forest 

Products 

 

7,500 

4/24/2014 

13-CV01157-TLNAC 

Porcupine 

Vegetation & 

Road 

Management 

Project 

Porcupine 

Vegetation & 

Road 

Management 

Project 

Sean Malone -

Attorney at 

Law 

5/8/2014 Forest 

Products 

 

3,500 

5/1/2014 12-CV00804-AA 

Goose ProjectWillamette 

Cascadia 

Wildlands and 

Oregon Wild 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center 

5/2/2014 Forest 

Products 

 

60,000 

5/22/2014 PIOGA 

Pennsylvania 

Independent Oil 

& Gas Assoc 

Pennsylvania 

Independent Oil 

& Gas Assoc 

Pennsylvania 

Independent 

Oil & Gas 

Assoc 

5/23/2014 Minerals 

Geology Mgt 

 

530,000 

6/5/2014 

10-CV02172-KJMAC 

Central Sierra 

Environmental 

Resource Center, 

The Wilderness 

Society, and 

Public Employees 

for 

Environmental 

Responsibility 

California 

Association of 4-

wheel Drive 

Clubs (Alleged 

violations of 

NEPA & APA) 

Earthjustice 5/23/2014 

Recreation 

Heritage 

Wilderness, & 

Vegetation 

Watershed 

Mgt 

 

100,000 

6/24/2014 

12-CV02416-WBSKJN 

Conservation 

Congress v. 

USFS. Tatham 

Project 

(NEPA),(ESA). 

Tatham Project 

(NEPA) 

Marianne G 

Dugan PC 

Attorney Trust 

6/24/2014 Forest 

Products 

 

36,500 

9/12/2014 4:08-CV00363-EJL 

The Wilderness 

Society & Prairie 

Falcon Audubon, 

Inc. v. USFS & 

Magic Valley 

Trail Machine 

Assoc. 

 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center 

9/15/2014 

Roads Capital 

Imprv Mtnce, 

Trails Capital 

Imprv Mtnce, 

Grazing 

Management, 

Recreation 

Heritage 

Wilderness, & 

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration 

 

120,000 

9/11/2014 Citizens for 

Healthy 

Communities 

 Funds 

Committed, 

Pending 

Final 

Judgment 

Information 

Minerals 

Geology Mgt 

 60,000 

9/26/2014 

11-CV00679-LJODLB 

11-CV-00679-

LJO-DLB Matt Kenna, 

Attorney 9/26/2014 

Land 

Management 

Planning 

 

100,000 

FY 2014 Subtotal 1,335,757 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 396

Facilities Maintenance Assessment 

Background 

This exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 109-54 Conference Report 109-188 page 

125, which directed: 

There should also be a display which indicates, by national forest, research station and area, the 

funding being allocated for facilities maintenance. The budget justification displays shall 

indicate, for every budget line item, the funding amount being assessed for facilities 

maintenance. This information should be readily visible along with each program description. 

Overview 

In FY 2006, Congress authorized a multi-program assessment for maintenance of agency-owned 

buildings in the categories of fire, administrative, and other (FA&O) facilities, including 

recreation visitor centers (Title III, Administrative Provisions, P.L. 109-54). Appropriated funds 

from Forest and Rangeland Research, State and Private Forestry, National Forest System, 

Wildland Fire Management, Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Land Acquisition, Other 

Appropriations, and eligible Permanent and Trust Fund accounts were assessed up to $35 

million. 

In FY 2013, the assessment was increased to $55 million as detailed in the table Facilities 

Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by budget line item FY 2013 and FY 2014. FA&O facilities 

include: fire facilities, such as air tanker bases, lookouts, airports, heliports, and fire 

management centers; administrative facilities, such as administrative offices (ranger district 

offices, forest supervisor offices, regional offices, research stations, and laboratories), service 

centers, storage buildings, and nurseries; and other facilities, such as telecommunication 

facilities, towers, dams, and major recreation visitor centers. Generally, routine maintenance 

costs for these facilities come from funds collected by this assessment, while more expensive 

maintenance needs are funded through the Capital Improvement and Maintenance Facilities or 

Deferred Maintenance budget line items. 

The Forest Service currently maintains approximately 16,400 administrative buildings. The 

agency also maintains an inventory of approximately 1,750 Forest Service owned, special use 

permitted, and other dams as well as numerous other facilities including approximately 4,800 

water and 4,770 wastewater systems and numerous communication facilities. The current 

inventory is a legacy of former management needs and practices with many facilities in disrepair 

as evidenced by a significant deferred maintenance backlog. 

Using program assessments to fund facility maintenance provides an incentive to identify and 

invest in only those facilities that are needed to accomplish the agency’s mission, to dispose of 

surplus buildings, and to exercise restraint on starting new construction because the programs 

bear the cost of maintaining these facilities. This provides financial accountability to represent 

the cost of conducting business operations for land management purposes. 

Federal mandates such as the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and Energy Policy 

Act (EPAct) of 2005 in combination with Executive Orders (EO) 13514 and 13423 require 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 397

energy, water, and other environmental impact reductions. Facilities Maintenance Assessment 

funds are also used to accomplish the following: 

 Conduct energy and water efficiency evaluations to identify energy and water conservation 

measures per the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to reduce building 

energy intensity to meet greenhouse gas emission targets per EO 13514. 

 Conduct assessments of existing buildings and incorporate necessary improvements to 

existing buildings to meet the guiding principles per EO 13514 including increasing energy 

efficiency; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; protecting water resources through 

efficiency, reuse, and stormwater management; eliminating waste, recycling, and preventing 

pollution; and designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating sustainable buildings. 

 Install renewable energy sources where economically feasible per the EPAct of 2005. 

 Install advanced metering systems to measure, verify, and improve utility consumption per 

the EPAct of 2005. 

 Decommission or dispose of surplus facilities thereby reducing deferred maintenance and 

amount of square footage requiring maintenance. 

Assessments and Allocations 

The FY 2014 initial facilities maintenance assessment was based on the final FY 2012 square 

footage of approximately 21.4 million square feet. The facility maintenance assessment applies 

only to owned administrative space and does not include leased space or recreation space. 

Assessments are distributed across eligible budget line items based on each program’s prior year 

direct labor hour charges. In FY 2014, units (Region, Station, or other units) requested 

assessments totaling $55 million. The initial assessment varies from a minimum of $1.34 per 

square foot up to $4.27 per square foot, which falls within the limits of four percent of the 

facility replacement value and seven dollars per square foot. 

In FY 2016, the Forest Service proposes language in the Administrative provision to increase the 

assessment from $55 million to $65 million. The assessment by region and program will be 

based on the final FY 2015 square footage corrected for salary charges by budget line item. 

Consistent with FY 2014, the assessed amount is limited to four percent of the facility 

replacement value and seven dollars per square foot. We will base allocations on each unit’s 

requested assessment amounts. The following tables display the FY 2014 initial allocations by 

unit as well as the distribution of the assessment by program for FY 2013 and FY 2014. 

Past Performance 

Accomplishments related to buildings and similar structures are included under the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance Facilities Section. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 398

Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI 

FY 2013 and FY 2014 

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description 

Budget 

Line 

Item 

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

FY 2014 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

Forest & Rangeland Research 

Total Forest & Rangeland Research FRRE $4,117 $3,960 

State & Private Forestry 

Forest Stewardship SPST 68 55 

State Fire Assistance SPCF 64 0 

Forest Health Mgmt. – Coop. Lands SPCH 124 220 

Forest Health Mgmt. - Federal Lands SPFH 735 550 

Urban and Community Forestry SPUF 54 55 

Total State & Private Forestry $1,045 $880 

National Forest System 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Rest. CFLN $773 $330 

Land Management Planning NFPN 506 550 

Grazing Management NFRG 895 1,100 

Forest Products NFTM 5,866 5,555 

Landownership Management NFLM 1,553 1,980 

Inventory & Monitoring NFIM 1,998 1,485 

Minerals and Geology Mgmt. NFMG 1,124 1,265 

Integrated Resource Restoration NFRR 3,587 5,500 

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness NFRW 5,128 3,795 

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Mgmt. NFWF 1,801 1,760 

Vegetation and Watershed Mgmt. NFVW 1,994 1,870 

Subsistence Management - Alaska SMSM 52 55 

Unit Recreation Enhancement FDDS 48 55 

Total National Forest System $25,325 $25,300 

Capital Improvement & Maintenance 

Facilities CMFC $1,468 $1,100 

Roads CMRD 2,666 2,750 

Trails CMTL 1,377 1,320 

Legacy Road Remediation CMLG 188 220 

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $5,699 $5,390 

Land Acquisition 

Total Land Acquisition LALW $184 $165 

Wildland Fire Management 

Preparedness WFPR $12,780 $13,475 

Hazardous Fuels Reduction WFHF 4,218 3,905 

National Fire Plan – State Fire Assist. SPS2 3 0 

Coop Fire Plan - State Fire Assistance WFCF 0 110 

Total Wildland Fire Management $17,001 $17,490 

Permanent Appropriations 

Brush Disposal BDBD $92 $110 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 399

Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI 

FY 2013 and FY 2014 

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description 

Budget 

Line 

Item 

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

FY 2014 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment 

Timber Salvage Sales SSSS 500 550 

Total Permanent Appropriations $592 $660 

Trust Fund Appropriations 

Cooperative Work - KV CWKV $659 $770 

Reforestation Trust Fund RTRT 377 385 

Total Trust Fund Appropriations 1,036 1,155 

TOTAL $54,999 $55,000 

FY 2014 Facilities Maintenance Initial Assessment and Allocation by Unit 

Based on FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act 

Unit Name 

Total Gross 

Square Feet (GSF) 

as of 11/30/12 

Dollars per 

GSF 

Total Initial 

Assessment & 

Allocation (dollars in 

thousands)

Northern Region 2,165,192 2.52 $5,453 

Rocky Mountain Region 1,261,144 2.68 3,381 

Southwestern Region 1,515,175 4.09 6,200 

Intermountain Region 1,968,471 2.36 4,637 

Pacific Southwest Region 3,633,160 2.37 8,600 

Pacific Northwest Region 3,437,891 2.65 9,113 

Southern Region 1,845,765 2.71 5,000 

Eastern Region 2,566,087 2.34 6,000 

Alaska Region 521,726 4.27 2,229 

Region Subtotal 18,914,611 2.68 $50,613 

 

Forest Products Lab 346,937 1.69 $588 

Int’l Inst. of Tropical Forestry 27,012 2.33 63 

Rocky Mountain Station 429,649 1.92 824 

Northern Station 484,133 1.45 700 

Pacific Northwest Station 268,096 2.12 568 

Pacific Southwest Station 240,106 1.47 353 

Southern Research Station 445,189 1.99 888 

Research Station Subtotal 2,241,122 1.78 $3,984 

 

San Dimas Tech. Dev. Center 32,495 2.31 $75 

Missoula Tech. Dev. Center 71,715 1.34 96 

Grey Towers 34,375 3.93 135 

Wood Education 66,691 1.45 97 

Other Units Subtotal 205,276 1.96 $403 

 

TOTAL 21,361,009 2.57 $55,000 

FY 2015 Facilities Assessment allocations by budget line item will be based on FY 2014 salary 

charges by budget line item. The facility maintenance assessment applies only to owned 

administrative space and does not include leased space or recreation space. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 400

Fire Transfers 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to provide an 

update on the status of funds borrowed from other budget line item accounts and transferred to 

the Wildland Fire Management Suppression account for the purpose of emergency fire 

suppression. 

Overview 

Transfers for fire suppression occur when the agency has exhausted all available fire resources 

from the Suppression and FLAME accounts. Congressional appropriations currently fund the 

agency at around the 10-year average for wildland fire suppression costs. If wildland fire 

suppression costs exceed the 10-year average and any available suppression balances, the Forest 

Service must receive a supplemental appropriation or execute fire transfer(s) from other program 

accounts for fire suppression expenditures. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service did not perform a fire transfer although the costs of fighting fires 

exceeded the amount Congress appropriated. The Forest Service spent roughly $200 million 

above what was appropriated to fight wildfires this year. The transfer was only avoided by using 

reserve funds that allowed us to minimize the disruption to programs and important fire 

prevention work. 

Although there was not a fire transfer in FY 2014, the financial impacts to the agency remain 

significant given the uncertainty around fire risk and funding. Even though many parts of the 

country experienced lower than normal fire activity this year, the cost of suppression exceeded 

the 10-year average. Our forests and grasslands lost opportunities to undertake important project 

work - including fire prevention work - and deferred important spending in anticipation of a very 

active fire season. 

In the FY 2014 Continuing Appropriations Resolution passed on October 17, 2013, $600 million 

was appropriated for emergency fire suppression and the repayment of funds that were 

previously transferred to wildland fire suppression. Of the $600 million, $505 million was used 

to repay funds transferred in FY 2013 and an additional $33 million was used to repay KnutsonVandenberg Trust Fund (CWKV) transfers from FY 2009. The remaining $62 million was used 

to supplement wildland fire management appropriations. 

The following table lists the funds that have not been fully repaid from FY 2002 through FY 

2014. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 401

Funds Withdrawn for Transfer for Wildland Fire Suppression 

and Not Repaid from FY 2002 to FY 2014 

(dollars in thousands) 

Approp. Budget Line Item Amount 

FRFR Forest & Rangeland Research 

Funds: Strategic program areas of Forest & Rangeland Research 

$32 

SPSP State and Private Forestry 

Funds: Cooperating with and providing assistance to States for 

forest health, cooperative forestry, and education. Also funds 

international programs 

3,099 

NFNF National Forest System 

Funds: Management, protection, improvement, and utilization of 

the National Forest System 

106,167 

CMCM Capital Improvements and Maintenance 

Funds: Construction or improvement of roads, trails, and facilities 

35,305 

LALW Land Acquisitions 

 Funds: Acquisition of land or waters 

9,308 

BDBD Brush Disposal 

Receipts collected fund: Fuel reduction after timber harvest 

64 

FDFD Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Fund 

Fees collected fund: Recreation operation, interpretation, and law 

enforcement 

45 

PEPE Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

Funds: Construction or improvement of roads in support of timber 

harvest by small business operators 

30,090 

SFSF Timber Salvage Sales 

Funds: Analysis, preparation, and offer of salvage sales 

112 

RIRI Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 20,000 

WCWC Working Capital Fund 

Funds: Replacement and repair of motor vehicles, nursery services, 

enterprise services. 

86,029 

WFPR Wildland Fire Preparedness 93,786 

FLEP Forest Land Enhancement Program 40,032 

Total $424,069 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 402

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs 

Background 

This exhibit is required by P.L. 113-76, Committee Report 113-32, Joint Explanatory Statement 

Division G, page 44, Wildland Fire Management, which directed: 

In FY 2015 and all future budget submissions, the Committees direct the Forest 

Service to include a detailed table of actual and proposed spending on fire 

operations, which should also include a breakout of spending on aviation 

resources, for both preparedness and suppression appropriations. 

Overview 

The following table shows a breakdown of spending for fire operations, including aviation 

resources, from FY 2014 to FY 2016 for both Preparedness and Suppression programs. 

In FY 2014, suppression and preparedness expenditures reflect the amount of funding that was 

appropriated as well as the amount of previously appropriated Suppression funding that was 

utilized for fire suppression operations during the 2014 fire season (including funding remaining 

from the prior year’s fire transfer repayment). In FY 2015, planned preparedness and 

suppression expenditures align with the amounts requested for these programs in the FY 2015 

President’s Budget. 

In FY 2016, estimated preparedness and suppression expenditures reflect the amounts proposed 

for each program in this budget request. The estimated suppression expenditures are shown as a 

range from the 10-year average to the amount of funding requested in the cap adjustment. 

Preparedness and Suppression Costs 

(dollars in millions) 

Preparedness FY 2014 

Expenditures

FY 2015 Planned FY 2016 Estimate

Firefighters $441 $365 $378 

Firefighting Equipment and Support $176 $188 $217 

Aviation Contracts/Support $161 $350 $243 

Agency Cost Pools $262 $243 $243 

Total Preparedness Spending $1,040 $1,146 $1,081 

Suppression1 FY 2014 

Expenditures

FY 2015 Planned FY 2016 Estimate

Firefighters $393 $320 $360 - $520 

Fire Suppression Operations and Logistics $621 $443 $518 - $711 

Aviation Operations $62 $72 $72 – $125 

Interagency Fire Support2 $59 $73 $73 – $143 

Burned Area Emergency Response $15 $16 $16 – $43 

Agency Cost Pools $98 $87 $87 

Total Suppression Spending3 $1,248 $1,011 $1,126 – $1,629 

 

1 Includes both Suppression and FLAME funding. 

2 Includes costs incurred by the Forest Service while providing support to DOI and State fire operations. See paragraph below 

for more detail. 

3 Total FY 2014 Suppression obligations include $51million of prior year funds not included in the 10-year average calculation. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 403

The budget formulation process is informed by decision support tools as well as predicted fire 

activity and anticipated wildfire workloads to help determine specific resources and geographic 

placement to ensure timely and effective responses to wildfire incidents. Aviation assets and 

associated costs are managed nationally to gain maximum efficiencies and provide for strategic 

placement of resources. 

Suppression costs are dependent on the severity of the fire season and other variables that are 

difficult to forecast including weather conditions and the location of fires. These factors play a 

critical role in determining the appropriate mix and numbers of firefighting resources required to 

safely and effectively manage wildfire incidents. As such, the FY 2015 and FY 2016 estimates 

for suppression costs are based on cost centers that tend to remain fairly proportional from year 

to year. However, fires will continue to be managed in accordance with risk management 

protocols that emphasize firefighter and public safety and determine the most appropriate and 

effective response to protect values at risk and manage national forest system lands. 

Interagency fire support includes support for fires on both the Department of the Interior (DOI) 

and State lands. Per agreement with DOI, Federal agencies do not reimburse each other for costs 

incurred during fire operations. Thus, the Forest Service does not recover any costs incurred 

while providing support to DOI fire operations and the same is true for DOI when providing 

support to Forest Service fire operations. However, costs incurred while supporting State fire 

operations are reimbursable and States are billed for these costs. 

Additional information on Agency Administrative Cost Pools can be found in the Cost Pool 

Special Exhibit. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 404

FY 2015 National Scenic and Historic Trails 

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 111-88 House Report 111-180 

page 132, which directed: 

The Committee recommendation retains previous base funding for maintenance, 

construction, and operation of the network of national scenic and historic trails 

but encourages additional funding for required work of the newly authorized 

national trails. Future budget justifications should continue to provide specific 

trail operation, maintenance and construction funding and accomplishment data 

for the national scenic and historic trails. The Forest Service should provide full 

time administrators and prepare the required comprehensive management plans 

for the newly authorized national trails. 

Overview 

Since the enactment of the National Trails 

System Act in 1968, the Forest Service has 

designated trail administrators for six National 

Scenic and Historic Trails (NS&HT): Arizona, 

Continental Divide, Florida, Nez Perce (Nee 

Mee Poo), Pacific Crest, and Pacific 

Northwest. The Forest Service manages 

portions of 15 additional NS&HTs on National 

Forest System (NFS) lands, in cooperation with 

the Department of the Interior (DOI), State and 

county governments, and private entities. 

Funding for administration and management of 

these trails is included within the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance - Trails budget 

line item. Acquisition of trail segments is 

included within the Land Acquisition budget 

line item. In previous years, the Forest Service 

has had full administrative responsibility for the Appalachian Trail. Currently, the Appalachian 

Trail is managed in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). The Forest Service 

Southern Region (Region 8) provides a liaison for trail management and activities, so 

accomplishments are a result of collaboration between the NPS and the Forest Service. 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT)

This 2,176-mile footpath crosses along the ridgecrests and across the major valleys of the 

Appalachian Mountains from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. 

The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, 

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and 

Georgia. The trail is used by day, weekend, and other short-term hikers, section-hikers, and 

Volunteer Trail Maintenance on the Pacific Crest 

Trail 

A Pacific Crest Trail Association trail maintenance 

volunteer installs a Pacific Crest Trail Reassurance 

Marker along the trail in mid-Oregon, helping to keep 

the trail marked and visible to hikers and equestrians 

alike. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 405

through-hikers who hike the entire length of the trail in one season. The trail is currently 

protected along more than 99 percent of its course by Federal or State ownership or rights-ofway and is administratively managed by the National Park Service.

Arizona National Scenic Trail (ANST)

Designated on March 30, 2009, through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (P.L. 111-

11), the ANST extends 807 miles across the State of Arizona from the United States-Mexico 

border to the Arizona-Utah border. The national forests through which the trail runs have been 

working closely with the Arizona Trails Association (ATA) in addressing construction needs to 

fill in gaps on the trail. 

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) 

Designated on November 10, 1978, the CDT is a nationally significant resource providing long 

distance trail opportunities primarily for hiking and horseback riding recreationists. The trail’s 

corridor links Federal, State, and private lands from Mexico to Canada, passing through 25 

national forests, three national parks, one national monument, and eight Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) field office areas. When completed, the trail will be approximately 3,100 

miles in length. 

Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST) 

Added to the national trails system in 1983, the FNST consists of a 1,300 mile planning corridor 

stretching from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades to Gulf Islands National 

Seashore in the panhandle of Florida. A FY 2012 inventory shows 1,074 miles of certified 

FNST on the ground, leaving just under 300 miles in gaps. The majority of use on the trail 

consists of day use and weekend backpacking, with a small thru-hiking community that utilizes 

blazed road walks between gaps to hike the FNST from end-to-end. The FNST is the only 

national scenic trail that gives the public the opportunity to experience a wide range of 

subtropical environments, karst spring and riverine systems, and a beach walk on a national 

seashore. 

Nez Perce National Historic Trail (NPNHT) 

In 1986, Congress acknowledged the significance of the Nez Perce Conflict of 1877 by 

establishing the 1,170 mile NPNHT. The route winds through remote, rugged, and scenic 

terrain. With the cooperation of State Highway Department and County Commissioners in the 

states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, over 1,500 miles of Federal, 

State, and county roads are designated as the NPNHT Auto Tour Route. The route roughly 

parallels the course travelled by the five Nez Perce bands during their historic 1877 odyssey, 

beginning near Wallowa Lake, Oregon, and ending at Bear Paw Mountains south of Chinook, 

Montana. The route consists of three-season, all-weather roadways ranging from high-standard 

gravel segments to portions of Interstates 15 & 90. Motorcyclists have found the excitement of 

riding along a historic route enjoying the scenic beauty of the area. National designation protects 

the actual historic trail to foot and equestrian travel only. The diversity of this trail lies in the 

details, where low level roads overlay the historic trail, and opportunities for off-highway 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 406

vehicles as well as biking exist. Snowmobile use is allowed along the trail when the snow 

protects our historic resource. 

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) 

The PCT is a 2,650-mile congressionally designated trail that follows the crest of the Sierra 

Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges from the Mexican to Canadian borders through California, 

Oregon, and Washington. Established in 1968, the trail was completed in 1993 and lies within 

publicly owned lands except for approximately 300 miles where it crosses private lands 

(easements have been acquired for the trail tread). 

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNNST) 

Designated on March 30, 2009, through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (P.L. 111-

11) the PNNST consists of approximately 1,200 miles, extending from the Continental Divide in 

Glacier National Park, Montana, to the Pacific Ocean Coast in Olympic National Park, 

Washington. The PNNST travels through three national parks, seven national forests, six 

Washington State parks, three regions of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, land 

managed by the Idaho Department of Lands, and across land managed by a variety of other 

public and private land owners. 

Other National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHT) 

There are an additional 15 national scenic and historic trails totaling over 6,700 miles for which 

the Forest Service coordinates management with other Federal public land agencies. These trails 

are: California, Camino Real Tejas, Camino Tierra Adentro, De Anza, Ice Age, Iditarod, Lewis 

and Clark, Mormon Pioneer, North Country, Old Spanish, Oregon, Overmountain Victory, Pony 

Express, Santa Fe, and Trail of Tears. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 407

Funding for NSHTs 

 (dollars in thousands) 

We will continue to foster and expand partnerships, especially with those partners that involve 

volunteers and youth organizations. We will maintain and operate most trails, trailheads, and 

campgrounds through these efforts. We will also continue to deliver interpretative and 

educational programs and products. 

 

 

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 

Enacted Estimates 

(subject to change) 

President’s Budget 

(estimates subject to change) 

Name Trails 

Land 

Subtotal Trails 

Land 

Subtotal Trails 

**Land 

Subtotal 

Acq. Acq. Acq. 

Appalachian $183 $0 $183 $183 $1,480 $1,663 $183 $3,505 $3,688 

Arizona 348 0 $348 348 0 $348 348 0 $348 

Continental 

Divide 1,688 200 $1,888 1,688 95 $1,888 1,688 255 $1,943 

Florida 1,266 0 $1,266 1,266 0 $1,266 1,266 0 $1,266 

Nez Perce 620 0 $620 620 0 $620 620 525 $1,145 

Pacific Crest 1,688 0 $055 1,688 3,885 $2,055 1,688 7,348 $ 9,036 

Pacific 

Northwest 148 0 $148 148 2,700 $148 148 0 $148 

All-others** 693 0 $693 69 4,850 $ 693 693 2,320 $3,013 

TOTAL $ 6,634 $567 $7,201 $ 6,634 $13,010 $19,644 $6,634 $13,953 $20,587 

** Others for FY2015 include Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Old Spanish Trail, North Country Trail, Uwharrie National Recreation Trail 

** Others for FY2016 proposed include Bonneville Shoreline Trail 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 408

FY 2014 Innovative Actions and Accomplishments (by specific Trail)

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) 

Partners: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Appalachian Mountain Club, National Park Service, 

and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organization 

 Routine Trail Maintenance. The AT was kept safe and enjoyable for visitors along its 

entire length through the Southern Region (approximately 700 miles). Nearly every mile 

received maintenance attention, and most received the benefits of multiple work trips. Also, 

every trail shelter and designated overnight site (89 shelters, 2 designated overnight sites, and 

one AT shelter related campsite) received routine maintenance of all facilities, including 

privies. These efforts were primarily accomplished by 1,367 volunteers who safely 

contributed 72,496 hours across the region. 

 

 Koonford Bridge Reconstruction – Located on the AT approximately 0.8-miles north of 

Dennis Cove Trailhead in Pond Mountain Wilderness on the Cherokee National Forest, the 

Koonford Bridge structure was replaced. The project cost of $6,500 was shared by ATC and 

Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club. This multi-year project involved 53 

individuals and a total of 2,633 hours of service. 

 Rocky Fork Relocation – Approximately 3.1-miles of the AT were relocated to take 

advantage of a new 10,000-acre tract of land recently added to the Cherokee National Forest. 

Only 500 feet of the trail remains to be constructed before it is opened for public use. The 

Crew working in the Sheyenne National Grasslands 

Through a Volunteer Vacation organized by the American Hiking Society, this crew of volunteers 

joined a few Forest Service staff to help maintain part of the North Country Trail (NCT). They 

mowed 30 miles of the NCT, reset marker posts, installed mileage markers, and installed NCT 

emblem plaques on marker posts with faded brands. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 409

Konnarock Volunteer Trail Crew contributed approximately 42 crew volunteers and 1,680 

hours of service. 

 Following the donation of an easement by Celanese Corporation, and the donation of 

$40,000 by Columbia Gas Company for actual trail construction (see New River Area 

Lands Acquisition below), more than 3.0 miles of new trail were constructed including 

USFS personnel using mechanized trail equipment, volunteers from 3 local Trail Clubs 

and the Konnarock Regional A.T. Trail Crew and other groups of volunteers. The 

longstanding New River A.T. Trail Relocation Project is now complete and the trail is 

open. 

Arizona National Scenic Trail 

Partners: Arizona Trail Association (ATA), Tribal governments, and other Federal, State, and 

nongovernmental organizations. 

Tonto National Forest receives 21CSC Funds 

The Tonto National Forest was awarded $200,000 in 21CSC funds for youth corps 

services on the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The $200k buys 16 “hitches” of Arizona 

Conservation Corps crews. While the work of properly maintaining the ANST is critical 

for the preservation of the trail, the primary purpose of this organization is to connect 

youth to the outdoors and to employment opportunities on public lands. Many of the 

crews are inexperienced, and it is critical for the agency to provide adequate project 

planning, direction and oversight so productive work can be accomplished. The funds 

came with no overhead allowance so the Arizona Trail Association (ATA), following 

consultation with the forest, assisted by hiring a manager for the project with their own 

trail maintenance funds. Work was begun in FY 2014 and will continue into FY 2015. 

Arizona Trail Association Publishes new trail guide 

The ATA published and distributed a new trail guide for the ANST last year. This 387 

page guide includes passage by passage descriptions, unique trail features, route details, 

support resources, information on biology and geology of the region, Gateway 

Community information, and color maps and photos to inspire the enjoyment of this 

national scenic trail by foot, bike or horseback. 

ATA partners with Forest Service in kiosk and sign installation/renovation 

Many types of signs have been used over the years to mark the Arizona Trail and provide 

information at trailheads. They are aging and outdated. The ATA has an ongoing 

program to replace and renovate signs and kiosks. In the last two years the Coronado 

National Forest has partnered with the ATA by providing $10,000 each year for new 

kiosk panels and signs. The ATA is also renovating the iconic steel signs found at many 

of the trailheads. In addition, new route markers are being placed where passages begin 

or end, and many directional signs were installed by ATA volunteers throughout the state 

in FY 2014. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 410

Agreements Fund Seeds of Stewardship Program 

A BLM assistance agreement funded the ATA’s Seeds of Stewardship Program in FY 

2014. The ATA is committed to protecting the Arizona National Scenic Trail in 

perpetuity and an important component of their strategy is to encourage youth 

participation through a three-tiered approach: Experience, Education, and Stewardship. 

By doing so, the ATA helps to empower the next generation to take an active role in the 

enjoyment, development, and protection of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, as well as 

other parks, trails, and public lands. BLM and FS personnel assist in the program by 

accompanying ATA led outings and providing interpretive and educational information. 

Pinal County Working Group Develops Relocation Alternatives 

ASARCO proposes to purchase over 7,000 acres of Arizona State Land Department land 

in the Ripsey Wash watershed that contains 6 miles of the ANST south of the Gila River, 

and subsequently use the land for a mine tailings storage facility. This project would 

forever change many miles of the ANST. Pinal County has convened a working group 

that includes the ATA, BLM, ASARCO, the ANST Administrator, and consultants 

working on the project, including U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) NEPA 

consultants. In FY 2014 the group worked to identify two alternatives for relocating the 

ANST outside the project area, and developed evaluation criteria 

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) 

Partners: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Montana Wilderness Association, National Park 

Service, and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations.

 Initiated a new Challenge-Cost Share Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding 

between the Forest Service and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition to support and 

enhance the protection, planning, management and education/outreach efforts related to the 

CDNST. 

 Two Colorado Forests (Rio Grande and Grand-Mesa Uncompagre, Gunnison) held public 

collaborative meetings to discuss and attempt to resolve issues surrounding mountain biking 

use along a section of the CDNST. 

 CDTC established a Gateway Community designation program, with the cities of Cuba, 

Silver City, and Chama, NM being designated this past summer. 

 CDTC hosted 12 public events and reached over 2,347 people about the CDT throughout the 

FY. 

 CDTC initiated a shuttle to transport through-hikers to the southern terminus of the Trail to 

provide an opportunity to promote awareness of the Trail and provide education messages on 

topics like Leave No Trace practices. 

 Warrior Hikers – In 2014, six combat veterans attempted a CDT thru hike starting from the 

Southern Terminus. Throughout their walk, the group interacted with local communities and 

veterans groups to share their stories and the story of the CDT. This effort was part of the 

Warrior Hike Therapy Program which assists combat veterans dealing with PTSD by 

supporting them on long distance walks on our national trails in an effort to help them “walk 

off the war”. The team had ups and downs. Due to injuries of varying natures, four of the six 

were unable to complete thru hikes, although they did hike small sections all the way to 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 411

southern Montana. The two remaining hikers, Tom Gathman and Shawn Murphy, completed 

their CDT thru hikes on September 27, 2014 at the Northern terminus in Glacier National 

Park. In 2015 a second team of six will begin journeys north. 

 The Montana Wilderness Association has established several program for working with atrisk high school youth to work on the CDT and established the first ever artist in residence 

program along the CDT. 

Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST) 

Partners: Florida Trail Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other Federal, State, 

and nongovernmental organizations. 

Close the Gaps Initiative 

 The Forest Service and Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation “Close the Gaps” Initiative 

is an effort to engage state, county and local level planning entities and private landowners in 

completing large scale corridor level planning for the three largest and most pervasive gaps 

on the Florida National Scenic Trail. In FY 2014 Priority Gap Area 1 in Osceola & Orange 

Counties identified 4 alternative routes for 36 mile gap in the FNST. One alternative has 

proven viable and will be pursued for continued planning and some construction in FY 2015. 

The cooperative planning effort has inspired local land managers to take a larger role in 

championing the completion of the FNST in their region, dedicating not only time but also 

resources to its development, to include potential for future land acquisition where FNST and 

State priorities overlap. 

Statewide Volunteer Capacity Study 

 The intent of the Statewide Volunteer Capacity Study was to determine the outdoor 

stewardship needs and general volunteer program capacity to meet those needs for FNST 

land managers, especially those needs related to the maintenance, development and 

promotion of the Florida National Scenic Trail. The final product identified opportunities for 

capacity building across agencies including ways to reduce overlap/redundancy in program 

administration, improve access to, and leveraging of, funding through partnerships and 

provided case studies as examples of other successful collaborative efforts. 

Nez Perce National Historic Trail (Nee-Mee-Poo) 

We promoted the NPNHT through social media, including through Flickr, Twitter, videos on 

You Tube, webcams, and collaboration with our partners to post information about us on 

Facebook reaching thousands of visitors. We have 550 Followers on Twitter. We also created a 

series of four different postcards utilizing a Nez Perce Artist to tell the Trail story in another 

media, created a poster utilizing a Nez Perce artist and distributed 5,000 desk planners 

nationwide and in foreign countries to tell the 1877 story. 

During the field season, 300 damaged trail markers were replaced and new trail markers were 

installed along the trail. 500 trail markers were maintained (aluminum nails attaching markers 

to trees loosened to accommodate tree growth), and 14 trail restriction travel management signs 

and trail placards were inspected. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 412

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) 

Partners: Pacific Crest Trail Association, California Conservation Corps, Student Conservation 

Association, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Backcountry Horsemen of California, Oregon, 

Washington, and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations. 

 Continued work on a Master Title Plat review with the BLM and a pilot project for the PCT 

beginning at the Mexican border going north. 

 Initiated a Memorandum of Agreement between the BLM and USFS on 

management/maintenance of the PCT which will define responsibilities and replace existing 

MOUs. 

 Participated in planning efforts for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, OkanoganWenatchee, Inyo, Sierra, and Sequoia National Forests, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness, 

and Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plans to ensure that the trail corridor is defined 

and trail resource values protected. 

 Hosted 21 Trails Skills College training sessions for volunteers and agency partners 

including trail maintenance and constructions skills, crew leadership, saw training and 

certification, and first aid, CPR, and BBP certifications. (2 Southern California, 4 Northern 

Sierra, 1 Big Bend, 10 Columbia Cascades, 4 North Cascades). 

 Collaborative partnership between Backcountry Horseman of California, Oregon, and 

Washington, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Bureau of Land 

Management, and the US Forest Service continues to grow in strength and depth. 

 Safety: Continued development of the PCTA’s volunteer saw training and certification 

program in Regions 5 and 6 of the Forest Service. Multiple meetings with regional saw 

program leads to ensure compliance with policy and to strengthen program. 

 Continued planning and discussions with Tejon Ranch and Tejon Ranch Conservancy to 

relocate 37 miles of the PCT from the desert floor and onto the Sierra Crest. 

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail 

 The PNNST Leadership Council will be developing the Comprehensive Management Plan 

and providing consistent policy for the PNNST across all managing agencies providing for 

consistent direction for Trail development and management. 

 The agencies are working together and with PNTA, and utilizing the Interagency Trail Data 

Standards and GIS, to document the status of the PNNST and to estimate the cost to 

complete the Trail. 

 The State of Washington, through RTP Grants, has contributed a total of over $1,186,261.00 

since FY04 towards maintenance projects on the PNNST. 

 The PNTAs Experience the Wild program, students 8-12 years, was again very successful 

with over 60 students taking part in the three-week environmental education program. 

 The agencies, PNTA, and other partners continue to increase the involvement of volunteers 

and our SKY Youth Programs in the development and maintenance of the Trail. 

 A Forest Service PMF is working with our FS Administrator to help establish the FACA 

Committee for the National Scenic Trail. 

Partners: Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA), Tribal governments, and other Federal, 

State, and nongovernmental organizations. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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FY 2014 Partner Contributions and Associated Accomplishments 

 

Volunteers 

   

 

Location Hours In-kind 

Contributions 

Non-Cash 

Contributions 

Miles of 

Trail 

Maintained

Miles of 

Trail 

Improved 

Acres 

Acquired

Major 

Structures 

Constructed 1

Appalachian 72,496 $0 $0 700 0 168* 0 

Arizona 12,981 0 0 82 1 0 1 

Continental Divide 17,245 0 $ 16,950 865 85 95 203 

Florida 21,745 0 0 13 40 0 18 

Nez Perce 15,000 0 0 90 109 0 0 

Pacific Crest 71,277 0 0 1,518 46 652 2 

Pacific Northwest 36,184 0 0 360 61 0 9 

Other** (known) 0 228 

Total 246,928 0 16,950 3,628 342 975 233

** Acres Acquired: Trail of Tears NHT, Cherokee National Forest (222 acres) and Bonneville Shoreline Trail in the Uinta‐Wasatch‐Cache NF

in Utah (6 acres)

*168 acre conservation easement donation protecting the Appalachian Trail on the George Washington and Jefferson NFs in VA

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Office of General Counsel Reimbursement 

Background 

This special exhibit is required by P.L. 110-161, page 121, Administrative Provisions, which 

directed: 

 “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any appropriations or funds available to the Forest 

Service not to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office of the General Counsel 

(OGC), Department of Agriculture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a result of OGC 

assistance or participation requested by the Forest Service at meetings, training sessions, 

management reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar non-litigation related matters. 

Future budget justifications for both the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture should 

clearly display the sums previously transferred and the requested funding transfers.” 

Overview 

The USDA Office of General Counsel bills the Forest Service quarterly for non-litigation travel 

and related costs. The FY 2014 actual reimbursement in the table below reflects billings 

received to date. 

Office of General Counsel Reimbursement FY 2014 to FY 2016 

FY 2014 Actual 

Reimbursement 

FY 2015 Estimated 

Reimbursement 

FY 2016 Planned 

Reimbursement 

$22,549 $30,000 $30,000 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Office of Tribal Relations 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to provide 

information about this program. 

Overview 

The Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) provides policy advice and direction in implementing 

agency programs and activities in a manner that honors Indian Tribes’ treaty rights and 

recognizes the inherent sovereignty of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. In addition, 

the OTR helps the agency fulfill its trust responsibility while building, maintaining, and 

enhancing government-to-government relationships with federally recognized Indian Tribal 

governments and government-to-corporation relationships with Alaska Native Corporations. 

The OTR supports the mission of all agency programs and disciplines through both general and 

issue-specific efforts. 

The OTR has responsibilities that span all of the Deputy areas within the Forest Service. The 

Forest Service manages National Forest System (NFS) lands and resources for the benefit of the 

general public, while respecting the special trust responsibility of the United States to the 566 

federally recognized Indian Tribes. Many NFS lands are adjacent to American Indian or Alaska 

Native lands. In some cases, Tribal governments retained rights on what are present-day national 

forests or grasslands when the Tribes relinquished lands to the United States Government. 

Additionally, State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs provide assistance to non-Federal 

landowners, including Tribal governments and American Indians and Alaska Natives; Research 

and Development (R&D) programs include a variety of programs and projects that incorporate 

tribal perspectives and include Indian Tribes in development of research projects; and Forest 

Service Business Operations (BusOps) authorities include responsibilities and processes to work 

with Indian Tribes. 

The OTR supports and integrates Tribal Relations components of policy analysis and 

development, technical, and administrative assistance, training, and oversight. The program also 

advises national Forest Service leadership in matters pertaining to interactions with Indian Tribes 

and tribal representatives. The OTR also helps develop regulations for and tracks 

implementation of the Tribal Relations components of specific legislation, for example, the Farm 

Bill and the Tribal Forest Protection Act. 

Allocation and Integration 

The OTR is funded by a direct cost pool (Cost Pool 2), using all of the funds available to the 

Forest Service. Specific projects are funded accorded to the purpose of the projects. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Partnerships 

The OTR collaborates closely with internal staff areas through the Forest Service OTR Liaison 

group convened at the Washington Office. The OTR Liaisons represent 20 different staff areas 

from NFS, S&PF, R&D, and BusOps. The OTR convenes quarterly meetings with these 

representatives to coordinate and collaborate on Tribal Relations components. The OTR also 

convenes an internal monthly teleconference with regional Tribal Relations staff to coordinate 

outreach efforts and collaborate on national policies and projects. 

Additionally, the OTR maintains external partnerships with Tribal governments, intertribal 

organizations, other Federal and State agencies, and other organizations. The Strategic Plan for 

the National Tribal Relations program includes three goals and guides OTR’s interactions both 

internally and externally. These goals are: 

 ensure the agency redeems its trust responsibility and protects American Indian and Alaska 

Native reserved rights as they pertain to Forest Service programs, projects, and policies; 

 leverage partnerships to maximize mutual success; and 

 promote integration and utility of the Tribal Relations Program throughout the agency. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Partnerships 

Background 

This exhibit is included to provide information requested in P.L. 110-5 House Report 109-465 

page 151, P.L. 108-108 House Report 108-195 page 99, and P.L. 108-7 House Report 107-564 

page 107. 

Overview 

Since its inception, the Forest Service has maintained a commitment to working with a variety of 

organizations and interests while fulfilling our motto of “caring for the land and serving people.” 

As such, we accomplish much of our work through collaboration with diverse partners – 

leveraging significant energy and support to meet critical Forest Service mission activities. 

Strategic investments in partner-focused efforts represent a growing percentage of the Forest 

Service budget and, with community support, it allows the Forest Service to accomplish more 

work across broad landscapes and even broader constituencies. 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service entered into more than 9,300 grants and agreements with 

partners, who contributed $613 million. When leveraged by the agency’s nearly $700 million 

contribution, the total value of these partnerships was over $1.3 billion. The growing value of 

grants and agreements transactions demonstrates the increasing importance of partnerships to the 

Forest Service. In FY 2014, more than 101,000 volunteers and service participants contributed 

3,855,000 service hours valued at $85 million; representing an 8 percent decrease below FY 

2012 levels. Their hourly contributions were equal to 2,141 full-time equivalents. 

These partnerships do more than just bring joint money and resources to bear. Partnerships 

enhance “on-the-ground” accomplishments and create immense good will by fostering 

relationships with public, private, and civic entities. In turn, these relationships help build and 

support communities of interest, place, and culture. At its core, the Forest Service fulfills its 

mission by creating and sustaining healthy, vibrant relationships across constituencies, 

communities, and generations. 

The Forest Service could not realize its mission without these relationships, including strategic 

alliances with its Congressionally-chartered nonprofit partners: the National Forest Foundation 

and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. 

The Forest Service employs many creative and innovative partnership approaches to accomplish 

its high-priority goals in the areas of youth, restoration, recreation, water, and urban 

environments. Opportunities for partner engagement in these arenas include not only funding 

support, but significant volunteerism and in-kind contributions across the country in areas where 

partner and Forest Service interests intersect. Through our comprehensive partnership program, 

we strive to: 

 Strengthen connections with communities through restoration of ecosystems and sharing 

resources and expertise to achieve sustainable solutions to current and future resource 

challenges. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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 Empower employees and partners by improving the art of collaboration with others, 

leveraging and sharing information and skills, fostering continued learning, which ultimately 

deepen connections between people and the land. 

 Create a more effective and efficient organization through working together and securing or 

leveraging new and existing sources of support. 

Public-Private Partnerships 

The Forest Service continues to achieve success within its Public-Private Partnership Strategy. 

This Strategy, established in 2011, is a bold plan that invites partners and beneficiaries to share 

in the care of our Nation’s forests and grasslands. Such partnerships and alliances are essential 

to carrying out today’s conservation mission and are designed to capitalize on the mutually 

beneficial interests of both the Forest Service and its partners. 

The Forest Service and its partners are inextricably linked through a mutual dependence on 

healthy forests, waterways, and other natural environments. In recognition of this, we continue 

to actively cultivate collaboration between our more traditional partners (e.g., ski areas, 

recreation service providers, and non-governmental organizations) and contemporary and nontraditional partners (e.g., water and power utilities, municipal governments, and regulatory 

authorities), to share in the stewardship of our natural resources. The congressionally-established 

foundations we work with, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation (NFWF) play critical roles in facilitating on-the-ground work and further expanding 

our partner base. These new public-private ventures are concentrated in five key focal areas for 

the Forest Service: youth, restoration, recreation, water, and urban environments. Examples of 

some innovative, effective, and mutually-beneficial partnerships are described in more detail 

below. 

America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative 

The longleaf pine ecosystem once covered approximately 90 million acres in the Southern 

United States – but, by the early 1990s, 97 percent of this ecosystem had been lost. In 2007, the 

Forest Service, Department of Defense (DOD), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 

harnessed a growing, multi-state interest in longleaf restoration to form the America’s Longleaf 

Restoration Initiative (ALRI). The range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine sets a 15-

year goal to increase longleaf coverage from 3.4 to 8.0 million acres. 2014 marked the 5-year 

anniversary of the release of the ALRI Range-wide Conservation Plan. National anniversary 

events took place in Washington DC on July 22-23. On July 22, the National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation (NFWF) announced 2014 Longleaf Stewardship Fund grant awards totaling nearly 

$3.4 million to fund 15 projects that support longleaf restoration across eight states. The USFS 

and NRCS are taking the lead on coordinating longleaf restoration project proposals linked to 

Gulf Coast Recovery. 

21st Century Conservation Service Corps 

The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) engages young Americans in public 

lands, community green spaces, and water restoration. The 21CSC seeks to engage participants 

in hands-on service and job training experiences to develop a generation of skilled workers, 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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educated and active citizens, and future leaders and stewards of natural and cultural resources. 

The 21CSC goals are to: 

 Build America’s future - develop natural and cultural resources stewards 

 Put Americans to work - provide training and employment opportunities 

 Preserve, protect and promote America’s greatest gifts - increase public access and use to 

public lands 

In FY 2014, the Forest Service exceeded our goal of 10,000 youth and veterans employed by 7 

percent, for a total of 10,678 hires (10,101 youth; 577 veterans). The Forest Service established 

and led an interagency effort to promote 21CSC opportunities to partner organizations, and 

coordinated the review and approval process. We exceeded the goal of approving 120 

organizations by 19 percent, approving 151 organizations. In FY 2014, the Forest Service spent 

$21,069,933, which resulted in leveraged funding of $18,760,696 from partners. 

Rocky Mountain Watershed Protection Partnership 

The Rocky Mountain Region of the Forest Service has committed significant effort to 

establishing partnerships with municipal water providers and water-related corporations over the 

last five years, and is now expanding to include energy utilities as well. These public/private 

ventures are helping to achieve accelerated forest and watershed restoration across the landscape. 

The higher profile (larger) partners include: Denver Water, Aurora Water, Colorado Springs 

Utilities, Northern Water Conservancy, Pueblo Board of Water Works, The Bureau of 

Reclamation, Vail Resorts, MillerCoors, the Coca-Cola Company, and Xcel Energy. Since 2009, 

our water and energy partners have contributed $15 million in funds for projects on National 

Forest System (NFS) lands and plan to invest approximately $11 million more by 2018. Partner 

funds are being leveraged with Federal appropriations for an anticipated total 10-year investment 

(2009-2018) of approximately $58 million. The results to date include 24,520 acres of hazardous 

fuels treatments; 364,000 trees planted; 355 acres of wetlands and riparian areas restored; and 80 

miles of recreation trails and roads restored, constructed, or decommissioned. This work was 

assisted by 2,685 volunteers and included 1,065 youth. 

Forest Service Research and Development Partnerships 

Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC) 

The SUFC is an assembly of national organizations working to advance a unified urban forest 

agenda for our nation’s communities. SUFC is composed of city planners, educators, landscape 

architects, non-profit leaders, arborists, foresters, and many other professionals who care for, 

monitor, and advocate for trees and our urban forests as a whole. The SUFC has a sustained 

commitment to urban forest research. Their new Research & Development Platform serves as a 

foundation for their urban research advocacy. 

P3

Nano: Public-Private Partnership for Advanced Woody Biomaterials and Nanotechnology 

Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities launched the PublicPrivate Partnership for Advanced Woody Biomaterials and Nanotechnology named 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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P3

Nano. This is a public-private partnership designed to help keep America’s forests and forestbased economy healthy and sustainable through the development and use of wood-based 

nanomaterial for a wide-range of commercial products. P3

Nano will help diversify the economy; 

create new family-supporting jobs; provide materials for a future bioeconomy, and contribute to 

critical forest restoration needs of working forests across all ownerships. 

The National Wildlife Federation Partnership 

Forest Service Research & Development is collaborating with the National Wildlife Federation 

to help urban gardeners, conservation organizations, community leaders, and residents across the 

United States access information on the best native plants to support wildlife and improve urban 

biodiversity. Urbanization is changing the landscape for biodiversity but if society provides 

native plants for animals within these areas, we can lessen the impacts to wildlife and provide a 

higher quality of life for people. Together with the University of Delaware, we are producing an 

interactive website and mobile browser to help consumers determine which native trees and 

plants in their zip code provide the most value to wildlife. 

Congressionally Authorized Foundations 

National Forest Foundation 

Founded by Congressional charter in 1991, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) engages 

America in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public 

enjoyment of all 193 million acres of NFS lands. The NFF accepts and administers gifts of funds 

and lands and provides financial and technical support to facilitate community-based 

conservation benefiting the NFS. 

Working through a combination of direct restoration initiatives, award programs, and technical 

assistance, the National Forest Foundation empowers communities in caring for their local 

forests and watersheds. 

Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences - In FY 2009, the NFF and the Forest Service 

embarked on a $100 million national conservation campaign known as “Treasured Landscapes, 

Unforgettable Experiences.” Recognizing the tremendous forest restoration needs and 

increasingly urbanized constituency of the Forest Service, the NFF aims to revitalize our forests 

and strengthen Americans’ connection to their public lands through this targeted campaign. 

Working in keystone sites from Alaska to Florida, this campaign unites diverse partners and 

communities to promote the health of their public lands and their own enjoyment of them. In 

the fall of 2014, the NFF crossed the $100 million mark in the fundraising effort. Realizing there 

was still work to do, the goal was increased to $125 million to help have greater conservation 

impact. 

Forest Health and Outdoor Experiences - In FY 2015, with input from Forest Service leadership, 

the NFF launched a new strategic emphasis, focusing on the pillars of Forest Health and Outdoor 

Experiences. This new focus is a sustained effort to improve forest health and outdoor 

experiences by engaging key sectors of the American public, partner organizations, and the 

private sector. An emphasis is placed on enhancing visitor use, enjoyment, volunteer 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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engagement, and enhancing the resilience of NFS ecosystems through work at key sites and 

through key initiatives. 

Tree-Planting and the Carbon Capital Fund - The Carbon Capital Fund was developed to 

educate the public about the role that National Forests play in greenhouse gas reduction while 

providing a way for Americans to reduce their impact on climate change. Through this pilot 

program, the NFF invests in reforestation projects on national forests that have suffered a natural 

degradation of forest cover. These reforestation projects provide third-party validated and 

verified carbon offsets for the voluntary market, currently solely offered by the NFF. To date, 

the NFF has established a total of three registered and five unregistered carbon demonstration 

projects on five national forests throughout the western United States. Over the life of these 

projects 1,329,500 trees will be planted and 5,239 acres will be reforested, which will sequester 

an estimated 706,889 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

Trees for US - The NFF also administers the Trees for US program, which addresses the largescale need for reforestation across NFS lands. Through the Trees for US program, the NFF 

works with private contributors and the Forest Service to reforest high-priority areas of the NFS. 

To date, the NFF has planted nearly 5 million trees through this program. 

Restoring America’s Headwaters - The NFF has also recently built out its Restoring America’s 

Headwaters program, which focuses on restoring high priority National Forest watersheds with 

support from corporations and foundations. By engaging high profile partners like the CocaCola Company and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the NFF is addressing the most pressing 

watershed restoration needs across the National Forest System. 

Granting Programs - Through its grant programs, NFF has provided conservation awards to 

more than 500 nonprofit organizations since 2001 to complete more than 1,700 projects. The 

NFF and its partners have invested nearly $150 million of Federal and non-Federal funds in these 

projects, leveraging Federal award funds at a ratio of 4:1. These granting programs include: 

 Matching Awards Program - This is the NFF’s flagship awards program, offering challenge 

grants to nonprofits to complete on-the-ground conservation and citizen-based monitoring 

projects that benefit National Forest System lands. 

 Ski Conservation Fund & Forest Stewardship Fund - This program supports unique 

partnerships with ski areas, lodges, outfitters, and campground operators. Visitors to these 

businesses on or near NFS lands can make voluntary contributions to support conservation 

and restoration projects on that forest. The NFF then awards the collected funds to local 

nonprofit organizations who implement the projects. 

Conservation Connect: A Learning Network for Collaboration - In addition to its grant 

programs, the NFF supports community-based collaborative groups through technical assistance 

and peer learning to meet organizational needs at various stages of growth and capacity, from 

start-up to self-sustaining organizations. As a learning network for collaboration, the program 

seeks to broaden and connect the community of people working to steward NFS lands, prevent 

repetition of common mistakes, and promote successful strategies. We strive to assist diverse 

interest groups in working more efficiently and effectively to achieve long-lasting, on-the-ground 

results that benefit the NFS. The program fosters community-to-agency connections and helps 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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groups identify common challenges and implement team problem-solving strategies. 

Conservation Connect provides access to peer learning sessions; networking opportunities; and 

an extensive online library of tools, best practices, and lessons learned regarding collaboration, 

partnerships, landscape restoration, multiparty monitoring, and stewardship authorities.

Public Engagement and Constituency Building - To help build a constituency of supporters, the 

NFF conducts public outreach and volunteer activities. The NFF helps people learn about the 

issues and values surrounding the NFS through publications, the NFF website 

(www.nationalforests.org), social media, a monthly electronic newsletter (tree-mailTM), and 

hands-on stewardship events. The NFF’s social media presence has grown to more than 180,000 

Friends of the Forest and an additional 120,000 Friends receive its semi-annual magazine or 

electronic newsletter. 

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

The Forest Service’s partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is one 

of our most important, largest, and longest-standing affiliations. Since the beginning of the 

partnership in 1988, NFWF has undertaken more than 1,300 joint projects with the Forest 

Service and has leveraged more than $47.3 million in Forest Service funds with more than 

$207.2 million in partnership funding for targeted, on-the-ground conservation. Foundation 

grants have been made to more than 125 national forests and Research Stations in all nine 

regions of the Forest Service. Congress’ FY 2014 appropriation to NFWF, through the Forest 

Service, was $3 million. These funds will be matched at least 1:1 with non-Federal funds, and 

will be allocated to on-the-ground, high-priority conservation projects over the next five years. 

Strategic Keystone Initiatives - Starting in 2008, NFWF realigned its grant-making procedures to 

be more targeted and outcome-based. “Keystone Initiatives” were designed to achieve a 

measurable conservation outcome in a five-to-ten year timeframe. Specific goals and strategies 

are now identified for each initiative through the development of business plans that serve as 

guides for the types of projects that will be considered for funding by NFWF ($1.60 million in 

FY 2013). 

Wildlife and Landscape Scale Habitat Keystone - This project addresses conservation needs for 

mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and native plants. The Foundation is currently 

working with the Forest Service on Sierra Nevada Wet Meadow restoration and Northern 

Rockies Wildlife Corridors (eastern Idaho and western Montana). 

Freshwater Fish and Habitat Keystone - This project focuses on high-priority species and habitat 

for freshwater fish and associated aquatic life such as mussels, crayfish, and invertebrates. The 

Foundation is currently working with the Forest Service on Eastern Brook Trout (Virginia and 

West Virginia) and Apache Trout (Arizona). 

Bird and Habitat Keystone - This project focuses on migratory and resident bird species and their 

habitats. The Foundation is currently working with the Forest Service to promote the 

conservation of Gunnison Sage Grouse (Colorado and Utah) and a wide variety of Southeastern 

grassland birds such as bobwhite quail and Bachman’s sparrow. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Charter Grant Programs - In FY 2013, $1.25 million in funds were also awarded through 

targeted Charter Grant Programs that include: 

 Bring Back the Natives - Seeks to implement the National Fish Habitat Initiative Action Plan 

by supporting on-the-ground watershed restoration and native fish projects ($600,000 in FY 

2013). 

 Pulling Together Initiative - A unified effort by NFWF and the Departments of Agriculture 

and the Interior to fund and implement effective, long-term invasive plant management at the 

local level ($200,000 in FY 2013). 

 The Great Lakes Watershed Restoration Program - Funds organizations working to protect, 

restore, or enhance habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants of the Great Lakes watershed 

($300,000 in FY 2013). 

 Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant Program - Provides grants to organizations and 

local governments working on a community level to protect and improve watersheds in the 

Chesapeake Bay basin ($100,000 in FY 2013). 

 Alaska Fund - A partnership with FWS, BLM, and corporate entities to support wildlifefocused projects in Alaska ($50,000 in FY 2013). 

New Initiatives with NFWF - In the last three years, in addition to the Congressionallyappropriated funds, we have collaborated on a number of new initiatives that address strategic 

Forest Service priorities: 

 Longleaf Stewardship Fund - Developed in partnership with the Forest Service’s Southeast 

Region, this initiative brings together Federal and corporate partners (Forest Service, 

NRCS, DoD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Southern Company) to accelerate 

the restoration and conservation of the historic longleaf pine ecosystem and implementation 

of the Range-Wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine. In 2013, NFWF awarded $3.1 

million to 15 projects in 7 states for longleaf restoration. Forest Service funds have been 

committed to this successful collaboration for a third year of competitive funding in FY 

2014. 

 Youth Engagement in Conservation Initiative - As part of America’s Great Outdoors 

(AGO), NFWF, Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) and FWS collaborated on 

the launch of the third year (FY 2014) of the successful Youth Engagement in Conservation 

Initiative. This collaboration supports innovative partnerships that provide meaningful 

employment opportunities for youth in service to their public lands. Launched in FY 2012, 

the initiative has provided more than $1 million, matched at least 1:1 by non-Federal funds, 

to youth employment projects that benefit NFS lands and Forest Service programs. In FY 

2014, more than $1.75 million in Federal funds will be granted to youth employment 

projects. 

 Re-Wetting of Indian Valley High Meadow in California - NFWF has played a key role in a 

new public-private partnership (PPP) with the Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) to restore 

the degraded high-meadow Indian Valley on the Eldorado National Forest. The project 

objectives are to restore floodplain connectivity, groundwater recharge, and flood 

attenuation; restore wet meadow habitat; and provide a clean and consistent water supply 

for human use. Through this new partnership, more than 80.5 million gallons of water will 

be replenished each year; a key consideration for Coca-Cola’s engagement. Although 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 424

facilitated at the Forest Service Washington Office, project implementation is led by the 

Southwest Region. This pilot program establishes an important new PPP for the Forest 

Service and may lead to other partnership projects in the future 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USD

Special Exhibits 425

FY 2014 National Grants and Agreements (G&A) 

Summary by Instrument Type1

(dollars in thousands) 

Instrument Type Instrument Description Partner Forest Service Total 

Challenge Cost Share Agreement 

A mutual interest/mutual benefit agreement citing one of multiple partnership authorities. $58,380,106 $66,888,703 $125,268,80

Collection Agreement 

Partnership instrument used for the acceptance of money by the Forest Service from a non-Federal source to carry out a mutually beneficial project on NFS lands. $80,483,835 $26,883,090 $107,366,92

Cooperative Agreement 

A legal financial assistance instrument utilized by the Forest Service to document a transaction for the public good where the Forest Service is substantially involved in the performance of the project. 

$13,073,626 $43,336,902 $56,410,52

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement 

A partnership agreement in which the Forest Service and other public and private entities pool resources in support of scientific research and development for mutual interest and benefit of the parties to the agreement. $599,697 $0 $599,69
FY 2016 Budget Justification USD

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Instrument Type Instrument Description Partner Forest Service Total 

Cost Reimbursable Agreement 

An agreement used when the primary purpose of the agreement is to procure goods and/or services to carry out research and teaching activities from authorized partners. $298,393 $11,715,851 $12,014,24

Domestic Grant 

A legal financial assistance instrument utilized by the Forest Service to document a transaction for the public good where the Forest Service is not substantially involved with the project. $176,129,042 $261,874,445 $438,003,48

Fire Agreement 

An agreement in which the Forest Service works with other Federal and State agencies to provide wildland fire protection, perform approved severity activities, and respond to states of emergency or disaster under Federal Emergency Management Agency authorities. $3,518,750 $4,262,074 $7,780,82
FY 2016 Budget Justification USD

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Instrument Type Instrument Description Partner Forest Service Total 

Interagency Agreement 

Interagency agreements are used when one Federal agency is in a position to provide materials, supplies, equipment, work or services of any kind that another agency needs to accomplish its mission. 

$179,897,030 $118,320,732 $298,217,76

International Cooperative Agreement 

Federal Financial Assistance instruments entered into between the Forest Service and a foreign recipient located, chartered to do business, and operating outside of the United States and its territories, regardless of whether it is performed domestically or internationally. An International Cooperative Agreement would include substantial involvement on the part of the Forest Service in carrying out the project. 

$309,878 $1,417,767 $1,727,64
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Instrument Type Instrument Description Partner Forest Service Total 

International Grant 

Federal Financial Assistance instruments entered into between the Forest Service and a foreign recipient located, chartered to do business, and operating outside of the United States and its territories, regardless of whether it is performed domestically or internationally. An International Grant would not include substantial involvement on the part of the Forest Service in carrying out the project. 

$82,100 $2,018,226 $2,100,32

International Joint Venture Agreement 

A mutual interest/mutual benefit agreement entered into with a foreign partner for the purposes of conducting agricultural research activities and agricultural teaching activities. $708,614 $1,812,839 $2,521,45

Joint Venture Agreement 

A mutual interest/mutual benefit agreement entered into for the purposes of conducting agricultural research activities and agricultural teaching activities. $21,323,462 $54,848,757 $76,172,21
FY 2016 Budget Justification USD

Special Exhibits 429

Law Enforcement Agreement 

An agreement in which the Forest Service works cooperatively with State and local law enforcement agencies to enhance enforcement and/or supervision of their laws and ordinances on lands within or part of any unit of the National Forest System. $0 $5,029,164 $5,029,16

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 

An MOU is a non-obligating document entered into by interested parties to document a framework for cooperation. Each party carries out separate activities in a mutually beneficial manner and nothing of financial value transfers between parties. $0 $0 $

Participating Agreement 

A mutual interest/mutual benefit agreement citing one of multiple partnership authorities. $71,457,832 $78,315,045 $149,772,87

Roads Agreement 

An agreement in which the Forest Service works cooperatively with State, county, or local public road authorities for the cooperative planning, survey, design, construction, reconstruction, improvement and maintenance of forest roads. 

$3,721,895 $13,525,111 $17,247,00
FY 2016 Budget Justification USD

Special Exhibits 430

Interagency Agreement 

Interagency agreements are used when one Federal agency is in a position to provide materials, supplies, equipment, work or services of any kind that another agency needs to accomplish its mission. $179,897,030 $118,320,732 $298,217,76

Grand Total $613,294,465 $697,283,879 $1,310,578,34

1. Data are compiled from the Forest Service Grants & Agreements (G&A) database. These include all G&A instruments active in FY1payments" and "letter of intent agreements". 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 431

Reforestation 

Background 

This exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 109-54 House Report 109-80 page 138, 

which directed the Forest Service: 

...[T]o provide clear presentations of reforestation needs and accomplishments in future budget 

justifications, including the specific use and distribution of the mandatory funding from the 

Reforestation Fund, as well as partner efforts, such as the new American Forests initiative. 

Overview 

The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (RPA) (P.L. 93-378), as 

amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) Section 3(d)1, directs that all 

forested lands in the National Forest System (NFS) be maintained in appropriate forest cover 

with regard to species of trees, degree of stocking, rate of growth, and conditions of stand to 

secure the maximum benefits of multiple use sustained yield management in accordance with 

land management plans. The Act further requires the Secretary of Agriculture to identify and 

report the amount, location (by national forest and State), and productivity class (where 

applicable) of areas that have been cut-over or otherwise denuded or deforested and need to be 

reforested to Congress at the time of submission of the President’s Budget together with the 

annual report provided under section 8(c) of the Act. 

The Forest Service reforestation program has four major goals: 

 maintain all forest lands within the NFS in appropriate forest cover, 

 improve the quality and yield of new timber stands, 

 promptly achieve desired stocking levels in a cost-efficient manner, and 

 develop and demonstrate successful reforestation methods and techniques and encourage 

their use by private landowners. 

Prompt reforestation is desirable to prevent soil erosion and protect water quality in streams and 

lakes. Through species and seed source selection, reforestation may increase the resilience of 

forest vegetation communities to the effects of global climate change and provide effective longterm carbon sequestration. Reforestation benefits wildlife and fish species and improves scenic 

quality and recreational experiences. 

There are a variety of activities associated with the reforestation program including planting, 

seeding, and site preparation. Site preparation may be done to prepare the site for planting, for 

seeding, or to facilitate natural regeneration. Forest and stand level management objectives may 

be jeopardized without appropriate reforestation treatments. 

Reforestation work is time-sensitive. Without timely reforestation efforts, undesirable species 

may dominate forest vegetation communities, making the establishment of desired tree species 

difficult. Once undesirable species become established, decades may pass before sufficient 

numbers of desired tree seedlings occupy the site and the opportunity to facilitate adaptation to 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 432

the effects of climate variability or other stressors may be lost. Delays increase the cost of 

reforestation work by necessitating expensive site preparation, reducing timber yields, and 

adversely affecting the Forest Service’s ability to meet other resource objectives. In addition, 

these areas may be less resilient to wildfire and create increased risk to adjacent communities. 

Program Plans and Accomplishments 

The agency’s reforestation capacity is dependent on several program areas, as well as numerous 

partnerships and cooperative agreements. Reforestation needs generated through timber harvest 

activities are generally met through funds collected under the Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Act 

authority. Reforestation needs for areas outside of timber sale areas are primarily funded by the 

proposed Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item (BLI) and the Reforestation Trust 

Fund. Non-profit partners and civic groups also contribute to the agency’s capacity for 

reforestation through partnerships and matching fund agreements. 

In FY 2014, the agency reforested a total of 175,061 acres. Of this total, the agency 

accomplished 75,116 acres through certification of natural regeneration of sites not requiring 

preparation. At the start of FY 2015, the agency has identified 1,055,109 acres of NFS lands that 

can benefit from reforestation. The identified acres are the result of completed silviculture 

diagnoses and prescriptions. The on-going assessments of areas impacted by wildfire in prior 

years result in additional acres that would benefit from reforestation. 

The agency’s total reforestation target for FY 2015 is 187,866 acres, which will be funded from 

multiple sources. This includes 122,000 acres utilizing the Reforestation Trust Fund and K-V 

Trust Fund, and 8,000 acres through partnerships. Actual accomplishments may vary 

significantly depending on the type of treatment necessary to meet restoration objectives and the 

cost of that treatment. 

The graph below shows reforestation needs and accomplishments for FY 2000 through FY 2014. 

Since FY 2000, reforestation needs have grown. This is due to large wildfires affecting NFS 

lands in the West and insect epidemics in the East. From FY 2000 through FY 2014, the agency 

has addressed about 23 percent of the reforestation needs nationally. Reforestation capacity and 

the projected accomplishments for FY 2015 will continue to reflect the agency’s restoration 

objectives. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 433

Trends in Reforestation to FY 2000-2014 

1/This graph displays the current reforestation needs as of the end of FY 2014. 

2/The percent accomplishment is calculated by dividing the current year’s accomplishment by the prior fiscal year 

need. 

The graph of reforestation needs below shows the relative significance of various contributing 

factors on reforestion needs. The majority of the new reforestation areas are the result of 

wildfires, particularly in the western regions. These areas are identified based on the opportunity 

to re-establish desired vegetation through sequenced silviculture prescriptions. This includes 

artificial regeneration either by planting or seeding as well as certification of natural regeneration 

when there are sufficient seed-producing trees on the site. To assure that successful regeneration 

is taking place, reforestation areas are scheduled for periodic stocking surveys. The increase in 

reforestation need created by wildfires reported in FY 2012, compared with the number of acres 

affected by fires, is the result of continued assessments of fires in prior years and the 

development of detailed silviculture prescriptions and treatment plans for re-establishing forest 

vegetation. 

 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

P

e

r

c

e

n

t

Acres

Fiscal Year

Current Reforestation Needs Reforestation Treatments Percent of Needs Treated
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 434

Causal Agent for Reforestation Needs 

FY 2000-2014 

 

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Acres 

Fiscal Year

Fires Regeneration Harvest Insects or Diseases Reforestation Failures
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 435

Region, Station, and Area Allocations 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to provide 

historical information on allocations of appropriations at the Fund and Budget Line Item levels to 

Forest Service Regions, Stations and Areas.

Overview 

The Office of Management and Budget apportions all funds available to the Forest Service prior 

to obligation or disbursement. Once funds are apportioned to the Forest Service at the fund level, 

they are allocated throughout the agency to Budget Line Items in the Regions, Stations, and 

Areas. 

The Forest Service operates through nine geographical regions, seven research stations, the 

Northeastern Area - State and Private Forestry, the Albuquerque Service Center in Albuquerque, 

NM, and the national headquarters in Washington, DC. Allocations are determined by balancing 

the priorities of Congress, the Administration, agency leadership, and Region/Station/Area 

capabilities. They act as agency administrative divisions of apportionments and are used to 

monitor financial status and prevent deficiency. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 436

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states 

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $0 $0 $63 $48 $86

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $2,015 $1,350 $3,685 $1,331 $1,217 $3,307

State Fire Assistance 1,297 1,354 0 1,954 2,056 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 435 1,637 1,870 1,623 2,091 3,077

Volunteer Fire Assistance 425 403 0 740 701 0

Forest Stewardship 700 896 581 1,240 1,308 1,118

Forest Legacy Program 9,709 4,298 5,441 1,789 9,502 320

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 367 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 748 1,205 746 1,745 2,341 1,751

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 47 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $15,329 $11,511 $12,323 $10,423 $19,263 $9,573

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $6,503 $5,961 $6,166 $4,149 $3,744 $3,368

Land Management Planning 2,314 3,002 3,322 2,518 2,564 1,766

Inventory and Monitoring 11,278 10,387 11,268 9,076 8,382 9,483

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 15,578 14,853 15,529 25,757 23,754 24,015

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 9,289 8,629 9,938

Grazing Management 6,216 5,887 6,270 8,946 8,405 8,945

Forest Products 0 0 0 25,707 23,842 30,217

Vegetation and Watershed Management 0 0 0 13,494 12,913 14,217

Minerals and Geology Management 9,232 9,922 9,856 8,539 7,594 8,386

Landownership Management 6,167 5,659 5,786 6,705 6,406 6,533

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 58,698 68,221 69,274 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $115,986 $123,892 $127,471 $114,180 $106,234 $116,867

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $58,941 $58,786 $62,146 $30,919 $30,753 $30,713

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 17,325 15,723 14,043 27,327 25,991 23,832

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 1,993 2,142 0 1,919 1,879 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 1,590 1,013 0 1,164 955 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 722 3,259 0 1,422 6,089 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 500 474 0 593 563 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 2,059 0 0 3,441

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 933 0 0 1,323

Total Wildland Fire Management $81,070 $81,397 $79,181 $63,345 $66,230 $59,309

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $3,324 $2,432 $3,672 $6,238 $6,209 $6,898

Roads 15,289 14,855 14,721 19,081 17,897 15,864

Trails 11,415 10,187 10,656 8,734 7,814 8,040

Infrastructure Improvement 1,869 969 1,009 1,337 0 280

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 3,644 3,437 2,782

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $31,897 $28,444 $30,058 $39,035 $35,356 $33,864

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $831 $854 $797 $541 $450 $485

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $831 $854 $797 $541 $450 $485

Range Betterment Fund $0 $239 $0 $0 $448 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $245,113 $246,336 $249,830 $227,587 $228,030 $220,184

Permanent Working Funds $14,383 $14,492 $14,858 $16,432 $11,279 $12,011

Trust Funds $13,377 $12,073 $11,861 $13,689 $10,103 $11,230

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $272,872 $272,901 $276,550 $257,708 $249,412 $243,425

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014

Region 1 - Northern Region Region 2 - Rocky Mountain Region
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 437

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014

1/ Totals do not include payment to states 

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted 

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $3 $12 $0 $5 $0

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $1,384 $422 $1,620 $1,410 942 3,055

State Fire Assistance 589 606 0 602 620 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 272 819 1,075 1,309 1,161 1,365

Volunteer Fire Assistance 177 168 0 137 130 0

Forest Stewardship 719 709 521 454 814 398

Forest Legacy Program 147 143 3,117 4,092 175 180

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 692 722 724 642 1,330 671

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $3,980 $3,589 $7,059 $8,646 $5,171 $5,669

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $6,243 $5,989 $6,136 $190 $2,592 $2,691

Land Management Planning 4,100 3,865 3,939 1,395 1,411 1,472

Inventory and Monitoring 9,248 8,805 10,648 12,021 10,946 11,314

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 23,820 23,356 22,703 26,554 25,549 25,142

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 10,016 9,568 10,274 10,493 10,047 10,530

Forest Products 0 0 0 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 7,019 6,848 7,572 10,908 10,307 9,716

Landownership Management 4,975 4,906 4,995 7,036 6,689 6,416

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 37,818 44,022 46,186 41,127 48,999 51,209

Total National Forest System $103,239 $107,359 $112,452 $109,724 $116,539 $118,491

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $62,949 $62,410 $66,118 $61,144 $60,753 $59,337

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 30,066 26,951 26,545 21,059 20,210 20,409

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 719 1,257 0 1,829 1,627 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 324 194 0 218 938 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 342 1,077 0 355 3,037 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 406 386 0 219 208 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 962 0 0 977

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 605 0 0 364

Total Wildland Fire Management $94,806 $92,274 $94,230 $84,825 $86,773 $81,088

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $5,093 $4,214 $5,061 $4,995 $4,559 $4,982

Roads 14,623 14,304 14,728 15,722 15,374 15,403

Trails 4,037 3,730 3,790 8,236 7,623 7,695

Infrastructure Improvement 919 767 511 1,456 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $24,672 $23,016 $24,090 $30,408 $27,557 $28,080

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $298 $246 $219 $747 $706 $616

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 46

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $298 $246 $219 $747 $706 $662

Range Betterment Fund $0 $617 $0 $0 $692 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $226,996 $227,104 $238,062 $234,350 $237,444 $233,990

Permanent Working Funds $12,114 $13,760 $13,402 $39,462 $32,538 $35,012

Trust Funds $3,636 $4,569 $3,651 $5,307 $4,717 $5,869

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $242,747 $245,433 $255,115 $279,118 $274,699 $274,870

Region 4 - Intermountain Region

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014

Region 3 - Southwestern Region
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 438

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $0 $0 $151 $3 $88

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $1,178 $565 $3,567 $2,358 $2,307 $6,387

State Fire Assistance 1,487 1,539 0 4,181 1,794 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 2,562 1,979 2,683 2,413 1,640 2,989

Volunteer Fire Assistance 356 338 0 219 208 0

Forest Stewardship 1,053 1,176 1,063 820 832 714

Forest Legacy Program 9,854 3,543 4,587 165 4,748 7,252

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 1,110 0

Urban and Community Forestry 2,379 2,699 2,572 791 836 815

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 2 0 0 478 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $18,869 $11,841 $14,472 $10,947 $13,953 $18,157

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $1,639 $2,249 $3,201 $3,395 $9,148 $7,947

Land Management Planning 2,625 3,214 3,362 4,476 3,871 4,029

Inventory and Monitoring 13,459 11,297 11,680 12,708 12,054 12,452

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29,238 26,560 26,307 27,634 26,081 26,559

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 14,325 13,372 14,142 17,671 17,741 17,393

Grazing Management 3,779 3,510 3,668 4,578 4,047 4,643

Forest Products 35,516 32,924 42,397 59,421 60,575 60,087

Vegetation and Watershed Management 17,725 16,961 18,485 23,501 24,302 24,316

Minerals and Geology Management 6,891 5,943 4,999 4,929 4,223 4,523

Landownership Management 8,677 8,069 8,142 7,702 7,104 7,048

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $133,874 $124,098 $136,384 $166,015 $169,147 $168,998

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $234,499 $234,969 $248,593 $85,291 $78,832 $83,996

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 50,099 49,348 51,128 32,551 30,689 29,442

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 34 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 1,430 2,587 0 2,787 3,519 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 1,330 1,585 0 1,386 2,077 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 6,280 6,384 0 972 7,141 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 687 653 0 500 474 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 6,887 0 0 5,251

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 1,075 0 0 745

Total Wildland Fire Management $294,326 $295,525 $307,683 $123,488 $122,766 $119,434

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $5,724 $5,606 $6,192 $9,121 $7,330 $5,625

Roads 16,482 15,984 16,148 22,832 20,957 21,887

Trails 7,336 6,258 6,533 7,839 6,884 7,101

Infrastructure Improvement 1,224 0 0 1,011 601 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 6,780 6,372 4,914 8,740 7,732 6,429

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $37,547 $34,220 $33,787 $49,543 $43,504 $41,043

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $1,168 $631 $687 $767 $626 $687

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 866 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $1,168 $631 $1,553 $767 $626 $687

Range Betterment Fund $0 $141 $0 $0 $199 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $485,784 $466,457 $493,879 $350,910 $350,197 $348,406

Permanent Working Funds $42,539 $45,001 $42,133 $36,402 $42,302 $46,536

Trust Funds $22,126 $60,006 $52,635 $28,406 $29,133 $35,902

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $550,449 $571,464 $588,647 $415,719 $421,632 $430,844

(dollars in thousands)

Region 5 - Pacific Southwest Region Region 6 - Pacific Northwest Region

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 439

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $123 $104 $125 $1 $3 $0

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $8,487 $8,957 $7,600 $18 $86 $23

State Fire Assistance 5,982 6,228 0 75 75 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 7,127 7,593 8,278 0 110 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance 1,837 1,740 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 6,221 7,780 5,116 0 3 0

Forest Legacy Program 12,834 7,121 5,789 0 21 0

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 25 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 5,542 6,336 5,821 0 18 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 34 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $48,030 $45,779 $32,604 $93 $346 $23

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $1,529 $6,878 $6,259 $392 $1,293 $917

Land Management Planning 3,413 3,111 3,903 1,689 1,640 1,484

Inventory and Monitoring 10,014 10,642 9,613 10,218 9,237 9,530

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29,716 27,740 27,664 23,769 22,320 22,025

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 17,985 16,729 19,190 15,452 14,375 16,277

Grazing Management 603 551 618 600 545 596

Forest Products 32,002 29,999 33,911 36,997 34,750 40,990

Vegetation and Watershed Management 14,286 14,504 16,004 16,571 16,320 17,586

Minerals and Geology Management 4,649 4,713 4,884 6,543 5,554 5,780

Landownership Management 8,410 7,721 7,612 8,517 7,681 7,502

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $122,606 $122,588 $129,660 $120,747 $113,715 $122,687

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $36,316 $36,163 $38,416 $23,333 $23,025 $24,472

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 41,967 40,979 39,523 13,430 12,988 12,020

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 134 41 0 2 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 191 51 0 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 10,731 12,668 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 1,589 1,509 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 16,737 0 0 75

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 3,411 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $90,928 $91,411 $98,088 $36,765 $36,013 $36,567

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $10,183 $9,234 $7,970 $5,780 $5,441 $8,354

Roads 17,997 17,415 17,713 14,569 14,007 14,031

Trails 8,377 7,351 7,542 7,043 6,350 6,481

Infrastructure Improvement 32 293 700 918 0 437

Legacy Roads and Trails 4,803 4,542 3,612 3,787 3,428 2,617

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $41,392 $38,834 $37,537 $32,097 $29,225 $31,920

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $1,227 $998 $1,119 $1,575 $1,041 $1,255

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $1,227 $998 $1,119 $1,575 $1,041 $1,255

Range Betterment Fund $0 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $304,305 $299,715 $299,133 $191,279 $180,345 $192,452

Permanent Working Funds $26,097 $24,798 $30,629 $20,820 $20,561 $22,240

Trust Funds $38,653 $40,494 $56,340 $17,730 $20,729 $16,733

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $369,056 $365,007 $386,103 $229,829 $221,635 $231,425

(dollars in thousands)

Region 8 - Southern Regions Region 9 - Eastern Region

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 440

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

Region 10 - Alaska Region

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $33 $0 $47 $21,001 $17,816 $19,722

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $962 $745 $1,569 $0 $0 $0

State Fire Assistance 644 667 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 334 1,060 2,305 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance 147 139 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 666 639 538 0 0 0

Forest Legacy Program 67 57 60 0 0 0

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 245 250 248 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $3,065 $3,557 $4,720 $0 $0 $0

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $188 $31 $0 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 580 663 977 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 6,665 6,372 6,314 0 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 10,349 9,568 9,414 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 10,051 9,445 10,504 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 17,542 16,459 17,927 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 4,908 4,835 5,327 0 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 3,417 3,301 3,159 0 0 0

Landownership Management 4,314 4,049 4,098 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $58,015 $54,722 $57,720 $0 $0 $0

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $2,859 $2,873 $2,946 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 1,051 985 999 3,826 800 650

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 616 651 651

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 1,467 1,048 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 474 598 0 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 407 1,683 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 218 207 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 1,075 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 372 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $6,476 $7,394 $5,392 $4,442 $1,451 $1,301

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $5,100 $4,952 $4,845 $351 $0 $1,165

Roads 7,609 7,424 7,642 0 0 0

Trails 4,690 4,173 4,255 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 11 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 668 613 478 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $18,078 $17,162 $17,220 $351 $0 $1,165

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $292 $304 $131 $0 $0 $0

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $292 $304 $131 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $25

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $2,252 $1,968 $2,076 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $88,212 $85,107 $87,306 $25,794 $19,267 $22,213

Permanent Working Funds $7,198 $6,806 $7,205 $0 $0 $0

Trust Funds $6,722 $6,509 $6,062 $418 $450 $450

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $102,132 $98,422 $100,572 $26,212 $19,717 $22,663

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Products Lab

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 441

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $40,500 $37,799 $40,725 $54,484 $51,538 $54,621

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $140 $160 $0 $1,049 $169 $80

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 251 0 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 115 105 946 217 212 112

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 188 197 182 341 0 0

Forest Legacy Program 0 10 0 136 65 85

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 0 0 0 201 25 25

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 1,026 828 0 1,145 1,021 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $1,469 $1,300 $1,128 $3,340 $1,492 $302

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 3 0 0 0 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29 29 29 26 26 26

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 2 0 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 1 0 0 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 45 0 42 0 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $80 $29 $71 $26 $26 $26

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $1,240 $1,140 $937 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 1,118 1,118 1,045 48 48 48

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 7,161 7,278 6,911 2,895 3,120 2,944

Joint Fire Sciences 0 762 0 0 75 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 173 16 0 1 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 2 0 0 36 46 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $9,694 $10,314 $8,893 $2,980 $3,289 $2,992

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $1,239 $2,781 $985 $0 $470 $506

Roads 0 0 0 0 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 4 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $1,243 $2,781 $985 $0 $470 $506

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $52,986 $52,223 $51,802 $60,830 $56,815 $58,447

Permanent Working Funds $100 $100 $100 $10 $5 $5

Trust Funds $800 $800 $700 $300 $650 $500

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $53,886 $53,123 $52,602 $61,140 $57,470 $58,952

(dollars in thousands)

Rocky Mountain Research Station Northern Research Station

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 442

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $40,258 $38,152 $40,287 $19,674 $18,579 $20,090

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $24 $15 $349 $121 $10 $49

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 404 380 312 1 60 50

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Legacy Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 975 827 0 0 0 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $1,403 $1,222 $661 $122 $70 $99

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 609 564 452 600 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 1 0 0 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 2 188 151 7 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $612 $752 $603 $607 $0 $0

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 268 346 239 48 198 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 3,699 4,242 4,082 2,591 2,824 2,690

Joint Fire Sciences 0 316 0 0 4 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 401 380 0 2 21 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 1 0 0 77 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $4,369 $5,284 $4,321 $2,718 $3,047 $2,690

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $1 $0 $830 $501 $500 $689

Roads 1 0 0 0 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $2 $0 $830 $501 $500 $689

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $46,644 $45,410 $46,702 $23,622 $22,196 $23,568

Permanent Working Funds $35 $1,435 $35 $1,670 $347 $1,120

Trust Funds $300 $350 $500 $1,053 $1,006 $1,051

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $46,979 $47,195 $47,237 $26,345 $23,549 $25,739

(dollars in thousands)

Pacific Northwest Research Station Pacific Southwest Research Station

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 443

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $48,242 $45,097 $48,278 $3,457 $3,586 $3,582

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $0 $125 $322 $29 $36 $180

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 300 353 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 586 530 513 182 144 258

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 57 54 0

Forest Stewardship 6 0 0 463 327 387

Forest Legacy Program 40 10 2 87 85 85

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 0 0 0 404 389 416

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 1,217 988 0 6 0 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $1,849 $1,653 $837 $1,529 $1,388 $1,326

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $1 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 13 0 23

Inventory and Monitoring 10 564 452 0 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 2 0 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 0 0 0 0 3 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 7 188 151 32 0 35

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $19 $752 $603 $46 $3 $58

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 198 0 191 0 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 2,195 2,397 2,282 0 50 100

Joint Fire Sciences 0 42 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 405 380 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 61 0 0 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 106 108 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 55 52 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 433

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 112

Total Wildland Fire Management $2,859 $2,819 $2,473 $161 $210 $645

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $2,071 $0 $39 $22 $0 $129

Roads 0 0 0 0 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $2,071 $0 $39 $22 $0 $129

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $55,040 $50,321 $52,230 $5,215 $5,187 $5,741

Permanent Working Funds $8 $5 $90 $0 $0 $0

Trust Funds $1,515 $1,005 $1,005 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $56,563 $51,331 $53,325 $5,215 $5,187 $5,741

(dollars in thousands)

Southern Research Station International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 444

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $0 $0 $30,427 $32,448 $29,438

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $10,015 $11,008 $10,568 $4,800 $5,947 $4,796

State Fire Assistance 5,535 5,967 0 756 827 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 13,178 13,245 14,967 571 1,269 1,664

Volunteer Fire Assistance 2,574 2,439 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 8,101 10,391 6,618 863 896 839

Forest Legacy Program 12,248 18,748 21,870 455 473 488

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 390 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 8,440 9,452 8,925 757 852 854

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 385 294 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 509 647 629

Total State & Private Forestry $60,091 $71,639 $62,949 $9,094 $11,207 $9,269

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $2,519 $0 $2,313

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 4,801 4,021 3,744

Inventory and Monitoring 0 0 0 15,520 14,608 13,707

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 0 0 0 38,618 36,145 35,221

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 16,495 10,437 9,910

Grazing Management 0 0 0 6,232 5,413 6,082

Forest Products 0 0 0 45,835 35,033 33,413

Vegetation and Watershed Management 0 0 0 22,446 13,188 12,408

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 8,931 7,571 7,066

Landownership Management 0 0 0 11,351 9,633 8,402

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 14,661 14,606 12,919

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $0 $0 $0 $187,409 $150,656 $145,185

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $0 $21 $0 $112,482 $104,300 $100,723

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 11,176 41,522 58,810

Hazardous Fuels 105 105 254 36,066 27,657 23,852

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 1,795 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 4 4 0 1,861 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 81 367 0 357 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 7,484 7,573 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 1,589 1,509 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 13,316 0 0 784

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 4,085 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $9,263 $9,579 $17,655 $163,737 $173,479 $184,170

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $0 $1 $0 $9,894 $9,496 $6,459

Roads 0 0 0 21,569 16,635 15,486

Trails 0 0 0 9,569 9,327 8,205

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 186 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 3,953 1,395 1,372

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $0 $1 $0 $45,171 $36,853 $31,521

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $623 $1,088 $1,019

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $623 $1,088 $1,019

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $236 $313 $286

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $69,354 $81,219 $80,604 $436,697 $406,043 $400,888

Permanent Working Funds $11 $100 $42 $4,651 $3,815 $3,307

Trust Funds $0 $0 $0 $8,580 $6,381 $6,382

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $69,365 $81,319 $80,646 $449,928 $416,239 $410,577

Northeastern Area - State & Private Forestry Albuquerque Service Center 

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 445

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

 

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $24,474 $25,516 $22,728 $12,412 $9,156 $12,976

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $6,876 $6,979 $7,378 $5,228 $3,902 $4,387

State Fire Assistance 3,060 3,062 0 3,775 611 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 2,193 2,269 1,592 6,477 592 1,598

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 3,200 3,376 3,161 3,780 1,100 1,163

Forest Legacy Program 1,401 1,348 1,306 281 169 382

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 1,997 0 2,000

Urban and Community Forestry 1,943 2,258 2,367 6,798 1,987 2,103

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 70 73 0 93 68 0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 14,000

International Forestry 7,354 6,612 7,191 124 309 180

Total State & Private Forestry $26,096 $25,976 $22,995 $28,552 $8,738 $25,815

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $496 $0 $468 $12,692 $0 $533

Land Management Planning 10,259 8,758 8,598 1,753 1,083 1,135

Inventory and Monitoring 46,625 43,288 39,310 3,668 3,506 4,796

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 19,763 18,299 18,516 10,324 7,652 8,569

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 9,149 8,182 7,408 4,663 7,779 4,704

Grazing Management 2,090 2,267 2,084 1,804 1,327 1,647

Forest Products 24,790 19,894 17,622 15,258 22,570 9,567

Vegetation and Watershed Management 23,526 19,845 18,134 8,199 8,723 7,859

Minerals and Geology Management 10,603 9,834 8,482 1,764 1,906 2,001

Landownership Management 9,681 9,547 8,629 2,203 2,405 2,566

Law Enforcement Operations 8,223 9,020 8,024 120,945 110,358 105,710

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 3,427 3,192 3,364

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0 2,000

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 289 289 0 -24,900 3,042

Total National Forest System $165,206 $149,224 $137,564 $186,700 $145,600 $157,492

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $260,070 $202,624 $258,688 $34,398 $52,002 $80,494

Fire Operations -- Suppression 15,746 152,224 78,631 271,319 316,066 543,047

Hazardous Fuels 15,997 15,640 13,714 8,673 12,783 24,567

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 293 0 0 454 41 135

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 7,250 5,651 6,914

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 440 0 0 389 250 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 78 50 0 982 57 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 152 130 0 26,502 3,523 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 2,911 0 0 23,090

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $292,777 $370,669 $353,944 $349,967 $390,373 $678,247

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $315,381 $298,967 $315,000

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $4,388 $4,883 $3,777 $1,638 $2,465 $2,822

Roads 7,765 7,264 5,266 8,987 3,844 7,109

Trails 3,209 3,357 2,526 1,366 1,946 2,177

Infrastructure Improvement 105 67 63 51 289 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 882 494 387 801 298 409

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $16,349 $16,065 $12,020 $12,843 $8,842 $12,517

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $223 $265 $195 $44,228 $42,553 $36,315

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 953 903 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 227 0 217

Total Land Acquisition $223 $265 $195 $45,408 $43,456 $36,532

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $2,569 $0 $3,000

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $45 $45 $15

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $42 $78 $56 $43 $79 $81

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $525,168 $587,793 $549,502 $953,920 $905,256 $1,241,675

Permanent Working Funds $2,049 $16,193 $18,028 $25,683 $5,136 $1,847

Trust Funds $1,783 $2,166 $2,397 $7,760 $1,489 $2,197

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $529,000 $606,152 $569,927 $987,363 $911,881 $1,245,719

National Headquarters in Washington, DC (WO) National

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 446

Region, Station and Area Allocations FY 2012 to FY 2014

1/ Totals do not include payment to states

2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not total receipts

3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level 

4/ Wildland Fire Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY12 FY13 FY14

Forest and Rangeland Research $295,300 $279,853 $292,805

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $47,425 $44,944 $58,922

State Fire Assistance 30,488 25,759 $0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 39,999 36,894 $45,655

Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,669 6,320 $0

Forest Stewardship 28,814 30,441 $22,398

Forest Legacy Program 53,303 50,515 $50,965

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 1,997 1,892 $2,000

Urban and Community Forestry 31,327 30,701 $28,040

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 4,918 4,660 $0

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 $14,000

International Forestry 7,987 7,569 $8,000

Total State & Private Forestry $252,926 $239,695 $229,980

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $39,936 $37,885 $40,000

Land Management Planning 39,936 37,203 37,754

Inventory and Monitoring 161,721 150,652 151,019

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 281,176 261,932 261,719

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 140,036 106,689 109,466

Grazing Management 55,356 51,568 55,356

Forest Products 335,511 276,051 286,130

Vegetation and Watershed Management 184,046 131,967 134,716

Minerals and Geology Management 83,426 77,716 76,423

Landownership Management 85,738 79,869 77,730

Law Enforcement Operations 143,829 133,984 126,653

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,426 3,192 3,364

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 2,000

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 136,631 170,000

Total National Forest System $1,554,137 $1,485,338 $1,532,330

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $1,004,442 $948,651 $1,057,580

Fire Operations -- Suppression 537,858 509,812 $680,488

Hazardous Fuels 317,076 282,558 $282,500

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 21,699 20,603 $19,795

Joint Fire Sciences 7,250 6,884 $6,914

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 15,958 15,151 $0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 8,353 7,931 $0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 55,475 52,672 $0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 6,356 6,035 $0

Coop Fire Protection-State Fire Assistance 0 0 $78,000

Coop Fire Protection-Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 $13,025

Total Wildland Fire Management $1,974,467 $1,850,298 $2,138,302

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $315,381 $298,967 $315,000

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $75,664 $70,572 $71,000

Roads 182,525 165,959 166,000

Trails 81,851 74,999 75,000

Infrastructure Improvement 9,121 2,986 3,000

Legacy Roads and Trails 44,928 28,312 23,000

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $394,089 $342,829 $338,000

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $52,521 $49,762 $43,525

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 953 903 912

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 227 0 217

Total Land Acquisition $53,701 $50,665 $44,654

Range Betterment Fund $2,569 $2,337 $3,000

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $45 $45 $40

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $2,573 $2,438 $2,500

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $4,845,189 $4,552,465 $4,896,611

Permanent Working Funds $249,665 $238,673 $248,600

Trust Funds $172,155 $202,630 $215,466

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $5,267,008 $4,993,768 $5,360,677

FOREST SERVICE TOTAL

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2012 to FY 2014
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 447

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers 

Background 

This exhibit addresses requirements of P.L. 109-80, H.R. 2361 House Report 109-80, page 129 

which directed: 

The Committee expects to see detailed work plans, including costs and staffing, for the new 

Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center in Oregon and the Eastern Forest 

Environmental Threat Assessment Center in North Carolina, before funding from any 

appropriation for these new centers is distributed in fiscal year 2006. The Committee also directs 

the Forest Service to include explicit funding amounts for these two centers in future budget 

requests, regardless of the accounts involved. The Committee notes that these centers should, as 

provided in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, focus primarily on hardwood forests and the 

threats from insects and disease which could destroy thousands of valuable acres of timberland 

and alter landscapes throughout surrounding areas. The centers should rely on emerging remote 

sensing technology and geospatial modeling. 

Overview 

The Eastern Forest and Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Centers (EFETAC 

and WWETAC or Centers) are national leaders in developing knowledge and tools to protect and 

sustain the Nation’s forests and rangelands. The Centers partner with government agencies, 

universities, and nongovernmental organizations to improve the collective national capacity to 

predict, detect, and assess threats to forests and wildlands. The mission of the Centers requires 

them to be responsive to emerging issues and high-priority policy initiatives such as invasive 

species, climate change, carbon sequestration, fuels management, and wildland fire. The work of 

the Centers is essential to ensuring that resource managers and the public are equipped with the 

latest information and state-of-the-art technology. 

The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center 

The EFETAC engages in multiple projects at the forefront of technology development, 

application, and transfer in forest threat detection and assessment. EFETAC scientists and 

collaborators use satellite imagery to monitor natural vegetation conditions across the United 

States and to characterize and track changes across broad landscapes. These data along with 

specialized indicators of landscape change provide land managers and policy makers with new 

tools and information for strategic planning. Additionally, Center scientists and partners address 

emerging issues and collaborate to create tools and resources related to forest ecosystems, water 

quality, biodiversity, and wildfires—all within the context of changing climate, increasing 

human populations, and dynamic socioeconomic constraints. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 448

FY 2014-FY 2016 EFETAC Allocation 

(dollars in thousands) 

Expenditures 

FY 2014 

Enacted* 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

FY 2016 Pres. 

Budget 

Personnel $1,451 $1,492 $1,492 

Partnerships, Technology Acquisitions, 

and Grants & Agreements 

258 285 285

Equipment & Supplies 7 7 7 

Communications 16 16 16 

Travel 48 48 48 

Rent & Utilities 50 50 50 

Indirect Costs 261 268 268 

Total $2,091 $2,166 $2,166

 *As a result of consolidating 3 Research Work Unit during the Southern Research Station’s 2007 reorganization, EFETAC’s 

 received a total consolidated budget in FY2014 of $4.3 million. 

FY 2014 EFETAC Accomplishments 

In FY 2014, the EFETAC collaborated with multiple internal and external partners to develop 

and share information, tools, and technology regarding threats to eastern forests and beyond. 

Public and private land managers used Center products to detect, assess, and respond to current 

and emerging environmental threats throughout the U.S. The Center’s cost-effective products 

and tools are web-based and accessed at no charge by public and private individuals, 

organizations, and agencies. On-site, virtual, and on-demand training is available to help users 

benefit from tool features. Several FY 2014 products led to increased involvement with partners 

within and outside the Forest Service, broadened awareness of the Center’s role in threat 

assessment, and provided land managers and decision makers’ tools to streamline detection of 

and response to forest health issues. 

 National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy - Wildland fire is a major threat 

throughout the United States, negatively affecting both ecological and social values, and 

requiring major investments from both private and public sectors. The EFETAC led the 

science and analysis team commissioned to provide analytical support to the development of 

the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. The team worked with partners 

to better understand the biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions of wildfire and explore 

opportunities for reducing the consequences and costs of wildland fire management. The 

work of the science team played prominently in the final report delivered to Congress in 

early 2014. 

 Water Supply Stress Index Model - Natural resource managers are evaluating future water 

resources using the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) ecosystem services model. The 

model simulates water availability at the watershed level and is used to understand the role of 

the National Forest System and other forested lands in providing clean, reliable water 

supplies. Scientists are also addressing climate change and sediment and stream water 

temperature—priority water quality concerns in the U.S. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 449

ForWarn Forest Disturbance Monitoring Tool - Land managers continue to use the Center’s 

collaboratively developed ForWarn, a state-of-the-art forest disturbance detection and tracking 

tool, to rapidly detect unexpected changes in the Nation’s forests. ForWarn highlights recent 

disturbances soon after they occur and tracks both disturbance and recovery through time. The 

dual-purpose nature of ForWarn provides a rich, national overview of forest health to better 

focus and prioritize management efforts. The development team added three new map products 

in 2014 and extended ForWarn accessibility to mobile devices, including smart phones and 

tablet computers.

 Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options - The 

Center’s Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options 

(TACCIMO) continues to help forest managers and planners understand climate change 

impacts. A public-facing website put these resources at the fingertips of National Forest 

planning teams, the public, and other stakeholder groups. A special emphasis on reaching 

out to tribal communities and incorporating their needs was initiated in FY 2014. 

Additional EFETAC efforts created opportunities for diverse audiences to integrate and benefit 

from cutting-edge science. For example, 

 EFETAC developed new techniques to help decision-makers recognize and account for 

uncertainty in forest pest risk assessment maps. 

 EFETAC collaborative research and publications alerted forest managers and Federal, State, 

and private agencies and organizations of forest health trends, which informed decisions 

regarding short- and long-term management of critical forest resources. 

 Natural resource managers, land use planners, and conservation organizations used EFETAC 

research to identify tree species vulnerable to climate change for targeting of additional 

management consideration. 

 EFETAC works collaboratively with the Appalachian and South Atlantic Landscape 

Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), bringing advanced tools and information to the efforts of 

these multi-organizational collaborations. 

FY 2015 EFETAC Program 

In FY 2015 the EFETAC program will: 

 continue to lead the interagency National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy 

science team and facilitate understanding, support, and implementation of national 

recommendations; 

 refine ForWarn’s ability to monitor all lands, including agricultural, and expand use of its 

web-based tools, resources, and training among customers internal and external to the Forest 

Service; 

 expand the TACCIMO web-based science resources and collaborative application 

opportunities throughout Forest Service regions and Tribal communities; 

 advance the WSSI model in the United States and developing countries, to assess future 

climate scenarios for managed forests and to highlight the role forests play in water supply; 

 prepare, for public release, a comprehensive database that aids in the prediction, prevention, 

and proactive management of invasive plants; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 450

 further collaborative research that when implemented can slow the spread of invasive forest 

pest species, especially through human-assisted pathways in the U. S. and Canada; 

 examine the effects of climate variability and forest management practices on forest 

ecosystem health, water supply, and carbon sequestration; 

 work with the Appalachian LCC to develop a framework for examining the interactions of 

environmental threats and ecosystem benefits within the Appalachian region; 

 lead a region-wide assessment of alternative management approaches and their impacts on 

forest productivity, carbon sequestration, and water availability; 

 cooperatively lead Project CAPTURE, a three-year effort that determines forest tree species 

to target for monitoring, management, and conservation; 

 work with tribal communities and organizations to provide science tools and information to 

aid management on tribal lands; 

 enhance and increase training, workshops, informational sessions, and other awareness 

opportunities that introduce forest managers, partners, and diverse audiences to Center tools 

and technologies; 

 actively engage the EFETAC Technical User Group to expand the Center’s audiences and 

strengthen timely research and technology transfer activities; 

 continue partnering with the Forest Service collaborative web-based Climate Change 

Resource Center to provide credible, science-based, and relevant information and tools to 

help land managers understand climate change impacts and ecosystem management options; 

 collaborate with the USDA Climate Change Hubs to expand and facilitate understanding of 

climate change impacts on eastern forests; and 

 continue communication with WWETAC, increase collaborative tool development, and 

explore ways to jointly share information to regional and national audiences. 

FY 2016 EFETAC Work Plan 

The EFETAC work plan for FY 2016 includes: 

 advancing ForWarn’s application on all lands and to multiple user groups and expand webbased tools, products, and training opportunities; 

 establishing a prioritization framework that enables resource managers and scientists to 

evaluate genetic resources of forest tree species regionally and nationally;

 developing and promoting use of advanced tools that utilize remotely sensed data to assess 

and monitor landscape resiliency across all lands and within all jurisdictions; 

 publishing a new version of the Forecasts of Climate-Associated Shifts in Tree Species 

(ForeCASTS) project report, used to predict and map the location and quality of habitat for 

several hundred North American forest tree species;

 collaboratively building the joint capacity of university researchers and extension specialists 

to deliver climate science information to the public using TACCAMO; 

 exploring additional domestic and international applications for the WSSI model to evaluate 

effects of climate change on water resources, carbon sequestration, and changes in 

biodiversity—including a direct linkage to wildland fire management; 

 increasing communications, science delivery, and partnerships to broaden the Center’s 

audience and influence; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 451

 continuing to support national Forest Health Monitoring activities and related programs and 

assessments; 

 initiation and advancement of research in areas including wildland fire modeling, threat 

interaction mapping, hazardous fuels treatment decision support systems, broad-scale 

vegetation monitoring, hydrologic modeling, pest risk assessment, and climate and land use 

change; and 

 increasing collaborative opportunities with the Forest Service Climate Change Resource 

Center and the USDA Climate Change Hubs to continue expanding climate change 

understanding. 

The Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center 

The WWETAC provides early detection and prediction of the potential effects of multiple 

interacting threats and stresses. The Center hosts workshops and conferences to identify and 

synthesize current knowledge regarding threat assessment and improve predictive modeling. 

The WWETAC collaborates with universities, local and federal government partners, and nongovernmental organizations to advance the application of remote sensing and geospatial 

technologies, develop assessment tools, and make scientific knowledge more accessible to 

analysts and managers. 

FY 2014-FY 2016 WWETAC Allocation 

(dollars in thousands) 

FY 2014 WWETAC Accomplishments 

CIP, Communication accomplishments include: 

 continued improvement of communication with National Grasslands, State Foresters, and 

Washington Office Wildlife, Economics, Fire, Ecosystem Management, Forest Management 

and Forest Health Protection directors; 

 continued extensive communication, training, and user support for WWETAC tools; 

 continued coordination of tool development and application with the EFETAC, especially 

TACCIMO, FP_DECK, and spin-offs from ForWarn; and 

Expenditures

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Enacted Budget 

FY 2016 

Pres. Budget 

Personnel $698 $650 $650

Partnerships, Technology 

Acquisitions, and Grants & 

Agreements 

915 924 924

Equipment & Supplies 15 15 15

Communications 43 130 130

Travel 32 32 32

Rent & Utilities 56 56 56

Indirect Costs 332 359 359

Total Budget $2,091 $2,166 $2,166
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 452

 continued funding socio-economic vulnerability assessments for western Forest Service 

regions. 

Landscape assessments accomplishments include: 

 co-developed a new tool to perform rapid assessments of forest disturbance for managers and 

planners, including extent, stand type and tree size affected (FIDAR); uses ForWarn as the 

source of imagery; 

 co-developed a new tool to archive & search Forest Plans (FP_DECK); local forest stand 

naming conventions will also be standardized to the National Vegetation Classification 

System; 

 published a user guide for an ArcMap extension tool to map forest disturbance; 

 initiated development of a new tool to help manage and optimize range use with ForWarn as 

the source of imagery; 

 proto-typed a high resolution remote sensing tool to detect, identify, attribute source, and 

predict tree mortality; 

 tracked transmission of pesticides within a watershed and effects on carnivore survival; 

 continued to develop national monitoring tool of fuel loading in non-forested lands; 

 tailored the Wildfire Cohesive Strategy to individual Forests and Regions, targeting Forests 

in Accelerated Restoration; and 

 completed risk assessment of spatial transmission of wildfires from different land 

ownerships. 

Social, economic assessments accomplishments include: 

 socio-economic vulnerability assessments (SEVA) to climate change: continued support of 

Region 6 effort; initiated southern Californian SEVA in Region 5; 

 assessed effects of prescribed fire on wildfire suppression costs; 

 identified communication approaches for impacts of smoke from fire; 

 evaluated environmental threats to private lands; and 

 evaluated non-market recreational values in a southern Californian wilderness area. 

Assessments of Wildfire Risk and Fuels Treatments accomplishments include: 

 assessed effects of prescribed fire on forest carbon stocks; 

 a mixed model of fuels reduction (individual, clumped, open pattern) reduced Wildland 

Urban Interface wildfire risk; 

 published the ArcFuels User Manual for a prior and current version of this highly utilized 

tool; and 

 published a synthesis of crown wildfire behavior in conifer forests. 

Environmental Change Assessments accomplishments include: 

 supported the Pacific Northwest Climate Change Hub with tool demonstrations and products; 

 completed TACCIMO for all western Regions providing user access to over 10,000 

publications in a searchable database; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 453

 documented significant loss of sage grouse habitat due to extreme drought using ForWarn; 

 tested tool for within-year drought impacts on canopy health and whole tree risk for 

mortality; 

 assessed climate change impacts on warm desert carbon stores and management; 

 completed and published a vulnerability assessment for southwestern US ecosystems; 

 linked carbon uptake gains and transpiration water losses within the context of climate 

change for the Priest Experimental Forest; 

 supported the International Symposium on Air Pollution and Climate Change Effects on 

Vegetation; 

 edited and published a book on the response of trees to changing environment. 

Impacts of Invasives on Forest Health accomplishments include: 

 identified interactive effects of dwarf mistletoe on post beetle epidemic lodgepole pine using 

a high resolution imagery tool; 

 described effects of environmental change on competitive interactions between weeds and 

crop species; 

 published a review of aspen health and damage agents in the western U.S.; 

 supported symposium on Diseases and Status of Five-Needle Pines; 

 applied a decision support tool to evaluate outcomes of invasives vs. Threatened and 

Endangered Species competition in Central Oregon scrublands; 

 Incorporated Climate Change impacts into pest risk models for pathogens in the continental 

U.S.; 

 assessed effects of bark beetle outbreaks on western ecosystem services; 

 published symposium papers: Disease and Insect Resistance in Forest Trees. 

FY 2015 WWETAC Plan of Work 

Targeted Communication including: 

 continued improvement of communication with national forests and grasslands, State 

Foresters, and Washington Office Wildlife, Economics, Fire, Ecosystem Management, Forest 

Management and Forest Health Protection directors; 

 continued extensive communication, training, and user support for WWETAC tools; 

 continued coordination of tool development and application with the EFETAC; 

 implementation of a new way to develop products for the Center: for identified key goals, 

assemble and fund teams of scientists, resource specialists, and contractors to outline an 

approach, address, develop, implement, and communicate product(s) in 1-3 years; 

 continued funding socio-economic vulnerability assessments for western Forest Service 

regions; 

 complete website updates. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 454

Tool development: 

Continued development, application, and communication of the following tools: 

 ForWarn-based tools: FIDAR, and a range management tool; 

 a high resolution imagery tool to detect tree drought stress, reduced canopy health, and 

predict tree mortality; 

 Landscape Treatment Designer, a fuels management tool that optimizes treatment area, 

effectiveness, and cost of implementation; 

 FP_DECK, archives and provides a searchable database for Forest Plans; link to ForWarn

and modeled current and future vegetation and carbon stores in western landscapes (MC2; 

BioMap) 

Landscape assessments efforts include: 

 FIDAR (a ForWarn-based product) was applied to a study area of the Medicine-Bow Routt 

National Forest in FY14. Predicted, attributed source of forest decline and mortality by tree 

species and size class will be field tested in 2015. High resolution imagery will be used to 

geographically extend and further test predictions; publish approach, and validation 

 The new remote sensing tool (a ForWarn-based tool) to help manage range quality and 

timing of grazing will be developed on the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, and tested on 

Thunder Basin National Grassland in coordination with Region 1 resource specialists and 

managers 

 FP_DECK will continue to be developed for western national forests, building from similar 

forest types (prototypes for Shoshone and San Juan National Forests in Region 2). National 

Forests with similar vegetation include Beaverhead-Deerlodge and Gallatin-Custer National 

Forests in Region 1 and Carson and Santa Fe National Forests in Region 3; Link tool to 

TACCIMO and modeled current and future vegetation using in-house dynamic vegetation 

model (MC2). 

 An ArcMap extension tool to map forest disturbance (EWS) will be rolled out and delivered 

as an application tool for monitoring disturbances to spotted owl habitat (Siskyou and Rogue 

River National Forests). 

 Continue working with the Nature Conservancy and the Fremont and Deschutes National 

Forests to evaluate effectiveness of different stand thinning approaches in improving canopy 

health and reducing tree mortality using a high resolution imagery tool; imagery will be 

calibrated then independently tested with quantitative ground validation. 

Social, Economic Vulnerability Assessments to Climate Change (SEVA) efforts including: 

 completion of Region 6 Socio-economic vulnerability assessment; 

 continue to support southern Californian SEVA; 

 continue to support an evaluation of policy target groups of the response of small to 

medium-sized communities to wildfire smoke. 

Assessments of Wildfire Risk and Fuels Treatments efforts include: 

 continue to maintain and support ArcFuels and Landscape Treatment Designer tools; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 455

 continue to apply the cohesive wildfire strategy approach to western National Forests for use 

by managers, planners, early adopters, and accelerated restoration teams; work with Regional 

Foresters to develop a generalized product at the biome level; 

 continue to cooperatively apply the Landscape treatment designer to National Forest lands; 

 publish an assessment of wildfire risk in non-forested lands; 

 re-work wildfire modules for our in-house dynamic vegetation model (MC2, BioMap). 

Environmental Change Assessments include: 

 support western Climate Change Hubs; 

 TACCIMO will continue to be updated weekly; 

 demonstrate use of MODIS imagery for identifying at-risk sage grouse habitat to extreme 

drought in the intermountain west; couple ForWarn imagery with ground verified and, 

quantified canopy health of sage dominated shrublands, and modeled current and future 

health of regional sage dominated shrubland; 

 continue supporting development of current and future modeled vegetation and carbon stores 

for western National Forest Regions; completed to date: Washington, Oregon, California, 

Montana, Wyoming, and parts of New Mexico; 

 begin working with USGS LCCs to incorporate a dynamic vegetation model into their 

projected impacts of climate change; 

 implement a new version of our dynamic vegetation model (BioMap) and calibrate against 

current and past vegetation; 

 publish a paper describing a remote sensing tool and proof of concept for identifying 

proportion of drought stressed trees and trees with poor canopy health in different 

management areas on the Fremont and Deschutes National Forests. 

Impacts of Invasives on Forest Health efforts include: 

 continue supporting the STDP program focusing on larger integrative studies; 

 continue supporting risk assessment of competitive interactions between weeds and 

Threatened and Endangered species on the national grasslands, national forests and 

scrublands; 

 develop and publish a new classification system for U.S. terrestrial plant invasives, using 

attributes that contribute to invasiveness and to resistance to treatment; 

 write reviews and primary scientific literature on: 

o new developments in risk modeling paper on climate change impacts on pathogens in the 

continental U.S.; 

o physiological basis for pine susceptibility to bark beetle in the Pacific states; 

o physiological response of live oak to gold spotted oak borer. 

FY 2016 WWETAC Plan of Work 

CIP, Communication efforts include: 

 continue to improve communication with the EFETAC, federal and state cooperators and 

develop new collaborations with Forestry- oriented NGOs and Industry; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 456

 continue extensive communication, training, and user support for WWETAC tools; 

 continue coordination of tool development and application with EFETAC; 

 continue to implement a team approach to developing products for the Center: fund teams of 

scientists, resource specialists, and contractors to outline an approach, address, develop, 

implement, and communicate product(s) in 1-3 years. 

Application Tools: 

Continued development, application, and communication of the following tools: 

 ForWarn-based tools: FIDAR (a rapid disturbance assessment tool), and a range management 

tool; 

 Landscape Treatment Designer, a fuels management tool that optimizes treatment area, 

effectiveness, and cost of implementation; 

 FP_DECK, archives and provides a searchable database for Forest Plans; link to ForWarn 

and modeled current and future vegetation and carbon stores in western landscapes (MC2; 

BioMap); 

 TACCIMO 

Landscape assessments efforts include: 

 apply FIDAR (a ForWarn-based product) to two other areas of study; improvements in 

estimating stand composition will be investigated by using different remote sensing products 

and ground verification; 

 apply and test the newly developed range management tool (a ForWarn-based tool) on two 

additional rangelands; 

 FP_DECK will continue to be developed for western national forests; 

 use of an ArcMap extension tool to map forest disturbance (EWS, based on ForWarn) will be 

evaluated; 

 develop a cooperative study with an industrial forest land owner, and on state lands to test a 

high resolution imagery tool that tests effectiveness of forest management. 

Social, Economic Vulnerability Assessments to Climate Change (SEVA) efforts include: 

 complete southern Californian SEVA; 

 with Regional Foresters’ input, initiate the next highest priority SEVA to be completed in the 

western U.S.; 

 complete an evaluation of policy target groups: response of small to medium-sized 

communities to wildfire smoke. 

Assessments of Wildfire Risk and Fuels Treatments efforts include: 

 maintain and support ArcFuels and Landscape Treatment Designer (LTD) tools; 

 continue to apply the cohesive wildfire strategy approach to western national forests for use 

by managers, planners, early adopters, and accelerated restoration teams; work with Regional 

Foresters to develop a generalized product at the biome level; 

 continue to cooperately apply LTD tools to National Forest System lands; 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 457

 re-work wildfire modules, and begin to develop prescribed fire modules for our in-house 

dynamic vegetation model, MC2, BioMap. 

Environmental Change Assessments efforts include: 

 continue to support needs of USDA’s western Climate Change Hubs; 

 TACCIMO will continue to be updated weekly; 

 continue supporting development of current and future modeled vegetation and carbon stores 

for western Forest Service Regions; 

 roll out new version of dynamic vegetation model, BioMap. 

Impacts of Invasives on Forest Health efforts include: 

 continue supporting STDP program focusing on larger integrative studies; 

 continue supporting risk assessment of competitive interactions between weeds and 

Threatened and Endangered species on the national grasslands and scrublands; 

 develop modules for our in-house dynamic vegetation model for terrestrial plant invasives 

based on the alternative classification system developed in 2015; 

 develop a new, generalized approach to incorporate insect and disease outbreaks into our inhouse dynamic vegetation model. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 458

Stewardship Contracting 

Stewardship Contracting

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 105-277 Appropriation Act 1999, 

General Provision Section 347(g) which directed: 

The Forest Service shall report annually to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

Representatives and Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on - 

 the status of development, execution, and administration of contracts under subsection (a); 

 the specific accomplishments that have resulted; and 

 the role of local communities in development of contract plans. 

Overview 

Stewardship contracts and agreements are used to manage natural resources by implementing 

ecosystem restoration projects. Stewardship contracts support new and emerging markets for 

utilization of wood removed through restoration activities, including use of woody biomass for 

energy, in addition to sustaining markets that are more traditional. Requests for proposals use 

best value criteria that emphasize criteria other than price, including use of local workforce and 

creation of jobs. This focus is intended to create green jobs and promote a diverse forest 

products industry to support sustainable communities and the forest contractor infrastructure 

needed to perform critical restoration work. Stewardship contracting helps the Forest Service 

achieve land and natural resource management goals while promoting closer public-private 

working relationships by using the value of forest products to offset the cost of services. 

Improved economic conditions and expanded markets for products have contributed to the 

expanded use of this tool. Overall, over the past six fiscal years, stewardship contracting acreage 

has nearly tripled. In addition to improved economic conditions, a better understanding of how 

to best use the tool has led to the increased size of projects. 

The Stewardship Authority 

The stewardship contracting authority authorizes the Forest Service, via agreement or contract, to 

enter into stewardship projects to perform services to achieve land management goals and meet 

local and rural community needs. The authority is found under the Department of the Interior 

and Related Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 USC 2104 note) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), 

[title III, Sec. 347], Oct. 21, 1998, Stat. 2681-231, amended by Department of the Interior and 

Related Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 108-7, div. F, [title III, Sec. 323], Feb. 20, 2003, 117 

Stat. 275). Section 323 of P.L. 108-7 supersedes the original authority granted to the Forest 

Service in section 347 of P.L. 105-277. The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) 

permanently extended stewardship contracting authority. 

Stewardship contracting permits the Forest Service to apply the value of timber or other forest 

products from stewardship sales as an offset against the costs to accomplish additional land and 

resource management objectives. If the offset value exceeds the value of the resource 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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improvement treatments, those receipts are retained and deposited in the Stewardship 

Contracting fund and are available, until expended, for other authorized stewardship projects. 

Stewardship contracts are awarded on a best-value basis and may be up to 10 years in duration. 

The Stewardship Contracting fund may be used for: 

 road and trail maintenance or obliteration to restore or maintain water quality; 

 work to improve soil productivity, habitat for wildlife and fisheries, or other resource values; 

 prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of timber stands 

or improve wildlife habitat; 

 removal of vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forests, reduce fire hazards, or 

achieve other land management objectives; 

 watershed restoration and maintenance; 

 restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fisheries habitat; and 

 control of noxious and invasive weeds, and re-establishment of native plant species. 

In FY 2014, the agency continued to inform employees, partner organizations, and contractors 

about the use of stewardship contracting through informational brochures, local field trips, and 

on-line training opportunities. This ensures a common understanding of stewardship contracting 

and facilitates its use in attaining land management goals while meeting local and rural 

community needs. 

Introductory Brochure

This brochure, developed during FY 2009 to provide a basic understanding of stewardship 

contracting, describes stewardship contracting concepts and benefits, how stewardship contracts 

are used, what is unique about them, and more. This color tri-fold brochure is available at the 

following Web site: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/documents/stewardship/stewardship_brochure.pdf . 

Training 

The Forest Service worked with the National Forest Foundation to host a peer-learning webinar 

titled “Stewardship Agreements and Contracts - Important Tools for Accelerated Restoration” in 

December 2012. This webinar included the differences between stewardship agreements and 

stewardship contracts, highlights of recent improvements, and sharing of lessons by several 

community-based partner groups who have worked with stewardship agreements and 

contracts. Over 115 participants from partner organizations, the Forest Service, and the Bureau 

of Land Management attended the webinar. In addition, the Forest Service and the National 

Forest Foundation have collaborated on several other peer-learning webinars focused on 

stewardship contracting. Those webinars are posted on the National Forest Foundations Web 

site: http://www.nationalforests.org/conserve/peer/stewardship-authorities.

Various self-paced computer-based tutorials and recordings of webinar trainings are available at 

the following Stewardship Contracting Program Web site: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/Stewardship_Contracting/training.shtml.

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 460

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) 

Ten projects across the country were selected for CFLRP funding beginning in FY 2010. Ten 

additional projects were selected in FY 2012 and three additional high priority projects were 

funded in FY 2013. Stewardship contracting is expected to be the primary instrument for 

implementing these projects. Please refer to the National Forest System section for more details 

on CFLRP. 

Specific Accomplishments 

The overall use of stewardship contracting was similar in FY 2014 as compared to FY 2013. In 

FY 2014, there was a slight increase in the acres treated and volume awarded in stewardship 

contracts. However, there were shifts in the focus of the accomplishments. For example, the 

acres of wildland urban interface treated in FY 2014 was approximately one-third greater than in 

FY 2013, but acres of hazardous fuels reduction outside the WUI dropped by about half. There 

was also a decrease in the miles of roads decommissioned, but there was a significant increase in 

the miles of passenger car roads improved. The FY 2014 accomplishments in stewardship 

illustrate the power and flexibility of the authority. Stewardship contracting allows the Forest 

Service to focus its efforts on a variety of land management activities and accomplish restoration 

work where it is needed. Through the use of stewardship contracting, the agency accomplishes a 

wide variety of forest restoration work, including hazardous fuels reduction, wildlife habitat 

improvement, forest health improvement, and nonnative invasive plant species control. 

FY 2014 also saw continuing interest and expansion in the use of stewardship agreements, which 

allows the agency to leverage resources through working with partner organizations, and the 

addition of acres to large-term, large scale stewardship contracts, including the Four Forests 

Restoration Initiative in Arizona. Stewardship contracting has proved to be a valuable tool in 

many locations to implement restoration activities and meet multiple land management 

objectives. Table 1 below shows specific actual accomplishments during FY 2012 to FY 2014. 

Table 2 below shows the acres awarded, number of contract or agreements awarded, and volume 

awarded during the FY 2003 to FY 2014.

Table 1. Actual Stewardship Contracting 

Accomplishments (FY 2012 to FY 2014) 

Accomplishment FY 2012 

Actual 

FY 2013 

Actual 

FY 2014

Actual 

Acres of forest vegetation established 4,321 3,391 5,167 

Acres of forest vegetation improved 25,763 36,925 50,399 

Acres of noxious weeds/invasive 

plant treatments 2,356 2,746 4,035 

Acres of wildlife habitat restored or 

improved 142,648 72,578 15,679 

Miles of stream habitat restored or 

enhanced 203 44 15 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Accomplishment FY 2012 

Actual 

FY 2013 

Actual 

FY 2014

Actual 

Miles of roads decommissioned 48 43 21 

Miles of high clearance system roads 

improved 52 28 19 

Miles of passenger car system roads 

improved 43 10 59 

Volume of timber sold (million board 

feet (MMBF)) 672 709 729 

Green tons of biomass made 

available for energy production 577,590 865,560 247,541 

Acres of stewardship 

contracts/agreements awarded 134,257 171,767 177,208 

Acres of hazardous fuels treated to 

reduce the risk of catastrophic fires 93,804 130,190 82,894 

Acres of wildland-urban interface 

(WUI) high-priority hazardous fuels 

treated 

58,394 69,150 96,567 

Number of stewardship 

contracts/agreements contributing to 

watersheds in fully functioning 

condition 

9 17 25 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Table 2. Acres Awarded, Number of Contract or Agreements 

Awarded, and Volume Awarded (FY 2003 to FY 2014) 

FY Acres 

Awarded 

# of Contracts 

& Agreements

Volume Awarded 

(hundred cubic feet - 

CCF) 

2003 11,696 35 69,547 

2004 43,187 53 102,143 

2005 34,491 43 196,079 

2006 60,344 91 471,996 

2007 77,676 110 655,072 

2008 65,890 130 678,328 

2009 88,304 141 743,417 

2010 152,834 232 1,133,837 

2011 100,577 208 962,486 

2012 134,257 226 1,314,118 

2013 171,767 195 1,346,470 

2014 177,208 161 1,604,097 

In many cases, multiple land management objectives are met through a single treatment activity. 

For example, a hazardous fuel reduction treatment can also improve wildlife habitat. These 

accomplishments not only result in ecosystem benefits, but also forest products for 

manufacturing and energy production, and the creation of jobs contributing to sustainable 

communities. 

Local Communities 

Collaboration with local communities is a key component of successful stewardship contracting. 

Collaborative efforts start early and continue throughout project planning, implementation, and 

monitoring. Collaboration during the development of stewardship contracting projects results in 

a sense of ownership in the project by the community, a better understanding by communities of 

natural resource issues, and increased public support. Collaboration also means the Forest 

Service can tailor stewardship offerings that address local issues, needs, and capabilities. 

We have contracted with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation to conduct a programmatic 

multiparty monitoring process for FY 2014. In prior years, the Pinchot Institute found that 

stewardship contracting was maturing, and support has grown significantly. One of the major 

benefits identified is that stewardship contracting offers increased opportunities to frame a set of 

collaboratively defined desired future conditions. Participants increasingly welcome the use of 

stewardship agreements as a way to involve more stakeholders, increase learning opportunities, 

and positively influence forest management planning. The results of the FY 2014 programmatic 

monitoring efforts by the Pinchot Institute will be available in late winter or early spring 2015. 

When available, the entire report will be online at: 

http://www.pinchot.org/gp/Stewardship_Contracting
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Stewardship Contracting Success Stories 

Here are a few examples of successful implementation of stewardship contracts and agreements. 

Wyoming 

The Bighorn National Forest has awarded six individual stewardship contracts between 2006 and 

2014. An example of one their contracts is the Babione (baby-un) Stewardship Contract. This 

five-year stewardship contract accomplishes the following land management activities: 

 Integrates multi-product timber removal with fuels reduction. 

 Commercially harvests 1,020 acres using traditional marking, designation by prescription, 

and load count scaling for efficiency of operations. 

 Reduces hazardous fuels on 368 acres adjacent to private lands and infrastructure. 

 Prepares sites for natural and artificial regeneration on 254 acres. 

 Non-commercially thins 142 acres of young, regenerated lodgepole stands. 

 Installs a gate to reduce illegal travel along a forest system road. 

The 2005 Forest Plan revision has a strategy to “evaluate each vegetation project for its potential 

and feasibility as a stewardship contract, where appropriate, design treatments to facilitate 

stewardship projects.” To meet this strategy the forest has used Integrated Resource Timber and 

Service Contracts. Changing markets and direction make this a challenge, but being able to 

accomplish the work with one contract in one entry has gained the forest support for this 

approach. 

Montana

The Regional Forester and Montana State Forester entered into Master Stewardship Agreement 

signed on September 26, 2013 for the purpose of cooperatively working together on landscape 

restoration activities within the State of Montana. Under this Master Agreement, a Supplemental 

Project Agreement (SPA) was signed on May 5, 2014 to begin implementation activities within 

the Red Mountain Flume Chessman Reservoir Project. 

The Red Mountain Flume Chessman Reservoir stewardship project goals are to reduce hazardous 

fuels from trees killed by bark beetle epidemics, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and 

ensure the availability of clean, economically efficient water supply through the protection of 

critical infrastructure within the Helena municipal watershed. Under this agreement, the State of 

Montana is responsible for implementation and work started on approximately 470 acres of 

vegetative treatments in the fall of 2014. Currently, the State of Montana has completed 

approximately 75 acres of timber harvest and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) treatments. 

Project restoration activities include timber harvesting, thinning, mechanical fuels reduction, 

road maintenance, road decommissioning, and noxious weed treatments that will provide jobs for 

the local workforce. Forest vegetation treatments are also supplying approximately 10,227 

hundred cubic feet (CCF) of forest products to the local processing facility. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Kentucky and Tennessee – Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area 

Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area began a cooperative agreement with 

the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) in January 2008. In 2009 when a catastrophic ice 

storm devastated the area during the winter, the NWTF was able to help facilitate multiple 

logging clean-up crews along all the roads and facilities. Since that time, multiple supplemental 

program agreements have occurred, and there are two active agreements in place that focus on 

forest and open lands restoration. A variety of activities occur under these agreements such as 

timber stand improvement, wildlife stand improvement, non-native invasive removal, pesticide 

application, mowing, grinding/mulching, planting, fertilization, pasture improvement, and 

restoration of native grasses. This partnership has expanded into the local community to the 

extent where local NWTF chapter members do free in-kind work such as developing fire breaks, 

maintaining fields, and improving access; furthermore, this has led to an “Adopt-an-Acre” 

program, where these volunteers actively manage fields annually. One example of local 

community impacts is that wood chips are provided to a local school and hospital to help them 

heat their facilities during the winter. Each year approximately 6,000 acres are directly impacted 

from stewardship activities. Finally, partnership efforts have been expanded into multiple media 

outlets that help attract more people to recreate on this highly used area each year. LBL attracts 

upwards of 1.4 million visitors annually. 

North Carolina 

The National Forests in North Carolina is now finishing up a very successful stewardship 

agreement with the NWTF, known as the Mulberry Globe stewardship agreement. This 

agreement was signed in November of 2010 and the last of the service work was completed in 

2014. The project harvested over 10,000 CCF of Southern Appalachian hardwood with a 

stumpage value of over $175,000. The project completed 346 acres of site preparation and 346 

acres of timber stand improvement work. In addition the project created 11 acres of new high 

elevation wildlife grass and forb habitat, which was significantly lacking in this area. Twentytwo acres of non-native invasive spraying was completed as well as blocking eight locations to 

remove off-road vehicle (ORV) access and improve water quality. During the life of this sale a 

large ongoing timber trespass was discovered in the area which was causing significant soil and 

water damage due to poorly located skid trails and creek crossings. The flexibly of the 

agreement allowed us to work with our partners and utilize funds remaining in this project to 

take immediate action to mitigate these impacts. The success of this project stems from the 

collaboration and partnership we have with the NWTF. 

Colorado 

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, & Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests have been using 

stewardship authority to implement forest restoration work associated with the Uncompahgre 

Plateau CFLRP Project. Stewardship contracts and agreements have been important tools that 

have enabled the forest to trade the value of the timber for forest restoration, fuels reduction, and 

wildlife habitat improvement service work. 

The forest has awarded five stewardship contracts and one stewardship agreement over the past 

five years (FY 2010 to FY 2014) to accomplish approximately 4,050 acres of mechanical 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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treatment and prepare approximately 10,500 acres for prescribed burning. The forest plans to 

continue to use stewardship contracts and agreements as the key tools for implementing the 

Uncompahgre Plateau CFLRP Project. Stewardship authority has enabled the GMUG National 

Forests to successfully provide valuable forest products to local industry, while accomplishing a 

wide variety of important forest restoration work. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Water Recycling 

Stanislaus National Forest, CA 

Solar Well Pump 

Huron-Manistee National Forest, MI 

Examples of Sustainable Operations to 

reduce the Forest Service’s environmental 

footprint

Sustainable Operations 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to report on 

progress and plans for Sustainable Operations initiatives. 

The Forest Service has refocused its efforts in alignment with sustainability and efficiency 

mandates including the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 

2007, and a series of Executive Orders (EO) including EO 13423 (Strengthening Federal 

Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management) and EO 13514 (Federal Leadership In 

Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance), as well as additional Presidential mandates 

issues on renewable energy and climate action plans. Sustainable Operations projects also 

directly support agency cost pool reduction goals for FY 2013 and FY 2014.

Overview 

Sustainable Operations for the Forest Service refers to 

managing our environmental footprint and the resilience 

of the agency’s operations and assets. To fulfill the 

Forest Service’s obligation to present and future 

generations, the agency is reducing its environmental 

footprint by making its own operations more sustainable. 

Our land stewardship mission is being strategically 

integrated with practices that reduce our consumption 

and overall resource use. The direct relationship 

between healthy forests and our faucet water, our 

heating systems, our clean air, our modes of 

transportation, and many other goods and services has 

never been more apparent. Several laws, regulations, 

and executive orders have established targets for 

reducing our agency environmental footprint. We also 

have a growing number of initiatives in place to 

integrate best practices; build capacity in the agency and 

community; and save money and resources by 

implementing efficiencies in the areas of energy, water, 

fleet and transportation, waste prevention and recycling, 

green purchasing, and sustainable leadership. 

Attention to consumption impacts of the Federal sector 

continues to increase, heightening the need for 

expanding adoption of Sustainable Operations. The 

Forest Service aligns its efforts with the President’s 

Climate Action Plan and the December 2013 Presidential Memorandum on Federal Leadership 

on Energy Management along with existing sustainability and efficiency mandates, including the 

Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and a series of 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 467

Executive Orders including EO 13423 and EO 13514. Practicing sustainable business operations 

has also directly supported agency cost pool reduction goals. 

Success Stories and Current Initiatives 

The agency continues to integrate efforts in Business Operations, the Climate Change Advisor’s 

Office, Research and Development, and the National Forest System to provide training for 

sustainable operations and prioritize actions to reduce the agency’s environmental footprint. A 

few examples of progress in the areas of energy conservation, fleet and transportation, water 

conservation, green purchasing, and sustainable leadership are detailed below. 

 The Climate Change Advisor’s Office and the Nationwide Sustainable Operations Collective 

are completing a realignment effort to merge into one corporate office housed within the 

Chief’s Office. This is an exciting time. This purpose of this office is to coordinate with a 

collaborative network to facilitate the achievement of the Forest Service mission in the face 

of a changing climate. The office will provide holistic policy and guidance for creating 

resilient landscapes, resilient communities, and a sustainable organization. 

 The agency supports a chartered group of sustainability champions across the nation called 

the Sustainable Operations Collective (Collective), which uses the latest technology and 

ideas to reduce the agency’s environmental footprint. The Collective host’s peer-to-peer 

learning sessions, maintains a national sustainable operations website with tools and 

information, conducts a net zero fellows program to promote on the ground implementation 

of environmental footprint reductions and increasing awareness and actions, and continues 

to pilot multiple field-level projects. The Collective continues to be sought out as a 

collaborator for other agencies. 

 The Forest Service is continuing to grow a “Net Zero Fellows” program. Individual offices 

apply to become a fellow and commit to developing and implementing an action plan to 

achieve net zero energy, water, fleet, or waste. The seven fellows over the past two years 

have achieved significant cost and consumption savings. National Renewable Energy Lab is 

a key technical assistance partner for energy conservation and renewable energy analysis. 

 Develop national plans to reduce energy and water consumption and costs that reach across 

Staff Areas to integrate efforts and eliminate duplication. These plans focus on coordinating 

specific national and field-level actions with policy updates, and will include a continuous 

improvement framework. 

 Develop a ground up approach to inventory greenhouse gases for operations. Provide a 

transition strategy to institutionalize sustainable operations efforts throughout all staffs and 

areas of responsibility within the agency. 

 Identify better methodologies for estimating and tracking water consumption for both on-site 

and agricultural based activities at sites and facilities, 

 Expand pilot projects for propane-based fueling stations, fleet life cycle tool analysis, and 

renewable energy projects. 

FY 2014 Sustainable Operations Program Plans 

In FY 2014 the agency focused on the following priorities for sustainable operations. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 468

 We implemented the organizational framework for a Nationwide Sustainable Operations 

Collective established under an agreement signed in September of 2013 by every National 

Leadership Council member. This involves transitioning to a new core staff structure 

connected with coordinators and Points of Contacts at each Region, Station, Area, and the 

Washington Office. A continuous improvement framework will be coordinated under this 

agreement. Other agency partners and the Department of Agriculture are part of the Board of 

Directors. 

 The Forest Service supported agency-wide participation and performance of two corporate 

priority action items: Power IT Down and Utility Bill Clean-up. 

 We continued to implement the national energy cost and consumption plan and develop 

similar plans for other footprint areas. 

 We explored further partnerships with other agencies: the Department of Energy, the 

Environmental Protection Agency, and the General Services Administration. 

 We continued to support making reliable utility consumption data available to field-level 

employees and managers. 

 As part of the Forest Service strategic plan efforts five measures were developed to foster 

increased attention to environmental footprint reduction activities and creating greater 

resilience in our operations and assets. The proposed measures were: 

1. Reduction of greenhouse gas Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 percent and a ten percent 

reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2019, based on 2008 baseline. 

2. Strive for Net Zero Watershed Impact from our facilities through: 

 establishment of a water consumption baseline by 2016, and 

 reduction of water use by 2 percent per year after 2016. 

3. Strive for increased renewable energy use through: 

 establishment of a measurement system for recording renewable energy systems and 

reporting yearly renewable energy consumption by 2017, and 

 by 2019, 20 percent of Forest Service electricity use coming from renewable sources. 

4. One hundred percent of units will implement the Corporate Priority Action Items. 

5. Develop an agency-wide Cost and Consumption Reduction Plan for all six Footprint Area 

(Energy, Water, Fleet, Waste, Acquisition, and Leadership) that meets the vision of Net 

Zero and the goals in the USDA Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan. 

FY 2015 Sustainable Operations Program Plans 

In FY 2015 the agency will focus on the following priorities for sustainable operations. 

 FY 2015 is a year of transition toward integration of the Climate Change and Sustainable 

Operations Programs within the Forest Service, with the goal of aligning climate science with 

sustainable action for how the agency operationally restores the health, diversity, and 

productivity of the natural resources. This will provide a broader platform to facilitate the 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 469

achievement of the agency mission in the face of a changing climate as well as holistic policy 

and guidance to strive for resilient landscapes, resilient communities, and a sustainable 

organization.

 We will further implementation of the continuous improvement framework established in FY 

2014 as part of the Nationwide Collective. 

 We will continue agency-wide participation and emphasized performance in two corporate 

priority action items: Power IT Down and Utility Bill Clean-up. We will finalize the 

development of a FY 2015 to FY 2019 plan for future corporate action items, which was 

begun in FY 2014. 

 We will continue to make reliable utility consumption data and other sustainable operations 

data available to field-level employees and managers. 

 We will continue growing the number of Net Zero Fellows across the agency. 

FY 2016 Sustainable Operations Program Plans 

 The Forest Service will launch the new Sustainability Office. In FY 2015 the Climate 

Change Advisor’s Office and the Nationwide Sustainable Operations Collective will 

complete a realignment effort to merge into one corporate unit housed within the Chief’s 

Office. The Sustainability Office coordinates with a collaborative network to facilitate the 

achievement of the Forest Service mission in the face of a changing climate. 

 We will continue to grow the “Net Zero Fellows” program. 

 We anticipate achieving agency-wide participation in new corporate priority actions. The 

planned actions will be adoption of a no idling policy, tracking of renewable energy systems, 

and shifting to 100 percent recycled paper. We will continue the implementation of the FY 

2015 to FY 2019 plan for future corporate action items by preparing pre-work for FY 2017 

action items. 

 Further national plans include reducing energy and water consumption and costs that reach 

across staff areas to integrate efforts and eliminate duplication. These plans focus on 

coordinating specific national and field-level actions with policy updates, and will include a 

continuous improvement framework. A water consumption baseline was established in FY 

2015. The Water Cost and Consumption Plan will be finalized in FY 2016. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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Unobligated Balances 

Unobligated Balances

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction; however, it is included to provide an 

update on the status of Forest Service unobligated balances. 

Overview 

The following table contains the Forest Service unobligated balances from all prior year 

appropriated funds (regular and emergency) carried forward into FY 2015. The table does not 

include the unobligated balances from offsetting collections such as reimbursable or advanced 

collections. The appropriation totals lines are actual amounts and program distributions are 

estimates.

FY 2014 Forest Service - Unobligated Balances, End of Year

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Service Appropriation Prior Years 

Budget Line Item/Programs Unobligated Balances

Forest and Rangeland Research

Research and Development $10,227 

National Fire Plan (NFP) Research Activities 1,398 

Joint Fire Science 2,732 

Total Forest and Rangeland Research $14,357 

State and Private Forestry (S&PF)

Forest Health - Federal Lands $6,916 

Forest Health - Coop Lands 2,961 

State Fire Assistance 1/ 3,408 

 Volunteer Fire Assistance 1/ 239 

Forest Stewardship 2,630 

Urban and Community Forestry 2,155 

Forest Res Info & Analysis 0 

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program 149

International Forestry 0 

NFP Forest Health - Federal Lands 1/ 627 

 NFP Forest Health - Coop Lands 0 

 NFP State Fire Assistance 0

 NFP Volunteer Fire Assistance 1/ 6

 Landscape Scale Restoration 175

Total State and Private Forestry $19,266 

S&PF Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

S&PF LWCF (Forest Legacy) $9,321 

Total S&PF LWCF $9,321
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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FY 2014 Forest Service - Unobligated Balances, End of Year

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Service Appropriation Prior Years 

Budget Line Item/Programs Unobligated Balances

National Forest System

Land Management Planning $765 

Inventory & Monitoring 4,967 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 4,452

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 1,011

Grazing Management 3,830 

Restoration Partnership 40 

Forest Products 0 

Vegetation and Watershed Management 5,294 

Minerals and Geology Management 5,123 

Landownership Management 3,520 

Law Enforcement Operations 749 

Integrated Resource Restoration 609

Valles Caldera National Preserve 337 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 8,237 

Total National Forest System $38,934

Wildland Fire Management

 Preparedness $23,924 

Suppression 28,915 

Hazardous Fuels Management 6,031 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 225 

Coop Fire – Volunteer Fire Assistance 0

Coop Fire – State Fire Assistance 1,022

Total Wildland Fire Management $60,117

FLAME Fund

Total FLAME Fund $0 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

 Facilities Capital Improvement/Maintenance $8,751 

Roads Capital Improvement/Maintenance 328 

Trails Capital Improvement/Maintenance 2,759 

Legacy Roads 2,592 

Deferred Maintenance 952 

Construction Disaster Supplemental 1,940

Total Capital Improvement and Maintenance $17,322

Land Acquisition - LWCF

Land Acquisition $11,446 

Total Land Acquisition LWCF $11,446 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

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FY 2014 Forest Service - Unobligated Balances, End of Year

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Service Appropriation Prior Years 

Budget Line Item/Programs Unobligated Balances

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund $1,049 

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research 117 

Subsistence Management (Region 10) 32 

Total Other Appropriations $1,198 

GRAND TOTAL $171,961

 1/Programs that were moved under Wildland Fire Management in FY 2014 but have balances in prior years. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 473

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges 

Background 

This exhibit is included to provide a three-year display of total costs paid by the Forest Service 

for these centrally administered programs. 

Overview 

The Forest Service, as an organizational entity of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is 

provided administrative services managed centrally on behalf of the Department. These 

centrally administered programs are broken into two activities, the Working Capital Fund and 

Greenbook. It is important to note that cost estimates for actual usage programs have changed in 

the last three fiscal years in response to demand for services on the part of the Forest Service. 

The Forest Service estimates for the activities assessed on a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) or 

standard methodology are likely to better reflect Forest Service shares of total costs, but these 

may vary during execution. 

USDA Working Capital Fund 

The Working Capital Fund (WCF) includes financial and administrative services provided with 

funding under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 2235. The WCF is a financing mechanism that currently 

supports 17 activity centers across five Department-level organizations. These centers provide 

services to all USDA agencies, including the Forest Service, and a large number of non-USDA 

entities. Customers reimburse activity centers for the cost of services provided. 

These WCF-supported activities do not receive appropriated funds and are not subsidized from 

other funding sources. All costs are recovered through reimbursements from serviced customers. 

The estimated reimbursement from customers represents their projected share of the costs of 

services delivered. Pursuant to the terms of the general provisions in annual appropriations to 

USDA, agency administrators must authorize billings to their agency for these services. 

Therefore, the Chief of the Forest Service (or his duly appointed representative) must sign an 

agreement at the beginning of the fiscal year authorizing billing for services provided and 

supplying the appropriate accounting data. 

The Forest Service acts as one of the overseers in the review of cost estimates for the National 

Finance Center (NFC) through its participation in the WCF Executive Committee, a body 

comprised of representatives from various USDA agencies. The Executive Committee is 

charged with making budget recommendations and advising the Department’s Chief Financial 

Officer as to the financial effectiveness of the WCF. The Forest Service actively works with the 

Department’s Chief Financial Officer to review activities included in the Greenbook and the 

basis for any costs attributed to the Forest Service. 

Tables on the following pages display Forest Service assessments for USDA WCF services and 

describe the range of WCF services that the USDA provides. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 474

FY 2014 to FY 2016 Working Capital Fund Assessments for the Forest Service 

Core Services 

(dollars in thousands) 

Core Service 

FY 2014 

Actuals 

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimates 

Central Excess Property Operation27 $83 $0 $0 

Consolidated Forms and Publications Dist. Center27 511 0 0 

Mail and Reproduction Services 0 221 221 

Material Management Service Center27 0 663 580 

Credit Card Service Center28 1,002 0 0 

Integrated Procurement Systems28 8,588 8,461 8,461 

Central Mail Unit29 194 0 0 

Computer Services Unit 102 98 100 

Comptroller Operation Division 10,596 14,167 14,657 

Creative Media and Broadcast Center 108 96 96 

Enterprise Network Services 5,232 3,844 2,608 

Financial Systems 37,394 38,734 37,413 

Internal Control Support Services 325 365 365 

Network Services 53 25 26 

Office of the Executive Secretariat 642 579 445 

Telecommunication Customer Services Center 134 148 227 

Total Core Services $64,964 $67,401 $65,199 

USDA Agency Specific Services 

USDA Agency Specific Services 

FY 2014 

Actuals 

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimates 

Central Mail Unit29 $36 $0 $0 

Copier and Duplicating Services29 295 0 0 

Consolidated Forms and Publication Dist. Center27 225 0 0 

Mail and Reproduction Services29 0 270 279 

Enterprise Network Services 0 597 895 

Material Management Service Center27 0 220 213 

Procurement Operations Division 0 102 139 

Creative Media and Broadcast Center 386 386 374 

International Technology Services (ITS) 6,500 10,500 10,000 

National Finance Center 9,442 9,659 8,537 

National Information Technology Center (NITC) 21,858 27,915 22,434 

Total USDA Agency Specific Services $38,742 $49,649 $42,871 

 

 

27 FY 2015 and FY 2016: These activities are merged into a single activity center - Material Management Service Center 28 FY 2015 and FY 2016: These activities are merged into a single activity center - Integrated Procurement Systems 

29 FY 2015 and FY 2016: These activities are merged into a single activity center - Mail and Reproduction Services
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 475

Total: Core Services Plus USDA Agency Specific Services 

Core Services Plus USDA Agency Specific 

Services 

FY 2014 

Actuals 

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimates 

Total Working Capital Fund Assessments $103,706 $117,050 $108,070

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 476

The FY 2016 legislative cap for WCF activities, excluding NITC and ITS, is $82.0 million. 

FY 2015 and FY 2016 NITC/ITS costs are estimates and subject to change based on agency 

execution year needs. 

Working Capital Fund Activities 

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

National Finance 

Center Agency 

Specific 

Provides: 

 Payroll/personnel services to USDA/nonUSDA agencies 

 Applications support to Office of Personnel 

Management 

 Record keeper/other services to support the 

Thrift Savings Plan 

 Support services for USDA accounting 

applications 

 PKI licenses/support 

Beginning in FY 2005, services 

provided by NFC have been 

negotiated between NFC and 

serviced agencies. The nature, 

volume, and cost of services 

serve as the basis for 

Memoranda of Understanding 

between the parties. 

National Finance 

Center Government 

Employee Services 

Provides: 

 Payroll/personnel services to USDA/nonUSDA agencies 

 Applications support to Office of Personnel 

Management 

 Record keeper/other services to support the 

Thrift Savings Plan 

 Support services for USDA accounting 

applications 

 PKI licenses/support 

Beginning in FY 2005, services 

provided by NFC have been 

negotiated between NFC and 

serviced agencies. The nature, 

volume, and cost of services 

serve as the basis for 

Memoranda of Understanding 

between the parties. 

Financial Systems Operates/maintains the following systems: 

 Financial Management Modernization 

Initiative (FMMI - core accounting) 

 Real property 

 Corporate integrated administrative 

payments 

 Other systems as necessary to support 

program agency missions and fulfill 

USDA’s fiduciary responsibilities to 

taxpayers 

Financial/Adm. Pmts: Costs 

recovered based on agency 

share of FMMI workload 

(measured in general journal 

records) 

Real Property: Costs recovered 

based on agency shares of 

USDA-owned and 

GSA/commercially-leased 

property 

Comptroller 

Operations Services 

Provides: 

 Core accounting/reporting services 

 Agency-specific services 

 Operates a corporate controller organization 

that integrates accountability and systems 

across USDA 

Agencies are billed monthly at 

1/12th their estimated annual 

charges. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 477

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Internal Control 

Support Services 

Internal Control Support Services (ICSS) 

promotes and supports the USDA’s internal 

control program by assisting USDA agencies in 

their internal control compliance efforts. As 

part of its services, ICSS plans and manages the 

Department’s annual assessment of internal 

control over financial reporting and promotes 

best practices across the Department to ensure 

greater consistency in regard to internal control 

of financial processes, administrative processes, 

and information technology. ICSS also 

provides training programs, group 

presentations, and other support services in 

order to improve the Department’s internal 

control program and awareness of emerging 

events and current trends related to internal 

control. 

Cost is distributed based on 

agency’s FTE percentages. 

Creative Media and 

Broadcast Center 

The Broadcast Media and Technology Center 

(BMTC) provides a wide array of video 

production and teleconferencing (both audio 

and video) services. The Visual 

Communication Center offers a variety of 

planning, fabrication, and development services 

for graphic productions, exhibits, and visitor 

center needs. The Center also provides web 

page graphic design services. 

Agency percentage shares are 

based on the most recently 

completed fiscal year billings 

for services. Actual costs 

reflect use of the service and 

are based on needed labor 

hours, contractual costs, and/or 

direct materials needed for the 

delivery of a product to the 

requesting agency. 

NITC - IT Services Provides mainframe computer operations and 

application development and support services to 

support agency programs. NITC also provides 

IT consulting services and training, and data 

warehouse support for FMMI. 

Agency percentages are based 

on estimates of services to be 

provided to users during the 

current fiscal year. Actual 

costs are based on the cost of 

services provided to requesting 

agencies under terms of 

interagency agreements. 

National Telecom 

Services 

Provides centralized telecommunications 

support services nationwide for the USDA, 

manages and provide internet access to USDA 

agencies and data connections between agencies 

(USDA Intranet), and assists agencies in using 

telecommunication services in a cost-effective 

manner. 

Agencies’ percentage shares 

are based on their prior year 

utilization of voice and data 

telecommunication services. 

Actual costs for technical and 

data services are recovered via 

distribution through the WCF. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 478

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Telecom Customer 

Services Center 

(TSCS) 

Manages and maintains the USDA’s voice 

telephone services in the Washington, DC 

metropolitan area (WMA); serves as the single 

point of contact for all local requests for 

telephone services and purchases; manages and 

administers the nationwide voice mail system; 

provides maintenance services for telephone 

equipment and voice mail services in the 

WMA. 

Agency percentage shares are 

based on the number of 

telephone lines in the WMA 

and the number of voice 

mailboxes on the primary node.

Network Services Provides technical/operational assistance on 

data networking telecommunications systems; 

designs, installs, operates, and manages shared 

services provided on departmental networks 

and platforms; participates in the design, 

engineering, and operations management of the 

Enterprise Network. 

Agency percentage share is 

based on FY 2003 FTEs for the 

USDA facilities serviced by the 

Departmental LAN and e-mail 

usage. 

Computer Services 

Network Support 

Provides LAN, desktop, application, and web 

development support and maintenance to the 

Office of the Secretary (OSEC). 

Basic services for OSEC are 

paid by the Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. The cost 

for support services to the 

Under and Assistant Secretaries 

are distributed among agencies 

based on estimated fiscal year 

nationwide FTEs. 

Central Supply Stores Provides required office supplies to the Office 

of the Secretary and USDA agencies in the 

WMA; provides nation-wide supply support to 

the meat and poultry inspectors for the Food 

Safety Inspection Service. 

Agency percentage shares are 

based on actual use of store 

services in the most recently 

completed fiscal year. Actual 

costs are recovered on the basis 

of the acquisition cost of 

supplies procured by agencies, 

plus an overhead charge. 

Central Forms and 

Pubs - Transport Costs 

Provides acquisition (printing), warehouse, and 

worldwide distribution of administrative forms 

and publications for all USDA agencies and 

non-USDA agencies; provides warehouse 

distribution of agency programs and 

publications for all USDA agencies and for 

other participating government agencies. 

Based on the most recently 

completed fiscal year. 

Copier and Duplicating 

Services 

Provides centralized copier facilities and 

equipment for employees in the downtown DC 

buildings complex and nearby satellite locations 

(Riverdale Carver Center). A large inventory of 

pool/convenience copiers is distributed 

throughout USDA agency offices in the DC 

area. 

Agency shares are based on 

prior year billings. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 479

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Mail Prep and Courier 

Services 

Provides custom mailing services to USDA 

agencies. 

0.0399 cents/piece for each 

piece of mail stuffed. 

Miscellaneous Services: Flat 

fee of $10.00 for courier 

deliveries in the local metro 

area, $0.30/mile for chauffeur 

services (plus overtime for 

drivers) 

Procurement Systems 

Operations 

Develops, implements, and maintains a suite of 

corporate acquisition software tools, 

streamlining processes and an interface with the 

USDA corporate financial system. Provides 

procurement support to USDA agencies. 

Cost is distributed based on 

actual agency use of the 

Integrated Acquisition System 

(IAS) and SmartPay. 

Customers are billed monthly 

for 1/12 of their estimated 

annual share of costs. 

Mail Distribution 

Services 

Central Mail: Central processing of incoming, 

outgoing, and interoffice mail; special handling 

services for priority items in the WMA; doorto-door pickup and delivery service of routine 

and special mailings within the downtown DC 

buildings complex. 

Central Mail/Door-to-Door: 

Agency shares are based on 

mail count samples taken by 

the Mail Unit. 

Consolidated Forms 

and Public Distribution 

Center 

Provides acquisition (printing), warehouse, and 

worldwide distribution of administrative forms 

and publications for all USDA agencies; 

provides warehouse distribution of agency 

programs and publications for all USDA 

agencies and for other participating government 

agencies. 

Agency shares are based on 

costs of requisitions processed 

for AD and SF forms during 

the most recently completed 

fiscal year. 

Agency shares for agencyspecific forms are based on 

square footage of space for 

storage of agency forms at the 

warehouse. 

Central Excess 

Property Operations 

Provides customer service and disposition for 

all excess property for USDA and other Federal 

agencies in the WMA under the concept of a 

Cooperative Administrative Support Unit 

(CASU); provides property rehabilitation 

services in an effort to promote utilization of 

serviceable excess and rehabilitated property in 

lieu of purchasing new property. 

Agency shares are based on FY 

2005 FTEs in the WMA. 

Executive Secretariat Provides referral and correspondence control 

services to the Department for mail addressed to 

the Department, the Secretary, and the 

immediate Office of the Secretary. 

User percentages are based on 

a moving average of 

correspondence processed by 

the unit. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 480

Greenbook 

Central Cost Distribution Programs 

USDA agencies pay a share of costs for external programs through “Greenbook” assessments. 

The Forest Service share is determined in a manner consistent with that for every other agency in 

the Department. Assessments are broken down into two categories: 

Actual Usage - Costs are collected for programs such as GSA space, transit subsidies, postage, 

and unemployment and workers compensation insurance based on actual costs incurred by 

individual agencies. 

Outside Assessments - Costs such as Office of Personnel Management Federal employment, 

FirstGov, and GSA blue pages are distributed to executive departments for reimbursement. The 

Department has no discretion as to the cost of the program. 

Departmental Shared Cost Programs 

These costs provide funding for department-wide initiatives authorized by the Office of the 

Secretary. Costs for these programs cannot be recovered on a usage basis and are generally 

distributed using an FTE methodology. 

FY 2014 to FY 2016 Forest Service Greenbook Costs 

Central Cost Distribution Programs 

(dollars in thousands) 

Central Cost Distribution Programs

FY 2014 

Actual 

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimated 

GSA Space - Agency $37,019 $37,389 $37,389 

DHS GSA Building Security - Agency specific 3,113 3,144 3,175

U.S. Postal Service Mail - Agency specific 290 293 293

Unemployment Compensation 42,106 41,429 41,429

Workers Compensation 31,489 30,567 30,567

National Archives Records System 500 400 400

Ethics E-Filing 0 56 56

Flexible Spending Accounts FSAFEDS - Agency 

Specific 

82 82 82

FEMA Emergency Preparedness 109 121 121

Federal Audit Clearing Service 16 16 16

OPM Federal Employee Svcs and Admin Law Judges 183 183 183

Transit Subsidy 1,422 1,422 1,422

Government-wide Council Activities 172 172 172

GSA HSPD12 Lincpass Maintenance 1,531 1,531 1,531

E-GOV Initiatives 3,243 2,973 3,063

Total Central Cost Programs $121,275 $119,778 $119,899

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 481

Departmental Shared Cost Programs 

Departmental Shared Cost Programs 

FY 2014 

Actual 

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimated 

Intertribal Technical Assistance Network $994 $985 $985 

Faith-Based Initiatives & Neighborhood Partnerships 127 125 128 

Office of the Secretary White House Liaison Office 

(Advisory Committee Liaison Service) 

261 261 261

Hispanic Serving Institutions National Program 

(Formerly HACU) 

648 793 830

1890 USDA Initiative 956 1,214 1,214

USDA 1994 Program (Formerly AIHEC) 255 335 335

USDA Human Resources Transformation 564 552 552

Virtual University 638 623 623

Peoples Garden & Visitors Center 292 311 285 

Honor Awards 25 25 25

TARGET Center (includes Sign Language Interpreter 

Services 

408 491 489

Emergency Operations Center 755 755 755

Continuity of Operations Planning 659 668 668

Medical Services 21 40 41

Personnel and Document Security 454 338 339

Federal Bio-based Products Preferred Procurement 

Program (Formerly Bio-based Markets Program) 

113 130 135

Facility Infrastructure Review and Assessment 146 143 143

Retirement Processor Web Application 185 192 192

Preauthorized Funding 1,213 1,186 1,186

Identity and Access Management (HSPD-12) 2,196 2,147 2,147

Total Departmental Shared Cost Programs $10,910 $11,314 $11,333 

Total: Central Cost Distribution Programs Plus Departmental Shared Cost Programs 

Central Cost Distribution Programs Plus 

Departmental Shared Cost Programs 

FY 2014 

Actual

FY 2015 

Planned 

FY 2016 

Estimated

Total Greenbook $132,185 $131,092 $131,232 

The legislative cap for the Departmental Shared Cost Program activities is $14.5 million. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 482

Greenbook Activities 

Central Cost Distribution Programs 

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

General Service 

Administration (GSA) 

Space - Agency 

Provides for the payment of rent to GSA for 

agency space, which is paid from agency funds. 

User percentages are based on 

occupied agency space which 

is not covered by the 

departmental standard level 

user charges (SLUC) 

Appropriation. 

Department of 

Homeland Security 

(DHS) GSA Building 

Security - Agency 

Provides for the payment of security to DHS for 

non-appropriated funded agency security, 

which is paid from agency funds. 

User Cost Estimates are based 

on security not covered in the 

central (departmental) 

appropriation for security. 

U.S. Postal Service 

Mail 

Provides reimbursement to the U.S. Postal 

Service (USPS) for mailing services provided to 

USDA agencies. 

User percentages are based on 

prior year usage. Adjustments 

are made prior to the end of the 

fiscal year based on direct 

accountability (i.e., metered 

costs, sampling, and anticipated 

increases in postal rates). 

Unemployment 

Compensation 

Provides reimbursement to the Department of 

Labor (DOL) unemployment trust fund for 

payment made to unemployed former USDA 

employees. 

User percentages are based on 

reconciled agency charges for 

the previous fiscal year. 

Worker’s 

Compensation Program 

Provides reimbursement to DOL unemployment 

trust fund for payment made to unemployed 

former USDA employees. 

Distribution is based on 

reconciled agency cases and 

dollars. 

National Archives 

Records System 

Effective in FY 2001, the National Archives 

became a fee-for-service records center. Each 

agency is assessed for costs associated with 

records in storage plus an additional amount for 

those departmental staff offices that store 

agency records as a part of their function. 

Distribution is based on each 

agency’s volume of records 

stored, plus a percentage of 

department-wide records stored 

based on nation-wide FTEs. 

Flexible Spending 

Accounts (FSAFEDS) 

- Agency 

The National Defense Authorization Act, Public 

Law 108-136, signed November 24, 2003, 

requires all Executive Branch agencies that 

participate in the Flexible Spending Accounts 

for Federal Employees Program (FSAFEDS) to 

cover administrative fees on behalf of their 

employees. 

The agency cost shares are 

based on the participation level 

of their employees. Agencies 

are billed for the operating 

costs by OPM and contract 

administration by a commercial 

vendor. 

OPM Federal 

Employment and 

Administrative Law 

Judges Service 

This program reimburses OPM for Federal 

Employment Services and information provided 

to USDA agencies. 

Distribution is based on FY 

2003 nationwide FTEs of each 

agency. 

Government-wide 

Council Activities 

Reimburses GSA for projects of the Chief 

Financial Officers Council, Chief Information 

Officers Council, and Procurement Executive 

Council. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 483

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Intertribal Technical 

Assistance Network 

Program addresses the unique challenges faced 

by American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal 

governments, communities and individuals in 

effectively utilizing USDA programs and 

services. These challenges require intensive 

technical assistance and program access 

improvement through in an intertribal 

coordinated network and coordination with the 

Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, which also has jurisdiction and 

authority over Indian lands. Information on all 

USDA programs will be covered by the 

technical assistance efforts of staff within the 

Network. Program efforts will also focus on 

promoting the Department’s strategic goals 

within Indian Country, including Tribal 

consultation responsibilities, in accordance with 

government-to-government and trust 

responsibilities of USDA. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

Faith Based Initiatives 

and Neighborhood 

Partnerships 

Provides for Department-level oversight of 

implementation efforts in the areas of faithbased and neighborhood outreach and supports 

the White House Office of Faith-Based and 

Community Initiatives regional outreach 

conferences. This office was established at the 

USDA by executive order on December 12, 

2002. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

Advisory Committee 

Liaison Services 

The Office of the Secretary provides guidance 

and direction to USDA agencies on Advisory 

Committees and Boards. Costs to support this 

function and screening/selection of members 

are reimbursed from agencies to the Office of 

the Secretary. 

Costs are distributed on the 

basis of the number of advisory 

committees in each agency. 

Hispanic Serving 

Institutions National 

Program 

Fosters educational excellence in the Hispanic 

community and promotes Hispanic participation 

in fulfilling the USDA mission. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

1890 USDA Initiative Supports initiatives on Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities and the USDA 1890 

institutions (Land Grant colleges and 

universities). USDA maintains an agricultural 

liaison office at each of the 17 qualifying 

campuses, including Tuskegee University. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

USDA 1994 Program Promotes, fosters, and encourages 

implementing programs for improving postsecondary and higher education opportunities 

for American Indians, and establishing 

information centers for post-secondary and 

higher education institutions. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 484

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

USDA Human 

Resources 

Transformation 

Program (Includes 

Diversity Council) 

Establishes policy, coordinates and evaluates 

USDA agencies’ efforts to carry out diversity 

programs. Creates a culture of change within 

USDA agencies that ensures the Department’s 

place as a model employer within the Federal 

government in terms of equal opportunity 

without barriers to achievement of diversity and 

inclusivity. Builds diversity awareness through 

formal training, participation in diversity 

programs, special observance events, 

participation in employee forums at listening 

sessions, and national employment conferences. 

Tracks progress of USDA agencies towards 

diversity goals, awareness, and best practices. 

Distribution is based on the 

current year’s nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

Virtual University The Virtual University program will provide 

Department employees with a central 

educational facility. The facility will focus on 

providing employees with training for today’s 

workplace responsibilities and developmental 

programs to ensure a cadre of highly-skilled 

future leaders. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment in each agency. 

Peoples Garden and 

Visitors Center 

Supports the People’s Garden and serves as a 

showcase for USDA programs and initiatives. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment in each agency. 

TARGET Center Supports the Department's workforce diversity 

and Federal Workforce 2001 policies. Provides 

information on technologies to ensure equal 

access to electronic equipment and automated 

systems essential to today’s jobs for people 

with visual, hearing, speech, mobility, or 

dexterity impairments. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

Drug Testing Program 

- Agency Specific 

This program is mandated by Executive Order 

12564 and PL 102-143. Its purpose is to help 

ensure a drug free work place with programs 

such as random, reasonable suspicion, postaccident, volunteer, and applicant testing. 

Distribution is based on agency 

actual expenses. 

Sign Language 

Interpreter Services 

Provides interpretive services for Departmental 

programs and USDA agencies. During fiscal 

years 2010 and prior, the DC Metro Area Sign 

Language Services were handled through 

agency-level agreements. Beginning in FY 

2011, DC Metro Area Sign Language Services 

was included in the Departmental Shared Cost 

Program and a Metro Area FTE cost recovery 

basis is now used. The intent of this change 

was to ensure that all employees have access to 

services. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. Agencyspecific services will be billed 

directly to serviced agencies. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 485

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Emergency Operations 

Center 

Operates a secure emergency operations center 

on a 24/7 basis. The center provides critical 

communications and coordination systems. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment in each agency. 

Continuity of 

Operations Planning 

(COOP) 

Provides for USDA COOP activities including 

awareness training, exercises, and COOP plan 

reviews. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Medical Services Provides preventative health measures such as 

flu shots, health screening, nutritional 

principles, and fitness awareness that lead to a 

higher quality workforce environment for 

employees and contractors in the National 

Capital Region (Headquarters complex, the 

George Washington Carver Center, and the 

Patriot Plaza offices.) 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Personnel and 

Document Security 

Responsible for ensuring the proper protection 

of classified national security information 

through the adjudicative process of personnel 

clearances and the proper handling, storage, and 

transmission of classified information. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Federal Biobased 

Products Preferred 

Procurement Program 

(Formerly Biobased 

Markets Program) 

Supports the USDA-wide implementation of 

Bio-PreferredSM procurement requirements as 

additional biobased items are designated for 

preferred procurement. Supports the 

development of USDA procurement reporting 

tools and provides information resources and 

training to the USDA procurement community, 

as well as to other Federal agencies, for the 

purchase of biobased products and the inclusion 

of biobased components in contracts. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Radiation Safety Radiation Safety is responsible for 

administering the USDA radiation safety 

program including ensuring compliance with 

licenses issued by the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) for use of radioactive 

materials in research and other programs. Six 

agencies use radioactive materials that require 

radiation safety oversight. 

Distribution is based on usage 

of radioactive materials by 

agency personnel. 

Facility and 

Infrastructure Review 

and Assessment 

Provides risk-based security assessments with 

countermeasure recommendations for all 

critical infrastructure within USDA agencies. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Retirement Processor 

Web Application 

(Formerly Self Service 

Dashboard (SSD) and 

Retirement Processor 

Web Application) 

Serves as an e-authenticated single sign-on 

portal for several USDA human resources 

systems and contains a historical database that, 

together with the Retirement Processor Web 

application, enables employees to run various 

retirement calculation scenarios. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 486

Activity Description Cost Distribution 

Preauthorized Funding Provides a funding mechanism for reimbursable 

activities involving other Federal Departments 

and the USDA that arise during the current 

fiscal year. 

Distribution is based on the 

current year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

E-Gov Initiatives Improves information technology (IT) planning 

through the expansion of electronic government 

to deliver significant productivity and 

performance gains across all Federal 

departments. 

Distribution is based on 50 

percent of agency FTEs and 50 

percent of the agency IT 

development, modernization, 

and enhancement (DME) 

spending. 

E-Gov Initiatives 

HSPD12 

Supports the implementation of the Homeland 

Security Presidential Directive 12 (the Common 

Identification Standard for Federal Employees 

and Contractors). 

Distribution is based on 100 

percent of agency FTEs. In FY 

2006 the cost Distribution was 

based on a 50/50 blend of 

nationwide FTEs and agency 

IT DME investment budgets 

submitted as part of the Exhibit 

53 submission to the Office of 

the Chief Information Officer. 

E-Gov Initiatives - 

Content Management 

Services 

Content Management Services is comprised of 

three related modules that utilize and rely upon 

the core components of the USDA’s corporate 

document management infrastructure: Stellent, 

Oracle, and WebSphere. The Content Analysis 

Module (CAM) is designed to analyze and 

display content such as public comments 

regarding an issue or proposal. 

Distribution is based on 50 

percent of agency FTEs and 50 

percent of the agency IT DME 

spending. 

FEMA Emergency 

Preparedness 

Supports actions for procurement of an 

emergency relocation site, telecommunications, 

and miscellaneous support in the event of an 

emergency. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for each 

USDA agency. 

Consolidated Federal 

Funds Report 

Supports the Federal Assistance Awards Data 

System (FAADS) and the Consolidated Federal 

Funds Report (CFFR) and the Federal Audit 

Clearinghouse. The Census Bureau collects the 

information and prepares the report as executive 

agent for the Office of Management and 

Budget. 

User percentages are based on 

each agency’s share of Federal 

fund grants for the Department 

and Federal Audit 

Clearinghouse records. 

USDA HSPD12 

LincPass Maintenance 

Mandates the establishment of a new standard 

for credentialing Federal government 

employees and contractors. 

Distribution is based on current 

fiscal year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings in each 

agency. 

Transit Subsidy In accordance with Executive Order 13150, the 

USDA is providing all qualifying employees 

nationwide a direct transit subsidy in order to 

reduce Federal employees’ contribution to 

traffic congestion and air pollution and to 

expand their commuting alternatives.

Distribution is based on each 

agency’s percentage of the 

actual costs for each quarter. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 487

Wood Education and Resource Center 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional Direction, but is included to provide information 

about this program. 

Overview 

The Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) was started in 1999 when legislation was 

enacted authorizing the Forest Service to assume operation of the former Robert C. Byrd 

Hardwood Technology Center (RCBHTC) in Princeton, West Virginia. Under Forest Service 

management, WERC focuses on primary and secondary wood processing, woody biomass 

utilization using multidisciplinary approaches, efficient utilization of urban tree removals, 

partnerships to solve forest products related issues, as well as the following activities: 

 maintaining and expanding a competitive hardwood industry that provides jobs and markets 

for local community needs, 

 increasing communication, cooperation, and collaborative problem solving within the forest 

products industry, 

 supporting woody biomass utilization for energy, 

 advancing market development and utilization of trees affected by insects, diseases, and 

weather events, and 

 supporting appropriate green building initiatives and carbon storage in wood products. 

WERC programs help maintain and improve wood industry productivity and competitiveness in 

a sustainable manner within the 35 states of the eastern hardwood region. Viable wood products 

markets enable sustainable forest management on private, State, and Federal lands. WERC staff 

includes a Biomass Coordinator position to provide leadership for woody biomass-to-energy 

efforts across the State & Private Forestry’s Northeastern Area. WERC’s biomass coordination 

efforts have resulted in a partnership with several engineering consultants that provide 

preliminary assessments of energy system conversions. These are completed for schools, 

hospitals, office, and business facilities. 

The primary authority used in carrying out WERC activities is the Cooperative Forestry 

Assistance Act. WERC is funded from a number of budget line items including Forest Health 

Management-Cooperative Lands, State Fire Assistance, Forest Stewardship, Urban and 

Community Forestry, and Hazardous Fuels. 

FY 2016 Program Changes 

The FY 2016 budget request includes $960,000 for WERC, the same as the FY 2014 and FY 

2015 requests. Funds will provide priority services and support to the eastern hardwood forest 

region, particularly the wood industry. At this level of funding, WERC anticipates that few new 

competitive grants will be issued. Salaries for support activities will be approximately $740,000, 

leaving $220,000 for operating and other expenses. WERC staff will continue to work and 

expand partnerships to complete priority projects. Partners include State Foresters and their 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 488

staffs, wood products industry, non-profits, local governments and agencies, other Northeastern 

Area staff members to meet its mission and goals. Key aspects of WERC’s staff time is to 

ensure appropriate grant monitoring and provide technical assistance, training, and information 

transfer specifically focused on meeting the market and utilization needs identified in the State 

Forest Action Plans from the northeastern and southern states and the new Northeastern Area 

strategic plan. 

FY 2013-FY 2016 WERC Allocations

(dollars in thousands) 

Program 

FY 2013 

Allocation 

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Enacted 

FY 2016 

Pres. Budget 

WERC $960 $960 $960 $960 

In FY 2016, WERC will continue to work with partners to host or sponsor workshops and 

training for owners and managers of wood products businesses. In addition, WERC will provide 

technical assistance to a potential lessee of the WERC mill and shop in order to maintain a 

successful business operation that more fully utilizes the facilities and enhances employment 

opportunities to local residents. 

The Forest Service will provide technical expertise to industry, States, and other partners on 

market development; wood processing; utilization of damaged trees from insects, diseases, and 

weather events; green building; and implementation of a woody biomass strategy. 

FY 2014 Accomplishments 

In FY 2014, WERC cooperated with the WO Cooperative Forestry office to successfully conduct 

a Statewide Wood Energy Team competitive grants program which enabled the funding of 11 

statewide wood energy teams in the states of 

Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Montana, New 

Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, 

West Virginia, and Wisconsin. To assist with the 

successful development of statewide wood energy 

teams, WERC initiated quarterly webcasts for team 

leaders and team members. In addition, WERC also 

assisted WO Cooperative Forestry with a second 

national competitive grants (Wood-to-Energy) 

program. This competitive grants program focused 

on assisting potential wood energy projects with 

financial assistance for costs associated with final 

engineering and permitting expenses. 

WERC continued its outreach efforts to industry and communities by providing over 20 

industry-related workshops/training sessions/webinars/webcasts/presentations. Topics included: 

wood energy, urban wood utilization, firewood, and small sawmilling techniques. Three 

webcasts were conducted to specifically address needs of the urban forestry community 

pertaining to market development and utilization of trees affected by insect and disease issues. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 489

WERC allocated $205,000 to three new or existing grants and agreements that focus on wood 

energy preliminary assessments and industry training. These agreements focused on maintaining 

or expanding the economic competitiveness and sustainability of wood products manufacturing 

businesses, ultimately leading to job creation as well as improved forest health and stewardship. 

WERC’s Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team has prepared more than 120 prefeasibility 

studies for facility owners throughout its service territory, generating significant project savings 

for facilities that converted to wood energy. These projects have resulted in a more productive 

and sustainable wood products industry in the Eastern U.S. 

Allocation and Partnerships 

WERC accomplishes its mission through several venues including: 

 workshops and trainings held at WERC, on the 

web, and at remote locations; 

 biomass energy technical support through 

energy engineer consultants conducting 

prefeasibility evaluations of facilities 

considering conversion to woody biomass for 

heat and power; 

 a Web site clearing house for information; and 

 technical assistance and support regarding 

utilization and market development for trees 

damaged from insects, diseases, and weather 

events; and regional operations in a cluster 

model at the Princeton WERC (research, 

technical transfer, and private industry 

partnerships on-site). 

Training programs focus on industry 

competitiveness, survivability, and sustainability 

issues. This focused effort will assist the wood 

industry in facing today’s critical challenges 

especially in the areas of job preservation and 

creation. 

WERC maintains and fosters partnerships with 

organizations, universities, non-profits, and forprofit organizations. WERC has invested over 

$12 million in over 200 projects in 26 states since 

2005, in cooperation with the wood and forest 

industries. Project details and results can be viewed by visiting 

http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/werc/p_search.cfm. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 490

Working Capital Fund, Forest Service 

Overview 

The Forest Service Working Capital Fund (WCF) provides orderly and efficient supply and 

equipment service in support of Forest Service programs. The Department of Agriculture 

Organic Act of August 3, 1956, as amended by the Act of October 23, 1962 (15 U.S.C. 579b), 

established the WCF. The WCF is a self-sustaining revolving fund that provides services to 

national forests, research stations, other Federal agencies, and as provided by law, to State and 

private cooperators. 

The WCF requires no appropriation. Initially, regular Forest Service appropriations purchased 

assets and donated the assets to WCF. The WCF rates are determined so that WCF recovers 

operating and replacement costs. The WCF provides the following services: 

 Equipment Leasing Services, which owns and rents vehicles and aircraft, and 

 Enterprise Services, which are reinvention teams accomplishing project work that improves 

customer service and reduces costs. 

The table below displays the volume of business for major WCF activities: 

Volume of Business for Major WCF Activities 

(dollars in thousands) 

Type FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 

 Enacted Enacted* Pres Budg*

Equipment - Fleet $164,880 $187,210 $189,409

Equipment - Aircraft $11,095 $8,212 $8,606

Nursery $11,028 $11,311 $11,659

Enterprise Services $43,775 $45,000 $46,000

Total $230,778 $251,733 $255,674

* FY 2015 Enacted and FY 2016 President’s Budget estimates were calculated using approved 5-year Cash Flow statements. 

Each year the 5-year estimates can change based on specific needs at the time. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 491

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report expenses 

necessary for the Working Capital Fund - Fleet Management. 

Overview 

The Forest Service uses a working capital fund (WCF) to procure and operate motor vehicles and 

other fleet equipment in support of Forest Service programs. The WCF does not receive direct 

appropriations, but receives its authority through payment for services from appropriated 

accounts. The WCF rates are determined so that WCF recovers operating and replacement costs 

within a certain time period. The WCF supports Equipment Leasing Services, an entity that 

owns and rents vehicles and other fleet equipment. 

Program Priorities 

In FY 2007, a fleet feasibility study recommended increasing the percentage of agency-owned 

fleet. A later (FY 2011) fleet business process re-engineering study supported the 2007 

recommendation. The Forest Service currently owns approximately 90 percent of its motor 

vehicles, and rents about 10 percent from the General Services Administration and commercial 

vendors. The goal of the agency is to retain and operate a total number of vehicles to provide the 

most cost effective and fuel efficient mix to meet the needs of the agency. The WCF 

expenditures will remain fairly constant over time, as the majority of fleet reductions will occur 

through the reduction of leased vehicles (which are not part of WCF). 

Vehicle Allocation Methodology and Procurement Practices 

As part of the annual vehicle replacement process, the Forest Service units conduct assessments 

of fleet operations that analyze vehicle effectiveness, cost-to-serve, life cycle cost, vehicle 

pooling, and operating costs. Concurrently, vehicles with utilization that falls below agency 

standards (minimum annual mileage or days of use) are placed in motorpools, transferred to 

other units or outplaced. On-going fleet needs are determined by the Forest Service managers 

based on transportation and equipment needs to achieve their goals within the allotted budget. 

Alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) are chosen, when available. Often the limiting factor in the use 

of AFVs is the availability of alternative fuel in the geographic area. 

Utilizing national guidelines, the region and station fleet specialists identify vehicles eligible for 

replacement. The final decision to procure a replacement vehicle is made at the region and 

station level. When a fleet addition or upgrade is required, a formal review and approval 

procedure is followed and documented. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service 

Special Exhibits 492

Program Oversight 

To assure that the fleet program provides safe, efficient, and environmentally sound fleet 

equipment, and to ensure the safe, economical, and legal acquisition, operation, maintenance, 

and disposal of that equipment, the Forest Service uses a combination of the following:

Financial Incentives - Forest Service organizations, programs, and projects pay monthly 

rates on all WCF equipment assigned to them. This payment structure encourages 

dropping non-essential vehicles. Dropped vehicles are reassigned to other units in need, 

who pick up the payments on the vehicles. 

Business Practices - Standard business practices require national and regional review. 

These include the physical property inventory, the annual assessments of fleet needs for 

scheduling replacements and holdovers, and the annual review and recalculation of 

monthly rates. The Forest Service recently implemented a formalized review and 

approval procedure for all fleet additions and upgrades. Reduction of vehicle upgrades 

and replacing larger vehicles with smaller vehicles could result in significant cost 

savings, in large part due to associated fuel efficiency savings from smaller, more 

efficient replacement vehicles. 

Monitoring - Typically, a region reviews fleet management activities on two to four 

national forests each year, and the national office reviews one to two regions. 

Unit line officers, with the concurrence of Forest Supervisors, regularly adjust the fleet size, mix, 

and assignment throughout the year. This helps ensure an optimal fleet and helps to keep the 

fleet safe, effective, cost efficient, and in line with legal requirements. 

 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 493 

Forest Service Budget Authorities 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Acquisition of Lands, Special Acts, San Bernardino National Forest Land Conveyance and Settlement 

Provides authority for the conveyance of a small parcel of public domain land in the San Bernardino National Forest in the State of California and changes the authorization for collection and retention of receipts first authorized under the Sisk Act P.L. 90-171. 

NFS P.L

Agricultural Act of 2014, Insect and Disease Infestation 

Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) to require designation of an insect and disease priority treatment area in at least one National Forest per State, if requested by the Governor. Treatments in those areas may be conducted in accordance with the authorities provided for fuels treatments in HFRA and also may be categorically excluded. Also, authorizes $200,000,000 per year for these activities through 2024. 

NFS, SPF P.L. 1

Agricultural Act of 2014, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) 

Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to revise the FIA strategic plan within 180 days of enactment. 

Research P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 494 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Agricultural Act of 2014, Forest Products Advanced Utilization Research 

Amends the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 to add a Forest Products Advanced Utilization provision requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forestry and forest products research and extension initiative to develop and disseminate science-based tools that address the needs of 

the forestry sector. These activities must be carried out in coordination with the Forest Service, inclidng the Forest Product’s Laboratory. 

September 30, 

2018

Research P.L. 1

Agriculture Grants and Powers Act of 1965 

Provides authority to erect buildings and other structures on non-Federal land, if longterm lease on the land is obtained. Also, provides authority to make competitive grants to eligible institutions, including special grants and grants for facility renovation and refurbishment, to further the programs of the Department of Agriculture. 

ALL P.

106

11
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 495 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 

This Act authorizes management of Federal lands in Alaska for subsistence uses of fish and wildlife, providing the opportunity for rural residents to continue their subsistence way of life. This Act also allows that receipts from oil, gas, timber, coal, and other natural resources collected by the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior are available to prepare, offer, and administer the timber sale program on the Tongass National Forest. Authorizing up to $5,000,000 in annual transfers of receipts to a special fund. 

NFS P.L. 9

Anderson-Mansfield Reforestation and Revegetation Act of 1949 

Requires the agency to accelerate and provide a continuing basis for the needed reforestation and revegetation of national forest lands and other lands under Forest Service administration or control. This Act authorizes appropriations as needed to provide for reasonable continuity of reforestation and vegetation programs. 

NFS P.L. 8

Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 

Authorizes the use of appropriated funds for the preservation and protection of historical and archaeological resources. 

NFS P.L. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 496 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Arizona National Forest Improvement Act of 2000 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain administrative sites in national forests in the State of Arizona, to convey certain land to the City of Sedona, Arizona for a wastewater treatment facility, and for other purposes. 

NFS P.L

Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937 

Sections 31 and 32 of this Act authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a program of land conservation and land utilization, in order to assist in controlling soil erosion, reforestation, preserving natural resources, and to cooperate with Federal, State, territorial, and other public agencies in development and implementation of plans. This Act also provides authority to dispose of, or exchange, land acquired for the land utilization and conservation program.Section 32 also gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to regulate the use and occupancy of the property acquired by, or transferred to, the Secretary under or for the purposes of the Bankhead-Jones Act. This Act authorizes the transfer of lands acquired under the Act to other Federal, State, or Territorial agencies subject to a public reverter provision. 

NFS P.L. 7
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 497 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, 25 percent of revenues to counties 

This Act authorizes annual payments on a calendar year basis to counties, equal to 25 percent of net revenues received during the year (excluding receipts from the sale of land). Counties shall use these payments for schools and/or roads. This Act pertains primarily to national grasslands and land utilization projects. 

NFS P.L. 7

Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange all or part of certain administrative sites and other NFS land in the State of Oregon and use the proceeds derived from the sale or exchange for NFS purposes. 

NFS P.L

Black Hills National Forest and Rocky Mountain Research Station Improvement Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange all or part of certain administrative sites and other land in the Black Hills National Forest and use funds derived from the sale or exchange to acquire replacement sites and to acquire or construct administrative improvements in connection with the Black Hills National Forest. 

NFS P.L

Boise Laboratory Replacement Act of 2000 

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange the Boise laboratory site (as defined by this Act), and use the resultant funds to acquire land and facilities to: (1) co-locate the laboratory with one of the Boise-area State institutions of higher 

NFS P.L. 9

P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 498 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

learning; (2) replace other laboratory functions; and (3) acquire other land or interests in Idaho. 

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978 

Section 18(e) authorizes the construction of dispersed recreation sites and trails outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Section 7(d)(3) authorizes funding to acquire land and water within the designated wilderness. Also, see ThyeBlatnik Act of June 22, 1948, as amended (16 U.S.C. 577h), cited in paragraph 3. 

NFS P.L. 9

Brush Disposal Act of August 11, 1916 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of national forest timber to deposit the estimated cost to dispose of brush and other debris resulting from their cutting operations. 

NFS P.L. 6

Burton-Santini Lake Tahoe Basin Act of December 23, 1980 

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, with the concurrence of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, to acquire specified unimproved, environmentally sensitive land to be administered as part of the United States National Forest System or, if unsuitable for administration as such, to be transferred to a unit of State or local government with specified restrictions. Permits the acquisition of specified portions 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 499 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

of the Lake Tahoe Basin. This authority expires when all Clark County, Nevada, land specified in the Act is sold by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 

Carlson-Foley Act of 1968 

This Act authorizes use of noxious plant control funds reimburse States for such activity on Federal land. 

NFS, SPF P.L. 9

Coconino and Tonto National Forest Land Exchange Act 

This Act provides for the exchange of five certain parcels of land in the Coconino and Tonto National Forests in Arizona, and for other purposes. 

NFS P.L

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) 

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 authorizes the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund, establishing a Treasury fund to be used to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of carrying out and monitoring ecological restoration treatments on National Forest System land. The Act authorizes $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2019, to remain available until expended. Actual appropriated amounts have varied by year. 

9/30/2019 NFS P.L. 1

T
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 500 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of 1986, land acquisition provisions 

Sections 9 and 16a of the Act authorizes land acquisition within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. 

NFS P.L. 9

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of November 17 of 1986, establishment 

Establishes the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Washington and Oregon. Designates special management and urban areas within such scenic area. Directs the Secretary to administer the Federal lands within the special management areas according to forest and multiple-use management regulations applicable to the national forests. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to each State for grants and loans for economic development in counties which have adopted conforming land use ordinances. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to counties to develop land use ordinances under this Act. Allocates timber receipts from special management area funds. Directs the Secretary to make payments to local governments to compensate for lost real property taxes from federally acquired lands. 

SPF, NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 501 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Commercial Filming 

The Act of May 26, 2000 authorizes retention of fees collected for commercial filming and photography land use authorizations and the obligation of the monies for the maintenance of the filming site. Land use fees are based on a schedule to use and occupy NFS land for filming/photo activities. This fee is separate from the cost recovery fee to process applications and monitor and the authorization for compliance with the commercial filming permit. 

NFS P.L

Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA) 

Title II of this Act created the Spectrum Relocation Fund (SRF) to provide a centralized and streamlined funding mechanism through which Federal agencies can recover the costs associated with relocating their radio communications systems from certain spectrum bands, which were authorized to be auctioned for commercial purposes. 

NFS P.L

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program 

The 2008 Farm Bill amended the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to establish a program to provide federal matching grants to help local governments, Tribes, or nongovernmental organizations acquire private forests that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. Properties acquired are working forests open to public 

SPF P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 502 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

access. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as necessary. 

Community Forest Restoration Act 

Extends authorization to make funds available for use on non-Federal lands under State and Private Forestry appropriation. 

WFM P.L

Community Wood Energy Program 

The Agricultural Act of 2014 authorizes $5,000,000 in annual appropriations for a Community Wood Energy Program through FY 2018. Grants of up to $50,000 to State and local governments or biomass consumer cooperatives to develop plans for, or to acquire or upgrade community wood energy systems. 

09/30/2018 SPF P.L. 1

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) 

Forest Service Policy is to use Forest Service CERCLA authority and processes to respond at sites under Forest Service jurisdiction or control where hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants threaten human health or the environment. Many abandoned mine sites are CERCLA sites, since heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and others that may occur in surface water at mine sites are listed as hazardous substances. Further, the Forest Service may invoke CERCLA at mining sites where “pollutants or contaminants” 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 503 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

such as sediment, or metals such as iron or aluminum which are not listed hazardous substances, are impacting the environment. 

Cooperative Firefighting Funds Retention 

Any money collected from the States for fire suppression assistance rendered by the Forest Service on non-Federal lands not in the vicinity of National Forest System lands shall hereafter be used to reimburse the applicable appropriation and shall remain available until expended. 

SPF P.L

Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 

Authorizes cooperation and assistance to non-Federal forest landowners and communities in rural forest management, urban and community forest management, production of timber and other forest resources, insect and disease control, rural fire prevention and control, forest management and planning assistance, and technology implementation. Includes authorization for many State and Private Forestry programs, including the Forest Stewardship Program, the Forest Legacy 

SPF P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 504 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Program, and the Urban and Community Forestry Program. 

Cooperative Forestry Innovation Partnership Projects 

Allows the Secretary to competitively allocate up to 5% of CFAA funds for innovative education, outreach, or technology transfer projects. Funds would be available to States, Tribes, local governments, land-grant, or private entities with a 50% cost share. 

SPF P.L

Cooperative Funds Act of June 30, 1914, Forest Investigations, Protection and Improvement 

This Act authorizes the acceptance of contributions for cooperative work in forest investigations, protection, management, and improvement of the National Forest System. 

NFS 

Cooperative Funds Act of June 30, 1914, Wildland Fire Protection 

The Act grants Federal Agencies the authority to maintain wildland fire protection organizations for the protection of federal lands and for the States to assist local fire departments in maintaining wildland fire 

WFM 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 505 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

protection resources for the protection of State and privately owned lands. Structure and dump fire protection, which are the responsibility of local fire departments, are independent of this agreement. 

Cooperative Funds and Deposits Act 

This Act authorizes the Forest Service and cooperator(s) to perform work from which they would accrue mutual non-monetary benefit in the areas of cooperative pollution abatement; cooperative manpower, job training, and development programs; development and publication of cooperative environmental educations and forest history materials; and, forestry protection. Authorizes cooperation for fire protection for public good and where there is mutual benefit, other than monetary consideration. 

WFM P.L. 9

P.L. 9

Cradle of Forestry The Act of July 4, 1968 authorizes the 

Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with, and receive the cooperation of, public and private agencies and organizations and individuals in the development, administration, and operation of Cradle of Forestry in western North Carolina. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to accept contributions and gifts to further the purposes of the Act. The 6,500-acre Cradle of Forestry Historic Site in the Pink Beds valley, NC, was established by Congress in 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 506 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

1968 and contains the first official school for forestry in America.. 

Department of Agriculture Grants and Powers Act of 1965 

Section 1 authorizes the erection of buildings and other structures on non-federal land, with long-term lease and right-toremove, and authorizes the use of appropriations for expenses necessary to acquire long-term lease. Provides authority 

for long-term leases on non-federal land and building structures on non-federal land, if a long-term lease on the land is obtained. 

ALL P.L. 8

Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 

Section 703 authorizes the erection, alteration, and repair of buildings and other improvements on Federal land that are necessary to conduct authorized work, provided provision is made in applicable appropriations. 

CIM P.L. 7

Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1956 

This Act authorizes the acquisition of land by purchase, exchange, or other means, to carry out authorized work, provided that provision is made in applicable appropriations. This is one of the primary authorities for acquisition of lands with Land and Water Conservation Fund moneys. 

NFS P.L. 8

Department of Agriculture Organic Act - Aviation, Lookout Towers, & 

Authorizes the Forest Service, by contract or otherwise, to provide for procurement and operation of aerial facilities and services for the protection and management of the 

WFM P.L. 7
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 507 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Fire Management national forests and other lands administered 

by the agency. 

Eastern Wilderness Act of 1975 

Sections 6 and 9 authorize the acquisition, exchange, and donation of land for inclusion in the Eastern Wilderness system. 

NFS P.L. 9

Endangered Species Act of 1973 

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. Section 7 requires federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the NOAA Fisheries Service to ensure that actions they authorize, fund or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat of such species. Sections 5 and 15 authorize the acquisition of land to protect threatened and endangered species. 

NFS P.L. 9

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act (Forest Legacy) 

Authorizes grants to States for carrying out the Forest Legacy Program, including the acquisition by the State of lands and interests in lands. 

SPF P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 508 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 

This Act authorizes the acceptance of contributions for cooperative work in forest investigations, protection, management, and improvement of the National Forest System. 

NFS P.L

Federal Highway Act 

This Act establishes the Federal Highway Trust Fund, managed by the Department of Transportation. Federal highway construction, maintenance, and other projects defined in the Act are financed from the Federal Highway Trust Fund. The Department of Transportation transfers these monies to the Forest Service for highway projects pertinent to National Forest System lands. 

CIM P.L. 8

Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1988 

Section 4 of this Act authorizes appropriations to consider, process, and consummate land exchanges pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 USC 1701). 

NFS P.L

Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act 

This Act authorizes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell parcels of public land regarded as “in –holdings” to reduce land management costs and fragmentation. This authority expires in the year 2010 at which time any unobligated funds will be added to the existing Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

07/25/2011 P.L

248

11

sec

Federal Lands This Act provides authority to implement a 09/30/2016 NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 509 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Recreation Enhancement Act 

fee program for certain recreation sites on Federal lands. Fees collected from users of recreation facilities are used to pay for onthe-ground operation, maintenance, and improvements of recreation sites and services to maintain and enhance recreation opportunities, visitor experiences, and related habitat. Funds are available until expended. The Act directs the creation of Recreation Resource Advisory Committees to allow for public involvement on recreation fee programs. 

P.L. 1

P.L

164

11

Federal Water Project Recreation Act, 1965 

The Act has provided up to 50 percent of the costs of recreation facility development at certain reservoirs when a non-Federal entity entered into an agreement to provide the remaining development funds; to pay all of the costs of operations, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R); and to manage the area for public recreational use. For reservoirs constructed before 1965, the Federal contribution for the development of recreation facilities was limited to $100,000 for each reservoir. 

NFS P.L. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 510 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

FLAME Act of 2009 

The FLAME Act of 2009 states, " ..for fiscal year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amounts requested by the President for a FLAME Fund should be not less than the amount estimated by the Secretary concerned as the amount necessary for that fiscal year for wildfire suppression activities of the Secretary that meet the criteria specified..." The criteria are fires that 1) cover 300 or more acres, 2) pose significant complexity, severity, or threat to human life, property, or resources. 

FLAME P.L. 1

Florida National Forest Land Management Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange certain parcels of land in the State of Florida, and for other purposes. 

NFS P.L

Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 

Designates the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the lead agency of the Federal government for agricultural research, extension, and teaching. It also removes restrictions on the use of cooperative agreements with universities and permits cost reimbursable agreements with State cooperating institutions without competition. 

ALL P.L. 9

Food Security Act of 1985 

Authorizes a conservation acreage reserve program, and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize the services of the Forest Service and other Federal and State agencies to carry out the program. 

ALL P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 511 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

Section 1241 authorizes the Modern Timber Bridge Initiative, with an authorization of $5,000,000 annually. Section 1271 authorizes assistance to landowners who suffer destruction of 35 percent or more of a commercial tree stand due to damaging weather, related condition, or wildfire. Section 2371 authorizes the establishment of and economic development and global marketing program, including technology transfer to natural resource-based industries in the United States. The Healthy Forest Initiative amended section 2371 the Act to create the “Rural Revitalization Technologies” program, which provides for the accelerated adoption of technologies in the biomass industry. Sections 2372-2379 authorize economic assistance to rural communities in or near national forests. 

SPF P.L

Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 

Requires preparation of a renewable resource assessment, program plans, inventories, and budget request, and an update to these plans every 10 years. 

ALL P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 512 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 

The Act authorizes the Forest Service to conduct, support, and cooperate in investigations, tests, and other activities necessary to obtain, analyze, develop, demonstrate, and disseminate scientific information about forest and rangeland renewable resources in rural, suburban, and urban areas. It authorizes competitive grants and advance of funds to cooperators and grantees; research encouraging improved reforestation of cutover lands; and development and implementation of improved methods of survey and analysis of forest inventory information. An amendment made under P.L. 101-624 established a forestry student grant program for minority and female students. 

NFS P.

307

10

P.L

Forest Botanical Products 

The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Act of 2000 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to charge and collect fees from persons who harvest forest botanical products to cover costs to the agency. Funds collected are deposited in a special fund in the Treasury. This authority is authorized through September 30, 2019, with the funds collected available for expenditure through September 30, 2020. 

09/30/2019 NFS P.L

113

1

P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 513 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Forest Inventory Analysis Data Privacy 

The FY 2000 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act added Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program to the existing Food Security Act of 1985, thus providing a legal basis for protecting the privacy of the data suppliers. 

R&D P.L

Forest Service Administration of Rights-Of-Way and Land Uses (Cost Recovery) 

This Act provides authority to implement a pilot program to improve customer service to applicants and holders of special land use authorizations and reduce the agency’s backlog of expired authorizations. The authority allows the Forest Service to charge a fee for analysis of special use authorizations. The Act originally granted the authority until Sept 30, 2012; the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriation Act, 2013 extended the authority until September 30, 2013. 

Permanent NFS P.L

11333

113-6

P.L

16

113-6

1

P.L. 1

Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act (FSFREA) 

This Act provided authority to convey unneeded administrative sites and retain the proceeds for building maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction. In addition, projects initiated under the pilot authority of P.L. 107-63, Section 329 may continue under the provisions of the FSFREA. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 extended the authority to September 30, 2016. 

09/30/2016 NFS P.L. 1

P.L. 

P.L. 1

Forest Service The Interior and Related Agencies 09/30/2008 CIM P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 514 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Facility Realignment Pilot 

Appropriation Act of 2002 provided authority through September 30, 2008 to implement a pilot program that allowed the agency to retain proceeds from the conveyance of excess structures and expend the receipts for building maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction. 

Sectio

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research 

The Act of June 30, 1978 authorizes the acceptance and use of donated funds for research activities. 

R&D P.L. 9

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests to the Department of Agriculture 

The Act of October 10, 1978 authorizes agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to accept donations for nonresearch activities (i.e., land or other real property). 

ALL P.L. 9

Global Change Research Act of 1990 

Establishes the Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences, part of the Federal Coordinating Council on Science, Engineering, and Technology under the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the Executive Office of the President. Authorizes funded participation in the United States Global Change Research Program as the Forest Service Global Change Research Program. 

R&D P.L

Global Climate Change Prevention Act of 1990 

Establishes a Global Climate Change Program at USDA to study the effects of global climate change on agriculture and 

09/30/2018 Internationa

l Forestry; 

R&D

P.L

624

10
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 515 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

forestry. The Program Direction shall coordinate policy analysis, long range planning and research across the Department and with other Agencies. The Act also establishes the Office of International Forestry to be responsible for the international forestry activities of the Forest Service and establishes the Institutes of Tropical Forestry; authorizes the creation of a pilot project in urban forestry. 

P.L

23

Good Neighbor Authority 

The Agricultural Act of 2014 expanded Colorado Good Neighbor Act authority (CGNA) to Puerto Rico and all States with National Forest System lands. (Also includes BLM managed lands) Through this authority the Secretary of Agriculture, via cooperative agreement or contract, can permit State agencies to perform watershed restoration and forest management services on National Forest System lands when similar and complementary restoration services are being performed on adjacent State or private lands. 

Permanent P.L. 1

Granger-Thye Act of April 24, 1950 

This Act authorizes cooperation with other parties to perform work for permittees, agencies, organizations, and persons for work that the Forest Service is authorized to do, on lands of the United States. Also allows for research funds to be advanced to 

ALL P.L. 8
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 516 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Also allows for research funds to be advanced to cooperators. Authorizes assistance for work on other than Forest Service jurisdictions. 

Grazing Permits The terms and conditions contained in the 

expired, transferred, or waived (or renewed prior to 2004) permit or lease shall continue in effect under the renewed permit or lease until such time as the Secretary completes processing of such permit or lease in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations or until the expiration of the renewed permit, whichever comes first. At which time such permit or lease may be canceled, suspended or modified, in whole or in part, to meet the requirements of such applicable laws and regulations. 

Permanent 

(western States)

NFS P.L

108325

111-88

1

P.L. 1P.L. 1

P.L

Grey Towers National Historic Site Act of 2004 

Creates permanently available Grey Towers National Historic Site Fund. The Secretary is authorized to enter into Agreements for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements as appropriate with the Pinchot Institute, public and other private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals to provide for the development, administration, maintenance, or restoration of land, facilities, or Forest Service programs at Grey Towers or to otherwise further the purposes 

NFS P.L

447
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 517 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

of this section. 

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research 

This Act establishes the Institute of Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research in Princeton, West Virginia, previously named the Robert C. Byrd Hardwood Technology Center in West Virginia. Certain revenues shall be deposited into a special Treasury fund to be available for obligation until expended. 

SPF P.L

Hawaii Tropical Forestry Recovery Act of 1992 

This Act grants authorities to the Secretary of Agriculture to treat invasive plants on Federal and non-Federal ownerships in Hawaii and in tropical forests on Federal lands in other States. 

SPF, 

Internationa

l Forestry

P.L

Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 

Title I of HFRA provides for expedited environmental review, a pre-decisional Forest Service administrative review process, and other measures on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management 

ALL P.L

148

11
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 518 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

(BLM) lands that are at-risk of catastrophic fire. Titles II through VI authorize various forest health restoration programs, including promoting the use of woody biomass, creating the Health Forest Reserve Program, and providing watershed forestry assistance. 

Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forestry Recovery Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot program to demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource management activities recommended in the Quincy Library Group-Community Stability Proposal. The Secretary shall conduct the pilot project on the Federal lands within Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, and the Sierraville Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in the State of California designated. 

09/30/2012 NFS P.L

277

11

Se

Historic Preservation Act of 1966 

This Act authorizes use of appropriated funds for the preservation and protection of historical and archaeological resources. 

NFS P.L. 8

Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Preservation of Historical and Archaeological Data 

These Acts authorizes use of appropriated funds for the preservation and protection of historical and archaeological resources and protection of archaeological data. 

NFS P.L. 9

P.L. 

P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 519 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to charge reasonable user fees for the admission, occupancy, and use of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; and may sell for salvage value any facilities and improvements which have been transferred under this Act. The Secretary may use amounts in the fund, in such amounts as are provided in advance in Appropriation Acts, for restoration and administration of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

NFS P.L

Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie creation 

Established the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois, to be managed as part of the National Forest System. This Act also authorized the conversion of Joliet Army Ammunition Plant to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Further, certain revenue receipts from the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie are authorized for deposit into a special Treasury fund to be available for obligation until expended. 

NFS P.L

Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995, special use authorizations 

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to issue agricultural special use authorizations or grazing permits for purposes primarily related to erosion control, provision for food and habitat for fish and wildlife, or other resource management activities consistent with the purposes of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 520 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

International Forestry Cooperation Act of 1990 

Authorizes support (including cooperation, financial, and technical assistance, without reimbursement) for international forestry and related natural resource activities outside the United States and its territories. Authorizes expansion of the research capabilities of the Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico. 

Internationa

l Forestry

P.L

513

10

Interpretive Associations (FS Partnership Agreements) 

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture may enter into an agreement with a Federal, Tribal, State, or local government or a nonprofit entity to develop, produce, publish, distribute, or sell educational and interpretive materials and products and other purposes. 

09/30/2019 P.L. 94

P.L. 1

Job Corps Comptroller General Decision B-215842, 

dated June 25, 1986, (65 Comp.Gen.666). In accordance with this Comptroller General Decision Job Corps reimbursable authority is restricted to the activities of collections from non-students for meals in the students’ dining hall and collections from students for lost and/or damaged tools and clothing. 

NFS

KnutsonVandenberg Act of June 9, 1930 

The Knutson-Vandenberg Act established a special fund to collect a portion of timber sale receipts to pay for reforesting the area from which the timber was cut. The Act was amended in 1976 to allow the use of these funds for other sale area improvement 

NFS P.L. 7

P.L. 94

P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 521 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

activities. The FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Act amended this authority to allow for the expenditure of unused funds, not needed for work on the sale area, on other areas in the same Forest Service region. 

Lake Tahoe Restoration Act 

This Act enables the Forest Service to plan and implement environmental restoration activities and forest management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin, along with other Federal, State, local, regional, tribal, and private entities to improve water quality. 

NFS P.L

Land Acquisition Act of March 3, 1925 

This Act authorizes the purchase of land for administrative sites and acceptance of donations of land when no suitable Government land is available. Appropriated funds must be available for the purpose for which the land is to be used. This authority is subject to an annual, service-wide limitation of $50,000. 

NFS P.L. 6

P.L. 8

Land and Facilities Conveyance (Realignment) 

CONVEYANCES AUTHORIZED.—In the manner provided by this title, the Secretary may convey an administrative site, or an interest in an administrative site, that is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary. The conveyance of an administrative site under this title may be made—(1) by sale; (2) by lease; (3) by exchange; (4) by a combination of sale and exchange; or (5) by such other 

9/30/2016 P.L. 10

P.L.1 1P.L. 1116 U.S580d 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 522 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

means as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 

Created by Congress in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. The Fund receives money from fees paid by companies drilling offshore for oil and gas. Other funding sources include the sale of surplus federal real estate and taxes on motorboat fuel. 

9/30/2015 NFS P.L. 8

Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 

This Act establishes the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Trust Fund and the LBL Management Fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, responsibility for the LBL National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee transferred from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to the Secretary of Agriculture. The Act directed the Tennessee Valley Authority to deposit into the LBL Trust Fund $1,000,000 for five years, to be available until expended. The Act also authorizes the Forest Service to retain certain recreation revenue receipts from the Land Between the Lakes National 

NFS P.L

277, T

of Se
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 523 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Recreation Area, to be deposited into the LBL Management Fund to be available for obligation until expended. 

McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962 

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate and assist State colleges and universities in forestry research on a matching funds basis. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make competitive grants to a State agricultural experiment station, college, or university, research institution or organization, Federal agency, private organization, or corporation with the demonstrable capacity to conduct 

forestry, natural resource, and environmental research; and to update research facilities and equipment available for this type of research. 

R&D and 

SPF

P.L. 8

P.L

Mineral Materials Act of 1947 

This Act provides authority to: (a) dispose of mineral material and (b) approve and issue permits to explore and develop oil and gas leases. 

NFS P.L. 8
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 524 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Mississippi National Forest Improvement Act of 1999 

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange U.S. right, title, and interest in and to specified lands in Mississippi. Makes proceeds from such sales or exchanges available for the construction of a research laboratory and office at the Forest Service administrative site at Mississippi State University at Starkville, Mississippi; the acquisition, construction, or improvement of administrative facilities in connection with National Forest System units in the State; and the acquisition of land and interests in land for units of the NFS in the State. 

NFS P.L

Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 

Clarifies Forest lands are to be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, wildlife, and fish. Authorized and directed the development and administration of the renewable surface resources of the National Forests for multiple use and sustained yield of the several products and services obtained there from. 

NFS P.L. 8

Mutually Beneficial Agreements 

Established permanent authority for the Forest Service to enter in to mutually beneficial agreements with public or private agencies, organizations, institutions, or persons. Exempts watershed restoration and enhancement agreements and agreements 

ALL P.L. 1

sec
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 525 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

under the first section of P.L. 94-148 from Chapter 63 of Title 31, United States Code. 

National and Community Service Act of September 21, 1993 

Authorizes the Secretary to enter in to contracts or cooperative agreements with any qualified youth or conservation corps for completion of conservation work. 

NFS P.L. 1

National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 

The NFMA requires that the Forest Service prepare and revise at fifteen-year intervals a land management plan (LMP) for each national forest to provide for multiple use and sustained yield of the products and services obtained from the forest. NFMA also establishes restrictions on timber harvest, such as provisions that harvest can only occur where soil, slope or other watershed conditions will not be irreversibly damaged. The Act directs the Secretary to develop regulations to set out the process for the development and revision of land management plans. 

NFS P.L. 9

National Forest Roads and Trails Act of 1964 

This Act authorizes the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of National Forest System roads and trails. Also authorizes the construction of roads using cooperative financing from other agencies. 

CIM P.L. 8
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 526 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 

The Act authorizes the issuance of permits for use and occupancy of suitable lands within the National Forest System for construction and maintenance of buildings, structures, and other facilities for hotels, resorts, summer homes, stores, industrial or commercial purposes, education or other public use, alpine and nordic skiing operations, and so forth. 

NFS P.L. 9

National Forest System Drug Control Act of 1986 

Authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to prevent and control drug abuse on National Forest System lands, including investigative powers beyond the exterior boundaries of the National Forest System. For employment, equipment, facilities, training, and cooperative programs, $10 million annually. 

LEI P.L. 9

National Trails System Act of 1968 

Sections 7 and 10 authorize the acquisition, exchange, and donation of land for the National Trails System and for development, management, and volunteer assistance on the system. 

CIM P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 527 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Organic Administration Act of 1897 

The Act provides authority for the administration, protection, and management of the National Forests, for the purposes of improving and protecting the forest, securing favorable conditions of water flows, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States. The Act also directs the Secretary of Agriculture to protect National Forests against destruction by fire and depredations. 

NFS, WFM 

Organizational Camp Fees 

The Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 provides authority to establish a land use fee system for the occupancy and use of NFS lands by organizational camps that serve young people or individuals with a disability. 

NFS P.L. 

Payment for Receipts for Schools and Roads 

The Act of May 23, 1908, as amended, commonly known as “Payments to States”, authorizes annual payments on a fiscal year basis to States equal to 25 percent of revenues from the sale of goods and services by the national forests. States shall use these payments for schools and roads. 

P.L. 6

Pest and Disease Revolving Loan Fund 

Pest and Disease Revolving Loan Fund (Section 10205) – establishes a revolving loan fund to provide low interest loans to local governments to finance purchases of authorized equipment to monitor, remove, 

SPF P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 528 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

dispose of, and replace infested trees. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as are necessary. 

Pipelines Act of 1920, Mineral Leasing Act 

Rights-of-way through any Federal lands may be granted by the Secretary of the Interior or appropriate agency head for pipeline purposes for the transportation of oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid or gaseous fuels, or any refined product. 

NFS P.L. 6

Private Schooling, Puerto Rico 

Funds available to the Forest Service may be used for the purpose of expenses associated with primary and secondary schooling for dependents of agency personnel stationed in Puerto Rico at a cost not in excess of those authorized for the Department of Defense for the same area, at the discretion of the Chief of the Forest Service. 

09/30/2019 ALL P.L

447

109-54

1

P.L. 1

Quarters Operations and Maintenance 

This Act authorizes the collection of rental income from employees living in government residences. Such rents and charges shall be deposited in a special Treasury fund, to remain available for obligation until expended, for maintenance and operation of quarters. 

ALL P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 529 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Quinault Special Management Area 

The Act of November 8, 1968 establishes the “Quinault Special Management Area” from part of the Olympic National Forest, and assigns responsibility to the Forest Service for managing its natural resources and distributing proceeds from the sale of forest products according to provisions of the Act. 

NFS P.L

Reciprocal Fire Protection Act, Fire Protection Agreements and Mutual Aid Agencies 

Authorizes agreements between agencies of the United States Government and other domestic agencies, including State and local entities and instrumentalities for mutual aid in fire protection and allows for reimbursements for costs incurred by the Department of Agriculture for fire protection rendered to be credited to the same appropriation or fund from which the expenses were paid. . 

WFM P.L. 

N

ass

Reforestation Trust Fund 

The Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Act establishes the Reforestation Trust Fund which receives monetary resources through an annual warrant from Treasury, of monies received for certain customs duties and tariffs. No more than $30,000,000 may be deposited annually. The trust fund balance is available for reforestation and other “treatment of acreage.” The Act’s provisions give investment authority to the Forest Service 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 530 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

for the trust fund balance. 

Research Facilities Act of 1963 

This Act authorizes support for agricultural research (including forestry) at eligible institutions through Federal grant funds, on a matching funds basis, to help finance physical facilities and equipment as required for the effective conduct of agricultural research and related academic programs. 

R&D P.L. 

P.L. 9

P.L. 9

Research Grants Act of 1958 

Provides, to agencies authorized to enter into contracts for basic scientific research with nonprofit institution and organizations, authority to make grants to such institutions and organizations; title to equipment purchased with such grants being vested with the nonprofit organization or institution. Such sums as are necessary; no expiration date. 

R&D P.L. 8
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 531 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 

An Act to provide technical and financial assistance for the development of management plans and facilities for the recovery of energy and other resources from discarded materials and for the safe disposal of discarded materials, and to regulate the management of hazardous waste. RCRA was last reauthorized by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. The amendments set deadlines for permit issuance, prohibited the land disposal of many types of hazardous waste without prior treatment, required the use of specific technologies at land disposal facilities, and established a new program regulating underground storage tanks. 

ALL P.L. 9

Resource Management Timber Receipts 

The 1990 Appropriations Act made excess receipts from timber sales available for support costs of National Forest System programs as follow: 6 percent for trail maintenance, 4 percent for trail construction, 20 percent for wildlife and fish habitat management, 20 percent for soil, water and air management, 5 percent for cultural resource management, 5 percent for wilderness management, 10 percent for reforestation and 30 percent for timber sale administration and management. No excess receipts were generated after 1989 and the balance of this fund was expended in FY 

does not expire 

but there have 

been no excess 

receipts 

generated since 

1989; final funds 

spent in FY 

2012.

NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 532 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

2012. 

Restoration of National Forest Lands and Improvements Act 

This Act authorizes establishment of a fund for improvement, protection, or rehabilitation of National Forest System lands. This fund receives monies from (a) a forfeiture of a bond or deposit by a permittee or timber purchaser (b) the result of a judgment, compromise, or settlement of any claim, involving present or potential damage to lands or improvements. Funds are available until expended to cover the costs of performing the required work. 

NFS P.L. 8

Retention of Receipts, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 

This Act authorizes the Forest Service to retain 15 percent of certain recreation receipts to defray the costs of collecting those receipts. 

NFS P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 533 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Rights-of-Way for Highways 

Forest highways are generally constructed by the FHWA and then transferred to State ownership and control. This act authorizes appropriate transfer, to States, National Forest System lands for highway rights-ofway. 

CIM P.L. 8

Roads and Trails for States (Ten percent fund) 

Act of March 4, 1913, as amended, commonly known as “Ten-percent Roads and Trails”, authorizes 10 percent of all moneys received from the national forests during each fiscal year shall be available to be expended for the construction and maintenance of roads and trails within the national forests in the States from which such proceeds are derived. Annual appropriation acts have amended this Act to allow the Secretary of Agriculture to expend funds without regard to the State in which the amounts were derived. 

NFS P.L. 6

Roads and Trails for States (10 Percent) Fund), transfer to Treasury 

The Department of the Interior Appropriations Act of 2010 directed “That funds becoming available in fiscal year 2010 under the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury and for any other purpose unless the funds are appropriated.” 

CIM P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 534 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum and Nature Center 

The Act of June 6, 1968 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with, and receive the cooperation of, agencies, organizations and individuals in the development, administration, and operation of the Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum and Nature Center in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to accept contributions and gifts to further the purposes of the Act. 

NFS P.L. 9

Rogue River Conveyance and Improvement Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the administrative site for the Rogue River National Forest and use the proceeds for the construction or improvement of offices and support buildings for the Rogue River National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management. 

NFS P.L

Rural Communities Technical Assistance 

Starting in FY 1993, the Administrative or General Provisions language of the Interior Appropriations Act allows employees to interact with and provide technical assistance to rural communities for sustainable rural development outside the boundaries of National Forest System lands. 

NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 535 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Rural Revitalization Technologies 

Authorizes $5,000,000 in annual appropriations for forestry rural revitalization technologies to: (A) accelerate adoption of technologies using biomass and small-diameter materials; (B) create community-based enterprises through marketing activities and demonstration projects; and (C) establish small-scale business enterprises to make use of biomass and small-diameter materials. 

09/30/2018 SPF P.L

P.L. 1

Secure Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act of 2000 

This Act, originally authorized through FY 2006 as P.L. 106-393, provides choices to counties to either receive a guaranteed level of annual payments for roads and schools and other authorized purposes, as well as funding for specific resource improvement projects on the national forest where the county is located, or to receive payments under the Act of May 23, 1908. The Act was reauthorized through FY 2011 on October 3, 2008 in P.L. 110-343, Division C, Title VI. It was then reauthorized through FY 2012 on July 6, 2012 in P.L. 112-141 with some changes to funding levels, and reauthorized through FY 2013 by P.L. 113-40. (The last payment will be made in 2014 for FY 2103 receipts.) 

09/30/2013 P.L

393

11

P.L

14

1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 536 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Service First The Secretaries of the Interior and 

Agriculture, subject to annual review of Congress, may establish pilot programs involving the land management agencies referred to in this section to conduct projects, planning, permitting, leasing, contracting and other activities, either jointly or on behalf of one another. 

ALL P.L

29

109-54

111-8

1

Shasta Trinity Marina Permit Fee Collection 

A permit fee for a marina on the ShastaTrinity National Forest shall be deposited in a special account in the Treasury established for the Secretary of Agriculture, and shall remain available to the Secretary of Agriculture until expended, without further appropriation, for purposes stated in section 808(a)(3)(A-D) of title VIII of division J of 

Public Law 108-447 (16 U.S.C. 6807), and for direct operating or capital costs associated with the issuance of a marina permit. 

9/30/2019 NFS P.L

P.L. 1

P.L. 1

Sisk Act of 1971 This Act authorizes cooperation with States 

and political subdivisions in enforcement of State and local laws on National Forest System lands, and reimbursement of States and political subdivisions for expenditures incurred in such activities. 

NFS, SPF P.L. 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 537 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Small Tracts Act of January 12, 1983 

This Act authorizes the sale, exchange, or interchange of National Forest System lands of forty acres or less and of $150,000 or less in value. 

NFS P.L. 9

Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 

This Act authorizes cooperation in soil and water resource appraisal and conservation. 

12/31/2018 ALL P.L. 9

P.L

Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 

This Act authorizes proceeds from the sale of public lands in Southern Nevada to be used to acquire environmentally sensitive lands in the State of Nevada. Lands acquired that are within the boundaries of a unit of the NFS, become part of that unit. 

NFS P.L

Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004, Ecological Restoration Institutes 

Establishes institutes to demonstrate and promote the use of adaptive ecosystem management to reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore the health of fire-adapted forest and woodland ecosystems of the interior west. If the Secretary determines that an Institute does not qualify for further Federal assistance under this Act, the Institute shall receive no further Federal assistance under this Act until such time as the qualifications of the Institute are reestablished. Authorizes $15 million annually. 

WFM P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 538 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

State and Private Forestry Redesign 

Allows for a portion of CFAA funds, determined by the Secretary, to be competitively allocated to State Forestry agencies. No new authorization of appropriations. 

SPF P.L

State-wide Assessment and Strategies for Forest Resources 

Authorization of appropriations for Statewide assessment and strategies for forest resources. Authorizes $10,000,000 in annual appropriations for State-wide assessments of forest resource conditions. Plans must be submitted by May 22, 2010 for a State to be eligible to receive funds under the authorities of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-313), as amended. Additionally, the Secretary may use any other funds made available in the FY 2008 farm bill for planning, not to exceed $10,000,000 per fiscal year. Annual reports from the States on the use of funds are required. 

09/30/2018 SPF P.L

Stewardship Contracting 

This Act authorizes the Forest Service to enter into stewardship projects via agreement or contract to perform services to achieve land management goals and meet local and rural community needs. The Agricultural Act of 2014 made this authority permanent. 

Permanent NFS P.L. 

P.L. 1P.L. 1

P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 539 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Terry Peak Land Transfer Act of 1999 

This Act requires the conveyance of certain NFS lands at the Terry Peak Ski Area to the private ski area owners and to utilize the proceeds to acquire more desirable lands for the United States for permanent public use and enjoyment. 

NFS P.L

Texas National Forests Improvement Act of 2000 

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain administrative sites for National Forest System lands in the State of Texas, to convey certain National Forest System land to the New Waverly Gulf Coast Trades Center, and for other purposes. 

NFS P.L

The Smokey Bear Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to deposit all fees collected under regulations promulgated by the Secretary relating to “Smokey Bear”, into a special Treasury account to be available to further the nationwide forest fire prevention campaign. Most fees deposited under this Act are royalty fees from Smokey Bear character-licensing collection agreements with merchandisers. 

P.L. 8
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 540 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

The Woodsy Owl Act 

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to deposit all use or royalty fees collected for the manufacture, reproduction, or use of the name or character “Woodsy Owl” and the associated slogan, “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”. The Secretary shall deposit all fees revenue into a special Treasury account, to be available for obligation and expenditure for the purpose of furthering the “Woodsy Owl” campaign to promote the wise use of the environment and programs which foster maintenance and improvement of environmental quality. 

P.L. 9

Thye-Blatnik Act of June 22, 1948, Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness 

The Act established the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the Superior National Forest and subsequently revised the designation and boundaries to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Mining Protection Area. 

NFS P.

35

9

Thye-Blatnik Act of June 22, 1948, Payments to Minnesota Counties 

This Act, commonly known as “Payments to Minnesota Counties”, authorizes annual payments on a fiscal year basis to the State of Minnesota from any national forest receipts not otherwise appropriated, an amount equivalent to three-quarters of 1 

percent of the fair appraised value of certain 

national forest lands specified in the Act, situated in three Minnesota counties (sec. 61.2). Payments under the Act of May 23, 

NFS P.

35

9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 541 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

1908 (sec. 60.1 paragraph 1), shall not be applicable to the national forest land to which this Act applies. 

Timber Salvage Sales (authorized by NFMA) 

NFMA authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of salvage timber to make monetary deposits in a designated Treasury fund to cover the costs for sale preparation and administration, and the engineering design and administration of any needed roads necessary for the harvesting of salvage timber. Funds are available until expended. 

NFS P.L. 9

Timber Purchaser Elect (authorized by NFMA) 

NFMA authorizes the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of National Forest System roads and trails; cooperation with States, counties, and other subdivisions; construction of roads by timber purchasers; and election by timber purchasers to have the Forest Service construct the roads. 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 542 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Timber Roads, Purchaser Election 

The Department of the Interior Appropriations Act of 1999 authorizes small business timber purchasers to elect to pay the Forest Service to construct or reconstruct any permanent roads or bridges required by the timber sale. The timber purchaser must be classified as a small business operator, and the total estimated reconstruction and construction cost in the timber sale contract must exceed $50,000. 

NFS P.L

Timber Roads, Purchaser Election Construction Program 

This Department of the Interior Appropriations Act of 2008 authorized the use of $15,000,000 from current balances of the Purchaser Election Fund for vegetative treatments. 

NFS P.L

Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration Fund 

The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Action of 1996 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and deposit revenues from a specific set of timber sales. The sales, known under the program as first generation sales, had been suspended legally for various environmental reasons and were released under P.L. 104-19, [title II, Sec. 2001(k)], July 27, 1995. The revenues are to be used prepare timber sales and addressing the backlog of recreation projects. Revenues from the sale of timber prepared using these funds are also deposited into this fund and 

NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 543 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

are available for preparation of additional timber sales and recreation backlog projects. 

Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration Fund, Office of General Counsel opinion 

Office of General Counsel Opinion dated December 13, 2002. This opinion states that timber sales under the Timber Pipeline Restoration program must use sales receipts for payments to States before net receipts are deposited into the Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration Fund. 

NFS

Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990 

This Act established the Tongass Timber Supply Fund with related appropriations to finance the consistent supply of saw timber from the Tongass National Forest to meet the annual market demand as defined in the Act and to use wood products which might otherwise not be utilized. 

NFS P.L

Transfer of funds to BLM for Wild Horse and Burro and Cadastral surveys 

Authorization to transfer up to $10,000,000 from the National Forest Systems appropriation to BLM for removal, preparation, and adoption of excess wild horses and burros from NFS lands, and for 

Permanent NFS P.L

447

1

P.L. 1
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 544 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

cadastral surveys.. 

Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2002 

This Act authorizes Federal agencies to receive and use revenue resulting from waste prevention and recycling programs. Such revenue shall be available until expended for the purpose of waste reduction, prevention and recycling. The FS uses this authority for its "Go Green" program in which funds are collected from recycling and can be used to accomplish clean-up activities on the unit. 

ALL P.L. 1

T

Treatment of Contributions of Volunteers 

The Forest Service may consider the value of services performed by person who volunteer their services to the Forest Service and who are recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator as an in-kind contribution of the cooperator for purposes of any cost sharing requirement under any Forest Service authority to enter into mutual benefit agreements. 

9/30/2019 ALL P.L. 1

Trust Fund Authorization 

Section 1321 of Title 31 of the United States Code authorizes Trust Funds. 

NFS 

U.S. Mining Laws Act of May 10, 1872 

This Act governs mining activities for valuable minerals on public domain lands. 

ALL 
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 545 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Use and Occupancy Permits Act of 1915 

To permit the use and occupancy of areas for the purpose of constructing or maintaining hotels, resorts, summer homes, commercial purposes, and other structures. (Note: There are special provisions under P.L. 99-522 for ski areas). 

NFS P.L. 6

Use of Funds for Program Information Purposes and for Nonmonetary Awards 

Hereafter, any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service may be used to disseminate program information to private and public individuals and organizations through the use of nonmonetary items of nominal value. This act also provides for nonmonetary awards of nominal value and to incurring of necessary expenses for the nonmonetary recognition of private individuals and organizations making contributions to Forest Service programs. 

P.L

Valles Caldera Preservation Act of July 25, 2000 

This Act authorizes the Valles Caldera Trust to receive and collect funds in support of the management and administration of the Preserve. Pursuant to the 2015 Defense Authorization Act, the Valles Caldera Preserve will be transferred to the management of the National Park Service in FY 2015. Any unobligated balances in the fund after the transfer is complete will be transferred to the Department of the Interior. 

NFS P.L
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 546 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Virginia Land Conveyance and Improvement Act 

Authorizes the sale or exchange of all or parts of certain administrative sites and other lands in the George Washington National Forest and the Jefferson National Forest. Authorizes the use of sale revenue to acquire a replacement site and to construct on the site suitable improvements for national forest administrative purposes. 

NFS P.L

Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Agreements 

Appropriations for the Forest Service may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture for the purpose of entering into cooperative agreements with willing Federal, tribal, State and local governments, private and nonprofit entities and landowners for the protection, restoration and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and other resources on public or private land, the reduction of risk from natural disaster where public safety is threatened, or a combination thereof or both that benefit these resources within the watershed. 

ALL P.L

27

323

111-1

Weeks Act of 1911 Sections 1 and 2 authorize land acquisition 

for watershed protection and timber production. One of the primary authorities for land acquisition with Land and Water Conservation Fund moneys. 

NFS P.L. 6

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 

Sections 6 and 16 authorize land acquisition, exchange, and donation of land for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic River System. 

NFS P.L. 9
FY 2016 Budget Justification US

Budget Authority 547 

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority 

Expiration date 

(if applicable) 

Programs 

Affected 

Public 

Cita

Wilderness Act of 1964 

Sections 5 and 6 provide authority for acquisition, exchange, and donation of land for inclusion in the Wilderness System. 

NFS P.L. 8

Wildfire Suppression Act 

This Act authorizes reciprocal agreements with foreign fire organizations for mutual aid in wildfire protection. 

WFM P.L. 1

Youth and Conservation Corps activities 

Together, the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 and the Public Lands Corp Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2005 provide for the conduct of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes by qualified youth or conservation corps up to $12 million per year. 

NFS P.L