United States

Department of

Agriculture

FiscalYear2017BudgetOverview

Forest

Service February 2016
USDA Forest Service Snapshot

The Forest Service manages 193 million acres in 44 States and territories

representing 30 percent of all federally owned lands.

There are 154 national forests, 20 national grasslands, and eight national

monuments managed by the Forest Service.

Seven research units, including the Forest Products Laboratory and the

International Institute for Tropical Forestry employ more than 500

scientists working at the forefront of natural resource and social science

to improve the health and use of our Nation’s forests and grasslands.

Scientists, engineers and cartographers staff and operate two Technology

and Development Centers, 80 Experimental Forests, and a Geospatial

Service and Technology Center in support of scientific advances in

resource management.

The Forest Service manages 28 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers in

18 states with a capacity to house, educate, and train over 6,200 young

Americans. Students can complete their GED or high school diploma, take

college classes and get training in more than 30 occupations.

The Forest Service manages 442 wilderness areas, encompassing more

than 36 million acres of rare, wild lands for the American people, today

and in the future.

The Forest Service employs approximately 35,000 scientists,

administrators, and land managers.

Working with partners, Forest Service programs restored or enhanced

more than 6.1 million acres of public and private forest lands in FY 2014,

making them more resilient to the effects of wildfire.

Various activities on Forest Service lands contribute more than $36 billion

to America’s economy each year supporting nearly 450,000 jobs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of

race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status,

religion,sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's

income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with

disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,

etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of

discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 1

Contents Page

Forest Service Overview................................................................................................................. 3

Value of the Forest Service............................................................................................................. 3

Jobs and Economic Activity ....................................................................................................... 4

Other Benefits............................................................................................................................. 5

Challenges to Conservation ............................................................................................................ 6

Forest Service Response ................................................................................................................. 8

Sustain Our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands............................................................................. 8

Foster Resilient, Adaptive Ecosystems to Mitigate Climate Change ..................................... 9

Mitigate Wildfire Risk .......................................................................................................... 10

Conserve Open Space ........................................................................................................... 10

Deliver Benefits to the Public................................................................................................... 10

Provide Abundant Clean Water ............................................................................................ 11

Strengthen Communities....................................................................................................... 12

Connect People to the Outdoors ........................................................................................... 12

Apply Knowledge Globally...................................................................................................... 12

Advance Knowledge............................................................................................................. 13

Transfer Technology and Applications................................................................................. 13

Exchange Natural Resource Expertise.................................................................................. 13

Summary of Proposed Legislation................................................................................................ 14

Future Outlook.............................................................................................................................. 15
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 2

Appendices, Supplemental Materials, and Maps

A. Budget Summary

B. Three-Year Summary of Appropriations

C. Three-Year Summary of Full-Time Equivalents

D. Revenue, Receipts and Transfers Table

E. Summary of Budget Line Item Changes

F. Land Acquisition Projects List

G. Forest Legacy Projects List

H. Facilities Major Projects List

I. Key Performance Measures

J. Forest Service Organization Chart

K. National Forest and Grasslands Map

L. Research and Development Facilities and Experimental Forests Map

M. Classification of Objects

N. Project Statement
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 3

In the spirit of our motto at the USDA Forest Service, “Caring for the land and serving people,” 

this budget overview summarizes the goods, services, values, and benefits that the American 

people will get from the Forest Service in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Here, we summarize our

priorities in serving the American people and our many corresponding programs and activities; 

you can find full details in the program sections of our Budget Justification.

We begin by describing the Forest Service and the value people get from our activities. Next, we 

outline some of the challenges facing the Nation’s forest and grassland resources. Finally, you 

will see how we propose to meet those challenges on your behalf and with your help—through 

partnerships and collaboration.

Forest Service Overview

Our mission at 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. The Forest 

Service manages a system of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands in 44 States and

Puerto Rico. The National Forest System includes specially designated wilderness areas, wild 

and scenic rivers, national monuments, research and experimental areas, and other unique natural 

and cultural treasures. These lands encompass 193 million acres, an area almost twice the size of 

California. They have some of the richest resources and most breathtaking scenery in the world,

as well as drinking water for millions of Americans; these lands also help create or maintain

hundreds of thousands of jobs. Thousands of communities across the Nation depend on the 

national forests and grasslands for their social well-being and economic prosperity. Thousands of 

businesses, both big and small, offer recreation services to help people enjoy the spectacular 

landscapes and resources the national forests and grasslands have to offer.

As the Nation’s leading forestry organization, we also serve Americans in other ways. We 

support the sustainable stewardship of non-Federal forest land across the Nation, including 426

million acres of private forest land, 69 million acres of State forest land, 19 million acres of 

Tribal forests, and 130 million acres of urban and community forests. In addition, we maintain 

the largest forestry research organization in the world, with more than a century of discoveries in 

such areas as wood and forest products, fire behavior and management, and sustainable forest 

management. In an age of global interconnectedness, we also support the sustainable stewardship 

of forests around the world. We have given technical assistance to people in more than 80 

countries worldwide.

Value of the Forest Service

America’s forests, grasslands, and other open spaces are integral to the social, ecological, and 

economic fabric of the Nation. People and the communities they live in depend on natural 

resources from forests and grasslands for their livelihoods and well-being. The value of 

ecosystem services flowing from the Nation’s forests alone has been estimated to range from 

$96.5 billion to $5.7 trillion annually,

1 with benefits valued at between $303 and $17,857 for 

every American each year. This is a conservative estimate, because many benefits that people get 

 1 De Groot, R.S.; Brander, L.; Ploeg, S. [et al.]. 2012. Global estimates of the value of ecosystems and their services 

in monetary units. Ecosystem Services 1(1): 50‒61.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 4

from healthy ecosystems cannot be expressed in monetary terms. Our job at the Forest Service is 

to protect and restore the ability of America’s forests and grasslands to deliver all the social, 

economic, and ecological values and benefits that Americans want and need, both now and for 

generations to come.

Jobs and Economic Activity

The benefits from Forest Service programs and activities include jobs and economic activity, 

especially in rural areas where other sources of employment and economic growth might be few. 

Jobs and economic benefits stem not only from public use of the national forests and grasslands 

but also from Forest Service management activities and infrastructure investments.

In FY 2011, for example, the various activities on the National Forest System contributed over 

$36 billion to America’s gross domestic product and supported nearly 450,000 jobs.

2 Over 68 

percent of the contribution to the economy was associated with direct use of National Forest 

System lands and resources, including land use fees from privately delivered recreation services

(such as ski areas, outfitting and guiding, and campground concessions); expenditures related to 

skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation; and income from 

livestock grazing as well as the generation of energy, minerals, and forest products. More than 26 

percent was tied to agency expenditures, such as for restoration treatments—activities designed 

to restore the health and resilience of degraded forests and ecosystems. Of the remaining 5

percent, about half came from payments to States and counties to support schools, roads, and 

other government services. The rest came from other expenditures, such as operating Job Corps 

centers and Federal Highway Administration programs on forest roads.

Forest Service investments in research and development also create jobs. In October 2015, the 

President released a new Strategy for American Innovation, calling on the Nation “to renew our 

commitment to innovation to drive economic growth and shared prosperity for decades,” thereby 

ensuring that “we lead the world in the next generation of cutting-edge innovations.” Forest 

Service scientists lead the way in conservation-related research and in developing new uses for 

forest products, thereby creating new jobs and economic activity. As the world moves to address 

climate change, top priorities for Forest Service researchers include developing green building 

materials and green wood-to-energy technologies.

A wide range of Forest Service partners contribute to the agency’s own investments in land 

management projects and activities. In FY 2014, for example, we entered into more than 9,300 

grants and agreements with partners who added $613 million in cash and noncash contributions.

Combined with our own contribution of nearly $700 million, the total value of these partnerships 

was over $1.3 billion. 

The total value of our grants and agreements surpassed the value of our contracts for the 

acquisition of goods and services for the direct benefit of the Forest Service. The growing value 

of grants and agreements demonstrates the increasing importance of partnerships in fulfilling the 

Forest Service mission. Many of these partnership projects were accomplished by volunteers and 

 2 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).
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 5

by participants in conservation and service corps. In FY 2014, more than 109,000 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 (FTE) positions (2,080 hours per FTE).

Other Benefits

Noncommercial uses give crucial benefits and services to the American people. For example, 

many Tribal people use the national forests and grasslands for hunting, fishing, and gathering 

wild foods and other materials for personal use. Tribes also use sacred sites on the national 

forests and grasslands for ritual and spiritual purposes.

Although it is difficult to estimate the cash value of most noncommercial services, the value can 

often be quantified in other ways, as the following examples show.

• Outdoor experiences, access, citizen stewardship, and environmental education. The 

national forests and grasslands attract about 160 million visits per year, mostly for 

recreational purposes. Slightly more than 50 percent of our visitors typically report engaging

in a strenuous physical activity. Visitors also report visiting with family and friends for

picnicking, viewing and photographing wildlife and nature, gathering plants and other natural 

products, and coming to escape noise and crowds and simply relax. Each year, we also get

tens of thousands of volunteers who want to contribute their time and effort to create a public 

lands legacy for the next generation. Studies have shown that outdoor activities, particularly 

in natural settings, contribute to health and well-being by reducing stress and increasing 

fitness, thereby enriching lives and lowering the Nation’s health care costs.

• Water. More than half of the Nation’s surface freshwater flows from public and private forest 

lands,

3 and about 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originates on the national 

forests and grasslands.

4 Forest Service land management, combined with Forest Service 

assistance to private landowners, helps protect the single greatest source of drinking water in 

the Nation. 

• Carbon uptake and storage. Forests capture and store the carbon in greenhouse gas 

emissions, thereby mitigating the effects of climate change. The 766 million acres of forest in 

the United States capture 12 to 14 percent of the total carbon emitted by our citizens each 

year.

• Urban benefits. More than 83 percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas, where 

opportunities to experience nature are often fewer than in rural areas. Citizens across the 

rural‒urban gradient need access to the natural environment and to nature-based activities for 

their overall health and well-being. Our Urban and Community Forestry Program helps

cities, suburbs, and towns across the country improve the condition of community trees and 

forests. The Forest Service also has an array of programs designed to get people into the 

woods, especially children. Each year, we reach an average of more than 5 million people 

through our Conservation Education programs.

 3 USDA Forest Service. 2007. Assessment of the status and trends of natural resources from U.S. forest and range 

lands. FS–875. Washington, DC: Forest Service. 4 Sedell, J.; Sharpe, M.; Apple, D.D. [et al.]. 2000. Water and the Forest Service. FS–660. Washington, DC: USDA 

Forest Service.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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The Forest Service supports sustainable forest management on all of the Nation’s forests through 

our Research and Development and State and Private Forestry programs. Forest landowners of 

all kinds benefit from our forest-related research, as does anyone who buys products made from 

wood. Through our Forest Inventory and Analysis program, for example, we report on forest 

conditions such as volume, productivity, health, and levels of carbon stocks. The forest products 

industry and wood-to-energy industry rely on information from our research to make investment 

decisions.

Fifty-eight percent of the 766 million acres of the Nation’s forested land are privately owned. We 

work closely with the State Foresters to help State forest managers and private forest landowners 

sustainably manage America’s working forests. Through our Forest Health Management 

program, for example, we monitor and assess forest health conditions on all lands nationwide, 

both public and private, tracking outbreaks of insects and disease and funding treatments for

areas at risk. Our Slow the Spread Program has reduced the spread rate of gypsy moth—an 

invasive moth that kills oak forests in the East—by 60 percent, with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 3:1.

Without the program, about 50 million more acres would be infested (an area the size of Kansas), 

resulting in the need for larger and costlier treatments in the future.

America benefits from investments in its green infrastructure, and Americans from all walks of 

life and every demographic group participate. Our commitment at the Forest Service is to ensure 

the ability of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to deliver a full range of jobs and benefits, both 

now and for generations to come.

Challenges to Conservation

The Nation’s ability to protect its forest and grassland resources is now at risk due to drought, 

invasive species, uncharacteristically severe wildfires, and uncharacteristically severe outbreaks 

of insects and disease, all exacerbated by a changing climate. Such stresses and disturbances are 

affecting America’s forests, grasslands, and watersheds across the country. Since 2000, for 

example, at least 13 States have had their largest fires on record, and some have had their records 

broken more than once. Forest Service scientists predict that fire seasons could return to levels 

not seen since the 1940s, reaching 12 to 15 million acres annually.

For the first time in its 110-year history, the Forest Service is spending more than 50 percent of 

its budget to suppress the Nation’s wildfires. As the costs of fighting wildfires have grown, the 

agency has shifted staffing and resources from nonfire to fire-related programs. The shift is 

eroding our ability to serve Americans in myriad ways—such as delivering clean air and water, 

protecting wildlife habitat, and offering opportunities for outdoor recreation, just to name a few. 

Moreover, as fire seasons have worsened, our firefighting costs have routinely exceeded our 

annual budgets for fighting fire, forcing us to “borrow” funds from nonfire programs. Dollars 

taken from nonfire programs for fire suppression interrupt projects and activities that preemptively reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, restore forest health, protect communities, and 

deliver a multitude of other values.

The encroachment of homes and communities into areas prone to wildfire is another growing

management challenge. From 2000 to 2030, the United States could see substantial increases in 

housing density on 57 million acres of private forest land nationwide, an area larger than North 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 7

and South Carolina combined.5 More than 70,000 communities are now at risk from wildfire, 

and less than 15,000 have a community wildfire protection plan or an equivalent plan.6

About 58 million acres of national forest land (almost a third of the National Forest System) are 

at high or very high risk of severe wildfire7. About a fifth of that area—roughly 11 million 

acres—is highest priority for treatment because it is near homes and communities or in highpriority watersheds (such as areas that protect sources of municipal drinking water). All these 

lands are historically subject to frequent fires.

Growth and development are also reducing America’s forest habitat and fragmenting what 

remains. Each day, about 6,000 acres of open space in our Nation is converted to other uses. 

From 2010 to 2060, the United States is expected to lose up to 31 million acres of forest overall, 

an area larger than Pennsylvania.8 Conversion of open space to other uses (including unplanned 

development adjacent to the Nation’s forests and grasslands and to other protected open spaces) 

raises the cost of fighting wildfires, contributes to the spread of invasive species, impedes

traditional public access, increases conflicts among recreational users, and fragments fish and 

wildlife habitat. For example, 27 percent of all forest-associated plants and animals in the United 

States, a total of 4,005 species, are now at risk of extinction.9

Many threatened, endangered, and sensitive species find refuge on the national forests and 

grasslands, but stresses and disturbances are affecting these lands as well. Invasive weeds such as 

kudzu, cheat grass, leafy spurge, and spotted knapweed have infested about 6 million acres on 

the national forests and grasslands, an area the size of Massachusetts. The area affected by an 

epidemic of mountain pine beetle in the West has reached 32 million acres on the national forests 

alone.

Climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges we face by worsening natural stresses 

and disturbances, such as drought, storms, wildfires, and outbreaks of insects and disease. As a 

result, some landscapes are facing conditions unlike any in recorded history. By mid-century, 

forest loss and fragmentation, combined with growing wildfire severity and outbreaks of insects 

and disease, could turn America’s forests from a net carbon sink into a net source of greenhouse 

gas emissions, and thereby feeding, rather than mitigating, global climate change. 

In a country where 83 percent of the population now lives in metropolitan areas, our citizenry 

has become more disconnected from the natural environment than ever before. Research 

 5 USDA Forest Service. 2005. Forests on the edge: Housing development in America’s private forests. PNW‒GTR‒

636. Portland, OR: Pacific Northwest Research Station. 6 USDA Forest Service. 2012. National Fire Plan Operations and Reporting System.

7 USDA Forest Service. 2014. Proceedings of the Large Wildland Fires Conference. May 19-23, 2014 held in 

Missoula, Montana. Washington, DC: USDA Forest Service, 345 pps. 8 USDA Forest Service. 2012. Future scenarios: A technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA 

assessment. RMRS–GTR–272. Fort Collins, CO: Rocky Mountain Research Station. 9 USDA Forest Service. 2011b. National report on sustainable forests—2011. FS–979. Washington, DC: USDA 

Forest Service.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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suggests that the American public, in view of changing demographics and increasingly urban 

lifestyles, is becoming increasingly disengaged from its natural and cultural heritage.

Forest Service Response

To meet the challenges ahead, in FY 2017 the Forest Service will focus on the three strategic 

goals in our Strategic Plan for FY 2015‒2020: (1) sustaining our Nation’s forests and grasslands; 

(2) delivering benefits to the public; and (3) applying knowledge globally. Each of our strategic 

goals has three strategic objectives. 

The President’s proposed budget for discretionary funding for the Forest Service in FY 2017 is 

$4.9 billion, which is $787 million less than the FY 2016 enacted level but with strategic 

increases to meet public demand to increase forest restoration and reduce wildfire threats to 

communities.

The FY 2017 President’s Budget has changes from previous years in the following areas:

• Combining two budget line items (Land Management Planning with Inventory and 

Monitoring) into one (Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring) within 

NFS to make our programs more transparent, increase efficiencies in administration, and 

integrate accomplishments.

• No separate budget line item for Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR). However, we 

will continue to build on organizational behavior and cultural shifts resulting from the 5 

year IRR pilot, and we remain committed to accelerating the pace of forest restoration. 

Therefore, the budget requests the option to transfer a portion of integrated funds to the 

IRR pilot program in Regions 1, 3 and 4 – the exact model that Congress has authorized 

and appropriated for the past five years. 

Sustain Our Nation’s Forests and Grasslands

The Forest Service will respond to the challenges we face by sustaining and restoring healthy, 

resilient forests and grasslands—ecosystems that can withstand and recover from the stresses and 

disturbances they face. Such actions range from fostering resilient ecosystems by restoring the 

natural role of wildland fire as an ecological process; to mitigating fire risk by working with 

people who live in the wildland/urban interface (where homes and communities are intermixed 

with forests, shrublands, and grasslands) to make their homes and communities safer from 

wildfire; to working with private forest landowners to keep working forests from being 

converted to developed uses.

For decades, the Forest Service has focused on protecting and restoring critical forested 

landscapes, not only on the national forests but also with our partners on non-Federal lands. In 

response to the 2008 Farm Bill, all 50 States have prepared comprehensive State forest action 

plans that describe the forested landscapes most in need of protection and restoration. The Forest 

Service has been working with State and other partners to tailor our programs to the State plans, 

applying our resources to the highest priority areas.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 9

The FY 2017 President’s Budget for the Forest Service will fund the treatments and 

infrastructure needed to protect and restore the most critical landscapes. Our goal is to sustain 

and restore ecosystems that are capable of: (1) furnishing clean and abundant drinking water; (2) 

resisting damage from fire, drought, floods, and insects and diseases; and (3) maintaining a 

strong productive capacity, thereby supporting economic opportunities for rural communities. To 

meet our goal, the FY 2017 President’s Budget makes key investments in the following program 

areas: 

• Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program ($40 million which is the same 

level as FY 2016 enacted) to continue the implementation of 23 existing projects to

reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in priority, high-risk areas, improve water quality 

and quantity, increase carbon sequestration, and build on innovative implementation and 

monitoring with our partners. 

• Suppression ($873.9 million which is an increase of $62.9 million above the FY 2016 

enacted level) to fund 70 percent of the 10-year average for fire suppression, currently 

calculated at $1.248 billion. In addition, the proposed cap adjustment would fund the 

remaining 30 percent of costs of fire for the 10-year average as well as any costs incurred

above the 10-year average (which are currently funded through transfers from non-fire 

programs). For FY 2017, the total proposed cap adjustment is $864 million. 

• Hazardous Fuels ($384.1 million representing an increase of $9.1 million above FY 2016 

enacted) to focus fuels treatments in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) on the highest 

priority acres to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire on 1.8 million WUI acres.

• Land Acquisition Program ($65.7 million in discretionary funding which is $2.2 million 

above the FY 2016 Enacted Budget) to consolidate fragmented lands within National 

Forest System borders and specially designated areas to support effective land and 

watershed management. We also request almost $62.3 million in mandatory funding from 

the Land and Water Conservation Fund, for a combined total of $128 million. These 

mandatory funds are part of the President’s proposed Land and Water Conservation Fund 

reauthorization with fully mandatory funds starting in FY 2018.

• Forest Legacy Program ($62.3 million in discretionary funding which is the same as the 

FY 2016 enacted level) to focus on preventing the parcelization of ownership and 

conversion of private forests to other land uses. We also request $37.7 million in 

mandatory funds, from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, for a total funding level 

of $100 million. The Forest Legacy Program is a key component of the President’s 

America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to conserve critical landscapes and reconnect 

Americans to the outdoors through reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund 

as fully mandatory funds starting in FY 2018.

• Forest Products ($359.8 million which is the same level as FY 2016 enacted) to 

accelerate the pace of restoration and continue to work to create healthy landscapes. We 

anticipate the sale of 3.2 billion board feet of timber with this funding level.

Foster Resilient, Adaptive Ecosystems to Mitigate Climate Change

The FY 2017 President’s Budget will make strategic investments across agency programs to 

foster resilient, adaptive ecosystems. We are assessing the vulnerability of the Nation’s 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 10

infrastructure and natural resources to the effects of climate change, and we are working with 

partners through national Climate Hubs to give farmers, forest landowners, and others crucial 

information about climate change impacts. Using all available science, programs, and tools, we 

will continue taking strategic actions to ensure that the Nation’s forests and grasslands can 

recover from stresses and disturbances and continue providing a full range of values and benefits 

to the American people. In addition to increasing the resiliency of America’s forests, we will

restore disturbed landscapes and work with State, private, and Tribal organizations to prevent 

forest land conversion to developed uses and maintain the current extent of our forests.

Mitigate Wildfire Risk

Changes in climate, sustained drought, and increasing fuels continue to challenge our ability to 

manage wildland fire. The Forest Service is able to keep almost 98 percent of all wildfires we

respond to very small, but the few fires that we are not able to promptly suppress tend to get 

much bigger much faster than ever before. Extreme fire behavior has become more 

commonplace; on extremely large fires, firefighters are largely limited to protecting homes, 

communities, and other high-value infrastructure. 

In 2009, Congress passed the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act, 

calling on Federal land managers to develop a joint wildland fire management strategy. Working 

with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Forest Service took the opportunity to involve the 

entire wildland fire community in developing a long-term National Cohesive Wildland Fire 

Management Strategy. Our strategy has three components: (1) restoring and maintaining resilient 

landscapes; (2) developing fire-adapted communities; and (3) responding to wildfire safely, 

effectively, and efficiently. Under the FY 2017 President’s Budget, the Forest Service will 

continue to work with partners in carrying out all three parts of our national strategy.

Conserve Open Space

Open space on private, public, and Tribal lands provides vital ecosystem services, including

clean water; scenic beauty; biodiversity; outdoor recreational opportunities; carbon uptake and 

storage; opportunities for restoration across large landscapes; critical wildlife habitat, including 

wildlife corridors; and natural-resource-based jobs, along with forest products. These services 

come from resilient natural systems that all Americans rely on for overall quality of life. Under 

the FY 2017 President’s Budget, the Forest Service will continue to work with State, private, and 

other partners to conserve open space. Creating connectivity across biologically diverse lands, 

regardless of ownership, might be the most effective strategy for ensuring that ecosystems are 

resilient and capable of adaptation to climate change. 

Deliver Benefits to the Public

The FY 2017 President’s Budget will give the Forest Service the means to manage forests and 

grasslands for all the benefits people get from them. Our goal is to build thriving communities by 

making sure they have abundant clean water, jobs and flourishing local economies, and 

opportunities to connect to the outdoors. To meet our goal, the FY 2017 President’s Budget 

makes key investments in the following program areas:
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 11

• Landscape Scale Restoration ($23.5 million which is an increase of $9.5 million above 

the FY 2016 enacted level) to fund approximately 20 more innovative, cross-boundary 

projects that target priority areas in the States’ Forest Action Plans as those most in need 

of forest health improvement. 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.

• Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness ($264.0 million with an increase of $2.2 million 

above the FY 2016 enacted level) to modernize our recreation special uses program, 

expand access to the National Forest System, increase the capacity of our community 

service and volunteer programs, and enhance citizen access through our system of 

recreation roads and trails.

• Law Enforcement & Investigations (LEI) ($131.6 million which is an increase of $5 

million above the FY 2016 enacted level) to conduct intensive “surge” operations at 

marijuana grow sites to support a comprehensive eradication, dismantling, and 

reclamation strategy. The additional resources will facilitate the removal of all 

infrastructure, trash, debris, water source impacts, and hazardous materials (e.g. 

rodenticides and herbicides) at the active grow sites and provide additional staffing for 

reclamation of inactive and historic grow sites to reduce and mitigate the harmful effects 

and severe environmental damage caused by illegal grows on our public lands.

• Facilities ($71.6 million with an increase of $0.2 million from the FY 2016 enacted level) 

to prioritize funding for critical health and safety maintenance at our developed recreation 

sites and at our fire, administrative, and other facilities. In addition, we will continue to 

emphasize a reduction in our overall facility footprint and the importance of maintaining 

National-level agency facilities.

• Secure Rural Schools (SRS) – the Administration requests a re-authorization of SRS to 

enhance community involvement with title II program delivery and to strengthen 

economic opportunities for local communities.

Provide Abundant Clean Water

Currently, 48 percent of the watersheds on the national forests and grasslands are not functioning 

properly. Under the 2017 President’s Budget, we will continue maintaining and improving 

watersheds on the National Forest System to meet public need for drinking water and to maintain 

the health of the ecosystems we manage. We will take an all-lands approach to improving and 

protecting watershed health, integrating ecosystem function across public and private lands. We 

will work collaboratively across boundaries with a variety of stakeholders, including Tribes;

State, local, and other Federal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; private landowners; and

both rural and urban communities.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 12

Strengthen Communities

Healthy landscapes and healthy communities are inextricably linked, and the Forest Service has a

responsibility to help create and sustain both. Through the lands we manage and the programs 

we administer, we will sustain all the benefits that people and communities get from the National 

Forest System and other natural areas. With a strong focus on place-based and collaborative 

conservation, we will help build thriving communities for all Americans across the rural‒urban 

gradient.

Connect People to the Outdoors

All Americans should have the opportunity to discover the natural world and experience its 

benefits, whether on their national forests and grasslands, in their local urban forests, or in their 

own backyards. Our Nation’s forests and grasslands, community green spaces, and urban forests 

all play a critical role in fostering healthy and sustainable communities and offering 

opportunities for all Americans to connect with the outdoors. The Forest Service plays a critical 

role in helping people make these connections through our many programs, projects, and 

activities. Under the 2017 President’s Budget, we will continue offering high-quality and 

meaningful outdoor experiences while also finding innovative ways to “bring the forest to the 

people” through education, outreach, citizen stewardship, and community assistance programs.

Apply Knowledge Globally

The Forest Service has a long record of land management success, even though we work in 

complex and changing environments. We attribute our success in part to our world-class 

expertise in research and development; our capacity to develop new technologies; our innovation 

in forest products; our ability to conduct resource assessments; and our vast collection of 

geospatial information, inventory data, and monitoring information. 

Through intellectual inquiry and knowledge transfer, the Forest Service will continue offering

land managers and others better information, applications, and tools for natural resource 

management. By improving our fundamental understanding of forests and grasslands, we will 

make better decisions and better achieve our goals of sustaining the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands and delivering benefits to the people we serve. 

The FY 2017 President’s Budget for the Forest Service will fund the research and development 

needed to sustain America’s forests and grasslands and to deliver benefits to people. From onthe-ground natural resource management to long-term strategic policy development, all of our 

efforts to sustain forests and grasslands and to deliver benefits to people depend on new 

knowledge, information, and applications. Our goal is to constantly improve 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. 

To meet our goal, the FY 2017 President’s Budget makes key investments in the following 

program areas:
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 13

• Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) ($77 million with an increase of $2 million from the 

FY 2016 Enacted Budget) to 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 contributions to achieve a 5-year 

cycle.

• Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring ($183.9 million with a net 

decrease of $1.2 million from the FY 2016 enacted level). We will achieve efficiencies in 

several central activities in this planning 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 science-based 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. 

• International Forestry ($8 million, level with the FY 2016 enacted level) to deter illegal 

logging internationally, protect U.S. forests from invasive species, support international 

policy discussions on climate change and the role of forests and grasslands in greenhouse 

gas mitigation, and bring innovative technology developments to the United States. 

Advance Knowledge

The Forest Service is the premier producer of applied forest science. Under the FY 2017 

President’s Budget, we will continue to function as a learning organization, using an adaptive 

management approach in our stewardship of the national forests and grasslands. We will also 

continue to offer technical assistance to other natural resource managers, landowners, 

policymakers, researchers, analysts, and interested parties, helping them incorporate scientific 

discoveries and new knowledge into their decision frameworks. By sharing information and by 

learning from our partners, we will continue to engage in a global conversation about forest and 

grassland conservation and management.

Transfer Technology and Applications

Under the FY 2017 President’s Budget, the Forest Service will continue sharing the tools and 

best practices we use in managing the National Forest System with our Federal, State, Tribal, 

international, and nongovernmental partners. These tools and practices are constantly changing 

as technology evolves and new capabilities become available, as the threats to our landscapes 

shift, and as new partnerships and coalitions emerge to address the threats based on a shared 

purpose.

Exchange Natural Resource Expertise

Under the FY 2017 President’s Budget, the Forest Service will continue to interact with other 

forestry and natural resource management leaders across the Nation and around the world. We 

will work with organizations at the local, State, regional, national, and international level,

exchanging information with Tribes, universities, other agencies, private citizens, commercial 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 14

and nongovernmental organizations, and international scientists and organizations. Through our 

International Programs, we will continue to support sustainable forestry around the world while 

also helping other countries respond to devastating natural disasters. Exchanging natural resource 

expertise helps the Forest Service better understand how forests and grasslands function; find 

new ways of restoring healthy, resilient landscapes and watersheds; discover more effective tools 

for natural resource stewardship overall; and better partner with the American people in 

managing lands across landscapes and ownerships.

Summary of Proposed Legislation

In connection with the FY 2017 President’s Budget, the Forest Service proposes several key 

legislative changes to improve our effectiveness in delivering programs and services:

• Fire Suppression Cap Adjustment. We propose a budget cap adjustment to fund suppression 

costs for large and complex fires. Suppression would be funded at a level that covers 98

percent of the fires we fight, or 70 percent of our 10-year average suppression costs. 

Remaining fire costs would be funded through an “off-budget” fire suppression cap 

adjustment. Off-budget funding would follow from Secretarial declaration of need and the 

imminent end of appropriated discretionary funds. Proposed language amending the 

Appropriations Act is included in our Budget Justification (Appropriations Language 

Changes).

• Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. For FY 2017, we propose increasing

the authorized funding level from $40 million to $80 million and extend the expiration year 

to 2026 for the implementation of at least 10 new projects. We ask for $40 million to 

continue to fund the existing 23 projects. Proposed language is included in our Budget 

Justification (Appropriations Language Changes, General Provisions).

• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. We propose a one-year reauthorization of the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Under the Act, 95 percent of the recreation fees 

collected on a national forest or grassland are retained at the unit where collected, to be 

reinvested in recreation sites and services. This is an interagency proposal together with the 

Department of the Interior. The current act expires on September 30, 2017. Proposed 

language is included in our Budget Justification (Appropriations Language Changes, General 

Provisions).

• Small Tracts Act Conveyance Authority. We propose establishing additional categories of 

NFS land which the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to sell, interchange or exchange, if 

in the public interest. By tying to the existing Small Tracts Act, the Forest Service will be 

better equipped to resolve landownership and management challenges, save limited 

resources, address community needs, and to move appropriate lands into private ownership. 

It would also minimally increase the maximum value of the land that could be conveyed to 

better align with current land values. Proposed language is included in our Budget 

Justification (Appropriations Language Changes, General Provisions).

• Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Administration proposes permanent authorization 

for annual mandatory funding, without further appropriation or fiscal year limitation for the 

Departments of the Interior and Agriculture Land and Water Conservation Fund programs 

beginning in FY 2018. Starting in FY 2018, $900 million annually in mandatory funds would 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 15

become available. In FY 2017, our budget proposes $900 million in total Land and Water 

Conservation Fund funding, comprising $425 million in mandatory and $475 million in 

discretionary funds. Proposed language will be transmitted to Congress following submittal 

of our Budget Justification.

• Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. We support Congress 

reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 

making payments through mandatory funding. The funding for extending the act through 

2020 is included in our Budget Justification, and we look forward to working with the 

Committees to develop the legislative proposal.

• Extension of Grazing Permits. We propose that the terms and conditions of section 325 of 

Public Law 108‒108 (117 Stat. 1307), which regard grazing permits issued by the Forest 

Service on any lands not subject to administration under section 402 of the Federal Lands 

Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1752), shall remain in effect for FY 2017. This 

would address recent amendments to section 402 of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act and public concerns that the amendments do not apply to grazing permits 

issued by the Forest Service on the national grasslands and on eastern national forests. 

Proposed language is included in our Budget Justification (Appropriations Language 

Changes, General Provisions).

• Direct-Hire Authority. We propose Direct-Hire Authority for resource assistant interns who 

have successfully completed the new Resource Assistant Program. The program is designed 

to attract recent graduates of institutions of higher education, with particular emphasis on 

women and on graduates from historically Black, Hispanic, and Native American schools or 

other schools with diverse student populations. Direct-Hire Authority will give us more

flexibility in recruiting successful graduates of the program into our workforce. Proposed 

language is included in our Budget Justification (Appropriations Language Changes, General 

Provisions).

• Grazing Administrative Processing Fees. The Budget includes appropriations language for a 

three-year pilot project to allow the Forest Service to recover some of the costs of issuing 

grazing permits/leases on Forest Service lands. The Forest Service would charge a fee of 

$2.50 per Animal Unit Month, which would be collected along with current grazing fees. The 

fee will assist the Forest Service in processing pending applications for grazing permit 

renewals. During the period of the pilot, the Forest Service would work through the process 

of promulgating regulations for the continuation of the grazing administrative fee as a cost 

recovery fee after the pilot expires. The fees will be credited to the Management of Lands 

and Resources appropriation. The estimate for 2017 is $15,000,000. (Appropriations 

Language Changes, General Provisions).

Future Outlook

For more than a century, the Forest Service has served the American people by making sure that 

their forests and grasslands deliver a full range of values and benefits. America gets enormous 

value from our programs and activities, including hundreds of thousands of jobs and annual 

contributions to the economy worth many times more than our entire annual discretionary 

budget. Americans can benefit tremendously from investing in Forest Service programs and 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview 16

activities to increase their social well-being, economic prosperity, quality of life, and 

opportunities for health and fitness in the Great Outdoors.

Now the Forest Service is facing some of the greatest challenges in our history. Invasive species, 

climate change effects, regional drought and watershed degradation, fuel buildups and severe

wildfires, habitat fragmentation and loss of open space, and devastating outbreaks of insects and 

disease all threaten the ability of America’s forests and grasslands to continue delivering the 

goods, services, values, and benefits that Americans want and need. In response, the Forest 

Service is increasing the pace and scale of ecological restoration. We are restoring healthy, 

resilient forest and grassland ecosystems capable of sustaining and delivering clean air and 

water, habitat for wildlife, opportunities for outdoor recreation, and many other benefits. 

Our budget request focuses on the public’s highest priorities for sustaining our Nation’s forests 

and grasslands, delivering benefits to the public, and applying knowledge globally while 

excelling as a high-performance organization in caring for the land and serving people. Our 

requested budget will enable us to address the growing extent and magnitude of our management 

challenges and the mix of values and benefits that the public expects from the Nation’s forests 

and grasslands. Our research organization will continue to solve complex problems by creating 

innovative science and technology for the protection, sustainable management, and use of all 

forests, both public and private. We will optimize our response to cross-cutting issues by 

integrating our programs and activities, and we will continue our journey toward becoming a 

safe organization, one that values diversity and inclusiveness. We will also continue to reduce 

our environmental footprint and improve our administrative operations for greater efficiency and 

effectiveness.

We will achieve our goals through partnerships and collaboration. Our budget priorities highlight 

the need to strengthen cooperation, collaboration, and public/private partnerships that build on 

our own investments to reach shared goals. Through strategic partnerships, we can accomplish 

more work while also yielding more benefits for all Americans, for the sake of generations to 

come.
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview A-1

Forest Service Budget Summary

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 

Enacted

Program 

Changes

FY 2017 

President's 

Budget

Pay 

Costs*

Annual Appropriations

Discretionary Funds

Forest & Rangeland Research $291,000 $982 $291,982 $2,908

State & Private Forestry 237,023 -3,019 234,004 783

National Forest System 1,509,364 -8,368 1,500,996 14,652

Capital Improvement & Maintenance 364,164 -20,884 343,280 2,717

Land Acquisition 64,601 2,218 66,819 87

Other Appropriations 4,865 -59 4,806 41

Wildland Fire Management 2,386,329 65,116 2,451,445 15,872

FLAME Wildfire Suppression 

Reserve 823,000 -823,000 0 0

Discretionary Funds Total $5,680,346 -$787,014 $4,893,332 $37,060 

Fire Transfer Repayment $700,000 0 

Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 864,096 864,096 0 

Mandatory Appropriations $703,790 -240,504 $463,286 $0 

Grand Total, Forest Service $7,084,136 -$163,422 $6,220,714 $37,060 

*Pay costs are included within each appropriation for FY 2017. The total Pay Cost increase for FY 2017

is $37,060,000. 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Discretionary* 4,488 4,759 5,315 5,097 4,845 4,552 4,897 5,073 5,680 4,893

Mandatory 789 897 800 762 821 813 636 829 704 463

Supplemental/Cap

Adjustment 1,356 1,350 0 0 0 4 600 0 700 864

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

$4,500

$5,000

$5,500

Nominal Dollars (millions)

Ten Year Summary of Appropriations 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview B-1

Three-Year Summary of Appropriations

(dollars in thousands)

 FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Estimates

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Change

Forest & Rangeland Research

Forest and Rangeland Research $296,000 $291,000 $291,982 $982 0%

Forest & Rangeland Research Total 296,000 291,000 291,982 982 0%

State & Private Forestry

Landscape Scale Restoration 14,000 14,000 23,513 9,513 68%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 58,922 58,922 51,382 -7,540 -13%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 45,655 40,678 40,678 0 0%

Forest Stewardship 23,036 23,036 22,398 -638 -3%

Forest Legacy Program 53,000 62,347 62,347 0 0%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 2,000 2,000 2,000 0 0%

Urban and Community Forestry 28,040 28,040 23,686 -4,354 -16%

International Forestry 8,000 8,000 8,000 0 0%

State and Private Forestry Total 232,653 237,023 234,004 -3,019 -1%

National Forest System

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 40,000 40,000 40,000 0 0%

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0 0%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 183,928 183,928 100%

Land Management Planning 37,754 36,998 0 -36,998 -100%

Inventory and Monitoring 151,019 147,998 0 -147,998 -100%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 261,719 261,719 263,942 2,223 1%

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 140,466 140,466 140,466 0 0%

Grazing Management 55,356 56,856 50,000 -6,856 -12%

Forest Products 339,130 359,805 359,805 0 0%

Vegetation & Watershed Management 184,716 184,716 184,716 0 0%

Minerals and Geology Management 76,423 76,423 75,069 -1,354 -2%

Landownership Management 77,730 77,730 71,440 -6,290 -8%

Law Enforcement Operations 126,653 126,653 131,630 4,977 4%

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,364 0 0 0 0%

National Forest System Total 1,494,330 1,509,364 1,500,996 -8,368 -1%

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities 71,600 71,390 71,600 210 0%

Roads 168,094 172,094 150,000 -22,094 -13%

Trails 77,530 77,530 78,530 1,000 1%

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement 3,150 3,150 3,150 0 0%

Legacy Roads and Trails 40,000 40,000 40,000 0 0%

Capital Improvement & Maintenance Total 360,374 364,164 343,280 -20,884 -6%

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition 47,500 63,435 65,653 2,218 3%

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts 950 950 950 0 0%

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 216 216 216 0 0%

Land Acquisition Total 48,666 64,601 66,819 2,218 3%

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund 2,320 2,320 2,320 0 0%

Gifts, Donations, & Bequest for Forest & Rangeland 

Research 45 45 45 0 0%

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses 2,500 2,500 2,441 -59 -2%

Other Appropriations Total 4,865 4,865 4,806 -59 -1%
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview B-2

 FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Estimates

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Change

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness 1,145,840 1,082,620 1,082,620 0 0%

Suppression 708,000 811,000 873,904 62,904 8%

Hazardous Fuels 361,749 375,000 384,126 9,126 2%

Research and Development 19,795 19,795 19,795 0 0%

Joint Fire Science Program1 6,914 6,914 0 -6,914 -100%

State Fire Assistance 78,000 78,000 78,000 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 13,000 13,000 13,000 0 0%

Wildland Fire Management Total 2,333,298 2,386,329 2,451,445 65,116 3%

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

Total, FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 303,060 823,000 0 -823,000 -100%

Discretionary Appropriations Total 5,073,246 5,680,346 4,893,332 -787,014 -14%

Fire Transfer Repayment 0 700,000 0 -700,000 -100%

Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 0 864,096 864,096 100%

Discretionary + Fire Transfer + Cap Adjustment 5,073,246 6,380,346 5,757,428 -622,918 -10%

Permanent Appropriations

Brush Disposal 9,125 9,000 9,000 0 0%

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research 3 46 46 0 0%

Timber Salvage Sales 29,626 30,000 30,000 0 0%

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 4,509 5,000 5,000 0 0%

Forest Botanical Products 1,662 2,000 2,000 0 0%

Stewardship Contracting 9,256 14,000 16,000 2,000 14%

Recreation Fees, Forest Service 64,476 64,075 64,075 0 0%

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 142 1,000 1,000 0 0%

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters 8,317 8,100 8,100 0 0%

Roads and Trails for States 0 0 0 0 0%

Land Between the Lakes Management 3,512 4,200 4,200 0 0%

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees 634 600 600 0 0%

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Restoration 0 0 0 0 0%

Quinault Special Management Area 10 5 5 0 0%

Valles Caldera 105 0 0 0 0%

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 61,071 99,000 86,000 -13,000 -13%

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee 

Retention 404 630 630 0 0%

Organizational Camps Program 469 700 700 0 0%

Cost Recovery (Land Uses) 4,925 4,700 4,700 0 0%

Licensee Program Smokey Bear 54 54 54 0 0%

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl 0 0 0 0 0%

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation) 26 26 26 0 0%

Conveyance of Administrative Sites 3,606 6,000 6,000 0 0%

Site-Specific Lands Acts 4,262 3,900 3,900 0 0%

Payments to State Funds 318,326 306,654 77,150 -229,504 -75%

Permanent Appropriations Total 524,520 559,690 319,186 -240,504 -43%

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg 210,901 65,900 65,900 0 0%

Cooperative Work, Other 88,000 48,000 48,000 0 0%

Reforestation Trust Fund 32,000 30,000 30,000 0 0%

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund 28 200 200 0 0%

Trust Funds Total 330,929 144,100 144,100 0 0%

 1 $3,000,000 of funds requested in the Forest and Rangeland Research budget line item will be available to support fire science research authorized by the 

Joint Fire Science Program
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview B-3

 FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Estimates

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Change

Grand Total, Forest Service $5,928,695 $7,084,136 $6,220,714 -$863,422 -12%
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview C-1

Three-Year Summary of Full-Time Equivalents

 FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Estimates

Program 

Changes

Forest & Rangeland Research

Forest and Rangeland Research 1,810 1,810 1,810 0

Forest & Rangeland Research Total 1,810 1,810 1,810 0

State & Private Forestry

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 302 302 302 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 57 57 57 0

Forest Stewardship 87 87 87 0

Forest Legacy Program 27 27 27 0

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 49 49 49 0

International Forestry 43 43 43 0

State and Private Forestry Total 565 565 565 0

National Forest System

Integrated Resource Restoration 1,473 1,473 1,473 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 300 300 300 0

Restoration Partnerships 0 0 0 0

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 1,098 1,098

Land Management Planning 236 236 0 -236

Inventory and Monitoring 862 862 0 -862

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 1,918 1,918 1,918 0

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 772 772 772 0

Grazing Management 423 423 423 0

Forest Products 2,238 2,239 2,239 0

Vegetation & Watershed Management 858 858 858 0

Minerals and Geology Management 485 485 485 0

Landownership Management 527 527 527 0

Law Enforcement Operations 765 765 765 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 1 0 0 0

National Forest System Total 10,858 10,858 10,858 0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities 311 311 311 0

Roads 988 988 988 0

Trails 579 579 579 0

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement 1 1 1 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 88 88 88 0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance Total 1,967 1,967 1,967 0

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition 54 54 54 0

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts 0 0 0 0

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0

Land Acquisition Total 54 54 54 0

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund 6 6 6 0

Gifts, Donations, & Bequest for Forest & Rangeland 0 0 0 0
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview C-2

 FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Estimates

Program 

Changes

Research

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses 10 10 10 0

Other Appropriations Total 16 16 16 0

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness 7,180 7,180 7,180 0

Suppression 3,105 3,105 3,105 0

Hazardous Fuels 1,818 1,818 1,820 2

Research and Development 105 105 105 0

Joint Fire Science Program 2 2 0 -2

State Fire Assistance 49 49 49 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0

Wildland Fire Management Total 12,259 12,259 12,259 0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

Total, FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 0 0 0 0

Discretionary Appropriations Total 27,529 27,529 27,529 0

Fire Transfer Repayment 0 0 0 0

Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 0 0 0

Discretionary + Fire Transfer + Cap Adjustment 27,529 27,529 27,529 0

Permanent Funds 1,132 1,132 1,132 0

Trust Funds 802 802 802 0

FTEs Only

Allocation 1,449 1,449 1,449 0

Discretionary Reimbursable 876 876 876 0

Working Capital Fund 597 597 597 0

FTEs Only Total 2,922 2,922 2,922 0

Grand Total, Forest Service 32,385 32,385 32,385 0
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview D-1

Revenue, Receipts, and Transfers

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Pres Bud

1908 Act 

Receipt?

Timber Management

National Forest Fund (NFF) Receipts $29,921 $30,000 $30,000 Yes

Mandatory Transfers from NFF:

 Timber Roads--Purchaser Election Program -2,000 -2,000 -2,000

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1/ -200 -200 -200

Ten-Percent Roads and Trails Fund 1/ 7,400 -3,400 -3,700

Cooperative Work - Knutsen-Vandenberg Fund 61,498 40,800 40,800 Yes

Timber Salvage Sales 38,178 20,000 20,000 Yes

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund 5,386 5,386 5,386 Yes

Credits to Timber Purchasers (not receipts)

Credits for Road Construction (sales before April 1, 1999) -1 -1 Yes

Specified Road Costs -14,704 -14,000 -14,000 Yes

Brush Disposal 9,671 9,000 9,000 

Forest Botanical Products 2,119 2,119 2,119 

Total Timber Management Receipts $146,773 $107,305 $107,305 

Total Timber Management Receipts and Credits $161,477 $121,306 $121,306 

Net Timber Management Deposits to NFF and Grasslands Fund $35,121 $24,400 $24,100 

Grazing Management

National Forest Fund (NFF) Receipts $6,451 $6,500 $6,500 Yes

Grasslands and Land Utilization Projects (LUP) 445 500 500 No

Mandatory Transfers from NFF & Grasslands & LUP's:

Range Betterment Fund (50 Percent Grazing) -2,537 -2,320 -2,320 Yes

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1/ -40 -40 -40

Ten-Percent Roads and Trails Fund 1/ 1,600 -700 -800

Total Grazing Management Receipts $6,896 $7,000 $7,000 

Net Grazing Management Deposits to NFF and Grasslands Fund $5,919 $3,940 $3,840 

Minerals Management

National Forest Fund (NFF) Receipts $2,022 $2,000 $2,000 Yes

Minerals Receipts on Acquired Lands to NFF from ONNR 17,356 30,000 30,000 Yes

Grasslands and Land Utilization Projects (LUP) from ONNR 109,358 90,000 90,000 No

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1/ -10 -10 -10

Ten-Percent Roads and Trails Fund 1/ 500 -200 -200
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview D-2

Revenue, Receipts, and Transfers

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Pres Bud

1908 Act 

Receipt?

Total Minerals Receipts $128,736 $122,000 $122,000 

Total Minerals Deposits to NFF and Grasslands Fund $129,226 $121,790 $121,790 

Landownership Management

National Forest Fund (NFF) Receipts - Land Uses $21,856 $22,000 $22,000 Yes

National Forest Fund (NFF) Receipts - Power 9,545 9,000 9,000 Yes

Grasslands and Land Utilization Projects (LUP) -Land Uses & Power 224 200 200 No

Mandatory Transfers from NFF:

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1/ -210 -210 -210

Ten-Percent Roads and Trails Fund 1/ 7,800 -3,600 -3,800

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 217 

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention 696 544 544 

Organizational Camp Programs 665 600 600 

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-of-Way) 6,627 5,200 5,200 

Total Landownership Management Receipts $39,389 $37,561 $37,344 

Total Landownership Management Deposits to NFF and 

Grasslands Fund $39,215 $27,390 $27,190 

Recreation Management Revenues and Receipts

National Forest Fund - Recreation, Admission, and User Fees $70,356 $70,000 $70,000 Yes

Mandatory Transfers from NFF:

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1/ -500 -500 -500

Ten-Percent Roads and Trails Fund 1/ 17,400 -8,000 -8,500

Recreation Fees Forest Service 78,652 66,925 67,925 

Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Management Fund 4,355 4,355 4,355 

Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Trust Fund 92 

Total Recreation Management Receipts $153,363 $141,280 $142,280 

Net Recreation Management Deposits to NFF and Grasslands 

Fund $87,256 $61,500 $61,000 

Other Revenues and Receipts

Grasslands and Land Utilization Projects (LUP)- all other $10 $10 $10 No

Stewardship Contracting 13,599 14,000 14,000 

Cooperative Work, Other 47,252 33,000 33,000 

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees 356 600 600 

Midewin National Tallgrass Restoration Fees

Licensee Program Smokey Bear 113 113 113 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview D-3

Revenue, Receipts, and Transfers

FY 2015 

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted

FY 2017 

Pres Bud

1908 Act 

Receipt?

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl 12 12 12 

Forest Service Go Green Program 110 110 110 

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters 8,606 7,100 7,100 

Conveyance of Administrative Sites 4,011 9,400 

Site-Specific Land Acts

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 208,907 210,124 210,124 

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research 50 50 50 

Valles Caldera Fund 513 

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research Fund 60 60 

Total Other Receipts $283,539 $274,579 $265,179 

Total Other Deposits to Grasslands Fund $10 $10 $10 

Total Forest Service Revenue and Receipts $758,696 $689,725 $681,108 

Total Deposits to NFF before Mandatory Transfers 157,507 169,500 169,500 

Total Deposits to Grasslands Fund before Mandatory Transfers 110,037 90,710 90,710 

Total Mandatory Transfers 29,203 -21,180 -22,280

Total Deposits to NFF & Grasslands after Mandatory Transfers $296,750 $239,033 $237,933 

Deposits & Credits Basis for Act of 1908 (25% Fund) $369,954 $310,397 $310,397 

Payments and Transfers for States and Counties.

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available $103,097 $100,099 

Payments to States Act of 1908 $10,000 $50,000 

Payments to States Supplemental $153,500 $145,400 

Payments to Minnesota Counties $5,701 $6,150 $6,150 

Payments to Counties, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act $27,518 $28,000 $21,000 

Secure Payments for States $28,290 $26,812 

Secure Payments for States/Repayment per DOT $79 

Total Payments and Transfers for States and Counties $318,185 $316,461 $77,150 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview E-1

Summary of Appropriations and Budget Line Item Changes

The following descriptions summarize the changes for each FY 2017 appropriation and related 

budget line items compared to FY 2016 shown in the Three Year Summary of Appropriations.

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring

Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016 

Enacted Change

FY 2017 

Pres. 

Budget

NFS Land Management Planning, 

Assessment, and Monitoring 0 0 $183,928 $183,928

NFS Land Management Planning 37,754 36,998 -36,998

NFS Inventory and Monitoring 151,019 147,998 -147,998

Total $188,773 $184,996 -$1,068 $183,928
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview F-1

Land and Water Conservation Fund Proposed Acquisition List Fiscal Year 2017

Administration

Funding 

Request

Acquisition Management $8,500,000 

Cash Equalization $750,000 

Small Parcel Acquisitions

Funding 

Request

Sportsman/Recreational Access $4,700,000 

Critical Inholdings/Wilderness $2,000,000 

Priority Project Name State Forest/Unit

Funding 

Request

1 CLP: High Divide ID

Sawtooth National Recreation 

Area $2,800,000

2 CLP: High Divide ID Caribou-Targhee $330,000

3 Greater Yellowstone Area WY Bridger-Teton $2,850,000

4

Sierra Nevada 

Checkerboard CA El Dorado/Tahoe $1,200,000 

5 CLP: National Trails CA

Pacific Crest National Scenic 

Trail $4,905,000 

6 Minnesota North Woods MN Superior $3,500,000 

7

CLP: Florida/Georgia 

Longleaf Pine Initiative FL Osceola $3,850,000 

8 Swan Valley MT Flathead $4,000,000

9

Hoosier Upland Natural 

Treasures IN Hoosier $1,600,000

10

Admiralty Island National 

Monument Cube Cove AK Tongass $4,000,000

11 CLP: Southern Blue Ridge VA

George Washington and 

Jefferson $2,280,000 

12 CLP: Southern Blue Ridge TN Cherokee $3,400,000 

13 CLP: Southern Blue Ridge NC Pisgah $1,850,000

14

North Carolina Threatened 

Treasures NC Uwharrie $360,000

15

South Carolina Coastal 

Legacy SC Francis Marion $1,600,000

16 Pacific Northwest Streams OR Rogue River-Siskiyou $1,450,000

17 CLP: Chesapeake Bay VA/WV

George Washington and 

Jefferson $1,000,000

18 Wood Parcel (The Wedge) CO Arapaho/Roosevelt $500,000

19 Three Mile OR Siuslaw $390,000

20 Upper Ammonoosuc NH White Mountain $675,000

21 Carson Mining Claims CO Rio Grande/Gunnison $900,000

23 Historic Portage Pass Trail AK Chugach $650,000
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview F-2

Priority Project Name State Forest/Unit

Funding 

Request

24

Washington 

Cascades/Yakima River 

Watershed WA

Okanogan-Wenatchee $1,500,000

25 Sanhedrin CA Mendocino $2,800,000

26

CLP: Pathways to the 

Pacific WA

Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area $400,000

27

CLP: Pathways to the 

Pacific OR

Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area $913,000

Subtotal Discretionary Funding 

$65,653,000

Sportsmen/Recreational Access $4,000,000

Critical Inholdings/Wilderness $2,000,000

28

Wasatch Watersheds -

Bonneville Shoreline Trail UT Uinta-Wasatch-Cache $3,000,000

29 Swan Valley MT Flathead $2,000,000

30

Clearwater Blackfoot 

Project MT Lolo $5,000,000

31 CLP: National Trails TN

Appalachian National Scenic 

Trail $1,700,000

32 CLP: National Trails GA

Appalachian National Scenic 

Trail $450,000

33

Ozark Mountain Streams & 

Rivers

MO

Mark Twain $1,000,000

34 Wisconsin Northwoods WI Chequamegon-Nicolet $2,700,000

35 Reed Tract AR Ouachita $1,000,000

36

CLP: Florida/Georgia 

Longleaf Pine Initiative FL Osceola $4,000,000 

37 Wassen Creek OR Siuslaw $3,500,000 

38 Sanhedrin CA Mendocino $12,000,000

39 CLP: Southern Blue Ridge GA Chattachoochee-Oconee $4,400,000

40 CLP: Southern Blue Ridge NC Pisgah $3,000,000 

41 Cube Cove AK Tongass $10,300,000

42 Appalachian Foothills OH Wayne $2,297,000 

Subtotal Mandatory Funding $62,347,000

Total Funding $128,000,000
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview G-1

FY 2017 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request

Administrative Funds $6,400,000

1 GA Altamaha River-Sansavilla Project 5,000,000 

2 MT Whitefish Lake Watershed Project 7,000,000 

3 OR East Moraine Wallowa Lake 900,000 

4 FL Silver Springs Watershed 3,500,000 

5 WA South Puget Sound 6,318,000 

6 HI Ho'omau 2,000,000 

7 SC Gold Branch 2,030,000 

8 FL Wolfe Creek Forest 2,800,000 

9 TN Karst Forest at Grassy Cove 1,350,000 

10 UT Zion-Simon Gulch 2,500,000 

11 NC East Fork of French Broad Headwaters Phase IV 4,000,000 

12 NH Beebe River Uplands 2,600,000 

13 FM Yela Valley Watershed 565,000 

14 MA West Quabbin Woodlands 2,895,000 

15 MO Eleven Point Forest 2,000,000 

16 HI Helemano Wilderness Area 2,000,000 

17 VA New River Headwaters 1,320,000 

18 NM Brazos Cliff 3,480,000 

19 AL Coastal Headwaters Forest 3,000,000 

20 FL Gulf Coastal Longleaf Initiative 689,000 

Subtotal, Discretionary $62,347,000

21 FL Gulf Coastal Longleaf Initiative -remainder of 

total recommended funding 1,601,000 

22 UT Coldwater Ranch 3,870,000 

23 MS Pascagoula River 2,340,000 

24 VA Longleaf Pine 4,200,000 

25 PA Northeast Connection 3,255,000 

26 WY Grand Canyon of the Black Hills 4,500,000 

27 NY Fort Ann 710,000 

28 VT Worcester Woods 3,000,000 

29 CA Diamond D Forest 4,350,000 

30 IA Heritage Valley 2,200,000 

31 VT Windham Region 2,380,000 

32 AR Hot Springs Recharge 475,000 

33 NJ Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area 2,185,000 

34 WA East Simcoe Forest 2,587,000 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview G-2

FY 2017 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request

Subtotal, Mandatory $37,653,000

Total Funding $100,000,000
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview H-1

FY 2017 Facilities Major Projects List

(dollars in thousands)

Agency-wide Critical Infrastructure Support Total Cost

Recreation Maintenance (Projects Under $500,000) $39,189 

Fire, administrative and other (FA&O Maintenance) (Projects $250,000 - $499,000) 2,397

Capital Improvement (Projects Under $500,000) 1,060 

Critical Infrastructure Support Projects 14,440 

Planning and Design for Future Projects 1,687 

Washington Office (Maintenance and Improvement) 3,300 

Albuquerque Service Center Business Management (Maintenance and Improvement) 8,274 

Project Management and Implementation Support 1,179 

Total for Agency-wide Critical Infrastructure Support $57,086

Region/ 

Station/ 

Area

State Project Name and Type Unit

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Eliminated

Project Cost

National Priority Projects

R01 ID Interagency Natural Resource Center- Phase 2 Idaho Panhandle 

National Forests $1,432 $2,200 

R06 OR Redmond Air Center Facility Improvements 

Phase 2

Deschutes 

National Forest 2,159 1,000 

National Priority Total $3,591 $3,200

National Demolition & Disposal Projects

R08 KY Daniel Boone NFs Forest-wide 

Decommissioning Daniel Boone NF $871 $150 

R05 CA ANF Camp 16 Demolition & Cleanup Angeles NF - 500 

National Demolition & Disposal Total $871 $650

Regional Priority Projects

R01 ID Interagency Natural Resource Center - Phase 1 Idaho Panhandle 

NF $ 1,432 $1,800 

R02 WY Saratoga Bunkhouse - Phase 1 Medicine Bow & 

Routt NFs - 500 

R02 CO Difficult Campground Rehabilitation White River NF 346 800 

R04 ID Stanley Lake Rec Complex Reconstruction Sawtooth NF 230 1,000 

R05 CA Mammoth Water System Repairs Inyo NF 606 1,240 

R06 WA Klahowya Campground Water & Wastewater 

System Improvements Olympic NF 250 615 

R08 AR Blanchard Springs Caverns Rehabilitation -

Phase 1

Ozark-St. Francis 

NF 300 600 

R09 NH Dolly Copp Campground Reconstruction -

Phase 2 

White Mountain 

NF 1,921 1,283 

SRS NC RTP Park Forest Science & Assessment Center

- Phase 1

Southern 

Research Station 1,099 1,700 

RMRS MT Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute 

Renovation

Rocky Mountain 

Research Station 373 600 

SRS NC Whitehall Quarantine Laboratory for Invasive 

Species Research

Southern 

Research Station 40 525 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview H-2

Region/ 

Station/ 

Area

State Project Name and Type Unit

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Eliminated

Project Cost

Regional Priority Subtotal $6,597 $10,663 

Total – National, Demolition & Disposal, and Regional Facilities Projects Funding $11,059 $14,513 

TOTAL FY 2017 FACILITIES MAJOR PROJECTS $71,599
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview I-1

Key Performance Measures

Key Theme &

Supporting Measures

FY 2013

Actual

FY 2014

Actual

FY 2015 

Actual

FY 2016

Target

FY 2017

Target

Acres treated annually to 

sustain or restore watershed 

function and resilience

2,533,121 2,906,018 3,100,979 2,900,000 2,900,000

Miles of stream habitat 

restored or enhanced 

annually

4,168 3,488 3,465 3,262 3,450

Number of watersheds 

restored and moved to an 

improved condition class

12 10 19 20 22

Miles of roads 

decommissioned 1,936 1,415 1,299 2,000 2,000

Acres of terrestrial habitat 

enhanced through 

Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration 

Projects (CFLRP)

398,231 399,861 284,763 356,533 348,371

Acres of forest vegetation 

improved through CFLRP 

projects

67,511 71,738 55,918 74,923 48,755

Acres of cooperative lands 

treated for invasive species 

control 

410,371 448,350 552,413 361,549 391,893

Invasive species tools 

developed, delivered and 

used tools on a five year 

rolling average 

193 169 258 173 190

Number of wilderness areas 

managed to a minimum 

stewardship level

356 415 415 Measure 

Retired

Measure 

Retired

Number of wildernesses 

meeting baseline 

performance for preserving 

wilderness character

NA NA New 

Measure 44 26

Acres of non-industrial 

private forest lands being 

managed sustainably under 

forest stewardship 

management plans 

2,178,735 3,203,423 1,816,538 1,500,000 1,500,000

Volume of timber sold by 

billion board feet 2.61 2.83 2.9 3.2 3.2

Miles of system trails 

maintained 50,915 53,128 55,673 55,000 55,000
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview I-2

Key Theme &

Supporting Measures

FY 2013

Actual

FY 2014

Actual

FY 2015 

Actual

FY 2016

Target

FY 2017

Target

Acres of environmentally 

important forests protected 

from conversion

(Discretionary funds)

87,927 34,715 106,369 95,000 80,000

Acres of wildland-urban 

interface (WUI) highpriority hazardous fuels1,736,927 1,725,077 1,577,189 1,800,000 1,800,000

Percent of acres treated in 

the WUI, that are identified 

in Community Wildfire

Protection Plans or 

equivalent plans

85.4 77 90 80 80

Number of Volunteer fire 

departments assisted -NFP 6,427 11,018 9,318 8,500 8,500

Financial assistance to 

communities at risk of 

wildfire (number of 

communities)

11,562 10,141 16,859 12,500 12,500
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 

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FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-1

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Forest Service Totals

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

11.0 Total personnel compensation............................................... $1,991,410 $1,991,410 $1,991,410

12.0 Personnel benefits.................................................................. 687,968 687,968 687,968

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................ 43,157 43,157 43,157

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................ 2,722,536 2,722,536 2,722,536

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons..................................... 155,518 155,518 155,518 

22.0 Transportation of things ........................................................ 24,050 24,050 24,050 

23.1 Rent payments to GSA.......................................................... 37,735 37,735 37,735 

23.2 Rental payments to others ..................................................... 61,147 61,147 61,147 

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges ....................... 92,775 92,775 92,775 

24.0 Printing and reproduction...................................................... 4,455 4,455 4,455 

25.1 Advisory and assistance services........................................... 5,177 5,177 5,177 

25.2 Other Services....................................................................... 1,357,370 1,357,370 1,357,370 

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................ 479,471 479,471 479,471 

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities................................ 2,190 2,190 2,190 

25.5 Research and development contracts..................................... 31,777 31,777 31,777 

25.6 Medical care .......................................................................... 492 492 492 

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment............................. 14,191 14,191 14,191 

26.0 Supplies and materials........................................................... 185,396 185,396 185,396 

31.0 Equipment ............................................................................. 47,125 47,125 47,125 

32.0 Land and Structures............................................................... 33,052 33,052 33,052 

41.0 Grants.................................................................................... 595,529 595,529 595,529 

Total, Other Objects........................................................ 3,127,452 3,127,452 3,127,452

99.9 Total, new obligations........................................... 5,849,989 5,849,989 5,849,989

Position Data:

Average Salary (dollars), ES positions................................. $164,421 $164,421 $164,421

Average Salary (dollars), GS positions................................. 52,287 52,287 52,287

Average Grade, GS positions................................................ 7.8 7.8 7.8
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-2

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Forest and Rangeland Research

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $149,433 $149,433 $149,433

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 49,871 49,871 49,871

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 681 681 681

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 199,985 199,985 199,985

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons....................................... 8,829 8,829 8,829

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 1,605 1,605 1,605

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 5,029 5,029 5,029

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 4,133 4,133 4,133

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 7,227 7,227 7,227

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 537 537 537

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 95 95 95

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 20,149 20,149 20,149

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 16,793 16,793 16,793

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 207 207 207

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 27,845 27,845 27,845

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 10 10 10

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 869 869 869

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 5,960 5,960 5,960

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 5,001 5,001 5,001

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 21 21 21

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 10,240 10,240 10,240

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 114,551 114,551 114,551

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 314,536 314,536 314,536
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-3

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

State and Private Forestry

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $46,808 $46,808 $46,808

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 15,247 15,247 15,247

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 99 99 99

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 62,155 62,155 62,155

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons....................................... 4,311 4,311 4,311

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 625 625 625

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 1,567 1,567 1,567

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 1,069 1,069 1,069

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 1,606 1,606 1,606

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 346 346 346

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 45 45 45

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 11,260 11,260 11,260

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 6,467 6,467 6,467

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 27 27 27

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 222 222 222

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 2 2 2

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 88 88 88

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 1,968 1,968 1,968

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 663 663 663

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 3 3 3

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 128,874 128,874 128,874

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 159,143 159,143 159,143

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 221,298 221,298 221,298
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-4

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

National Forest System

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $725,469 $725,469 $725,469

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 269,211 269,211 269,211

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 6,693 6,693 6,693

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 1,001,374 1,001,374 1,001,374

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons....................................... 43,406 43,406 43,406

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 10,151 10,151 10,151

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 13,873 13,873 13,873

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 19,962 19,962 19,962

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 33,214 33,214 33214

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 2,339 2,339 2,339

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 665 665 665

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 171,240 171,240 171,240

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 143,361 143,361 143,361

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 794 794 794

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 870 870 870

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 133 133 133

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 3,840 3,840 3,840

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 32,215 32,215 32,215

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 15,836 15,836 15,836

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 468 468 468

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 53,897 53,897 53,897

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 546,264 546,264 546,264

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 1,547,638 1,547,638 1,547,638
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-5

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $126,193 $126,193 $126,193

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 45,838 45,838 45,838

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 2,558 2,558 2,558

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 174,588 174,588 174,588

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons....................................... 7,322 7,322 7,322

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 1,760 1,760 1,760

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 2,707 2,707 2,707

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 4,064 4,064 4,064

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 7,208 7,208 7,208

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 333 333 333

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 74 74 74

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 70,798 70,798 70,798

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 40,401 40,401 40,401

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 269 269 269

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 1,311 1,311 1,311

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 30 30 30

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 2,822 2,822 2,822

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 8,244 8,244 8,244

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 3,697 3,697 3,697

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 2,243 2,243 2,243

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 11,799 11,799 11,799

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 165,084 165,084 165,084

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 339,672 339,672 339,672
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-6

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Land Acquisition

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $4,240 $4,240 $4,240

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 1,378 1,378 1,378

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 2 2 2

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 5,620 5,620 5,620

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons....................................... 226 226 226

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 49 49 49

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 60 60 60

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 95 95 95

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 132 132 132

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 3 3 3

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 10 10 10

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 2,713 2,713 2,713

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 10,087 10,087 10,087

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 323 323 323

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 0 0 0

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 0 0 0

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 15 15 15

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 131 131 131

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 47 47 47

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 29,964 29,964 29,964

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 8 8 8

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 43,864 43,864 43,864

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 49,484 49,484 49,484
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-7

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Other Appropriations (Range Betterment, Subsistence, & Research Gifts & Donations)

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $1,088 $1,088 $1,088

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 419 419 419

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 6 6 6

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 1,513 1,513 1,513

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons ...................................... 220 220 220

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 44 44 44

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 0 0 0

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 1 1 1

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 8 8 8

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 0 0 0

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 0 0 0

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 1,292 1,292 1,292

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 197 197 197

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 2 2 2

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 0 0 0

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 0 0 0

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 16 16 16

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 1,554 1,554 1,554

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 139 139 139

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 0 0 0

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 200 200 200

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 3,672 3,672 3,672

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 5,186 5,186 5,186
FY 2017 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Overview M-8

Classification by Objects

(Dollars in Thousands)

Wildland Fire Management (including FLAME)

 2015 2016 2017

 Enacted Enacted Estimates

Personnel Compensation

11.0 Total personnel compensation ................................................ $938,179 $938,179 $938,179

12.0 Personnel benefits................................................................... 306,004 306,004 306,004

13.0 Benefits for former personnel................................................. 33,118 33,118 33,118

Total, personnel comp. and benefits................................. 1,277,301 1,277,301 1,277,301

Other Objects:

21.0 Travel and transportation of persons ...................................... 91,204 91,204 91,204

22.0 Transportation of things.......................................................... 9,816 9,816 9,816

23.1 Rent payments to GSA ........................................................... 14,499 14,499 14,499

23.2 Rental payments to others....................................................... 31,823 31,823 31,823

23.3 Communications, utilities, and misc. charges......................... 43,380 43,380 43,380

24.0 Printing and reproduction ....................................................... 897 897 897

25.1 Advisory and assistance services............................................ 4,288 4,288 4,288

25.2 Other Services......................................................................... 1,079,918 1,079,918 1,079,918

25.3 Purchases of goods and services............................................. 262,165 262,165 262,165

25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities ................................. 568 568 568

25.5 Research and development contracts...................................... 1,529 1,529 1,529

25.6 Medical care ........................................................................... 317 317 317

25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment .............................. 6,541 6,541 6,541

26.0 Supplies and materials............................................................ 135,324 135,324 135,324

31.0 Equipment............................................................................... 21,742 21,742 21,742

32.0 Land and Structures................................................................ 353 353 353

41.0 Grants ..................................................................................... 390,511 390,511 390,511

Total, Other Objects......................................................... 2,094,874 2,094,874 2,094,874

99.9 Total, new obligations............................................. 3,372,175 3,372,175 3,372,175
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 

Project Statements

(On basis of adjusted appropriations)

(Dollars in thousands)

 2015 Enacted 2016 Enacted Inc. or Dec. 

 Amount SYs Amount SYs Amount SYs 

Forest and Rangeland Research ............................................................... 296,000 1,810 291,000 1,810 982 

State and Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands.......................................... 58,922 302 58,922 302 -7,540 

Forest Stewardship ................................................................................ 23,036 87 23,036 87 -638 

Landscape Scale Restoration ................................................................. 14,000 0 14,000 0 9,513 

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands .................................. 45,655 57 40,678 57 0 

Forest Legacy Program.......................................................................... 53,000 27 62,347 27 0 

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation ................................ 2,000 0 2,000 0 0 

Urban and Community Forestry ............................................................ 28,040 49 28,040 49 -4,354 

International Forestry ............................................................................ 8,000 43 8,000 43 0 

State and Private Forestry Total ........................................................... 232,653 565 237,023 565 -3,019 

National Forest System

Integrated Resource Restoration......................................................... 0 1,473 0 1,473 0 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration ...................................... 40,000 300 40,000 300 0 

Restoration Partnerships..................................................................... 0 0 0 0 0 

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring................... 0 0 0 0 183,928 1,0

Land Management Planning............................................................... 37,754 236 36,998 236 -36,998 -2

Inventory and Monitoring .................................................................. 151,019 862 147,998 862 -147,998 -8

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness ................................................ 261,719 1,918 261,719 1,918 2,223 

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management......................................... 140,466 772 140,466 772 0 

Grazing Management ......................................................................... 55,356 423 56,856 423 -6,856 

Forest Products................................................................................... 339,130 2,238 359,805 2,239 0 

Vegetation & Watershed Management............................................... 184,716 858 184,716 858 0 

Minerals and Geology Management................................................... 76,423 485 76,423 485 -1,354 

Landownership Management ............................................................. 77,730 527 77,730 527 -6,290 

Law Enforcement Operations............................................................. 126,653 765 126,653 765 4,977 

Valles Caldera National Preserve ....................................................... 3,364 1 0 0 0 

National Forest System Total ............................................................. 1,494,330 10,858 1,509,364 10,858 -8,368 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 

 2015 Enacted 2016 Enacted Inc. or Dec. 

 Amount SYs Amount SYs Amount SYs 

Facilities............................................................................................. 71,600 311 71,390 311 210 

Roads.................................................................................................. 168,094 988 172,094 988 -22,094 

Trails .................................................................................................. 77,530 579 77,530 579 1,000 

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement..................... 3,150 1 3,150 1 0 

Legacy Roads and Trails.................................................................... 40,000 88 40,000 88 0 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance Total.................................. 360,374 1,967 364,164 1,967 -20,884 

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition................................................................................ 47,500 54 63,435 54 2,218 

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts..................... 950 0 950 0 0 

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges........................... 216 0 216 0 0 

Land Acquisition Total ....................................................................... 48,666 54 64,601 54 2,218 

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund...................................................................... 2,320 6 2,320 6 0 

Gift, Donations, and Beq. for Forest & Rangeland Research ............. 45 0 45 0 0 

Management of Nat'l Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses................... 2,500 10 2,500 10 -59 

Other Appropriations Total ............................................................... 4,865 16 4,865 16 -59 

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness....................................................................................... 1,145,840 7,180 1,082,620 7,180 0 

Suppression ........................................................................................ 708,000 3,105 811,000 3,105 62,904 

Hazardous Fuels................................................................................. 361,749 1,818 375,000 1,818 9,126 

Research and Development ................................................................ 19,795 105 19,795 105 0 

Joint Fire Science Program................................................................. 6,914 2 6,914 2 -6,914 

State Fire Assistance .......................................................................... 78,000 49 78,000 49 0 

Volunteer Fire Assistance .................................................................. 13,000 0 13,000 0 0 

Wildland Fire Managment Total ....................................................... 2,333,298 12,259 2,386,329 12,259 65,116 

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund........................................ 303,060 0 823,000 0 -823,000 

Discretionary Appropriations Total......................................................... 5,073,246 27,529 5,680,346 27,529 -788,014 

Mandatory Appropriations

FTE only

Allocation.............................................................................................. 0 1,449 0 1,449 0 

Discretionary Reimbursable .................................................................. 0 876 0 876 0 

Working Capital Fund ........................................................................... 0 597 0 597 0 

FTE only Total..................................................................................... 0 2,922 0 2,922 0 
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 

 2015 Enacted 2016 Enacted Inc. or Dec. 

 Amount SYs Amount SYs Amount SYs 

Permanent Funds................................................................................... 524,520 1,132 559,690 1,132 -116,289 

Trust Funds............................................................................................ 330,929 802 144,100 802 -40,300 

Mandatory Appropriations Total.......................................................... 855,449 4,856 703,790 4,856 -156,589 

Recissions and Transfers (Net)

Forest and Rangeland Research............................................................. 0 0 0 0 0 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance................................................. 0 0 0 0 10 

Fire Transfer Repayment Total............................................................. 0 0 0 0 10 

Fire Suppression Cap Adjustment ........................................................... 0 0 0 0 864,096 

Discretionary Balance, SOY 764,980 0 711,036 0 0 

Transfers In 0 0 0 0 0 

Transfers In-WFM 0 0 0 0 0 

Transfers in Total 0 0 0 0 0 

Transfers Out 0 0 0 0 0 

Transfers Out-WFM 0 0 0 0 0 

Transfers Out Total 0 0 0 0 0 

Discretionary Sequestration, Recessions and Transfers (Net) 764,980 0 711,036 0 0 

FTE only

0Allocation 0 1,449 0 1,449 0 2

Discretionary Reimbursable 0 876 0 876 0 -1

Working Capital Fund 0 597 0 597 0 

FTE only Total 0 2,922 0 2,922 0 1

Mandatory Appropriations 0

Permanent Funds 526,258 1,098 526,258 1,098 -207,101 2

Trust Funds 144,100 645 144,100 645 -40,300 1

Mandatory Appropriations Total 670,358 4,665 670,358 4,665 -247,401 5

Mandatory Balance, SOY 1,015,741 0 517,442 0 0 

Mandatory Sequestration, Recessions and Transfers (Net) 20,037 0 20,000 0 0 

Fire Transfer Repayment 0 0 0 0 0 

Wildland Fire Management

Wildland Fire Management-In 0 0 700,000 0 0 

Wildland Fire Management-Out 0 0 -677,127 0 0 

Wildland Fire Management - Total 0 0 22,873 0 0 

Forest and Rangeland Research 0 0 16,500 0 0 
FY 2017 Budget Justification 

Overview 

 2015 Enacted 2016 Enacted Inc. or Dec. 

 Amount SYs Amount SYs Amount SYs 

State and Private Forestry 0 0 36,546 0 0 

National Forest System 0 0 31,800 0 0 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 0 0 17,600 0 0 

Land Acquisition 0 0 29,181 0 0 

Permanent Funds 0 0 348,700 0 0 

Trust Funds 0 0 196,800 0 0 

Fire Transfer Repayment Total 0 0 700,000 0 0 

Fire Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 0 0 0 864,096 

Grand Total................................................................................................ 8,309,342 32,385 8,310,218 32,385 -170,319 2,2