FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

United States

Department of 

Agriculture

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Justification

Forest

Service March 2014
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service

FY 2015 Budget Justification

Table of Contents

 Page

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

Appropriations Language Changes....................................................................................2-1

Forest and Rangeland Research.........................................................................................3-1

State and Private Forestry ..................................................................................................4-1

Landscape Scale Restoration ...........................................................................................4-4

Forest Health Management..............................................................................................4-7

 Federal Lands................................................................................................................4-12

 Cooperative Lands........................................................................................................4-19

Cooperative Fire Protection .............................................................................................4-24

Cooperative Forestry........................................................................................................4-25

 Forest Stewardship Program.........................................................................................4-26

 Forest Legacy Program.................................................................................................4-31

 Community Forest and Open Space Conservation .......................................................4-37

 Urban and Community Forestry ...................................................................................4-40

 Forest Resources Information and Analysis.................................................................4-44

International Forestry.......................................................................................................4-45

National Forest System........................................................................................................5-1

Integrated Resource Restoration......................................................................................5-5

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration ...................................................................5-16

Restoration Partnerships ..................................................................................................5-27

Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring .............................................5-29

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness...............................................................................5-37

Grazing Management.......................................................................................................5-47

Minerals and Geology Management................................................................................5-52

Landownership Management...........................................................................................5-60

Law Enforcement Operations..........................................................................................5-67

Valles Caldera National Preserve ....................................................................................5-71

Capital Improvement and Maintenance............................................................................6-1

Facilities...........................................................................................................................6-3

Roads................................................................................................................................6-12

Trails................................................................................................................................6-21

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement..................................................6-27

Table of Contents i
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Acquisition..................................................................................................................7-1

Other Appropriations..........................................................................................................8-1

Range Betterment Fund ...................................................................................................8-1

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and Rangeland Research...............................8-3

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses .........................................8-4

Wildland Fire Management................................................................................................9-1

Preparedness ....................................................................................................................9-3

Suppression......................................................................................................................9-8

Hazardous Fuels...............................................................................................................9-14

Research and Development..............................................................................................9-20

Joint Fire Science Program..............................................................................................9-23

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands....................................................................9-25

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands ............................................................9-26

State Fire Assistance ........................................................................................................9-27

Volunteer Fire Assistance ................................................................................................9-32

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund...................................................................10-1

Payments to Communities...................................................................................................11-1

Permanent Appropriations.................................................................................................12-1

Brush Disposal.................................................................................................................12-5

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research..................................................12-7

Timber Salvage Sales.......................................................................................................12-9

Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration ....................................................................................12-11

Forest Botanical Products................................................................................................12-14

Stewardship Contracting..................................................................................................12-16

Recreation Fees, Forest Service.......................................................................................12-19

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction................................................................12-24

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters..................................................12-26

Roads and Trails for States..............................................................................................12-28

Land Between the Lakes Management............................................................................12-30

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees.............................................................12-32

Quinault Special Management Area Fund.......................................................................12-34

Valles Caldera..................................................................................................................12-36

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements..............................................................12-39

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention ............................12-41

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Organizational Camps Program.......................................................................................12-43

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-of-Way).........................................................12-45

Licensee Program Smokey Bear......................................................................................12-49

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl ......................................................................................12-50

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation)..........................................................12-51

Conveyance of Administrative Sites................................................................................12-53

Site-Specific Lands Act ...................................................................................................12-64

Trust Funds..........................................................................................................................13-1

Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg ......................................................................13-2

Cooperative Work, Other.................................................................................................13-6

Reforestation Trust Fund .................................................................................................13-9

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund ...............................................................................13-12

Special Exhibits....................................................................................................................14-1

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West .................................................................................14-2

Biomass and Bioenergy ...................................................................................................14-5

Chief’s Reserve Fund.......................................................................................................14-11

Conservation Education...................................................................................................14-13

Cost Pool (both Direct and Indirect) Totals.....................................................................14-17

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management ...............................................................14-25

Equal Access to Justice Act .............................................................................................14-32

Facilities Maintenance Assessment .................................................................................14-37

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs......................................................................14-42

Fire Transfers...................................................................................................................14-44

Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Financial Status..................................................................14-46

National Scenic and Historic Trails.................................................................................14-47

Office of the General Counsel Reimbursement...............................................................14-56

Office of Tribal Relations................................................................................................14-57

Partnerships......................................................................................................................14-59

Reforestation....................................................................................................................14-70

Region, Station and Area Allocations..............................................................................14-74

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers.................................................14-86

Service First .....................................................................................................................14-94

Stewardship Contracting..................................................................................................14-97

Sustainable Operations.....................................................................................................14-104

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Unobligated Balances ......................................................................................................14-107

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges..................................................14-109

Wood Education and Resource Center ............................................................................14-125

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service ...........................................................................14-128

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management ............................................14-129

Forest Service Budget Authorities......................................................................................15-1

Table of Contents iv
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

USDA Forest Service

Annual Performance Report

Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................... 3

Forest Service Performance Management Framework ............................................................ 5

Data Validity and Verification................................................................................................. 6

Forest Service Contribution to USDA Agency Priority Goal ............................................... 6

Strategic Goal 1: Restore, sustain, and enhance the Nation’s forests and grasslands........... 6

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Wildland Fire Management................................. 8

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Invasive Species................................................... 11

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Healthy Watersheds and Diverse Habitats....... 12

Strategic Goal 2: Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People............................... 13

Key Performance Measures for Goal 2................................................................................. 14

Strategic Goal 3: Conserve Open Space ................................................................................... 16

Strategic Goal 4: Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities........................ 19

Key Performance Measures for Goal 4................................................................................. 20

Strategic Goal 5: Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest Service.............. 22

Key Performance Measures for Goal 5................................................................................. 23

Strategic Goal 6: Engage Urban America with Forest Service Programs ............................ 24

Key Performance Measures for Goal 6................................................................................. 26

Strategic Goal 7: Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools for Sustainable Natural 

Resources Management.............................................................................................................. 27

Key Performance Measures for Goal 7................................................................................. 28

Evidence and Evaluation............................................................................................................ 30

External Audits and Reviews..................................................................................................... 34

Management Challenges ........................................................................................................ 36

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Annual Performance Report 1-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Introduction

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

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

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

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

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

to conservation, the agency’s efforts in 2013 were focused on enhancing water resources, 

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

communities. Measuring our activities through performance systems and using performance 

results throughout the year provides the Forest Service the opportunity to demonstrate our 

achievements, identify challenges, and examine our strategies and methods employed by our 

programs. 

This chapter presents the Forest Service’s performance information within the framework of the 

Forest Service’s 2007 - 2012 strategic plan and, as such, presents seven goals, each of their 

objectives, and the performance measures chosen to represent the agency’s progress toward 

those goals and objectives. The Forest Service’s accomplishments also inform progress toward 

goal #2 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2010-2015 Strategic Plan - Ensure our 

national forests and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to 

climate change, while enhancing our water resources. Outlined below are the Forest Service 

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

that show the Forest Service’s contributions to this goal are listed on the next page.

Forest Service Strategic Goals

Goal 1: Restore, Sustain, and Enhance the Nation’s 

Forests and Grasslands

Goal 2: Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American 

People

Goal 3: Conserve Open Space

Goal 4: Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation 

Opportunities

Goal 5: Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the 

Forest Service

Goal 6: Engage Urban America with Forest Service 

Programs

Goal 7: Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools 

for Sustainable Natural Resources Management

USDA Strategic Goal #2:

Ensure our national forests and private 

working lands are conserved, restored, 

and made more resilient to climate change, 

while enhancing our water resources

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service Contributions to USDA Strategic Goal Objectives and Measures:

Performance Measure FY 2011 

Actual

FY 2012 

Actual

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target1

1.1.52 Annual economic contribution of recreation on National Forests 

and Grasslands (number of jobs)

237,800 237,800 237,800 237,800 retired3 retired

2.1.1 Annual acres of public and private forest lands restored or 

enhanced

4,924,904 4,424,845 4,322,384 4,703,857 retired retired

2.1.3 Percentage of non-Federal and USDA-managed grazing lands with 

conservation or management applied to improve or sustain 

productivity and ecological health

28.7% 32.4% 20.1% 31.4% 29.1% 20.1%

2.1.4 Total acres of agriculture and forest landscapes protected from 

conversion through conservation easements and fee simple 

purchases, to preserve natural resource quality, open space, and 

rural amenities

2,431,903 2,529,177 2,791,950 2,676,392 2,994,061 2,860,000

2.1.5 Number of communities with urban and community forestry 

programs resulting from Forest Service assistance

7,172 7,499 7,200 7,292 7,150 7,639

2.2.3 Percent of National Forests in compliance with the Forest Service 

climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy

16% 36% 40% 49% 50% 100%

2.3.1 Acres of National Forest system watersheds at or near natural 

condition

102,735,767 102,429,088 102,749,436 102,474,428 retired retired

2.3.1 Percentage of national forest and grassland watersheds in properly 

functioning condition (class 1 watersheds)

52% 52% 52%

2.3.44 Acres on which high impact targeted (HIT) practices are 

implemented on National Forest and private working lands in 

priority landscapes to accelerate the protection of clean, abundant 

water resources

304,565 321,203 300,000 363,445 retired retired

2.4.1 Number of communities with reduced risk from catastrophic 

wildfire

3,902 3,973 7,980 2,581 retired retired

2.4.2 Cumulative number of acres in the National Forest System that are 

in a desired condition relative to fire regime

59,269,943 59,468,313 60,568,200 59,784,485 61,047,000 61,500,000

2.4.3 Percentage of acres treated in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) 

that have been identified in community wildfire protection plans or 

equivalent plans

60.8% 93% 75% 85% 90% 90%

1 FY2015 targets reflect published targets—or Forest Service contribution to multi-agency targets—in the USDA Strategic Plan. These targets were established in 2010 when the USDA Strategic Plan 

was published.

2 Progress on measure 1.1.5 is not updated annually. The Forest Service calculates the impact of our national forests and grasslands on rural economies every four years, so we have identified one 

target for the entire strategic plan period. The next update will occur in 2014. Throughout this time, we will continue to support rural prosperity by conserving working forests, providing service 

contracts for a variety of activities, emphasizing the use of stewardship contracts, providing technical training to youth at our 125 Job Corps centers, and maintaining the recreational value of national 

forests and grasslands.

3 The use of “retired” in this table indicates that the measure will no longer be used to support progress toward USDA Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives. The measures will continue to inform 

programs implemented by the Forest Service.

4 Multiple agencies within USDA contribute to measure 2.3.4 to implement practices that have a high impact on water resources in targeted landscapes. In 2010, USDA identified landscapes of national 

importance including national forests and private working lands in the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Upper/Lower Mississippi, and California Bay Delta, and updated the contribution each agency 

will make to the goal in the immediate future. Agencies continue working together to achieve the 2015 goal of nine million acres for the entire Department

Annual Performance Report 1-4

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

This Annual Performance Report is required by the Government Performance and Results 

Modernization Act. To attain the desired outcomes in USDA Strategic Goal #2, the agency 

focuses on achieving our strategic plan goals and objectives. In turn, these objectives drive 

efforts on the ground as well as the annual targets and performance goals we set for ourselves. 

To provide a framework for reporting, we present results by Forest Service strategic plan goals. 

The general means and strategies we follow to achieve results in each goal are listed in the 

Strategic Plan. 

The discussion for each Forest Service strategic plan goal includes: (1) performance data for FY 

2010 through FY 2013, (2) an analysis of the most recent year’s results, and (3) challenges for 

the future. The Annual Performance Report is one of three reports issued by the Forest Service 

to describe financial and performance results. The other two reports include the Annual 

Financial Report and a Summary of Performance and Financial Information issued following the 

release of the FY 2015 President’s Budget Request. All three reports are available on the Forest 

Service website.

The agency is in the process of finalizing a 2014 – 2019 Strategic Plan and will be reporting FY 

2014 progress towards this new strategic framework in the next President’s budget request in 

February, 2015.

Forest Service Performance Management Framework

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

an established performance management framework. It begins with performance measures 

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

unit (Deputy Area) responsible for the program. Measures vary in their objectives. Some track 

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

Targets for these measures are set annually, during the budget process, or as part of the direction 

issued to the Regions, Stations, and Area (generally referred to as the field). Targets are set 

nationally for most measures by the Deputy Area. As work occurs on the ground throughout the 

year, accomplishments that support these targets are tracked and reported in nearly 40 databases 

across the agency. These databases provide reporting to the agency’s official data source for 

external reporting, the Performance Accountability System (PAS). Once in PAS, these 

accomplishments represent the collective work of: 

• 155 forests and 20 National grasslands that contain more than 600 ranger districts,

• nine regional offices,

• Northeastern Area for State and Private Forestry,

• seven research stations including Forest Products Laboratory and the International 

Institute for Tropical Forestry, and

• three Centralized Business Services Units.

The official accomplishments are reported to USDA, Office of Management and Budget, the 

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

and provide accountability for results.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Data Validity and Verification

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

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

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

The regions conduct self-reviews on a select number of performance measures each year to 

identify any discrepancies between reported and actual results. The agency also requires 

regional-level leadership to certify that all appropriate procedures have been performed to ensure 

validity and reliability of key performance data, and to document data items that do not meet the 

standard. 

The Strategic Planning, Budget and Accountability Performance (SPBA) staff manages the 

national accomplishment reporting database, PAS, which includes the Metrics Management 

system that serves as the official source for national measures and definitions.

As part of the controls for this system, SPBA staff conducts yearly regional performance 

oversight reviews to ensure appropriate procedures are followed during the year. In addition, the 

PAS system and associated controls framework provides a structured process for monitoring and 

measuring our goals, as well as ensuring consistency in data collection and data quality.

Forest Service Contribution to USDA Agency Priority Goal 

One of USDA’s priority goals for FY 2013 focused on accelerating the protection of clean, 

abundant water resources by implementing high impact targeted (HIT) practices on national 

forests and private working lands in priority watersheds. The Forest Service implements specific 

activities and treatments to protect watersheds and water resources including establishing forest 

vegetation, improving rangeland vegetation, restoring lake and stream habitat, and maintaining 

or decommissioning roads. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm 

Service Agency also implement unique programs to protect water resources under this goal. The 

Forest Service’ goal for these efforts last fiscal year was 300,000 acres. By emphasizing this 

work, despite a challenging fire season, the agency was able to implement treatments on over 

363,000 acres, exceeding our goal by about 20 percent.

Strategic Goal 1: Restore, sustain, and enhance the Nation’s forests and grasslands

The health of our Nation depends, in many ways, on the vitality of our Nation’s forests and 

grasslands. These natural resources contribute a variety of essential elements to our well-being, 

including clean air and water. Stewardship of this land involves a complex integration of 

programs that foster recreation, energy, forest products, and resource sustainability. Following 

Secretary Vilsack’s vision of an All Lands approach, the Forest Service is focusing on improving 

the health of forest and grassland watersheds, restoring ecosystem function, and increasing forest 

resilience. 

Many challenges continue to test the resilience of the Nation’s forests and grasslands. Population 

growth and expanding urban centers raise demand for goods, services, and amenities from the 

Nation’s private and public forests and rangelands. Management problems caused by wildfires, 

Annual Performance Report 1-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

changing rain patterns, and expanding forest insect infestations have been driven, in part, by 

climate change and future impacts are projected to be more severe. 

The threats that face forests and grasslands can sometimes be a natural part of the ecosystem 

cycle. Fire, for instance, when strategically managed, can help forests grow stronger, healthier, 

and more resilient. On the other hand, natural threats such as invasive and native pests, 

including certain insects, diseases, and plants, pose a long-term risk to forest and rangeland 

health. Recent trends such as over-crowded forest stands and drought conditions have increased 

the extent and frequency of insect-such as mountain pine beetle and gypsy moth-and disease 

outbreaks, which reduce the stands’ resilience to fire and increase the likelihood that fires will be 

catastrophic. In response, Forest Service programs prevent, detect, monitor, evaluate, and 

suppress insects and disease to restore and protect Federal forestlands and lands owned by States, 

local governments, private organizations, and individual land owners.

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 1

The largest investment for maintaining forest and rangeland health, productivity, diversity, and 

resistance to disturbance is supported from the Wildland Fire Management budget. Other 

programs that contribute to this goal are also discussed below. 

Wildland Fire Management recognizes the importance of integrating fire as a critical natural 

process in land and resource management plans and activities, managing wildfire across 

landownership boundaries, and applying the best available science. Prior-year investments in 

fire management planning have been used to develop a full range of fire management tactics in 

response to naturally occurring fires. Such responses may include managing fires less 

aggressively when it is beneficial to the ecosystem and do not pose significant risk to 

communities. 

Within Wildland Fire Management, the Hazardous Fuels program plays an important role in 

restoring forest health and reducing wildfire risks. Hazardous fuels reduction (through 

prescribed burning, mechanical treatments, and other methods) reduces the quantity or changes 

the arrangement of living and dead vegetation in forests and grasslands. 

To provide needed information, the Wildland Fire and Fuels Research and Development (R&D) 

program provides managers and policymakers essential knowledge and tools for making costeffective and environmentally-sound fire management decisions. Products from R&D ensure 

that the best science is available to sustain and enhance resources and public benefits and to 

minimize negative impacts of fire. 

Within State and Private Forestry, Goal 1 activities are supported by the Forest Health Programs 

for Federal and Cooperative lands. The Forest Health Management Program provides insect, 

disease, and invasive plant surveying and monitoring information on forest health conditions for 

Federal forestlands and other land owners. Forest Health Management uses science, active land 

management, and technology transfer expertise to restore and sustain forest landscapes across 

urban, private, State, Tribal, and Federal forests. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Through many programs, including the Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) program, the 

agency facilitates a holistic approach to landscape management on National Forest System (NFS) 

lands. This includes actions to restore or sustain water quality and watershed processes; resilient 

and disturbance-tolerant landscapes; soil condition, stability and productivity; vegetative 

composition and condition; fish and wildlife habitat and populations; and aquatic ecosystems 

connectivity. The program directly funds landscape-scale restoration projects and leverages 

accomplishment of additional restoration objectives through program integration and 

partnerships. These investments will help sustain and restore the core components of functioning 

ecosystems, enhance watershed resilience in the face of climate change, and help meet the 

increasing demand for water resources. 

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Wildland Fire Management

Objective 1.1 – Reduce the risk to communities and natural resources from wildfire

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Number and percentage of acres 

treated to restore fire-adapted 

ecosystems

(1) Moved toward desired 

conditions

Number (acres)

Percentage

(2) Maintained in desired 

conditions

Number (acres)

Percentage

799,215

27%

1,146,720

38%

693,957

24%

1,231,800

42%

787,478

35%

1,028,611

45%

measure 

retired

measure

retired

measure 

retired

measure

retired

measure 

retired

measure

retired

Acres of hazardous fuels treated 

in the wildland urban interface 

(WUI)

1,955,057 1,611,991 1,867,202 1,100,000 1,736,927 158%

Acres covered by stewardship 

contracts/agreements 152,834 100,577 134,258 300,000 171,767 57%

Objective 1.2 – Suppress wildfires efficiently and effectively

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of fires not contained 

in initial attack that exceed a 

stratified cost index

39.7% 20.8% 24% 18% 36% 78%

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Objective 1.3 – Build community capacity to suppress and reduce losses from wildfires

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of acres treated in the 

wildland urban interface that have 

been identified in community 

wildfire protection plans or 

equivalent plans

44.8% 60.8% 93% 75% 85.4% 114%

Analysis of Results for Wildland Fire Management 

In FY 2013, the Forest Service retired the measures that broke out the hazardous fuels acres 

treated to “move toward desired conditions” and to “maintain an area in desired conditions.” 

There are a suite of factors that affected these measures, resulting in fluctuations in annual 

performance that didn’t reflect the agency’s recent focus on treating hazardous fuels in high 

priority areas near communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI). The agency continues to 

emphasize WUI treatments even where those acres are more expensive to operate in or require 

mechanical treatment. This emphasis was demonstrated last year by achieving well over 1.5 

million acres of WUI fuels treated—a result we have matched for each of the past 5 years.

FY 2013 saw another sizable increase in the total use of stewardship contracting over the 

previous year. The agency and its partners have focused on the use of stewardship contracts as a 

tool for restoration and have made steady progress over the past few years, increasing the total 

acres under stewardship contracts from 88,000 in FY 2009 to the current total of 171,767 acres. 

The 300,000 acre target for FY 2013 was established in FY 2011 and represented a doubling of 

the original Strategic Plan goal of 150,000 acres by FY 2012. In retrospect, this was too 

aggressive a target and the agency was not able to achieve these gains. However, improved 

economic conditions and expanded markets for products have contributed to the expanded use of 

this tool. A better understanding of how to best use the tool has also led to the increased the size 

of projects. FY 2013 also saw the addition of acres to long-term, large-scale stewardship 

contracts, including the Four Forests Restoration Initiative in Arizona. 

The Forest Service suppression performance measures are program outcome and efficiency 

measures that focus on reducing fire risk. To help analyze suppression costs the agency uses an 

efficiency measure that compares actual to expected suppression costs via a stratified cost index 

(SCI). SCI is a set of predictive models based on spatially explicit historical large fire data from 

1995 to 2004. SCI determines expected suppression costs for each fire utilizing several factors 

found to influence suppression costs. Fires with costs more than one standard deviation higher 

or lower than expected are considered outside the range of expected SCI costs. In real time, the 

SCI provides a comparison of a fire’s expenditures to historical fires with similar characteristics 

(including fuel type, slope, elevation, and total housing value), increasing cost awareness and 

providing a basis for fire incident budgeting. 

The percentage of incidents not contained in initial attack that exceeded the SCI in FY 2013 was 

36 percent—an increase from 24 percent in FY 2012. The 2013 fire season was a very active 

one, and while we did not achieve our planned accomplishment of 18 percent, we did perform 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

relatively consistently in 2013 to all years FY 2009 thru 2012. The FY 2013 target was based on 

those established during the development of the Forest Service Strategic Plan in FY 2006, when 

this calculation methodology was very new with little historical data. Since then, more historical 

data sets have been added, as well as fire data from the fire seasons since 2004. Based on this 

additional information, and subsequent refinements to the model, we have learned that a target of 

18 percent is unattainable. From FY 2006 through FY 2012, performance has fallen within the 

18.2 to 39.7 percent range which is representative of no significant statistical change in 

performance. 

Two of the main factors that may influence cost outcomes in the management of wildfire are 

long-term ecological and changing climatic conditions which are not modelled within SCI. 

These factors can cause our management strategies to change for a fire of similar characteristics 

that occurs in a different year since the potential outcomes can be drastically different. Because 

of this, SCI is a good indicator of cost alignment with previous similar incidents, but it is not an 

absolute measure of efficiency, effectiveness or overall performance.

The agency continued its strong focus on treating hazardous fuels in the WUI that are identified 

in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) or equivalent plans including working with 

partner communities to provide technical assistance in developing CWPPs. Each of the past two 

years our goal has been for 75 percent of the acres we treat to be identified in a CWPP and we 

have surpassed that both years. We expect to continue this work with communities to develop 

and implement plans that help us target treatments and reduce the risk of wildfire. 

Challenges for the Future

The Forest Service and the Department of the Interior are committed to restoring the resilience 

and diversity of fire-adapted ecosystems on the landscape, consistent with public safety needs. 

Wildfires continue to be larger and more difficult to suppress due to the effects of a changing 

climate, persistent drought and hazardous fuels conditions, and the increased size and complexity 

of housing developments adjacent to the WUI. The agency will continue to emphasize the 

importance of CWPPs or equivalent plans by prioritizing hazardous fuels treatments in the WUI 

that are identified in these plans.

The Forest Service recognizes the costs of WUI suppression activities and will continue to 

aggressively pursue cost-mitigation measures. We will also continue to implement risk 

management and fiscal accountability initiatives that will ensure we have an appropriate, risk 

informed, and effective response to all wildland fires. Our challenge is to consistently drive 

agency performance to the low end of the 18.2 to 39.7 percent SCI range and continue to refine 

targets appropriately. We are refining the methodology used to calculate the SCI as we obtain 

more data and improve computational ability. We will also continue to develop new 

performance measures and improve the SCI calculation enabling us to more thoroughly analyze 

how our wildland fire management response decisions affect response outcomes.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Invasive Species

Objective 1.4 - Reduce adverse impacts from invasive species, pests, and diseases.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of priority acres 

restored and/or protected from 

invasive species on Federal and 

Cooperative lands

NFS Lands

Other Federal and Cooperative 

Program lands (S&PF) 

78.6%

20%

75.2%

19%

78.4%

17.1%

90%

20%

78.5%

13.9%

87%

70%

Analysis of Results for Invasive Species 

This performance measure evaluates the effectiveness of the Forest Service’s invasive species 

program of reducing the impact of invasive species on priority Federal and non-Federal lands. 

Treatments are prioritized based on risk, efficacy and cost. Aquatic and terrestrial invasive 

species management includes activities for prevention, early detection, and rapid response for 

eradication, control and containment, and restoration and rehabilitation. In FY 2013, National 

Forest System (NFS) program activities treated 347,906 acres of priority aquatic and terrestrial 

invasive species infestations, of which 252,269 acres targeted high risk invasive plants/noxious 

weeds and 95,637 acres were treated against other invasive taxa on NFS lands. Program 

activities achieved a successful treatment efficacy which improved slightly on last year’s 

accomplishment, and resulted in restoration of 78.5 percent of priority acres identified on NFS 

lands and waters. 

State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs provided support to State and Federal partners in 

FY 2013 to treat 130,141 acres for invasive species on other Federal lands, and 426,865 acres 

against invasive species on Cooperative lands. Overall, S&PF programs accomplished about 

ninety-three percent of their targeted levels for acres treated on both Federal and cooperative 

lands. The percentage of priority acres achieved dropped this year in part due to greater 

emphasis on outreach and awareness efforts by State Forestry agencies and State and local weed 

councils. Outreach efforts are a key part of combating invasive plants, and invasive plant funds 

are used by State partners both for treatments on the landscape and for outreach and awareness 

effort; however, those outreach efforts are not direct treatments. In addition, there were some 

impacts to the program due to the need to transfer funds for fire suppression during the height of 

the field season.

Challenges for the Future

Invasive species are among the most significant environmental and economic threats facing our 

Nation’s forest, grassland, and aquatic ecosystems. They endanger native species and threaten 

ecosystem services and resources, including clean water, recreational opportunities, sustained 

production of wood products, wildlife and grazing habitat, and human health and safety. The 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

impacts of invasive species on our forests and grasslands are likely to continue to grow in the 

future. We live in a globally connected world and pests from other countries often easily cross 

our borders in crates and on airplanes and boats, infesting areas and impacting species that have 

no resistance to them. 

As the climate continues to change, models predict shorter winters and less snowfall, meaning 

these species have longer times to colonize and grow in new areas. We expect the workload of 

priority acres to grow, increasing our challenge and the response required. The agency will 

continue to use the best available science-based methods to prevent and reduce the unacceptable 

impacts caused by invasive species by working together across all focus areas in the agency -

State and Private Forestry, Research and Development and the National Forest System – in a 

comprehensive, integrated approach. 

Key Performance Measures for Goal 1: Healthy Watersheds and Diverse Habitats

Objective 1.5 – Restore and maintain healthy watersheds and diverse habitats.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of watersheds in 

class 1 condition 26% 52% 52% 52% 52% 100%

Acres and miles of 

terrestrial and aquatic 

habitat restored consistent 

with forest plan direction:

Acres of terrestrial habitat

Miles of stream habitat

Acres of lake habitat

2,037,110

3,577

27,779

2,629,746

3,878

26,832

2,714,456

3,704

32,369

1,980,000

2,750

24,000

2,703,699

4,168

33,732

138%

152%

141%

Percentage of acres needing 

reforestation or timber stand 

improvement that were 

treated

23% 16% 14% 16% 13.5% 84%

Analysis of Results for Healthy Watersheds and Diverse Habitats

The Forest Service continued to meet our planned level for the percentage of watersheds in class 

one condition. Condition class is assessed using the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF) –

a set of 12 indicators that, as a whole, inform decision-making on the types of watershed 

improvements that can be planned and undertaken. With the implementation of the WCF, the 

agency also implemented a new outcome-focused performance measure to gauge our success in 

moving watersheds to an improved condition class. In FY 2013, the agency planned 

improvement for ten watersheds and was able to move twelve watersheds to an improved 

condition class. We were able to achieve this success by focusing restoration efforts on areas 

identified in the watershed restoration action plans that stem from the WCF implementation. 

These plans are multi-year, multi-disciplinary approaches that guide our restoration efforts. 

Fully half of the watersheds that were improved were in the IRR pilot regions and this outcome 

is the culmination of integrated work that requires a sustained focus to achieve. 

In FY 2013, the agency exceeded its targets for the restoration of terrestrial, stream and lake 

habitat restored due to contributions from partners. Partnerships have increased our capacity to 

conduct restoration through sizeable contributions of matching funds and in-kind support. Such a 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

large increase in partner contributions was not anticipated in the past, but has been factored into 

the FY 2014 and FY 2015 performance targets. 

While the agency exceeded its target for forest vegetation improved, or timber stand 

improvement, the agency fell short of the target for treating acres in need of reforestation. This 

was due in part to some areas not being ready for planting within the normal planting season. 

These are areas that lacked site preparation treatments or where harvesting was not completed in 

time to successfully finish the work within the necessary timeframe. These two factors 

contributed in some measure to a decrease in forest vegetation established. The agency 

continues its emphasis on planting to address areas lacking forest vegetation due to catastrophic 

wildfires. 

Challenges for the Future

The agency continues to shift our focus from traditional outputs and place more emphasis on 

outcomes associated with improving watershed conditions. With this shift in focus, outputs may 

drop as our field units work on tasks that may be more expensive to implement but more 

effective in “moving the needle” and making a difference on the landscape. With the maturing 

of the Watershed Condition Framework and the fourth year of implementation of the watershed 

restoration action plans, we expect to see increased outcomes, rising to an estimated 75 

watersheds improved each year by FY 2016. 

The agency will continue to raise awareness and place emphasis on the hazardous fuels 

treatment, planting and revegetation, and road improvement components of these action plans 

which make up over 60 percent of the key restoration efforts. As field units continue to shift 

more emphasis to restoration work on these priority areas, we expect additional 

accomplishments—and associated outputs—in those resource areas that are critical to improving 

watershed conditions.

Strategic Goal 2: Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People

This Strategic Goal focuses on sustaining the productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands 

to meet present and future needs. The NFS provides essential goods and services that help meet 

the American people’s need for water, wood fiber, protein, energy, and other benefits. The 

Forest Service manages 193 million acres of NFS lands; assists States, Tribes, and private 

landowners via technical and financial assistance; provides international technical assistance; and 

develops and disseminates science and technology to improve the health and use of the Nation’s 

forests and grasslands. Sustainable management of these resources ensures that the availability of 

goods and services and land productivity is maintained for both current and future generations.

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 2

In support of the Secretary’s all-lands vision, the agency actively manages forest vegetation, 

supports ecosystem and watershed restoration objectives, and focuses on landscape restoration 

and integrated activities that promote watershed resilience. This landscape scale approach 

allows the agency to address many of the resource challenges facing NFS lands, such as the 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

bark-beetle epidemic, the decline of longleaf pine ecosystems, threatened and endangered 

species management, wild horse and burro management, restoring lands historically used as 

roads to a natural state, replacement of bridges or major culverts to allow aquatic organism 

passage, and climate variability, while protecting the overall resiliency of forests and grasslands. 

The Grazing Management program also contributes to this goal by managing the diverse 

rangeland resources to maintain a sustainable supply of forage for livestock and wildlife. The 

program seeks to maintain open space and habitat connectivity by linking NFS grazing 

authorizations to privately-owned lands managed for agricultural production, and by helping 

sustain the rural based ranching and farming lifestyle. Managing grazing allotments provides for 

the administration and monitoring of grazing permits and activities. This includes issuance of 

grazing permits, processing permit transfers, preparation and processing of bills for collection, 

and the development of annual operating instructions. 

The Minerals and Geology Management program provides significant contributions to meeting 

the Nation’s energy and mineral needs while providing jobs and protecting NFS watersheds and 

resources. Renewable energy is a valuable benefit to the American public that the Forest Service 

provides through efforts such as the Woody Biomass Utilization Strategy. Other renewable 

activities include hydropower licensing, wind energy development, and geothermal operations on 

NFS lands.

Forest Service R&D provides science, management, and technology services to forest and 

rangeland owners, managers, policy makers, scientists, and the public so they can manage and 

use forest and rangeland resources to improve the standard of living and quality of life for 

current and future generations.

Key Performance Measures for Goal 2 

Objective 2.1 Provide a reliable supply of forest products over time that is consistent with 

achieving desired conditions on NFS lands and helps maintain or create processing capacity and 

infrastructure in local communities.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Amount of wood fiber provided each 

year to help meet the Nation’s demand 

for forest products in an 

environmentally sustainable manner

MMBF 2,592 2,533 2,644 2,475 2,610 105%

Number of green tons and/or volume 

of woody biomass from hazardous 

fuel reduction and restoration 

treatments on Federal land that are 

made available through permits, 

contracts, grants, agreements, or the 

equivalent

3,306,138 2,954,842 2,813,403 3,000,000 2,912,486 97%

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Objective 2.2 Provide a reliable supply of rangeland products over time that is consistent with 

achieving desired conditions on NFS lands and helps support ranching in local communities.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Acres of national forests and 

grasslands under grazing 

permit that are sustainably 

managed for all rangeland 

products

76,153,782 75,387,241 75,067,407 72,283,747 75,634,041 105%

Objective 2.3 Help meet energy resource needs.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of land Special Use 

Permit applications for energy 

related facilities that are 

completed within prescribed 

timeframes

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Percentage of energy-mineral 

applications that are processed 

within prescribed timeframes

4% 44% 34% 40% 86% 214%

Objective 2.4 Promote market-based conservation and stewardship of ecosystem services.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Number of States that have 

agreements with the Forest 

Service to help private forest 

landowners market ecosystem 

services

20 23 29 21 33 157%

Goal 2 - Analysis of Results

The Forest Service met or exceeded all of the performance targets to provide and sustain benefits 

to the American public. Timber harvest is an important tool to meet multiple resource 

objectives, and the strategy to accelerate restoration has had a positive effect on agency results. 

Nationwide, plans for timber sales are detailed at the start of the year and set a clear course for 

execution on the field. By focusing on this important objective in the IRR pilot regions and 

across the agency we reached 105 percent of our forest products goal in a year with many 

challenges—including a very difficult fire season. We were also successful meeting the goal for 

the number of green tons and/or volume of woody biomass from hazardous fuel treatments at 97 

percent of the planned level. Providing a consistent supply of biomass material is important to 

support private sector bioenergy infrastructure and jobs.

The Grazing Management program also met its goal for sustainably managed acres for all 

rangeland products with a slight increase in performance compared to last year. Benefits from 

this work include: a sustainable supply of forage for livestock and wildlife, economic 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

opportunities for rural communities, improved grazing management practices to support 

ecosystem restoration efforts; and working landscapes associated with open space and habitat 

connectivity across NFS and other Federal, State, Tribal, and private lands. The Minerals 

program also continued their success in completing land Special Use Permit applications for 

energy related activities and energy-mineral applications within prescribed timeframes. The 

exceedance of the target for the latter measure is attributable to the Forest Service focusing 

resources on the pilot joint BLM/FS offices established under the Energy Policy Act. This 

resulted in our ability to streamline and more efficiently process more energy applications in FY 

2013 than anticipated.

With help from our partners, the Forest Service reached the point in FY 2013 where two-thirds 

of the States have agreements with the agency to help private forest landowners’ market 

ecosystem services. The significant emphasis on partnerships for accelerating the pace and scale 

of ecosystem services-based work for the past few years has helped the agency nearly double the 

number of States with agreements from 17 in FY 2009 to 33 in FY 2013. While the number of 

States may increase slightly in the coming years, the focus in the future will be to capture the 

effectiveness of the agreements and not whether the number of agreements is increasing. As 

such, a new measure will be developed by the program and the current measure of “Number of 

States that have agreements with the Forest Service to help private forest landowners market 

ecosystem services” will be retired. 

In addition, the Forest Service continues to provide groundbreaking research on ecosystem 

services through R&D, which helps move the field forward, solve problems, and provide tools -

like the Forests to Faucets tool - an online interactive map that provides information on 

important forest areas for surface drinking water, and i-Tree - a tool used to quantify the

ecosystem services benefits of urban trees.

Challenges for the Future

The Forest Service plays a vital role in providing public benefits and services such as clean air, 

clean water, minerals and energy, and fertile soils for supporting timber, carbon storage, habitat, 

and recreation opportunities. Our multiple-use mission hasn’t changed, but we must continue to 

respond to public expectations for the full range of benefits and values from our forests and 

grasslands. We will continue to emphasize partnerships and collaboration to achieve our 

restoration goals and the expectation for benefits and services. In doing so, we will continue to 

balance longer term ecological goals and shorter term resource challenges. Our strategies and 

the means we employ to achieve them, must be flexible and responsive to both.

Strategic Goal 3: Conserve Open Space

Undeveloped forests and grasslands (including working farms, ranches, and timber lands) help 

protect water quality, conserve native wildlife, and provide renewable timber and non-timber 

products, recreation opportunities, and scenic beauty. Conservation of these open spaces is 

essential to maintain the multitude of public benefits, ecosystem services, and products we all 

need and enjoy. Cooperation across boundaries, including Federal, State, private, and Tribal 

lands, is essential to address large-scale conservation issues such as conservation of water 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

resources and drinking water supply, reduction of wildfire risk, and protection of at-risk species 

while providing for job creation.

Under this goal, the Forest Service works with States and private landowners and Tribes to 

conserve environmentally important forests, ensuring their value and use for current and future 

generations. We also provide cutting-edge technology to identify critical private forest 

landscape areas where conservation threats and opportunities converge. The Forest Service and 

State Foresters are working to target planning and technical assistance where it will maximize 

ecosystem service returns for both the public and individual landowners. 

Consistent with the goals of the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, land acquisition and 

exchange programs conserve the integrity of undeveloped lands and prevent their conversion to 

incompatible uses. The Forest Service acquires lands, waters, and related interests through 

purchase, donation, or exchange within the NFS for such purposes as outdoor recreation, wildlife 

habitat conservation, water quality, invasive species control, fire suppression, watershed 

protection and enhancement, and resource management. 

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 3

S&PF’s Forest Stewardship program works to maintain the benefits of forests and grasslands by 

partnering with State agencies and other entities to sustain and improve our Nation’s private 

forest landscapes. A primary focus of the program is the development of comprehensive, multiresource management plans that provide landowners (at a landscape scale) with the information 

they need to manage their forests for a variety of products and services. The program 

accomplishes that goal by delivering assistance through a national network of forestry technical 

assistance providers and programs. Because of this unique role, and since the majority of 

America’s forests are privately owned, the Forest Stewardship program is central to fulfilling the 

Secretary’s vision for managing for healthy forests across All Lands. 

The Forest Legacy Program (FLP), administered by S&PF in cooperation with State partners, 

protects environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to development 

and other non-forest uses. Land trusts and other conservation organizations play a critical role in 

identifying and completing projects. The FLP projects are selected through a two-step nationally 

competitive process, and focus on the conservation of working forests that provide forest 

products, water, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. 

The Land Acquisition program funds the acquisition and donation of lands, waters, and related 

interests within the NFS to enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation and public access, to 

conserve habitat for wildlife including threatened and endangered species, and to protect water 

quality and quantity. The primary goal of land acquisition is to consolidate fragmented lands 

within NFS borders and specially designated areas, in order to support effective land 

management and improve stewardship functions like habitat restoration, fuels reduction, public 

access, and costs associated with boundary line management and trespass encroachments. 

The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (CFP) complements the FLP and 

the Urban and Community Forestry Program, but is not duplicative of either program. CFP and 

FLP each engage unique partners and utilize different tools for land protection. The CFP is 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

focused on creating community forests through land acquisition and FLP protects at-risk forests 

through conservation easements and land purchase.

Within Forest Service R&D, the Forest Inventory and Analysis program tracks a nationwide 

system of forest inventory plots in a statistically sound lands inventory matrix. This data 

provides detailed information on stand characteristics and complements the more broad-based 

Natural Resource Inventory carried out on non-Federal lands by the United States Department of 

Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Key Performance Measures for Goal 3

Objective 3.1 Protect forests and grasslands from conversion to other uses.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Acres of environmentally important 

forests and grasslands protected 

from conversion (number of acres 

added annually)

Annual

Cumulative

136,960

2,056,107

149,911

2,210,563

52,999

2,275,320

128,000

2,403,320

87,927

2,363,247

69%

98%

Objective 3.2 Help private landowners and communities maintain and manage their land as 

sustainable forests and grasslands. 5

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual

Percent

Achiev

ed

Acres of nonindustrial private 

forest land that are being managed 

sustainably under forest 

stewardship management plans

Annual

Cumulative

1,805,353

19,592,387

1,531,858

21,124,245

1,652,087

21,045,039

1,500,000 

22,000,000

2,178,735 

20,687,275

145%

94%

Goal 3 - Analysis of Results

Through the FLP program, in FY 2013, 87,927 acres of environmentally important forests and 

grasslands were protected from conversion, achieving 69 percent our goal. In addition to the 

unpredictable nature of real estate transactions, FLP projects typically take about two years to 

close, resulting in a time lag between annual funding and the accomplishments. Two projects 

also failed this year when the landowners chose to withdraw from the program. The first project 

was Preparation Canyon in Iowa. The project was funded in 2010, but in FY 2013 the property 

owners (a Boy Scout Council) changed Board members and they decided not to proceed with the 

conveyance of a conservation easement. The second project was the North Idaho Timber 

Communities project. The project was funded in 2011. In FY 2013 the landowner decided he no 

longer wanted to convey an interest in his property. Since the program operates on a willing 

buyer-willing seller basis, these types of situations arise periodically. They are difficult to 

5 Includes acres managed under current Forest Stewardship Plans only.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

predict and increase the variability we see in annual acres closed. In part because of the newly 

protected acres, the agency met 98 percent of the target for cumulative acres of forests and 

grasslands protected from conversion.

Through cooperative forestry programs, nationwide, almost 21 million acres of non-industrial 

private forest lands were managed according to ongoing, active Forest Stewardship Plans, with 

nearly 2.2 million acres being added in FY 2013—a 38 percent increase over the number of acres 

the program was able to bring under plan last year. The cumulative number of acres managed 

under Forest Stewardship Plans was lower than planned because more plans became inactive 

than anticipated and because State agencies continue to reorganize and adapt programs to target 

landscapes and priorities that were established in State Forest Action Plans. These adaptations 

continue to draw resources from individual landowner management plan development. The 

agency has begun to work jointly with the States to implement the recently adopted Landscape 

Stewardship Approach which includes the development of multi-landowner, landscape scale 

Forest Stewardship Plans. We believe that will help improve program outcomes in the future.

Challenges for the Future

Acquisition of land and interests in land is complicated and projecting timing of acquisitions is 

difficult. In the FLP we develop the targets looking at costs over a four-year average and then 

use that number to project forward. This method has utility in that we can provide projections 

rooted in past performance. However, past performance is not always an accurate predictor of 

future performance and cannot account for the vagaries of landowner preferences and changes in 

those preferences. This program is also different than many others in the agency in that an 

accomplishment in one year may be the result of funding in a prior year. 

Predicting actual land acquisitions that will be finalized in any one year will continue to be a 

challenge. In FY 2013, the agency began evaluating other potential means to more accurately 

predict outcomes in a given fiscal year. Though making projections has challenges, we 

recognize the importance they hold for decision makers when evaluating potential impacts of 

their decisions. We will continue our efforts to fine-tune our performance projections so that 

they will more accurately predict future performance.

Strategic Goal 4: Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities

The Forest Service is challenged with sustaining adequate high-quality outdoor recreational 

experiences to meet the Nation’s needs while maintaining the ecological integrity of national 

forests and grasslands. Over the past few years, the national forests and grasslands hosted on 

about 160 million visits per year, with increasingly diverse visitors engaging in activities such as 

camping, picnicking, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, driving for pleasure, 

wildlife viewing, scenic driving, and visiting cultural sites and visitor centers. Population growth 

and increasingly limited public access to privately-owned land contribute to high demand for 

quality recreation opportunities on NFS lands.

The agency is also committed to engaging communities across the Nation to reconnect with the 

outdoors, expand recreation benefits and the economic opportunities they represent. With 

America’s population projected to increase by nearly 50 percent by the middle of this century, 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

increasing population demands and declining public access to privately-owned forestland place 

significant pressure on public lands to provide recreational opportunities.

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 4

The recreation, heritage, and wilderness programs manage and administer nearly 20,000 

recreation sites, over 23,500 recreation special use authorizations, 25 major visitor centers, 22 

National Historic Landmarks, over 345,000 heritage assets, 136 national scenic byways, 439 

designated wilderness areas, and 122 wild and scenic rivers.

To support this infrastructure and provide public access, the agency maintains a large road and 

trail network. The trails program ensures public safety and backcountry access through the 

operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement of NFS trails, serving a wide 

constituency of visitors at a relatively low cost. Out of a total of over 158,000 miles of trails, 

about 32,000 miles of trails are inside designated wilderness areas.

As well as maintaining many miles of passenger car roads, the Legacy Roads and Trails Program 

focuses on urgently needed road and trail decommissioning, long-term road storage, repair, and 

maintenance and associated activities. Road and trail repairs required due to storm disturbances 

in local communities that are urgently needed to protect community water resources is also an 

important function of this program.

Key Performance Measures for Goal 4

Objective 4.1 Improve the quality and availability of outdoor recreation experiences. 

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of recreation sites 

maintained to standard 68% 71% 73% 70% 73% 104%

Percentage of total recreation 

capacity at developed recreation 

sites that meets accessibility 

standards

19% 23% 24% 25% 24% 98%

Percentage of trails that meet 

national quality standards 41% 25% 26% 30% 22% 73%

Percentage of customers who are 

satisfied with recreational 

facilities, services, and settings

94% 94% 94% 90% 94% 104%

Percentage of road system 

intended for passenger car use 

that is suitable for passenger car 

use

90% 90% 90% 88% 90% 102%

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Objective 4.2 Secure legal entry to national forest lands and waters.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of high priority access 

rights-of-way acquired 106% 15% 90% 85% 15% 18%

Objective 4.3 Improve the management of off-highway vehicle use.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of NFS lands covered 

by new motor vehicle use maps 

reflecting a designated-use system 

of roads, trails, and areas

67% 77% 79% 100% 82% 82%

Goal 4 - Analysis of Results

In FY 2013, the agency continued its focus on improving the quality and availability of outdoor 

recreation experiences supporting these efforts, the Forest Service achieved 104 percent of target 

in maintaining recreation sites to standard. For a site to be considered maintained to standard, a 

comprehensive set of criteria/measures must be met and address a site’s health and cleanliness, 

safety and security, condition of the facilities, and the responsiveness of Forest Service personnel 

to visitors. This important work directly affects how visitors perceive our forests and recreation 

sites, and the agency has been able to increase our performance in this area from 67 percent in 

FY 2010 to 73 percent both in FY 2012 and FY 2013.

The Forest Service also improved slightly over last year’s results for accessibility at developed 

recreation sites at 98 percent of target. The agency has made good progress since FY 2010 in 

increasing the percentage of sites that meet the accessibility standards. To provide accessibility 

and to maintain the wide range of recreational opportunities from which all people can choose, 

the Forest Service incorporates universal design into the agency’s recreation program. Universal 

design involves integrating accessibility into the design of recreational facilities to the extent 

appropriate to the natural setting, rather than constructing separate facilities for people with 

disabilities. 

The agency did see a fall however from 26 percent to 22 percent of trails that meet national 

quality standards, partly due to reduced capacity within the available funding as well as some 

trail damage associated with wildfires. Satisfaction with facilities, services, and settings among 

recreation users remained high at 94 percent--a trend we have maintained for the last four years 

after achieving a 91percent level in FY 2009. Finally, the goal for the measure which tracks the 

suitability of passenger car roads was achieved again this year and demonstrates the agency’s 

continued efforts to make our road system safe for the public.

To enhance access to National Forest lands and waters, and ensure legal entry, the Forest Service 

pursues the acquisition of high priority access rights-of-way to provide more access points for 

the public. The low (18 percent) percentage achieved of our planned FY 2013 target is not 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

reflective of the actual performance, however. Recurring reporting challenges and interpretation 

of available data have made this measure an unreliable indicator of agency efforts on rights-ofway. The program will reassess its measurement approach and develop a better indicator of 

progress for this important work.

The Forest Service’s travel management policy requires each national forest and grassland to 

identify and designate those roads, trails and areas that are open to motor vehicle use and 

complete new motor vehicle use maps (MVUMs). As of the end of FY 2013 approximately 82 

percent of NFS administrative units had completed route and area designations for motor vehicle 

use. Completing MVUMs has taken longer than anticipated due to the need for more public 

involvement and collaboration, which has helped reduce appeals and litigation. However, some 

MVUMs have been challenged which has affected our rate of completion. 

Challenges for the Future

Recreation, hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing activities together account for more jobs than 

any other activity on the National Forest System—about 205,000 jobs annually, contributing 

about $13.6 billion to the Nation’s gross domestic product each year. While customer 

satisfaction with the recreation experience has remained high, the agency will continue to be 

challenged to provide the facilities, service, and settings that the public expects. An example of 

this is our work to maintain our large trail system. One of the positive trends we are seeing is 

more partners contributing to trail maintenance tasks, which has helped boost our capabilities. 

We also expect a greater focus on trail work now that travel management implementation efforts 

are progressing.

The agency will continue to involve the public in decision making and work collaboratively to 

ensure the public’s concerns are addressed to the fullest extent prior to finalizing MVUMs. We 

will continue our efforts to complete all remaining NVUMs in FY 2014. The agency will also 

continue to develop other means to track progress on access-related work.

Strategic Goal 5: Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest Service

Natural resources and public lands are affected by a wide range of forces, including natural 

events, public use, and various management activities. To restore forests, grasslands, and 

watersheds, strengthen communities, and reduce wildfire risk, the Forest Service maintains a 

workforce with the skills and capabilities to deal with the impacts of these events and assist other 

countries in managing their natural resources. Effectively managing its natural resources and 

ensuring the safety of the land and its users requires many things, including accurate data, land 

management plans, law enforcement officials, and facility maintenance.

The Forest Service released its final planning rule for NFS land management planning in April, 

2012 resulting in one of the most collaborative rulemaking efforts in agency history. Land 

management plans, required of each unit in the NFS, facilitate the implementation of governing 

laws and regulations. Collaboration with the public ensures that Forest Service units continually 

address changing conditions and public needs. Inventory and monitoring activities provide 

verifiable data and spatial resource information to support land management planning, 

Annual Performance Report 1-22
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

assessments, and other program management needs. International Forestry maintains expertise 

to promote sustainable forestry management and address climate change affects issues globally. 

The Forest Service also maintains and manages dams, fire and administrative facilities, and 

supporting infrastructure critical to achieving resource management goals and objectives.

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 5

Inventory and Monitoring - The agency funds and conducts inventory, monitoring, and 

assessment activities that are designed and integrated to meet land management planning and 

other business requirements through the Inventory and Monitoring program. This program also 

supports the development, maintenance, and coordination of numerous corporate applications 

and systems that support resource information storage and analysis needs of the agency.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance: Facilities - The Facilities program administers facilities 

and sites used for recreation, research, and fire, administrative and other purposes. Facilities 

include fire facilities, such as airtanker bases, lookouts, airports, heliports, and fire management 

centers; administrative facilities, such as administrative offices (ranger district offices, forest 

supervisor offices, regional offices, research stations and laboratories), and service and storage 

buildings; and other facilities, such as telecommunication facilities, towers, dams, and recreation 

visitor centers. This program includes carrying out maintenance, capital improvement, and 

management on recreation sites and research, recreation, and other administrative buildings.

Key Performance Measures for Goal 5

Objective 5.1 Improve accountability through effective strategic and land management planning 

and efficient use of data and technology in resource management.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved6

Percentage of selected data in 

information systems that is 

current to standard

77% 77% 85% 80% 82% 103%

Objective 5.2 Improve the administration of national forest lands and facilities in support of the 

agency’s mission.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Percentage of administrative 

facilities that are being maintained 

to standard

64% 63% 58% 63% 57.1% 91%

6 Percent achieved is a comparison of the actual performance (82%) to the target performance (80%), not an 

indication that 103% of selected data was current to standard.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Goal 5 - Analysis of Results

In FY 2013, the agency continued its emphasis on information systems data quality exceeding 

our internal target again this year. Over the past five years, we’ve made tremendous progress in 

these efforts, moving from a 54 percent level in FY 2009 to the current benchmark of 82 percent. 

An important foundation to these activities has been the efforts to create a new national 

Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment System (IM&A) to improve land management, policy 

and investment decisions. The vision for these activities is to transform our current IM&A 

efforts into a fully integrated approach to provide easy access to information in a cost-effective 

and transparent manner to address all lands issues. Building on efforts to provide a 

comprehensive information quality assurance and control program including Standard Data 

Management and the Enterprise Data Warehouse, work continued in FY 2013 to implement the 

IM&A strategy and high-priority actions. The agency expects further implementation of the 

strategy in FY 2014 and FY 2015.

The agency nearly equaled the FY 2012 results for maintenance of administrative facilities to 

standard with a less than one percent difference in the FY 2013 performance level. We have 

been successful with recent efforts to reduce the total number of buildings. From 2004 through 

2012, the agency reduced its total number of buildings from 41,296 to 40,126 and the total 

square footage of its facilities by nearly 1.4 million square feet and continues to make significant 

progress in reducing its facilities footprint. An additional factor affecting performance in FY 

2013 was the deferral of some projects due to the transfer of capital improvement and 

maintenance funds to fire suppression efforts during fire season.

Challenges for the Future

The agency work to transform our IM&A system will continue to be at the forefront of our data 

system efforts for the next several years. With a large and complex organization, one of the 

challenges is to bring together programs and existing systems and build a more efficient, userfriendly system that is cost effective and flexible enough to meet multiple needs. A part of that 

task is also examining the data we gather and what we really use and making system decisions 

attuned to those realities.

A similar challenge faces us in the facilities arena. With recent decreases in capital funding 

along with an aging infrastructure, we will continue to focus on right sizing our facilities 

portfolio through consolidation, demolition, and conveyance. We will continue to face decisions 

about funding the highest priority maintenance and facility improvement work and will do so 

with an eye towards supporting mission critical activities, addressing health and safety concerns, 

and increasing energy efficiency. We are also working hard to increase the energy efficiency of 

our facilities where we can.

Strategic Goal 6: Engage Urban America with Forest Service Programs

The Forest Service promotes understanding and professional management of the Nation’s 

forests, including its nearly 100 million acres of urban and community forests. S&PF, Forest 

Service R&D, and the NFS all contribute to an integrated approach for natural resources 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

stewardship to better connect urban residents to the value of well-managed public and private 

forests and to improve quality of life. This stewardship is particularly important because 

currently, approximately 83 percent of the Nation’s population lives in an urban area.

One of the goals of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative is to empower citizens, community 

groups, and local governments to share the responsibility for protecting natural areas and leaving 

a healthy, vibrant outdoor legacy for generations yet to come. The Forest Service uses its 

institutional capacity, expertise and extensive partnerships to engage and benefit urban America 

by:

• providing all Americans broader access to the benefits trees and urban and community 

forests provide, such as: clean air, reduced energy costs, improved urban air quality, 

recreation, and jobs’

• providing conservation education and meaningful outdoor experiences—particularly for 

children,

• developing future natural resource leaders and providing outdoor recreational 

opportunities, and

• providing urban residents increased opportunities to participate in natural resources 

stewardship and management-including green jobs-and enhancing sustainable 

management of urban natural resources for the benefit and well-being of all.

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 6 

The Urban and Community Forestry program assists cities, suburbs, and towns across the 

country in improving the condition and extent of community trees and forests. With 83 percent 

of the Nation's population in urban areas, there are strong environmental, social, and economic 

opportunities to revitalize cities and towns. There are 100 million acres of urban forest lands in 

the U.S. providing a multitude of services that a well-planned and managed urban tree canopy 

provides, including improved human health and well-being, green jobs, energy conservation, 

improved air and water quality, carbon sequestration, recreation, and wildlife habitat.

Conservation Education helps people of all ages understand and appreciate our country's natural 

resources -- and learn how to conserve those resources for future generations. Through 

structured educational experiences and activities targeted to varying age groups and populations, 

conservation education enables people to realize how natural resources and ecosystems affect 

each other and how resources can be used wisely.

Annual Performance Report 1-25
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Key Performance Measures for Goal 6

Objective 6.1 Promote conservation education to increase environmental literacy through 

partnerships with groups that benefit and educate urban populations.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Number of people who annually 

participate in Forest Service 

environmental literacy programs 

and activities

5,244,401 5,183,467 6,878,710 4,200,000 4,562,348 109%

Objective 6.2 Improve the management of urban and community forests to provide a wide range 

of public benefits.

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Number of communities with 

developing or established urban 

and community forestry programs 

resulting from Forest Service 

Assistance

7,102 7,172 7,499 7,200 7,292 101%

Goal 6 - Analysis of Results

In FY 2013, the Forest Service continued the trend of the last five years of engaging well over 4 

million people annually in Forest Service environmental literacy program and activities. By 

focusing on communities and kids, we have been able to connect more people to the outdoors in 

support of the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Discover the Forest is an 

example of a conservation education program that supports these efforts. Discover the Forest 

aims to inspire children aged 8-12 and their parents to re-connect with nature, experiencing it 

first-hand. The campaign brings to life the joy and excitement kids have when they discover the 

wonders of nature, helping create interest in their environment and a lifelong relationship with it. 

By forging strong partnerships, programs such as the Natural Inquirer 

(http://www.naturalinquirer.org/), a middle school science education journal, and 

NatureWatch http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/) provide both web-based resources and 

tools and local opportunities for kids to interact with their environment. The World’s Forests 

Second Edition is an example of one of the latest publications of the Natural Inquirer, available 

via the web.

Engaging urban communities in protecting and restoring America’s 100 million acres of urban 

and community forests, the Urban and Community Forestry program provided assistance to 

7,292 communities across the nation. Working closely with State and local organizations, we 

have been able to build that number from about 6,850 communities four years ago to well over 

7,000 today. Tools such as the i-Tree program, a state-of-the-art software tool designed to help 

communities of all sizes to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts, have 

helped contribute to that success. As a result of U&CF assistance, in FY 2013 over 31 percent 

of people in the U.S. are living in communities that are developing programs to protect and 

Annual Performance Report 1-26
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

maintain their urban forests. The nation’s burgeoning metropolitan population will increasingly 

rely on urban forests for multiple benefits in the future. More information about those many 

benefits and the partners we work with can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/treesforpeople.html.

Challenges for the Future

The Forest Service has been successful in reaching the performance measures for Goal 6, 

primarily through the programs and partnerships within the Urban and Community Forestry and 

Conservation Education Programs. However, the agency and its partners will be challenged in 

the future to continue to successfully connect to urban and rural Americans, especially urban 

youth. Our youth are increasingly disconnected from nature. While children have historically 

spent a great deal of their childhoods outdoors, their environments have become increasingly 

urbanized in recent decades. 0ver the past three decades childhood obesity rates have increased 

and today’s youth spend 50 percent less time in natural areas than they did 20 years ago. In 

addition, urban Americans are often not aware of how easily they can access natural areas and do 

not take advantage of the educational and recreational opportunities these resources provide. 

To address these challenges, the Forest Service will continue to coordinate and expand efforts to 

engage urban America between all business units, including State and Private Forestry, Research 

and Development and the National Forest System, that provide services to constituents in urban 

and urbanizing areas. We will focus on: 1) expanding recreational access for diverse, urban 

audiences on National Forests and Grasslands and on state, private, and municipal lands; 2) 

providing additional financial, technical and educational assistance to support green job creation 

and training programs in urban areas; and 3) putting Forest Service Research and tools into the 

hands of policy makers, managers, and practitioners to promote the value of urban forests in 

improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities. We will also continue to 

develop new and expanded partnerships with private sector and non-governmental organizations, 

such as the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition, to leverage resources and increase the program 

effectiveness.

Strategic Goal 7: Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools for Sustainable Natural 

Resources Management

The Forest Service provides science and technology solutions that are used internally and by 

clients and partners to sustainably manage forests and grasslands. To accomplish this goal, 

Forest Service R&D and Technology and Development Centers provide new knowledge and 

tools in areas such as invasive species, watersheds, fire, silviculture, inventory and monitoring, 

social sciences, and economics. This research is applied to pressing issues such as fire 

management; response to forest disturbance; watershed management; sustainable cities; and 

energy development. To maximize use and application of new research, R&D develops 

innovative syntheses of the best available science to support key management decisions; 

transforms science and technology into usable technologies and decision support tools; and 

creates and disseminates science applications to users through workshops, webinars, and other 

science delivery mechanisms. Partnerships with educational institutions and others are critical to 

program success and effectiveness.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Principal Programs to Achieve Goal 7

Forest Service R&D provides science, technology, and applications in support of sound policies 

and management decision making. It also develops and conducts high quality research to 

address emerging and future challenges. For example, the Inventory and Monitoring strategic 

program area provides the data and tools needed to identify trends, project future conditions, and 

develop management options related to fire, insects, disease, and other natural processes.

The Forest Service builds on history of groundbreaking scientific research with a focus on seven 

priority research areas: forest disturbances, forest inventory and analysis, watershed management 

and restoration, bioenergy and bio-based products, urban natural resources stewardship, 

nanotechnology, and localized research needs. The priority research areas are structured around 

Forest Service R&D’s Strategic Program Areas that reflect the scope of Forest Service research 

capabilities. 

Key Performance Measures for Goal 7

Objective 7.1 Increase the use of applications and tools developed by Forest Service Research 

& Development and Technology & Development Centers. 7

Performance

Measure

FY

2010

FY

2011

FY

2012

FY 2013

Target Actual Percent

Achieved

Customer satisfaction with R&D 

products and services (ACSI 

score)

75 75 79 79 79 100%

Number of patent applications 

filed, based on station and center 

discoveries, developments, and 

applications

6 13 8 6 12 200%

Goal 7 - Analysis of Results

Forest Service R&D partners include Federal and State agencies, universities, industry, 

nongovernmental organizations, Tribal groups, and foreign government research cooperators. 

One of the most important functions of Forest Service R&D is the distribution of information 

and tools to forest managers and users who implement land management projects. The agency 

provides valuable technology transfer to our research partners, land management practitioners, 

State agencies, urban planners, private forest owners, private organizations, horticultural 

organizations, agricultural interests, as well as forest practitioners internal to the Forest Service. 

Over the course of the past five years, Forest Service R&D worked hard to improve its 

effectiveness in delivering tools and science products that make a difference for its very diverse 

partner base.

7 The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) assesses the satisfaction of private and other external customers 

with the relevance, usefulness, and accessibility of R&D products and services.

Annual Performance Report 1-28

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Customer satisfaction with R&D products and service, as determined by the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index, remained high in FY 2013 at a benchmark level of 79, matching last year’s 

result. This accomplishment is a full 10 points above the federal government benchmark of 69 

for all federal agencies.8 By focusing on developing the best available science-based knowledge 

and tools, the agency has driven performance on this measure from a benchmark level of 72 in 

FY 2007 to 75 in FY 2010, and on to the current level of 79 for two consecutive years. This is a 

sustained and significant improvement.

The ASCI survey reaches private and public users of Forest Service R&D products, including 

Forest Service managers, customers from other State, local and Federal agencies, universities, 

businesses, commercial, and non-profit organizations. In addition to assessing overall 

performance, results of the survey help identify and address customer needs such as increasing 

the online accessibility of tools and publication, and increasing overall technology transfer 

efforts.

Examples of these tools included publication (in collaboration with Oregon State University) of 

the Mapping Multiple Forest Threats in the Northwestern United States, which offers managers a 

tool to help identify regions exposed to multiple forest threats. The tool uses a novel 15-mile 

radius neighborhood analysis to highlight locations where threats are more concentrated relative 

to other areas, and identifies where multiple threats may intersect.

A new model called the Physical Fire Frequency Model is another example of an applied 

research output produced in FY 2013. The model predicts fire frequency for the continental 

United States. The Model will help restore fire-dependent ecosystems and assess effects of 

climate changes. To support efforts to understand the loss of bats to White Nose Syndrome, 

Forest Service R&D has also identified key fungal species that help explain the mysteries of this

devastating disease. These fungi live in bat hibernation sites and even directly on bats, but do 

not cause the disease that has killed millions of bats in the Eastern United States. Researchers are 

examining these fungi—in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife 

Health Center and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service—to understand why one fungus can be 

deadly to bats while its close relatives are benign.

The agency also exceeded its target for patent applications this year. This was an unexpected 

success as the timing and number of patent applications on an annual basis is highly 

unpredictable because of the long lead time and variability in filing patents. To address the 

unpredictability and variability, in FY 2014, the Forest Service will begin to report patents filed 

on a three year rolling average. 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the lead USDA agency for patenting and licensing per 

USDA Departmental Regulation. The Forest Service follows ARS guidance when reporting 

fiscal year totals. Patent applications may be submitted for work done exclusively by agency 

researchers and also by university and industrial cooperators working collaboratively with Forest 

Service scientists on jointly owned technologies.

8 Source: The ASCI website at: 

http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=362&Itemid=789

Annual Performance Report 1-29

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Challenges for the Future

The Nation’s forests and grasslands are facing significant risks—drought, invasive species, 

severe wildfires, and outbreaks of insects and disease are all affecting forests and grasslands on 

an unprecedented scale. Forest Service R&D will continue to play a vital role providing 

scientific information and new technologies to help restore healthy, resilient forests and 

grasslands, to protect people from wildfire, and to support conservation by communities. 

While patents and publications are an important result of such a wide portfolio of work, the tools 

and technology that our research staff continues to put in the hands of agency land managers and 

partners will be vital to achieving our objectives. Pushing forward our knowledge and tools, and 

continuing to anticipate new threats and needs while developing responses to existing ones, will 

challenge R&D to build on their outstanding record of delivering results that matter.

Evidence and Evaluation

Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR)—Third Party Monitoring Implemented in FY 2013

The central focus of national forest management today is promoting landscape restoration and 

ecological resilience. These goals are highlighted in the Forest Service’s 2012 land management 

planning regulations, which emphasize the importance of forest planning for promoting 

integrated forest restoration, climate resilience, watershed and wildlife protection, and economic 

opportunities for local communities. Accomplishing this requires institutional and programmatic 

changes to successfully meet these objectives. Programs such as the Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration Program, and tools such as the Watershed Condition Framework and 

stewardship contracting authority, are key components of the Forest Service’s strategy for 

accelerating forest and watershed restoration. They are designed to support integrated 

restoration work across functional areas. To effectively implement integrated restoration 

projects, the President’s budget proposal for FY 2011 introduced the IRR line item, collapsing 

multiple line items into a single funding stream to support integrated work across resource areas. 

For FY 2012, Congress approved the IRR budget line item on a pilot basis for three years in 

Regions 1, 3, and 4 of the National Forest System.

The IRR budgeting tool is intended to provide the Forest Service with flexibility to conduct 

integrated restoration and represents one of the most significant changes in the budgeting 

system of the Forest Service in decades. Critical to the success of the IRR pilot will be to 

identify and communicate early on the impacts the IRR is having on increasing the 

effectiveness and efficiency of integrated restoration. A third-party evaluation of the IRR and 

its effects is currently being conducted to provide information to the Forest Service, Congress, 

and stakeholders on effectiveness, efficiencies, and areas of improvement. The third party 

evaluation will focus on three sets of questions:

1. To what extent is IRR fostering increased integration, efficiency, and effectiveness of 

restoration work on national forests? How are different forests and regions utilizing 

IRR? What strategic decision-making principles are being utilized by Forest Service 

leadership to allocate IRR funding?

Annual Performance Report 1-30
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

2. What are internal agency perceptions of the effects of IRR on efficiency, flexibility, 

integration, and prioritization? What is the level of internal support for the program, 

what are staff concerns, and what are the perceived opportunities?

3. How well or accurately do the performance measures reflect outcomes for IRR? What 

changes could be made as the pilot moves towards national implementation?

Wildland Fire Management Efficiency Assessment Program (MEAP)

Since 2006, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have been jointly conducting 

Management Efficiency Assessments of various aspects of wildland fire management. The 

results of these assessments outline findings and present recommendations for the U.S. Forest 

Service and the Department of the Interior’s Wildland Fire Management Officers to make 

changes to improve program management. Since the inception of this program seven years ago, 

it has produced an estimated annual cost avoidance of $50 to $90 million (varies by season 

intensity) through implementation of the evidence based findings and recommendations. The 

MEAP has had a total outlay of $5 million over this period in support costs. Examples of how 

the program has used evidence and innovation to improve agency performance include:

• In the aviation program, one of the most costly areas of firefighting, changes were made in 

the way large airtankers and helicopters were contracted to allow strategic funding of the 

industry by the private sector. Creating a national helicopter incident management position 

eliminated the local overuse of “call when needed” medium and large helicopters—40+ 

aircraft costing over $20,000 each hour—and replacing them with much lower cost exclusive 

use aircraft on fire incidents. 

• Optimization and consolidation of dispatch centers, as demonstrated in our Pilot Program, 

will result in the reduction of 16 centers to five over the next two years in the Southwest. 

• Smaller efficiencies have been implemented across the programs including: 1) joint DOI and 

Forest Service Information Technology (IT) systems and the development of a joint fire IT 

data warehouse to serve both agencies, 2) consolidation of seven regional positions into a 

single national position for standardization and airman checks, and 3) improved interagency 

human resources coordination including more robust workforce and succession planning 

based on data that considers current positions, retirement programs, incident management 

qualifications, and other factors to support management decisions for future hiring. 

Nationally, over the next two budget cycles (FY 2014 and FY 2015) the Forest Service will 

continue to implement evidence-based recommendations regarding the 120 dispatch centers 

currently managed at each local unit. Evidence and analysis from the MEAP project shows that 

standardization, joint national directives, office optimization, new approaches to IT contracting 

under OMB Circular A-11 Part 7, and development of uniform standards for governance and 

staffing will produce efficiencies and savings. The MEAP will use these changes as a template 

for examination of the 200 aviation support centers to develop evidence for optimization and 

consolidation. Upon completion of the dispatch and aviation programs, the MEAP will 

reexamine the first assessments, completed in 2006 to 2010, to develop evidence displaying 

continuing successes, failures and to identify new efficiencies and savings.

Annual Performance Report 1-31
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

At the field level, many other of the evidence based findings and associated recommendations 

are still being vetted which should produce additional management efficiency gains, cost 

avoidance, or improved safety systems.

National Best Management Practices (BMP) Program

In 2012, the Forest Service initiated the National Best Management Practices (BMPs) Program to 

advance the agency’s compliance with management of nonpoint source pollution at local, 

regional, and national scales and to address the new planning rule requirement for national BMPs 

(36 CFR 219.8(a)(4)). The intent of putting a system of national BMPs in place is to improve 

consistency, comparability, and accountability of implementation and effectiveness of BMPs 

across all national forests and grasslands. Prior to development of this Program, the Forest 

Service did not have a method to document or report on our actions to protect water quality 

during implementation of ground disturbing activities. 

The National BMP Program consists of four main components: 1) the National Core BMP 

Technical Guide (Volume 1, FS-990a, April 2012); 2) the National Core BMP Monitoring 

Technical Guide (Volume 2, FS-990b, in prep); 3) revised national direction; and 4) a national 

data management and reporting system. The National BMP Program allows the Forest Service 

to use a nationally standardized program that applies an adaptive management strategy of BMP 

implementation and monitoring to address nonpoint source pollution control and water quality 

protection. These BMPs and monitoring protocols were extensively tested across the Agency 

before the Program was released. To develop a program that applies nationally, the BMPs are 

written in broad, non-prescriptive terms, focusing on “what to do”, not “how to do it”. 

Applicable State and local requirements and BMP programs, Forest Service regional guidance, 

and unit Land Management Plans are expected to provide evidence-based criteria for sitespecific BMP prescriptions. This approach recognizes the importance of existing State and 

Tribal BMPs and provides for the integration of the national program with those existing BMPs. 

The National Core BMP monitoring protocols are designed to determine whether the BMPs are 

being implemented as planned and whether they are effective in protecting water quality. An 

interim BMP monitoring database will be used to manage the data until a corporate data 

management and reporting system can be developed. This allows the agency to assess and report 

at all scales, develop adaptive management responses at all scales, and document the results of 

our actions implemented to protect water quality.

ForWarn

ForWarn was launched in March 2012 and is a satellite-based forest disturbance (such as insects, 

fire or climate change) monitoring system for the conterminous United States. It was developed 

collaboratively by Forest Service R&D with university and Federal partners and delivers a new 

suite of maps and materials every eight days and provides tools for attributing abnormalities to 

insects, disease, wildfire, storms, human development or unusual weather. This technology 

supports a broader cooperative forest management initiative known as the National Early 

Warning System (EWS). The EWS network brings together various organizations involved in 

mapping disturbances, climate stress, aerial and ground monitoring, and predictive efforts to 

achieve more efficient forest planning and management across jurisdictions. This tool is 

Annual Performance Report 1-32
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

important because identifying forest disturbances sooner rather than later provides managers 

with initial information about whether a response is needed and to assess the potential impacts of 

the disturbance if left unmitigated. Early and frequent information inherently improves the 

efficiency and effectiveness of forest management work regardless of jurisdiction.

Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO)

Many of the effects of climate change are region specific and require specialized approaches. 

The Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) 

was jointly developed by Forest Service National Forest System, Research and Development, 

and non-government organizations, and provides a publically accessible, web-based tool, which 

allows land managers and planners to quickly search the scientific literature for potential climate 

change impacts to their field and location of interest. 

The TACCIMO tool is used in forest planning documents on National Forest land to indicate 

potential conflicts between desired future conditions, and climate change stress impacts. Within 

minutes, reports of impacts, management options, and scientific rationale for those optional 

management decisions, are generated and available for immediate use by forest planners. The 

report generation, which now takes minutes, could take a forest planner up to three months to 

complete. The use of TACCIMO continues to expand even as a broader version (Forest 

Adaptive Management Online User System) of TACCIMO for use in all stress assessment (not 

just climate change), is under development.

Annual Performance Report 1-33
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

External Audits and Reviews

FY 2013 Office of Inspector General (OIG) Audits Conducted on the Forest Service (FS)

OIG Open Audits

Audit Number Audit Title

Report 

Issue 

Date

Audit Status

08601-0055-SF FS Administration of 

Special Use Permits

6/16/11 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08601-0001-CH Evaluation of FS’s 

Processes to Obtain & 

Grant Rights-of-Way & 

Easements

3/15/12 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08703-0004-SF ARRA – FS Capital 

Improvement and 

Maintenance Projects –

Trail Maintenance & 

Decommissioning

7/3/12 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08703-0001-AT ARRA – FS’s Use of 

ARRA Funds for 

Wildland Fire 

Management on Federal 

Lands

9/28/12 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08401-0002-11 FY 2012 Financial 

Statements

11/9/12 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08601-0001-21 Management of Oil and 

Gas Resources on NFS 

Land

3/12/13 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

08703-0005-SF ARRA – Forest Service 

Hazardous Fuels 

Reduction and 

Ecosystem Restoration 

Projects on Non-Federal 

Lands

3/28/13 Implementation of corrective 

actions is in progress

OIG Audits Officially Closed in FY 2013

Audit Number Audit Title Report Issue 

Date

Closure 

Date

08601-0054-SF FS Firefighting Succession Planning 3/31/10 2/13/13

08601-0056-SF Forest Legacy Program 4/20/11 3/14/13

08703-0001-HY ARRA - FS Oversight and Control of 

Forest Service ARRA Activities 

9/30/11 1/15/13

08401-0001-11 FY 2011 Financial Statements 11/10/11 5/15/13

Annual Performance Report 1-34
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Audit Number Audit Title Report Issue 

Date

Closure 

Date

08703-0003-SF ARRA – FS Capital Improvement & 

Maintenance Projects - Roads, Bridges, & 

Related Watersheds

3/12/12 5/6/13

08703-0006-SF ARRA – FS Capital Improvement and 

Maintenance Projects - 

Abandoned Mine Remediation

5/3/12 5/16/13

08703-0001-SF ARRA – FS Wildland Fire Management 

– Wood-to-Energy Projects

6/15/12 6/19/13

08703-0002-SF ARRA – FS Capital Improvement & 

Maintenance Projects – Facility 

Improvement, Maintenance & 

Rehabilitation

7/3/12 7/9/13

Summary of OIG Audits

FY 2013 Beginning Inventory 12

 Audits added 3

Subtotals 15

 Audits closed 8

FY 2013 Ending Inventory 7

FY 2013 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Audits

Audit Report 

Number

Audit Title Report 

Issue 

Date

Audit Status

GAO-13-45R Mineral Resources: Mineral 

Volume, Value, and Revenue

11/15/12 Informational report. No 

further action required.

GAO-13-189 Renewable Energy: Agencies 

Have Taken Steps Aimed at 

Improving the Permitting 

Process for Development on 

Federal Lands

1/18/13 No recommendations. No 

further actions required.

GAO-13-221 Pipeline Permitting: Interstate 

and Intrastate Natural Gas 

Permitting Processes Include 

Multiple Steps, and Time 

Frames Vary

2/15/13 No recommendations. No 

further actions required.

GAO-13-250R FEMA Reservists: Training 

Could Benefit from 

Examination of Practices at 

3/22/13 Informational report. No 

further actions required.

Annual Performance Report 1-35
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Audit Report 

Number

Audit Title Report 

Issue 

Date

Audit Status

Other Agencies

GAO-13-253 Climate Change: Various 

Adaptation Efforts Are Under 

Way at Key Natural Resource 

Management Agencies

5/31/13 No recommendations. No 

further actions required.

GAO-13-618 Forest Service Trails: Longand Short-Term Improvements 

Could Reduce Maintenance 

Backlog and Enhance System 

Sustainability

6/27/13 Implementation of 

corrective actions is in 

progress.

GAO-13-684 Wildland Fire Management: 

Improvements Needed in 

Information, Collaboration, and 

Planning to Enhance Federal 

Fire Aviation Program Success

8/20/13 Implementation of 

corrective actions is in 

progress.

GAO-13-597 Geostationary Weather 

Satellites: Progress Made, but 

Weaknesses in Scheduling, 

Contingency Planning, and 

Communicating with Users 

Need to Be Addressed

9/9/13 No recommendations. No 

further actions required.

Management Challenges

The OIG’s annual report to the Secretary on USDA Management Challenges was issued on 

August 13, 2013. The report included one challenge specific to the Forest Service: “Action 

Needed to Improve Natural Resources Stewardship (Challenge 6).” The challenge was related 

to two audits conducted on the agency in FY 2013: 1) American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act – Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Projects on NonFederal Lands and 2) Management of Oil and Gas on National Forest System Land. The Forest 

Service implemented some of the corrective actions needed to address the OIG reports; however, 

several audit recommendations remain open. A summary of the actions planned for completion 

in FY 2014 for the two audits follow. 

FY 2014 Actions Planned:

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) – Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Reduction 

and Ecosystem Restoration Projects on Non-Federal Lands – OIG Audit Report No. 08703-

0005-SF

Annual Performance Report 1-36
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

To continue to address ARRA related inquiries as well as to improve overall Forest Service grant 

administration, the agency will conduct and/or implement various actions throughout the year. 

The Forest Service will improve grant recipients’ use of funds by enhancing pre-award and postaward controls and by continuing to increase training for Forest Service staffs and grant 

recipients. The Forest Service will conduct various reviews to determine whether recipients 

charged Forest Service Recovery Act and Non-Recovery Act grants appropriately; if any funds 

were charged erroneously, the agency will recover the funds. The Forest Service will establish 

controls to address processes that resulted in inadequate accounting, unsupported salaries, noncompetitive procurements, and unauthorized indirect costs. 

Management of Oil and Gas on National Forest System Land - OIG Audit Report No. 08601-

0001-21

To continue to improve management of the Forest Service Oil and Gas program in FY 2014, the 

agency will continue to improve its efforts working with the Bureau of Land Management to 

assess how well agency cooperative efforts are reducing leasing and permitting backlogs, 

improving processing timeframes, and ensuring surface compliance. The Forest Service will 

make it a priority to update the existing regional mineral leasing file databases to generate a 

report that will: identify the number of requests (lease offers and expressions of interest) for 

leasing NFS lands; the acreage associated with each request; and track critical dates associated 

with individual nominations. To improve the time it takes the agency to accomplish key 

program activities, the Forest Service will track leasing and permit processing times in the 

various program databases and use average processing times as a managerial tool for monitoring 

processing efficiency from year to year.

Annual Performance Report 1-37
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Annual Performance Report 1-38
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Appropriations Language Changes

TITLE III

RELATED AGENCIES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Appropriations Language uses the 2014 Appropriations Act as the baseline. Material proposed for 

deletion is enclosed in brackets; new language is in italics.

FOREST SERVICE

FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH

For necessary expenses of forest and rangeland research as authorized by law, [$292,805,000,] 

$275,315,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That of the funds provided, 

$66,805,000 is for the forest inventory and analysis program.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY

For necessary expenses of cooperating with and providing technical and financial assistance to 

States, territories, possessions, and others, and for forest health management, including treatments 

of pests, pathogens, and invasive or noxious plants and for restoring and rehabilitating forests 

damaged by pests or invasive plants, cooperative forestry, and education and land conservation 

activities and conducting an international program as authorized, [$229,980,000,]$229,485,000, to 

remain available until expended, as authorized by law; of which [$50,965,000]$53,000,000 is to 

be derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, for management, 

protection, improvement, and utilization of the National Forest System, [$1,496,330,000,] 

$1,640,484,000 to remain available until expended, and in addition, $5,000,000 for the processing 

of grazing permits and leases, to remain available until expended, to be reduced by amounts 

collected by the Forest Service and credited to this appropriation, which shall be derived by a 

$1.00 per head month administrative fee, as provided for in this Act: Provided, That of the funds 

provided, [$40,000,000]$60,000,000 shall be deposited in the Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Fund for ecological restoration treatments as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 7303(f): 

Provided further, That [of the funds provided, $339,130,000 shall be for forest products: Provided 

further, That of the funds provided, up to $81,000,000 is for the Integrated Resource Restoration 

pilot program for Region 1, Region 3 and Region 4: Provided further, That of the funds provided 

for forest products, up to $53,000,000 may be transferred to support the Integrated Resource 

Restoration pilot program in the preceding proviso.] funds provided under this heading may be 

used for necessary expenses of the Forest Service to manage Federal lands in Alaska for 

subsistence uses under title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Public 

Law 96-487): Provided further, That funds provided under this heading shall be available for 

urgently needed road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and associated 

activities, and removal of fish passage barriers, especially in areas where Forest Service roads 

may be contributing to water quality problems in streams and water bodies that support 

threatened, endangered or sensitive species or community water sources, as authorized by Public 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Law 88-567, as amended (16 U.S.C. 532-538) and Public Law 85-767, as amended (23 U.S.C. 101 

and 205): Provided further, That funds provided herein shall be available for the 

decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed, including unauthorized roads that are not 

part of the transportation system.

Note 1: Proposes a new grazing fee program.

Note 2: Removes the provision for forest products as this is now proposed for management within 

the Integrated Resource Restoration program.

Note 3: Removes provision regarding the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program as this is 

proposed for full agency implementation in FY 2015. 

Note 4: Incorporates authorization for the Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses into the National Forest System appropriation.

Note 5: Incorporates authorization for the Legacy Roads & Trails and decommissioning of roads 

into the National Forest System with the Integrated Resource Restoration program.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE [(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)]

1.

2.

3.

For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, [$350,000,000,] 

$306,280,000, to remain available until expended, for construction, capital improvement, 

maintenance and acquisition of buildings and other facilities and infrastructure; and for 

construction, reconstruction, [decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed,

including unauthorized roads that are not part of the transportation system,] and maintenance of 

forest roads and trails by the Forest Service as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 532–538 and 23 U.S.C. 

101 and 205: Provided, That [$35,000,000 shall be designated for urgently needed road 

decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and associated activities, and removal of 

fish passage barriers, especially in areas where Forest Service roads may be contributing to water 

quality problems in streams and water bodies which support threatened, endangered, or sensitive 

species or community water sources: Provided further, That] funds becoming available in fiscal 

year 2014 under the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C.501) shall be transferred to the General Fund 

of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any other purpose unless 

the funds are appropriated[: Provided further, That of the funds provided for decommissioning of 

roads, up to $12,000,000 may be transferred to the ‘‘National Forest System’’ to support the 

Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program]. 

Note 1: All funds for road decommissioning are proposed under the National Forest System 

appropriation.

Note 2: All funds for urgently needed road decommissioning, road and trail repair and 

maintenance and associated activities, and removal of fish passage barriers under the Legacy 

Roads & Trials program are proposed under the National Forest System appropriation.

Note 3: Proposed deletion implements budget structure change to the Integrated Resource 

Restoration program under the National Forest System. 

LAND ACQUISITION

For expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 

of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C. 460l–4 et seq), including administrative expenses, and for 

acquisition of land or waters, or interest therein, in accordance with statutory authority applicable 

to the Forest Service, [$43,525,000] $51,000,000, to be derived from the Land and Water 

Conservation Fund and to remain available until expended.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

ACQUISITION OF LANDS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS SPECIAL ACTS

For acquisition of lands within the exterior boundaries of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch National 

Forests, Utah; the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada; and the Angeles, San Bernardino, Sequoia, 

and Cleveland National Forests, California, as authorized by law, [$912,000,] $950,000, to be 

derived from forest receipts.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

ACQUISITION OF LANDS TO COMPLETE LAND EXCHANGES

For acquisition of lands, such sums, to be derived from funds deposited by State, county, or 

municipal governments, public school districts, or other public school authorities, and for 

authorized expenditures from funds deposited by non-Federal parties pursuant to Land Sale and 

Exchange Acts, pursuant to the Act of December 4, 1967, (16 U.S.C. 484a), to remain available 

until expended (U.S.C. 460l–516–617a, 555a; Public Law 96-586; Public Law 76-589, 76-591; 

and Public Law 78-310).

Note: No language changes are proposed.

RANGE BETTERMENT FUND

For necessary expenses of range rehabilitation, protection, and improvement, 50 percent of all 

moneys received during the prior fiscal year, as fees for grazing domestic livestock on lands in 

National Forests in the 16 Western States, pursuant to section 401(b)(1) of Public Law 94-579, to 

remain available until expended, of which not to exceed 6 percent shall be available for 

administrative expenses associated with on-the-ground range rehabilitation, protection, and 

improvements.

Note: No language changes are proposed

GIFTS, DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS FOR FOREST AND RANGELAND RESEARCH

For expenses authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1643(b), [$40,000] $45,000, to remain available 

until expended, to be derived from the fund established pursuant to the above Act.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

[MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL FOREST LANDS FOR SUBSISTENCE USES]

1. [For necessary expenses of the Forest Service to manage Federal lands in Alaska for subsistence 

uses under title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Public Law 96-487), 

$2,500,000, to remain available until expended.]

Note 1: Responsibility for the Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses is 

proposed within the National Forest System. 

WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)

For necessary expenses for forest fire presuppression activities on National Forest System lands, 

for emergency fire suppression on or adjacent to such lands or other lands under fire protection 

agreement, hazardous fuels reduction on or adjacent to such lands, emergency rehabilitation of 

burned-over National Forest System lands and water, and for State and volunteer fire assistance, 

[$2,162,302,000,] $2,265,113,000 to remain available until expended: Provided, That such funds 

including unobligated balances under this heading, are available for repayment of advances from 

other appropriations accounts previously transferred for such purposes: Provided further, That 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

1.

2.

3.

4.

such funds shall be available to reimburse State and other cooperating entities for services 

provided in response to wildfire and other emergencies or disasters to the extent such 

reimbursements by the Forest Service for non-fire emergencies are fully repaid by the responsible 

emergency management agency: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of 

law, $6,914,000 of funds appropriated under this appropriation shall be available for the Forest 

Service in support of fire science research authorized by the Joint Fire Science Program, including 

all Forest Service authorities for the use of funds, such as contracts, grants, research joint venture 

agreements, and cooperative agreements: Provided further, That all authorities for the use of 

funds, including the use of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, available to execute the 

Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation, are also available in the utilization of these funds 

for Fire Science Research: Provided further, That funds provided shall be available for emergency 

rehabilitation and restoration, hazardous fuels reduction activities, support to Federal emergency 

response, and wildfire suppression activities of the Forest Service: Provided further, That of the 

funds provided, [$306,500,000] $358,564,000 is for hazardous fuels reduction activities, 

$19,795,000 is for research activities and to make competitive research grants pursuant to the 

Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act, (16 U.S.C. 1641 et seq.), $78,000,000 

is for State fire assistance, and [$13,025,000] $13,000,000 is for volunteer fire assistance under 

section 10 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2106): Provided 

further, That of the funds provided, $708,000,000 is an amount for wildfire suppression operations 

to meet the terms of section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 

of 1985, as amended, and $954,000,000 is additional new budget authority for wildfire 

suppression operations specified for purposes of section 251(b)(2) of such Act: Provided further, 

That amounts in this paragraph may be transferred to the ‘‘National Forest System’’, and ‘‘Forest 

and Rangeland Research’’ accounts to fund forest and rangeland research, the Joint Fire Science 

Program, vegetation and watershed management, heritage site rehabilitation, and wildlife and fish 

habitat management and restoration: Provided further, That the costs of implementing any 

cooperative agreement between the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be 

shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, That [up to $15,000,000 

of the] funds provided herein may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into 

procurement contracts or cooperative agreements or to issue grants for hazardous fuels reduction 

and for training or monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities on Federal 

land or on non-Federal land if the Secretary determines such activities [implement a community 

wildfire protection plan (or equivalent) and] benefit resources on Federal land: Provided further, 

That funds made available to implement the Community Forest Restoration Act, Public Law 106–

393, title VI, shall be available for use on non-Federal lands in accordance with authorities made 

available to the Forest Service under the ‘‘State and Private Forestry’’ appropriation: Provided 

further, That the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize the 

transfer of funds appropriated for wildland fire management, in an aggregate amount not to exceed 

$50,000,000, between the Departments when such transfers would facilitate and expedite wildland 

fire management programs and projects: [Provided further, That notwithstanding 42 U.S.C. 

1856d, sums received by the Forest Service for fire protection rendered pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 

1856 et seq. may be credited to this appropriation, and are available without fiscal year limitation:] 

Provided further, That of the funds provided for hazardous fuels reduction, not to exceed 

[$10,000,000] $15,000,000 may be used to make grants, using any authorities available to the 

Forest Service under the ‘‘State and Private Forestry’’ appropriation, for the purpose of creating 

incentives for increased use of biomass from National Forest System lands: Provided further, That 

funds designated for wildfire suppression, including funds transferred from the ‘‘FLAME 

Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund’’, shall be assessed for cost pools on the same basis as such 

assessments are calculated against other agency programs[: Provided further, That of the funds for 

hazardous fuels reduction, up to $24,000,000 may be transferred to the ‘‘National Forest System’’ 

to support the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot program].

Appropriations Language Changes 2-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Note 1. Budget cap adjustment for fire suppression proposal.

Note 2. Deletes phrase to increase agency flexibility.

Note 3. Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79) provided permanent authority for this provision.

Note 4. Proposed deletion implements budget structure change to the Integrated Resource 

Restoration program under the National Forest System. 

[FLAME WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION RESERVE FUND (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)]

1. [For necessary expenses for large fire suppression operations of the Department of Agriculture and 

as a reserve fund for suppression and Federal emergency response activities, $315,000,000, to 

remain available until expended: Provided, That such amounts are available only for transfer to 

the “Wildland Fire Management” account following a declaration by the Secretary in accordance 

with section 502 of the FLAME Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 1748a).]

Note 1: Budget cap adjustment for fire suppression proposal replaces this fund. 

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS FOREST SERVICE (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)

1.

Appropriations to the Forest Service for the current fiscal year shall be available for: (1) purchase 

of passenger motor vehicles; acquisition of passenger motor vehicles from excess sources, and hire 

of such vehicles; purchase, lease, operation, maintenance, and acquisition of aircraft [from excess 

sources] to maintain the operable fleet for use in Forest Service wildland fire programs and other 

Forest Service programs; notwithstanding other provisions of law, existing aircraft being replaced 

may be sold, with proceeds derived or trade-in value used to offset the purchase price for the 

replacement aircraft; (2) services pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2225, and not to exceed $100,000 for 

employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109; (3) purchase, erection, and alteration of buildings and other 

public improvements (7 U.S.C. 2250); (4) acquisition of land, waters, and interests therein 

pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 428a; (5) for expenses pursuant to the Volunteers in the National Forest Act 

of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558a, 558d, and 558a note); (6) the cost of uniforms as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 

5901-5902; and (7) for debt collection contracts in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3718(c).

Note 1: Provision limits agency flexibility.

1.

2.

Any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service may be transferred to the Wildland 

Fire Management appropriation for forest firefighting, emergency rehabilitation of burned-over or 

damaged lands or waters under its jurisdiction, and fire preparedness due to severe burning 

conditions upon the Secretary's notification of the House and Senate Committees on 

Appropriations that all fire suppression funds appropriated under the [headings]heading “Wildland 

Fire Management” [and “FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund”] will be obligated within 

30 days[: Provided, That all funds used pursuant to this paragraph must be replenished by a 

supplemental appropriation which must be requested as promptly as possible]. 

Note 1: Delete reference to FLAME.

Note 2: Deletes request for replenishment of funds through a supplemental appropriation.

Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for assistance to or through the Agency 

for International Development in connection with forest and rangeland research, technical 

information, and assistance in foreign countries, and shall be available to support forestry and 

related natural resource activities outside the United States and its territories and possessions, 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

including technical assistance, education and training, and cooperation with U.S., private, and 

international organizations. The Forest Service, acting for the International Program, may sign 

direct funding agreements with foreign governments and institutions as well as other domestic 

agencies (including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, and 

the Millennium Challenge Corporation), U.S. private sector firms, institutions and organizations to 

provide technical assistance and training programs overseas on forestry and rangeland 

management.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for expenditure or transfer to the 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, for removal, preparation, and adoption 

of excess wild horses and burros from National Forest System lands, and for the performance of 

cadastral surveys to designate the boundaries of such lands. 

Note: No language changes are proposed. 

None of the funds made available to the Forest Service in this Act or any other Act with respect to 

any fiscal year shall be subject to transfer under the provisions of section 702(b) of the Department 

of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2257), section 442 of Public Law 106-224 (7 U.S.C. 

7772), or section 10417(b) of Public Law 107-107 (7 U.S.C. 8316(b)).

Note: No language changes are proposed.

1. [None of the funds available to the Forest Service may be reprogrammed without the advance 

approval of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations in accordance with the 

reprogramming procedures contained in the joint explanatory statement of the managers 

accompanying this Act.]

Note 1: Provision limits agency flexibility.

1.

Not more than $82,000,000 of funds available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to the 

Working Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture and not more than $14,500,000 of funds 

available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to the Department of Agriculture for 

Department Reimbursable Programs, commonly referred to as Greenbook charges. Nothing in this 

paragraph shall prohibit or limit the use of reimbursable agreements requested by the Forest 

Service in order to obtain services from the Department of Agriculture's National Information 

Technology Center. Nothing in this paragraph shall limit the Forest Service portion of 

implementation costs to be paid to the Department of Agriculture for the [Financial Management 

Modernization Initiative] International Technology Service.

Note 1: Delete reference to exclude Financial Management Modernization Initiative costs 

because the implementation period for USDA has ended. Add exclusion for International 

Technology Service costs for negotiated agreements for requested services provided USDA-wide.

Of the funds available to the Forest Service up to $5,000,000 shall be available for priority 

projects within the scope of the approved budget, which shall be carried out by the Youth 

Conservation Corps and shall be carried out under the authority of the Public Lands Corps Act of 

1993, Public Law 103-82, as amended by Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

2005, Public Law 109-154.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Of the funds available to the Forest Service, $4,000 is available to the Chief of the Forest Service 

for official reception and representation expenses.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

1.

Pursuant to sections 405(b) and 410(b) of Public Law 101-593, of the funds available to the Forest 

Service, up to $3,000,000 may be advanced in a lump sum to the National Forest Foundation to 

aid conservation partnership projects in support of the Forest Service mission, without regard to 

when the Foundation incurs expenses, for projects on or benefitting National Forest System lands 

or related to Forest Service programs: Provided, That of the Federal funds made available to the 

Foundation, no more than $300,000 shall be available for administrative expenses: Provided 

further, That the Foundation shall obtain, by the end of the period of Federal financial assistance, 

private contributions to match on at least one-for-one basis funds made available by the Forest 

Service: Provided further, That the Foundation may transfer Federal funds to a Federal or a nonFederal recipient for a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained the non-Federal 

matching funds[: Provided further, That for fiscal year 2014 and thereafter, the National Forest 

Foundation may hold Federal funds made available but not immediately disbursed and may use 

any interest or other investment income earned (before, on, or after the date of the enactment of 

this Act) on Federal funds to carry out of the purposes of Public Law 101—593: Provided further, 

That such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in 

obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States].

Note 1: Provisions removed because they are permanent. 

Pursuant to section 2(b)(2) of Public Law 98-244, up to $3,000,000 of the funds available to the 

Forest Service may be advanced to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in a lump sum to 

aid cost-share conservation projects, without regard to when expenses are incurred, on or 

benefitting National Forest System lands or related to Forest Service programs: Provided, That 

such funds shall be matched on at least a one-for-one basis by the Foundation or its sub-recipients: 

Provided further, That the Foundation may transfer Federal funds to a Federal or non-Federal 

recipient for a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained the non-Federal matching 

funds.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for interactions with and providing 

technical assistance to rural communities and natural resource-based businesses for sustainable 

rural development purposes.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for payments to counties within the 

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, pursuant to section 14(c)(1) and (2), and section 

16(a)(2) of Public Law 99-663.

Note: No language changes are proposed. 

Any funds appropriated to the Forest Service may be used to meet the non-Federal share 

requirement in section 502(c) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056(c)(2)).

Appropriations Language Changes 2-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Funds available to the Forest Service, not to exceed $55,000,000, shall be assessed for the purpose 

of performing fire, administrative and other facilities maintenance and decommissioning. Such 

assessments shall occur using a square foot rate charged on the same basis the agency uses to 

assess programs for payment of rent, utilities, and other support services.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any appropriations or funds available to the Forest 

Service not to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office of the General Counsel 

(OGC), Department of Agriculture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a result of OGC 

assistance or participation requested by the Forest Service at meetings, training sessions, 

management reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar nonlitigation-related matters. Future 

budget justifications for both the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture should clearly 

display the sums previously transferred and the requested funding transfers.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

An eligible individual who is employed in any project funded under title V of the Older American 

Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.) and administered by the Forest Service shall be considered to 

be a Federal employee for purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code.

Note: No language changes are proposed.

[The 19th unnumbered paragraph under heading “Administrative Provisions, Forest 

Service” in title III of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2006, Public Law 109–54, as amended, is amended by striking 

“2014” and inserting “2019”.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76).

Title IV

GENERAL PROVISIONS

[LIMITATION ON CONSULTING SERVICES]

1. [SEC. 401. In fiscal year 2014 and thereafter, the expenditure of any appropriation under this Act 

or any subsequent Act appropriation funds for departments and agencies funded in this Act, for 

any consulting service through procurement contract, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall be limited 

to those contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public

inspection, except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under existing Executive order 

issued pursuant to existing law.]

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

[RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS]

1. [SEC. 402. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall be available for any activity or 

the publication or distribution of literature that in any way tends to promote public support or 

opposition to any legislative proposal on which Congressional action is not complete other than to

communicate to Members of Congress as described in 18 U.S.C. 1913.]

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language.

OBLIGATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

1. SEC. [403]401. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall remain available for 

obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein. 

Note 1: Changes section number.

DISCLOSURE OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

1.

2.

SEC. [404]402. The amount and basis of estimated overhead charges, deductions, reserves or 

holdbacks, including working capital fund and cost pool charges, from programs, projects, 

activities and subactivities to support government-wide, departmental, agency, or bureau 

administrative functions or headquarters, regional, or central operations shall be presented in 

annual budget justifications [and subject to approval by the Committees on Appropriations of the 

House of Representatives and the Senate. Changes]. Advance notice of changes to such estimates 

shall be presented to the Committees on Appropriations [for approval].

Note 1: Changes section number.

Note 2: Language deleted because it limits agency flexibility.

MINING APPLICATIONS

1. SEC. [405]403. (a) LIMITATION OF FUNDS.—None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 

made available pursuant to this Act shall be obligated or expended to accept or process 

applications for a patent for any mining or mill site claim located under the general mining laws.

(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Subsection (a) shall not apply if the Secretary of the Interior determines that, 

for the claim concerned (1) a patent application was filed with the Secretary on or before 

September 30, 1994; and (2) all requirements established under sections 2325 and 2326 of the 

Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 29 and 30) for vein or lode claims, sections 2329, 2330, 2331, and 

2333 of the Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 35, 36, and 37) for placer claims, and section 2337 of the 

Revised Statutes (30 U.S.C. 42) for mill site claims, as the case may be, were fully complied with 

by the applicant by that date.

(c) REPORT.—On September 30, 2015, the Secretary of the Interior shall file with the House and 

Senate Committees on Appropriations and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House and 

the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on actions taken by the 

Department under the plan submitted pursuant to section 314(c) of the Department of the Interior 

and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104–208).

(d) MINERAL EXAMINATIONS.—In order to process patent applications in a timely and 

responsible manner, upon the request of a patent applicant, the Secretary of the Interior shall allow 

the applicant to fund a qualified third-party contractor to be selected by the Director of the

Bureau of Land Management to conduct a mineral examination of the mining claims or mill sites 

contained in a patent application as set forth in subsection (b). The Bureau of Land Management 

shall have the sole responsibility to choose and pay the third-party contractor in accordance with 

the standard procedures employed by the Bureau of Land Management in the retention of third 

party contractors.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Note 1: Changes section number.

CONTRACT SUPPORT COSTS

1. SEC. [406]404. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, amounts appropriated to or otherwise 

designated in committee reports for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service by 

Public Laws 103–138, 103–332, 104–134, 104–208, 105–83, 105–277, 106–113, 106–291, 107–

63, 108–7, 108–108, 108–447, 109–54, 109–289, division B and Continuing Appropriations 

Resolution, 2007 (division B of Public Law 109–289, as amended by Public Laws 110–5 and 110–

28), Public Laws 110–92, 110–116, 110–137, 110–149, 110–161, 110–329, 111–6, 111–8, 111–

88, 112–10, 112–74, and 113–6 for payments for contract support costs associated with selfdetermination or self-governance contracts, grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements with 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service as funded by such Acts, are the total 

amounts available for fiscal years 1994 through 2013 for such purposes, except that the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs, tribes and tribal organizations may use their tribal priority allocations for unmet 

contract support costs of ongoing contracts, grants, self-governance compacts, or annual funding 

agreements.

Note 1: Changes section number.

1.

2.

SEC. 405. Amounts provided under the headings "Department of the Interior,

Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, Operation of Indian

Programs" and "Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service,

Indian Health Services" in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113–76)

are the only amounts available for contract support costs arising out of self-determination

or self-governance contracts, grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements

with the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service for activities funded

by the fiscal year 2014 appropriation: Provided, That such amounts provided by

that Act are not available for payment of claims for contract support costs for prior

years, or for repayments of payments for settlements or judgments awarding contract

support costs for prior years.

SEC. 406. Amounts provided by this Act for fiscal year 2015 under the headings

"Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service, Indian Health

Services" and "Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau

of Indian Education, Operation of Indian Programs" are the only amounts available

for contract support costs arising out of self-determination or self-governance contracts,

grants, compacts, or annual funding agreements for fiscal year 2015 with

the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Indian Health Service: Provided, That such

amounts provided by this Act are not available for payment of claims for contract

support costs for prior years, or for repayments of payments for settlements or

judgments awarding contract support costs for prior years.

Note 1: New provision proposed by Department of the Interior. Not applicable to the Forest 

Service.

Note 2: New provision proposed by Department of the Interior. Not applicable to the Forest 

Service

FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS

SEC. 407. The Secretary of Agriculture shall not be considered to be in violation of subparagraph 

6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

1604(f)(5)(A)) solely because more than 15 years have passed without revision of the plan for a 

unit of the National Forest System. Nothing in this section exempts the Secretary from any other 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

requirement of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (16 U.S.C. 1600 et 

seq.) or any other law: Provided, That if the Secretary is not acting expeditiously and in good 

faith, within the funding available, to revise a plan for a unit of the National Forest System, this 

section shall be void with respect to such plan and a court of proper jurisdiction may order 

completion of the plan on an accelerated basis.

Note: No language changes as proposed.

PROHIBITION WITHIN NATIONAL MONUMENTS

SEC. 408. No funds provided in this Act may be expended to conduct preleasing, leasing and 

related activities under either the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) or the Outer 

Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) within the boundaries of a National 

Monument established pursuant to the Act of June 8, 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) as such 

boundary existed on January 20, 2001, except where such activities are allowed under the 

Presidential proclamation establishing such monument.

Note: No language changes as proposed.

LIMITATION ON TAKINGS 

1.

SEC. 409. Unless otherwise provided herein, no funds appropriated in this Act for the acquisition 

of lands or interests in lands may be expended for the filing of declarations of taking or complaints 

in condemnation without [the approval of] providing prior notification to the House and Senate 

Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That this provision shall not apply to funds appropriated 

to implement the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989, or to funds 

appropriated for Federal assistance to the State of Florida to acquire lands for Everglades 

restoration purposes.

Note 1: Proposed language provides notification of Congress if agency using authorities.

[TIMBER SALE REQUIREMENTS] 

1. [SEC. 410. No timber sale in Alaska’s Region 10 shall be advertised if the indicated rate is deficit 

(defined as the value of the timber is not sufficient to cover all logging and stumpage costs and 

provide a normal profit and risk allowance under the Forest Service’s appraisal process) when 

appraised using a residual value appraisal. The western red cedar timber from those sales which is 

surplus to the needs of the domestic processors in Alaska, shall be made available to domestic 

processors in the contiguous 48 United States at prevailing domestic prices. All additional western 

red cedar volume not sold to Alaska or contiguous 48 United States domestic processors may be 

exported to foreign markets at the election of the timber sale holder. All Alaska yellow cedar may 

be sold at prevailing export prices at the election of the timber sale holder.]

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as it limits agency flexibility and creates an excessive 

administrative burden. Current law requires residual value appraisal and domestic use of timber.

LIVESTOCK GRAZING ADMINISTRATION

1.

2.

SEC. 410. Beginning on March 1, 2015, and only to the extent and in the amount

provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of Agriculture shall collect

an annual administrative fee for grazing domestic livestock on National Forests

in the 16 contiguous western States and on National Grasslands in the amount of

$1.00 per head month for cattle and its equivalent for other livestock. The administrative

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

fee shall be billed and collected using the process as provided in sections

222.50 through 222.52 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations. Fees collected may

be used, subject to appropriation, to offset the cost of administering the livestock

grazing program. Nothing in this provision shall affect the calculation, collection,

distribution, or use of the grazing fee under 43 U.S.C. 1751(b), title III of the

Bankhead Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010), and implementing regulations.

 In fiscal year 2015, beginning on March 1, 2015, and only to the extent and in

the amount provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of the Interior

shall collect an administrative fee to offset the increased cost of administering

the livestock grazing program on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land

Management by charging $1.00 per Animal Unit Month, which shall be billed,

collected, and subject to the penalties using the same process as the annual grazing

fee in 43 C.F.R. 4130.8–1. Penalties assessed shall be deposited in the General

Fund of the Treasury. Nothing in this provision affects the calculation, collection,

distribution, or use of the grazing fee under 43 U.S.C. 315–315rr, 43 U.S.C.

1751(b), 43 U.S.C. 1905, Executive Order 12548, or administrative regulation.

Note 1: Inserts section.

Note 2: Established new grazing fee program. 

[EXTENSION OF GRAZING PERMITS] 

SEC. 411. Section 415 of division E of Public Law 112–74 is amended by striking ‘‘and 2013’’ 

and inserting ‘‘through 2015’’.] 

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2014 (P.L. 113-76).

PROHIBITION ON NO-BID CONTRACTS 

1. SEC. [412]411. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to 

executive branch agencies may be used to enter into any Federal contract unless such contract is 

entered into in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 33 of title 41, United States Code, or 

Chapter 137 of title 10, United States Code, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, unless—

(1) Federal law specifically authorizes a contract to be entered into without regard for these 

requirements, including formula grants for States, or federally recognized Indian tribes; or

(2) such contract is authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education and Assistance

Act (Public Law 93–638, 25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.) or by any other Federal laws that specifically 

authorize a contract within an Indian tribe as defined in section 4(e) of that Act (25 U.S.C. 

450b(e)); or 

(3) such contract was awarded prior to the date of enactment of this Act.

Note 1: Changes section number.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

POSTING OF REPORTS 

1. SEC. [413]412. (a) Any agency receiving funds made available in this Act, shall, subject to 

subsections (b) and (c), post on the public website of that agency any report required to be 

submitted by the Congress in this or any other Act, upon the determination by the head of the 

agency that it shall serve the national interest.

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a report if—

(1) the public posting of the report compromises national security; or

(2) the report contains proprietary information.

(c) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so only after such report has been made 

available to the requesting Committee or Committees of Congress for no less than 45 days.

Note 1: Changes section number.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT GUIDELINES

1. SEC. [414]413. Of the funds provided to the National Endowment for the Arts—

(1) The Chairperson shall only award a grant to an individual if such grant is awarded to such 

individual for a literature fellowship, National Heritage Fellowship, or American Jazz Masters 

Fellowship.

(2) The Chairperson shall establish procedures to ensure that no funding provided through a grant, 

except a grant made to a State or local arts agency, or regional group, may be used to make a grant 

to any other organization or individual to conduct activity independent of the direct grant 

recipient. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit payments made in exchange for goods and 

services. 

(3) No grant shall be used for seasonal support to a group, unless the application is specific to the

contents of the season, including identified programs and/or projects.

Note 1: Changes section number.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS PROGRAM PRIORITIES

1. SEC. [415]414. (a) In providing services or awarding financial assistance under the National 

Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 from funds appropriated under this Act, 

the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts shall ensure that priority is given to 

providing services or awarding financial assistance for projects, productions, workshops, or 

programs that serve underserved populations.

(b) In this section:

(1) The term ‘‘underserved population’’ means a population of individuals, including urban 

minorities, who have historically been outside the purview of arts and humanities programs due to 

factors such as a high incidence of income below the poverty line or to geographic isolation.

(2) The term ‘‘poverty line’’ means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and 

Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of the Community Services Block 

Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of the size involved.

(c) In providing services and awarding financial assistance under the National Foundation on the 

Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 with funds appropriated by this Act, the Chairperson of the 

National Endowment for the Arts shall ensure that priority is given to providing services or 

awarding financial assistance for projects, productions, workshops, or programs that will 

encourage public knowledge, education, understanding, and appreciation of the arts.

(d) With funds appropriated by this Act to carry out section 5 of the National Foundation on the 

Arts and Humanities Act of 1965—

(1) the Chairperson shall establish a grant category for projects, productions, workshops, or 

programs that are of national impact or availability or are able to tour several States;

Appropriations Language Changes 2-13
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

(2) the Chairperson shall not make grants exceeding 15 percent, in the aggregate, of such funds to 

any single State, excluding grants made under the authority of paragraph (1);

(3) the Chairperson shall report to the Congress annually and by State, on grants awarded by the 

Chairperson in each grant category under section 5 of such Act; and

(4) the Chairperson shall encourage the use of grants to improve and support community-based

music performance and education. 

Note 1: Changes section number.

[NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT AWARDS TO STATES]

1. [SEC. 416. Section 5(g)(4) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 

(20 U.S.C. 954(g)(4)), is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (A) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Whenever a State agency requests 

that the Chairperson exercise such discretion, the Chairperson shall—

‘‘(i) give consideration to the various circumstances the State is encountering at the time of such 

request; and

‘‘(ii) ensure that such discretion is not exercised with respect to such State in perpetuity.’’; and (2) 

in subparagraph (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The non-Federal funds required by 

subparagraph (A) to pay 50 percent of the cost of a program or production shall be provided from 

funds directly controlled and appropriated by the State involved and directly managed by the State 

agency of such State.’’.]

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language.

[EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF GOOD NEIGHBOR COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION 

AUTHORITY]

[SEC. 417. Section 331 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations 

Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–291; 114 Stat. 996), as amended by section 336 of division E of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108–447; 118 Stat. 3102) and section 422 of 

the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 

(division A of Public Law 111–88; 123 Stat. 2961), is further amended—

(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘IN COLORADO’’;

(2) in subsection (a)—

(A) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘COLORADO’’;

(B) by striking ‘‘may permit the Colorado State Forest Service’’ and inserting ‘‘may permit the 

head of a State agency with jurisdiction over State forestry programs in a State containing 

National Forest System land (in this section referred to as a ‘State Forester’)’’; and

(C) by striking ‘‘of Colorado’’;

(3) in subsection (b)—

(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘of Colorado’’; and

(B) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘the Colorado State Forest Service’’ and inserting ‘‘a State 

Forester’’;

(4) in subsection (c)—

(A) by striking ‘‘the Colorado State Forest Service’’ the first place it appears and inserting ‘‘a 

State Forester’’;

(B) by striking ‘‘of Colorado’’; and

(C) by striking ‘‘the Colorado State Forest Service’’ the second place it appears and inserting ‘‘the 

State’’;

(5) in subsection (d)—

(A) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘COLORADO’’; and

(B) by striking ‘‘the State of Colorado’’ and inserting ‘‘a State’’; and

Appropriations Language Changes 2-14
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

(6) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘September 30, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2018’’.]

Note: Provision no longer needed since Good Neighbor authority was permanently reauthorized 

under the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79).

[STATUS OF BALANCES OF APPROPRIATIONS]

[SEC. 418. The Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest 

Service, and the Indian Health Service shall provide the Committees on Appropriations of the 

House of Representatives and Senate quarterly reports on the status of balances of appropriations 

including all uncommitted, committed, and unobligated funds in each program and activity.] 

Note: Proposed for deletion as this creates an excessive administrative burden and duplicates 

existing financial reporting protocols.

[REPORT ON USE OF CLIMATE CHANGE FUNDS]

1. [SEC. 419. Not later than 120 days after the date on which the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget 

request is submitted to Congress, the President shall submit a comprehensive report to the 

Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Appropriations of the Senate describing in detail all Federal agency funding, domestic and 

international, for climate change programs, projects and activities in fiscal year 2011, including an 

accounting of funding by agency with each agency identifying climate change programs, projects 

and activities and associated costs by line item as presented in the President’s Budget Appendix, 

and including citations and linkages where practicable to each strategic plan that is driving funding 

within each climate change program, project and activity listed in the report.]

Note 1: Proposed for deletion as this creates excessive administrative reporting measures. 

[PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS]

1. [SEC. 420. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available in this 

Act or any other Act may be used to promulgate or implement any regulation requiring the 

issuance of permits under title V of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7661 et seq.) for carbon dioxide, 

nitrous oxide, water vapor, or methane emissions resulting from biological processes associated 

with livestock production.]

 

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language.

[GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING RESTRICTIONS]

1. [SEC. 421. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available in this 

or any other Act may be used to implement any provision in a rule, if that provision requires 

mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems.]

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language. 

FUNDING PROHIBITION

1.

2.

SEC. [422]415. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract, 

memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan 

or loan guarantee to, any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any 

Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the 

conviction, unless [the] a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the 

corporation and [has] made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 

interests of the Government.

Appropriations Language Changes 2-15
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Note 1: Changes section number.

Note 2: Clarifies Federal agency. 

LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO DELINQUENT TAX DEBTS

1.

2.

SEC. [423]416. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract, 

memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan 

or loan guarantee to, any corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been 

assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, 

and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority 

responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax 

liability, unless [the] a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation 

and [has] made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of 

the Government.

Note 1: Changes section number.

Note 2: Clarifies Federal agency.

[ALASKA NATIVE REGIONAL HEALTH ENTITIES]

1. [SEC. 424. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and until October 1, 2018, the Indian 

Health Service may not disburse funds for the provision of health care services pursuant to Public 

Law 93–638 (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.) to any Alaska Native village or Alaska Native village 

corporation that is located within the area served by an Alaska Native regional health entity.

(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the disbursal of funds to any Alaska 

Native village or Alaska Native village corporation under any contract or compact entered into 

prior to May 1, 2006, or to prohibit the renewal of any such agreement.

(c) For the purpose of this section, Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc., the Council of Athabascan Tribal 

Governments, and the Native Village of Eyak shall be treated as Alaska Native regional health 

entities to which funds may be disbursed under this section.]

Note 1: Proposed deletion of language. 

[FOREST SERVICE ENHANCING FOREST SERVICE ADMINISTRATION OF RIGHTS-OF-WAY 

AND LAND USE]

[SEC. 425. Section 331 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law

106–113; 16 U.S.C. 497 note) is amended—

(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following new subsection:

‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—For fiscal year 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter, 

the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a program for the purpose of enhancing 

Forest Service administration of rights-of-way and other land uses.’’; and

(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘during fiscal years 2000 through 2012’’ and inserting 

‘‘each fiscal year’’.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76).

Appropriations Language Changes 2-16
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

[FOREST SERVICE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS]

[SEC. 426. (a) AGREEMENTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Agriculture may 

enter into an agreement under section 1 of Public Law 94–148 (16 U.S.C. 565a–

1) with a Federal, tribal, State, or local government or a nonprofit entity for the 

following additional purposes: 

(1) To develop, produce, publish, distribute, or sell educational and interpretive 

materials and products.

(2) To develop, conduct, or sell educational and interpretive programs and services.

(3) To construct, maintain, or improve facilities not under the jurisdiction, custody, or 

control of the Administrator of General Services on or in the vicinity of National Forest 

System lands for the sale or distribution of educational and interpretive materials, 

products, programs, and services.

(4) To operate facilities (including providing the services of Forest Service employees 

to staff facilities) in any public or private building or on land not under the jurisdiction, 

custody, or control of the Administrator of General Services for the sale or distribution 

of educational and interpretive materials, products, programs, and services, pertaining to 

National Forest System lands, private lands, and lands administered by other public 

entities.

(5) To sell health and safety products, visitor convenience items, or other similar items 

(as determined by the Secretary) in facilities not under the jurisdiction, custody, or

control of the Administrator of General Services on or in the vicinity of National Forest 

System lands.

(6) To collect funds on behalf of cooperators from the sale of materials, products, 

programs, and services, as authorized by a preceding paragraph, when the collection of 

such funds is incidental to other duties of Forest Service employees.

(b) TREATMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS OF VOLUNTEERS.—The Forest Service 

may consider the value of services performed by persons who volunteer their services to 

the Forest Service and who are recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator as an 

in-kind contribution of the cooperator for purposes of any cost sharing requirement 

under any Forest Service authority to enter into mutual benefit agreements.

(c) DURATION.—The authority provided by subsections (a) and (b) expires September 

30, 2019.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76).

[CONTRACTING AUTHORITIES]

[SEC. 427. Section 412 of Division E of Public Law 112–74 is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

2013,’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2015,’’.]

Note: Proposed deletion of language.

[CHESAPEAKE BAY INITIATIVE]

[SEC. 428. Section 502(c) of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C.

461 note; P.L. 105–312) is amended by striking "2013" and inserting "2015".]

Note: Proposed deletion of language.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM GRANTS

1.

2.

SEC. [429]417. Section 7301(c)(6) of P.L. 111–11 is amended by striking[ "2013"]"2014" and

inserting ["2014"]"2015".

Note 1: Changes section number.

RECREATION FEE

1. SEC. 418. Section 810 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16

U.S.C. 6809) is amended by striking "10 years after December 8, 2004" and inserting

"on September 30, 2016".

Note 1: Extends authority for the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6809).

[ACTION AND SHARING OF RESOURCES BY SECRETARIES OF THE INTERIOR AND 

AGRICULTURE (SERVICE FIRST INITIATIVE)]

[SEC. 430. Section 330 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations 

Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–291; 43 U.S.C. 1703) is amended—

(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘programs involving the land management agencies referred 

to in this section’’ and inserting ‘‘programs’’;

(2) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘and promulgate’’ and inserting ‘‘and may promulgate’’; and 

(3) in the third sentence, by inserting after ‘‘Forest Service’’ the following: ‘‘or matters under the 

purview of other bureaus or offices of either Department’’.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2014 (P.L. 113-76).

[SEPARATE FOREST SERVICE DECISION MAKING AND APPEALS PROCESS] 

[SEC. 431. Section 322 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations 

Act, 1993 (Public Law 102–381; 16 U.S.C. 1612 note) and Section 428 of division E of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112–74; 125 Stat. 1046; 16 U.S.C. 515 note) 

shall not apply to any project or activity implementing a land and resource management plan 

developed under section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604) that is categorically excluded from documentation in an environmental 

assessment or an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).’]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2014 (P.L. 113-76) and Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L.113-79). 

[EXTENSION OF FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCTS AUTHORITIES] 

[SEC. 432. Section 339(h)(1) of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000 (enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law 106–113; 16 

U.S.C. 528 note) is amended by striking ‘‘until September 30, 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘through 

fiscal year 2019’’.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2014 (P.L. 113-76).

Appropriations Language Changes 2-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

[SHASTA TRINITY MARINA FEES] 

[SEC. 433. Section 422, Div. F, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161; 121 Stat. 

2149), as amended, is further amended by striking “and subsequent fiscal years through fiscal year 

2014” and inserting “and subsequent fiscal years through fiscal year 2019”.]

Note: Provision no longer needed as it was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2014 (P.L. 113-76).

[STEWARDSHIP END RESULT CONTRACTING PROJECTS]

[SEC. 434. Section 347(a) of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations 

Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 2104 note; Public Law 105–277, as amended) is amended by striking 

“September 30, 2014,” and inserting “Until September 30, 2014,”.] 

Note: Provision no longer needed since stewardship contracting was permanently reauthorized 

under the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79). 

[MINING ACCESS]

1. [SEC. 435. In Region 10, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting though the Chief of the Forest 

Service, shall allow reasonable access for the orderly development of mining claims located inside 

areas subject to mineral lands use designations in the relevant Forest Plan.]

Note: Proposed for deletion because it is unnecessary.

COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTRORATION PROGRAM-AUTHORIZATION OF 

APPROPRIATIONS 

1.

SEC. 419. Sec. 4003(f)(6) of Public Law 111-11 (123 Stat. 1146) is amended by striking 

“$40,000,000” and inserting “$80,000,000”.

Note 1: Expands program to $80 million authorization. 

[USE OF AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL]

1. [SEC. 436. (a)(1) None of the funds made available by a State water pollution control revolving 

fund as authorized by title VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) 

or made available by a drinking water treatment revolving loan fund as authorized by section 1452 

of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12) shall be used for a project for the 

construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public water system or treatment works unless 

all of the iron and steel products used in the project are produced in the United States.

(2) In this section, the term ‘‘iron and steel products’’ means the following products made 

primarily of iron or steel: lined or unlined pipes and fittings, manhole covers and other municipal 

castings, hydrants, tanks, flanges, pipe clamps and restraints, valves, structural steel, reinforced 

precast concrete, and construction materials.

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in any case or category of cases in which the Administrator of 

the Environmental Protection Agency (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Administrator’’) finds 

that—

(1) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the public interest;

(2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably 

available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; or

(3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the United States will increase the cost of

the overall project by more than 25 percent.

(c) If the Administrator receives a request for a waiver under this section, the Administrator shall 

make available to the public on an informal basis a copy of the request and information available 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

to the Administrator concerning the request, and shall allow for informal public input on the 

request for at least 15 days prior to making a finding based on the request. The Administrator shall 

make the request and accompanying information available by electronic means, including on the 

official public Internet Web site of the Environmental Protection Agency.

(d) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations under 

international agreements.

(e) The Administrator may retain up to 0.25 percent of the funds appropriated in this Act for the 

Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for carrying out the provisions described in 

subsection (a)(1) for management and oversight of the requirements of this section.

(f) This section does not apply with respect to a project if a State agency approves the engineering 

plans and specifications for the project, in that agency’s capacity to approve such plans and 

specifications prior to a project requesting bids, prior to the date of the enactment of this Act.]

Note 1: Proposed language of deletion. 

MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITIES

1.

2.

3.

SEC. [437]420. (a) Section 8162(m)(3) of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000 

(40 U.S.C. 8903 note; Public Law 106–79) is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2013’’ and 

inserting ‘‘September 30, [2014]2017’’.

[(b) For fiscal year 2014, the authority provided by the provisos under the heading ‘‘Dwight D. 

Eisenhower Memorial Commission—Capital Construction’’ in division E of Public Law 112–74 

shall not be in effect.]

Note 1: Changes section number.

Note 2: Extends this authority.

Note 3: Proposed language of deletion. 

Appropriations Language Changes 2-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest and Rangeland Research

Appropriation Forest and Rangeland Research

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest and Rangeland Research

Annual Appropriations $279,854 $292,805 $275,315 -$17,490 -6%

Forest and Rangeland Research Total 279,854 292,805 275,315 -17,490 -6%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,817 1,903 1,789 -114 -6%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,817 1,903 1,789 -114 -6%

Forest and Rangeland Research

Wildland Fire & Fuels R&D 21,467 22,160 20,445 -1,715 -8%

Invasive Species R&D 34,010 35,106 32,389 -2,717 -8%

Recreation R&D 4,713 4,423 4,081 -342 -8%

Resource Management & Use 90,041 93,382 86,155 -7,227 -8%

Water, Air & Soil R&D 34,284 35,389 32,650 -2,739 -8%

Wildlife & Fish R&D 26,281 27,128 25,029 -2,099 -8%

Inventory & Monitoring R&D 69,058 75,217 74,566 -651 -1%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest and Rangeland Research

Customer satisfaction index score for R&D 75 79 79 79 79 79

Number of patent applications filed (3-year average) 13 8 6 12 8 8

Percent of Nation with accessible FIA data 96.0% 92.0% 94.0% 96.0% 96.0% 98.0%

Quality Science Index - peer-reviewed fire science 

publications per scientist year on a 3-year rolling average 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.0

Output Efficiency Index - total fire science products per 

scientist year on a 3-year rolling average 5.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 4.5

Invasive species tools developed, delivered and used on 

a 5-year rolling average 163 169 163 193 168 173

Forest and Rangeland Research Overview

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $275,315,000 for Forest and Rangeland Research, a 

decrease of $17,490,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding supports 

key research associated with the Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas. The 

request provides $66,805,000 for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, the same 

level as the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The Administration has worked this year to analyze and develop a strategy to address 

catastrophic fire risk. There are three main challenges which require a comprehensive plan of 

action to fully address this risk. The first challenge is to provide a stable source of funding for 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

wildland fire suppression while minimizing destabilizing transfers from non-fire programs. The 

second is to increase the capacity for active management of Federal lands. Increased land 

management activities will have many benefits including a reduction in wildland fire risk, 

improved fire fighter safety, improved water quantity and quality, and enhanced carbon 

sequestration. The third challenge is for non-Federal land managers, including private land 

owners, to implement actions to reduce the risk of fire and increase the resilience of these lands 

to fire. This budget makes hard choices to support important activities while maximizing the 

Forest Service’s ability to address the three main challenges with wildland fire noted above. 

This resulted in reductions in some programs to increase or maintain funding in others.

The Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation provides funds to develop and deliver 

knowledge and innovative technology to improve the health and use of the Nation’s forests and 

rangelands in public and private lands. Forest Service Research and Development (Forest 

Service R&D) conducts research across all forest ownerships and across the landscape 

continuum, from wilderness to urban areas. Research conducted by Forest Service R&D informs 

policy and land-management decisions that improve the health and use of the 193 million acres 

of national forests and rangelands.

Forest Service R&D efforts provide scientific information and new technologies to support 

sustainable management of the Nation’s forests and rangelands. These products and services 

increase the basic biological, physical and applied knowledge of the composition, structure, and 

function of forest, rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. Forest Service R&D is federally 

mandated to provide new knowledge and technologies to foster healthy watersheds, forest 

products, wildlife protection, outdoor recreation opportunities, and other benefits, across all U.S. 

territories and States (including both Federal and non-Federal lands) benefiting rural and urban 

communities. The fruits of this research benefit the American public by improving the health 

and quality of life of communities, both rural and urban, by providing protection from fire, 

improving water and air quality, and a variety of other ecosystem services.

Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative 

In December 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (BBA) was enacted which replaced 

reductions in FY 2013 from sequestration with longer-term reforms. The President’s Budget 

adheres to the BBA’s discretionary funding levels for 2015. In addition, the President’s FY 2015 

Budget Request includes a separate $56 billion Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative 

(OGS Initiative) that is offset with spending reductions and tax reforms. In FY 2015, the OGS 

Initiative is designed to spur economic progress, promote opportunity, and strengthen national 

security through additional discretionary investments.

In addition to the research addressing current pressing questions and issues important to the 

nation, the FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes to devote $18,000,000 from the OGS Initiative 

to research that invests in the Nation’s future at regional and national levels. These investments 

will be in the areas of energy security and regional and national economic stability while 

simultaneously addressing conservation and restoration goals. Research will be focused on 

forest management approaches, including those for urban forests, which improve the nation’s 

environmental health. Research efforts will also be directed at expanding existing and 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

developing new markets for the full range of forest based products including timber, low-value 

wood, and non-traditional timber products (e.g. food and medicinal products). This research will 

generate jobs, increase the value of underutilized forest resources and create value for 

landowners while simultaneously reducing the cost of forest management and restoration 

activities and help forest owners maintain economically viable working forests. To evaluate the 

economic implications of this research, the Forest Service will focus and coordinate the 

collective economics expertise of Forest Service R&D scientists toward nationally significant 

policy and management questions. Public land managers, policymakers, industrial and 

nonindustrial private landowners, communities, and the forest products industry all utilize timely 

and usable science-based information to make informed decisions about natural resource policy, 

management, and investment. Maintaining the effectiveness and competitiveness of the Forest 

Service R&D organization in meeting these demands will require a blend of multiple approaches 

that leverage current research capacity in new and creative ways. 

Investing in Climate Resilience

The President believes that we must do more to help communities across the country become 

more resilient to the effects of climate change. Recent events have reinforced our knowledge 

that our communities and economy remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural hazards. 

For that reason, the President’s 2015 Budget will include a new $1 billion Climate Resilience 

Fund. Through this fund, the President proposes that we:

• Invest in research and unlock data and information to better understand the projected 

impacts of climate change and how we can better prepare our communities and 

infrastructure. The Forest Service R&D will play an important role in climate resiliency 

research.

• Help communities plan and prepare for the impacts of climate change and encourage 

local measures to reduce future risk.

• Fund breakthrough technologies and resilient infrastructure that will make us more 

resilient in the face of changing climate.

Strategic Program Areas

The Forest Service R&D program structure has two integrated components: Priority Research 

Areas and Strategic Program Areas. To address emerging needs and agency priorities, Forest 

Service R&D funds the Priority Research Areas from across the Strategic Program Areas. The 

Strategic Program Areas include: Wildland Fire and Fuels; Invasive Species; Recreation; 

Resource Management and Use; Water, Air, and Soil; Wildlife and Fish; and Inventory and 

Monitoring. The Priority Research Areas are: Forest Inventory and Analysis; Forest 

Disturbances; Watershed Management and Restoration; Bioenergy and Biobased Products; 

Urban Natural Resources Stewardship; Nanotechnology; and Localized Needs Research. The 

following section displays information for each Strategic Program Area. The Priority Research 

Areas are described in detail following the Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Area 

Matrix Funding Table.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Wildland Fire and Fuels Research & Development (R&D)

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $20,445,000 for wildland fire and fuels research, a 

decrease of $1,715,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

Wildland Fire and fuels research will focus on priority research areas including identifying the 

factors affecting fire regimes, fire impacts on forested ecosystems, improving the understanding 

and tools related to fire emissions, smoke management, and real-time reporting. Traditional 

fuels characterization and modeling research will be reduced.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service scientists, in collaboration with universities and other agencies, 

developed methods to provide near real time fire mapping and measurement information based 

on satellite data. This data has also been incorporated in a simulation model that includes 

weather forecasts to provide short-term predictions of fire spread and activity. These advances 

will greatly enhance the ability of fire-fighting agencies to identify and respond to wildland fires 

quickly, as well as to plan for upcoming fire seasons.

Forest Service scientists, in collaboration with 

West Virginia University, studied the effects of 

different forest practices, especially varied fire 

regimes, on both the Fernow Experimental Forest 

and the greater Monongahela National Forest. 

They found greater abundance of ground nesting 

bird species in burned sites where shrub cover was 

greater. These findings suggest that the higher 

heterogeneity of burned vegetative communities 

may drive the structure of avian communities, 

helping managers assess the likely impact of 

various forest restoration activities. 

Forest Service R&D surveyed residents living 

within wildland-urban interface areas of Colorado 

to better understand both individual and 

community actions that homeowners take to 

protect their home or property. The survey is 

aimed to identify the barriers that impede 

homeowners from completing recommended and 

effective FIREWISE treatments. Community 

FIREWISE programs encourage the public to take 

actions, such as creating defensible space or 

making structural improvements to homes and other buildings that can reduce the likelihood of 

wildfire damage or injury.

The Development of the Fire Severity Mapping

Forest Service developed the Fire Severity (FIRESEV) 

Mapping project, a comprehensive set of tools and 

procedures that create, evaluate, and deliver fire severity 

information. Measuring the severity of wildfires and the 

resources burned or damaged is important to plan for 

post wildfire management. FIRESEV sets the stage for a 

new era in fire severity research and provides tools that 

help managers predict and describe fire severity based 

on fuels, moisture conditions and fire characteristics.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Overview

The Wildland Fire and Fuels Strategic Program Area provide the knowledge and tools needed to 

help reduce the negative impacts and enhance the beneficial effects of fire and fuels on society 

and the environment. For example, research tools such as the Wildland Fire Decision Support 

System, provide analytical tools, analysis, and documentation on hundreds of fire management 

decisions annually to improve natural and community resource protection, effectively use 

firefighter resources, and decrease firefighter exposure and suppression costs. The benefit of this 

research includes improved ability to manage fire-impacted natural resources to protect lives, 

homes, and infrastructure, while sustaining carbon storage, forest and grassland health, and 

ecosystems.

Invasive Species R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $32,389,000 for invasive species research, a decrease 

of $2,717,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. At the proposed level, Forest 

Service R&D will maintain capacity to address priority research areas, including the introduction 

and spread of non-native species, by 

eliminating some research on established 

indigenous species. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service R&D 

developed 193 tools used by public and 

private land managers, academia, and local 

and national policy makers. Forest Service 

R&D improved its research efficiency and 

exceeded its target of 163 tools through 

increased partnerships and enhanced 

reporting. FY 2013 was the first year that 

the Research Information Tracking System 

(RITS) was used to report on invasive 

species tools. Using RITS proved 

effective in reporting on both a greater 

number and greater diversity of the types 

of invasive species tools used this year.

Forest Service scientists developed a new 

highly effective lure in response to the 

threat posed by the walnut twig beetle, 

which spreads thousand cankers disease in 

walnut trees. This beetle is a threat to international walnut cultures as well as timber production. 

This lure, which is a synthetic form of a pheromone created by the male beetles, allows for much 

faster detection and mapping of this invasive insect.

Researchers control invasive leafy spurge using an insect

Riparian ecosystems are especially sensitive areas that can be 

threatened by nonnative species. Researchers developed an 

innovative biological control method, which releases large numbers 

of a species of flea beetle—a natural predator of leafy spurge. Their 

efforts resulted in a 60 to 80 percent reduction in leafy spurge in 

one year. The success of this technique has reaped substantial 

benefits for the “Hold the Line” program, a collaboration of county, 

state, and federal agencies as well as school districts and nonprofit 

organizations that has united to control leafy spurge.

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service scientists developed best management practices (BMPs) to reduce the spread of 

invasive plants, such as cheatgrass which is especially invasive in sagebrush, steppe and 

bunchgrass regions in the Great Basin, Columbia Basin, and Snake River Plains in Nevada, Utah, 

Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The BMPs are user friendly, relatively inexpensive, and 

effective. The report, “Proposed BMPs for Invasive Plant Mitigation during Timber Harvesting 

Operations,” explains how timber harvesting processes can spread seeds, roots, and other parts of 

invasive plants; addresses the opportunity costs involved; and describes voluntary BMPs for 

mitigating invasive plant spread, thereby avoiding the ecosystem disruption that invasive plants 

can cause. 

The emerald ash borer continues to sweep across the North American landscape, leaving dead 

and dying ash trees in its wake. Forest Service scientists released multiple species of parasitic 

wasp from Asia into emerald ash borer-infested forests of the United States to reduce populations 

of the beetle. The natural enemies are tiny beneficial insects that eat emerald ash borer eggs and 

larvae. Researchers found that these natural enemies have been establishing and spreading to 

new areas during the last five years, working to help slow the spread of the emerald ash borer

invasion in our forests. 

Program Overview

The Invasive Species Strategic Program Area provides the scientific information, methods, and 

technology to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the introduction, establishment, spread, and impact 

of invasive species, and to restore ecosystems affected by invasive species. This research 

focuses on non-native plants, animals, and diseases whose introduction may cause adverse 

economic or environmental consequences. Natural resource managers use Forest Service R&D 

technology and knowledge to prevent, detect, and manage important invasive species and 

restore/rehabilitate the function and diversity of impacted ecosystems. Investment in research 

and technology benefits forest health by improving on the ground operations in the prevention, 

detection, and control of key invasive species and restoration of ecosystems impacted by 

multiple invasive species and other disturbances.

Recreation R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $4,081,000 for recreation research, a decrease of 

$342,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Priority recreation science will be 

maintained in support of resilient ecosystems and thriving communities.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service scientists developed a new computer simulation model that predicts 

campsite occupancy for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the Superior National 

Forest in Minnesota. The model accounts for the unique travel patterns of the 11,000 groups that 

visit the wilderness area each summer, who enters from 61 different points and traverse through 

95 backcountry zones. Recreation managers are now able to make accurate and informed 

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

decisions about entrance point quotas and can use the model to better understand the influence of 

natural disturbance or management policies on travel patterns.

Forest Service researchers prepared trial applications for statewide comprehensive outdoor 

recreation plans in the States of Idaho and Georgia. Data analysis and report protocols were 

developed to provide state level trends that are consistent with national and regional recreation 

trend assessments. Providing county level recreation and protected land trends and projections is 

vital to public land planning by Federal land managers (e.g., a particular National Park or 

National Forest) and to State park and natural resource agencies.

Program Overview

The Recreation Strategic Program Area is directed at understanding and increasing knowledge 

about a wide variety of outdoor environments, activities, and experiences that connect people 

with the natural world. Social and economic changes such as population growth, increased U.S. 

population diversity and mobility, globalization, changing values, and urbanization of rural 

places alter recreation preferences, use patterns, and opportunities. This program area develops 

the knowledge and tools to address these complex issues and to inform management decisions 

that maintain and improve outdoor recreation opportunities for current and future generations 

while sustaining healthy ecosystems and economies.

Resource Management and Use R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President's Budget includes $86,155,000 for Resource Management and Use 

research, a decrease of $7,227,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding 

will be redirected within the Resource Management and Use Research Strategic Program Area to 

maintain focus and progress in the highest priority research. These high priority research areas 

include research on integrated management and production systems, sustainable bioenergy 

production, nanotechnology, urban sustainability and natural resource stewardship, and 

restoration and climate adaptation research. Research on pinyon-juniper restoration, recycling 

urban wood waste, cellulosic ethanol, and selected hardwood tree improvement and regeneration 

research will be de-emphasized, resulting in a reduction in research operational costs.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service R&D cooperated with the National Association of Home Builders to 

develop the National Green Building Standard. The National Green Building Standard promotes 

the use of green building materials and provides incentives for architects and builders to specify 

and use non-residential wood in green construction. Robust markets for green building materials 

provide substantial environmental benefits, incentives for private landowners to maintain 

forested land, and a critical source of jobs in rural America.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service scientists studied the ability of 

verbenone (a chemical pheromone) to protect 

lodgepole pine over long-term bark beetle 

outbreaks, and found that it reduced infestation 

under certain conditions. This work is 

instrumental in mitigating mountain pine beetle 

attacks on national forests in the northern Rocky 

Mountains, as well as in Colorado and California. 

Verbenone is also being used extensively in the 

private sector by homeowners who are attempting 

to deter beetle attacks in the trees immediately 

surrounding their homes.

Forest Service scientists completed an analysis of 

urban tree cover nationally that revealed it is 

declining at a rate of about 20,000 acres or about 

four million trees per year. Understanding 

changes and trends in urban forests is helping 

cities and towns across the U.S. develop urban 

forest management plans and sustainability 

strategies that improve environmental health and 

community well-being into the future.

Recently published research by Forest Service 

scientists in partnership with Virginia Tech 

University and the American Herbal Products 

Association demonstrated that co-managing 

eastern hardwood forests for both timber and 

American ginseng benefits local economies while 

conserving biodiversity. Ginseng has been 

harvested from temperate hardwood forests for 

hundreds of years, with harvesters taking in more 

than $27 million each year.

Forest Service scientists identified opportunities where biomass energy and other renewable 

sources could play an integral role in Sitka, Alaska’s energy planning. For example, utilization 

of hydroelectric power could be expanded and displace fossil fuels for current residential heating 

and future transportation needs. In southeast Alaska, energy issues are at the heart of the 

economic viability and sustainability of many communities. With increasing fossil fuel prices, 

interest in renewable energy and energy conservation has never been greater.

Program Overview

The Resource Management and Use Strategic Program Area provide the scientific and 

technological base to sustainably manage and use forest resources and forest fiber-based 

products. The use of forest products for timber, medicinal, and food products contributes to local 

Cellulose Nanocellulose Pilot Plant

In August 2012, the Forest Products Lab unveiled a 

production facility for renewable, forest-based 

nanomaterials. This facility is the first of its kind in the 

U.S. The facility will support an emerging market for 

wood-derived renewable nanomaterials, helping spur 

forest-based job growth. Wood-based nanomaterials are 

expected to contribute an estimated $42 billion to the 

American economy by 2020. Development and 

commercialization of new lightweight, highperformance, wood-derived products may help reduce 

fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions 

while increasing the potential for rural manufacturing 

opportunities, including the creation of many new highpaying jobs. Utilization of forest biomass for production 

of high-value nanocellulose materials may accelerate 

forest restoration activities by offsetting the cost of 

removing hazardous fuels.

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

economies while the management of these forests provides an assortment of ecosystem services 

including clean air and water. Critical research 

includes plant science, soil science, silviculture, 

social science, productivity, forest and range 

ecology and management, forest harvesting and 

operations, forest and biomass products and 

utilization, economics, urban forestry, climate 

change, and nanotechnology. The benefit of this 

program area is that it helps ensure that our 

Nation’s forests remain a sustainable, strategic 

asset in achieving and enhancing U.S. energy 

security, economic opportunity, environmental 

quality, and global competitiveness.

Water, Air, and Soil R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes 

$32,650,000 for water, air, and soil research, a 

decrease of $2,739,000 from the FY 2014 

Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funds will be 

focused toward research in support of watershed 

restoration, soil conservation during road 

decommissioning, and air quality research in 

support of forest health management. Forest 

Service is committed to producing the science 

and delivery to support high quality water, air, and soil resources. 

Past Performance

To help provide a better understanding of how vegetation production will respond to altered 

climate conditions and resulting in changes in precipitation patterns, in FY 2013 Forest Service 

R&D collaborated with USDA Agricultural Research Service and others on research that found a 

common range of water-use efficiency values across timescales and locations. The research 

found that the increased frequency of dry years this century is not yet compromising the response 

to lower water-use efficiency in wetter years. Increased understanding of these relationships is 

important when making decisions about food production and resource management.

Forest Service R&D developed models to improve a manager’s ability to accurately predict air 

pollution emissions during prescribed fires in shrub lands. Scientists used field measurements, 

environmental conditions, and fuel consumption data in shrub-dominated sites (sagebrush) in the 

Interior West to develop these models which estimate fuel consumption in these vegetation types 

during prescribed fires. This information allows managers to predict pollution emissions during 

prescribed fires, which directly assists with smoke management planning and regulation.

Reforestation along Rivers and Streams in Lower 

Mississippi Alluvial Valley Reduces Sediment Runoff

A recent study, by Forest Service scientists, in 

collaboration with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and 

Communities and Forest Service State and Private 

Forestry, shows that reforesting the Lower Mississippi 

Alluvial Valley can significantly reduce runoff from 

agricultural lands and the amount of sediment entering the 

area’s rivers, streams, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. 

Results of this study were published in the journal 

Ecological Engineering. The Lower Mississippi Alluvial 

Valley is one of the largest coastal and river basins in the 

world, most affected by floods, erosion, and sediment 

deposition as a result of more than a century of converting 

bottomland hardwood forests to agricultural lands.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service scientists partnered with Earth Systems Institute to develop NetMap, a platform 

for rapidly conducting cost-effective watershed analysis. This tool supports climate smart 

restoration and management by identifying areas of watersheds that are most likely to warm, are 

vulnerable to erosion and mass wasting from wildfires and floods, and are most productive for 

fish. NetMap is available to forest managers in the northwest and is being expanded to cover 

other western regions.

Forest Service scientists developed a new approach to prioritizing watershed restoration needs 

that does not require expensive water sampling. Scientists used novel information derived from 

the Landsat data archive that describes forest canopy cover change along with forest inventory 

data and existing land cover data to predict total 

phosphorus and turbidity in streams draining 

into Lakes Superior and Michigan. This 

approach will contribute to effective 

management of the Great Lakes watershed and 

result in efficient use of restoration funds and 

will ultimately contribute to improve nearshore water quality.

Program Overview

The Water, Air, and Soil Strategic Program 

Area enables the sustainable management of 

these essential resources by providing 

information on how to support clean air and 

drinking water, and improve our ability to adapt 

to climate variability and change. The program 

area studies ecosystem services with a high 

level of integration between water, air, and soil 

research. It pays particular attention to the 

effects of climate variability and change on 

water budgets. This research benefits managers 

and policymakers by providing scientific 

information and tools needed to address critical 

issues.

Wildlife and Fish R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $25,029,000 for Wildlife and Fish research, a decrease 

of $2,099,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This budget will support 

priority research including climate change adaptation, habitat restoration strategies, and 

innovations in inventory and monitoring. Wildlife and fish research is vital in informing high 

priority conservation efforts such as managig for resilient populations of cold water fishes, 

restoring sage grouse habitat, managing habitat of elk and mule deer, and slowing the spread of 

Detecting White Nose Syndrome Fungus on Bats

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) fungus has decimated 

North American bat populations in recent years. In a 

given night, bats can eat millions of nocturnal insects, 

including many crop and forest pests. The impact of 

decreasing bat populations on agricultural crops is 

estimated at more than $3.7 billion per year making 

control of the WNS fungus critical. To this end, Forest 

Service scientists created the most accurate and sensitive 

DNA technique for detecting the fungus on bats in almost 

any kind of sample. This test set the new standard and is 

now being used by a team from the Forest Service, U.S. 

Geological Survey, and University of Wisconsin-Madison 

to survey soil samples from across eastern North America. 

This test is 100-fold more sensitive than prior tests and 

facilitates detection of the fungus on bats before the 

clinical disease is observed.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

white nose syndrome in bats. Results of this research include improved allocation of restoration 

dollars, increased resilience of valuable fish and wildlife resources, and support of the 2012 

Planning Rule. Capacity for research and partnerships will continue at a reduced level in some 

regions.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service scientists and partners developed habitat relationship models to 

calculate the bird habitat potential of urban forests by linking those models with the Forest 

Service urban forest assessment tool, i-Tree. Scientists are studying the conditions under which 

songbirds and native pollinators flourish in yards and urban forests, monitoring the fates of 

color-banded birds and nests in yards to help understand the features of yards that support viable 

populations, and encouraging delayed lawn mowing or, preferably, planting native pollinator 

plants to support native pollinators and other beneficial insects. This information provides 

homeowners and municipalities with information to guide their practices and policies to promote 

biodiversity from the scale of individual yards to larger forest conservation areas.

Forest Service scientists in the northeast developed tools to identify road stream crossings that 

pose the highest risk to the movement of aquatic species. They are also looking at culverts that 

are most likely to fail, and developing prioritization protocols that can help determine culvert 

replacements that will have the greatest benefits to both road infrastructure stability and fish 

population persistence. This information will inform management decisions that increase 

ecosystem and infrastructure resilience in northeastern communities in the face of future extreme 

weather events. 

Program Overview

The Wildlife and Fish Strategic Program Area provides knowledge and tools to sustain the 

health, diversity, and productivity of aquatic and terrestrial animals on the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands. Forest Service R&D wildlife and fish research serves several needs including 

supporting restoration and conservation actions across large landscapes and watersheds; 

managing wildlife and fish under current and future environmental disturbances such as drought, 

fire, and invasive species; creating innovative protocols for inventory and monitoring of fish and 

wildlife populations and habitats; and providing strategies to meet the growing demand for 

water, energy, and other forest and grassland based commodities while ensuring the 

sustainability and diversity of terrestrial and aquatic species and ecosystems.

Inventory and Monitoring R&D

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $74,566,000 for inventory and monitoring research, a 

decrease of $651,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Inventory and 

Monitoring is comprised of Resource Data and Analysis and Forest Inventory and Analysis 

(FIA). The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $7,761,000 for Resource Data and Analysis, a 

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

decrease of $651,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act level and $66,805,000 

for the FIA program, consistent with the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

At the FY 2015 budget levels, the capacity for Resource Data and Analysis to develop new tools 

to assess the current status and trends of forests will be lessened. The FIA program will continue 

to implement the annualized inventory program in all 50 States (except interior Alaska), the 

affiliated Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The re-measurement cycle 

will remain at a national 10-year level. 

Consistent with FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the FY 2015 President’s Budget 

consolidates funding for the Forest Resources and Information Analysis BLI under the State and 

Private Deputy Area. This funding ($4,660,000 in FY 2013) was historically utilized to develop 

partnerships with State agencies to achieve program goals. Leveraging funds with State agencies 

will continue at a reduced level. Forest Service R&D will continue to work closely with State 

Forestry agencies and other partners to achieve the FIA mission

Past Performance

In FY 2013, Forest Service R&D implemented FIA annual forest sampling in all 50 states. 

Current and accessible FIA data were available for 48 states (96 percent), exceeding the 2013 

target. In excess of 42,000 field plots were measured that represent 14 percent of the FIA 

national plot system. Current data defined number of U.S. States for which FIA data is less than 

two years old and accessible to external customers on line at http://www.fia.fs.fed.us. Data from 

the previous survey cycle (generally 10 to 15 years old) are available for states where current 

data is not yet posted.

Forest Service scientists developed a mapping methodology that will amplify the usefulness of 

the data collected for the climate change report. By combining FIA plot data with auxiliary 

sources of information, such as satellite imagery, scientists are able to aggregate national 

estimates into finer scales, allowing strategic forest management and monitoring activities that 

focus on various ecosystem services, such as carbon storage enhancement.

An Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center scientist developed protocols that 

use the most current National Land Cover Database dataset, 2001 to 2006, to assess forest 

fragmentation and the loss of forest interior conditions within the United States. Combined with 

additional field plot data from the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the resulting 

information expands the comparative assessment of forest fragmentation to 125 major forest 

types. Current information about landscape patterns and forest fragmentation will be included in 

the 2015 Resources Planning Act Assessment update and help policy makers and the general 

public make informed resource management decisions.

Program Overview

The Inventory and Monitoring Strategic Program Area provides the resource data, analysis, and 

tools needed to assess current status and trends of forests; management options and impacts; and 

threats from fire, insects, disease, and natural processes, thereby enhancing the use and value of 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

our Nation’s forests and grasslands. Assessing current and potential effects of climate change 

depends on monitoring those forest ecosystems at greatest risk to rapid change.

National, State, and local policy makers, universities, businesses, Tribal governments, national 

forests and other natural resource agencies, interest groups, and many others depend on our 

models, information, and data for timely, scientifically credible assessments about our forests. 

An important component of Inventory and Monitoring is the FIA program. The FIA program 

has been the Nation’s forest census since 1930. The program collects, analyzes, and reports on 

the status and trends of America’s forests such as how much forest exists, where it exists, who 

owns it, and how it is changing. Benefits derived from FIA include evaluation of wildlife habitat 

conditions, assessing sustainability of current and anticipated ecosystem management practices, 

monitoring forest health, supporting planning and decision-making activities undertaken by 

public and private enterprises, and anticipating climate change impacts to forests.

Forest Service Research and Development Program Overview

Forest Service R&D provides scientific information and new technologies to support sustainable 

management of the Nation’s forests and rangelands. These products and services increase the 

basic biological and physical knowledge of the composition, structure, and function of forest, 

rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. Forest Service R&D is federally mandated to provide new 

knowledge and technologies to foster healthy watersheds, forest products, wildlife protection, 

robust urban ecosystems, and other benefits across all U.S. territories and States (including both 

Federal and non-Federal lands). Research is conducted at five research stations, the Forest 

Products Lab, and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry located in Puerto Rico. There 

are approximately 500 scientists at 67 sites located throughout the United States. In addition, 

Forest Service R&D maintains 80 experimental forests and ranges across the Nation, which 

serves as sites for most of the agency’s long-term research.

The following table illustrates the cross-disciplinary nature of most priority research areas and 

the balance of funding between national and localized research.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Priority Research Areas and Strategic Program Areas Matrix Funding Table

(dollars in thousands)

Priority 

Research

Areas Fire Invasives Recreation

Resource 

Mgmt

and Use

Water, 

Air, and 

Soil

Wildlife 

and Fish

Inventory 

and 

Monitoring Total

Forest 

Disturbances $272 $185 - $14,349 $1,875 $2,938 $5,020 $24,639

Forest Inventory 

and Analysis - - - - - - 66,805 66,805

Watershed Mgmt 

and Restoration 1,716 1,115 - 2,766 9,047 5,577 849 21,071

Bioenergy and 

Biobased 

Products

227 90 - 10,650 227 - 317 11,511

Urban Natural 

Resource 

Stewardship

429 - 1,937 1,016 1,287 - 858 5,526

Nanotechnology - - - 4,247 - - - 4,247

Localized Needs 

Research 17,801 30,998 2,144 53.127 20,215 16,514 717 141,517

Total $20,445 $32,389 $4,081 $86,155 $32,650 $25,029 $74,566 $275,315

Priority Research Areas

Forest Disturbances - $24,639,000

This research area provides managers and policy makers with scientific information and tools to 

anticipate and respond to the impacts of a changing climate and other disturbances on forests and 

rangelands. The program strategy focuses on predicting impacts on ecosystems and providing 

the research that will lead to: enhanced ecosystem sustainability (adaptation); increased carbon 

sequestration, reduced emissions, and product substitution, including biofuels and wood products 

(mitigation); developing decision support tools; and establishing collaborations that will enhance 

the delivery of the science needed to manage forest and rangeland ecosystems. This information 

is used to develop management strategies and provide decision support tools that aid managers 

and policy makers in fostering resilience to current and future forest disturbances (associated 

directly or indirectly with climate change) across forest, range, and urban ecosystems. Working 

with the other agency deputy areas (State and Private Forestry and National Forest System) and 

USDA agencies (Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Agricultural Research Service), 

Forest Service R&D is taking the lead to establish seven Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and 

Mitigation to Climate Change. The Hubs will provide coordinated technical support to 

supplement USDA agriculture and land management program delivery, especially to 

underserved and vulnerable communities, Tribes, and individuals. They will be responsive to the 

information and technical needs of public and private forest landowners.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Inventory and Analysis - $66,805,000

The FIA reports on the current condition and recent trends in the area of public and private forest 

land in the United States. The FIA provides specific information on past, current, and projected 

tree numbers by species; the size and health of trees; tree growth, mortality, and harvest

removals; loss of forested lands due to disturbances, such as hurricanes and wildland fires; wood 

production and utilization; and forest landownership. This data is essential to making sound 

investment decisions in forest management activities and land management planning, in ensuring 

the long-term health of forests, and in prolonging the availability of multiple uses from forests. 

Forest Service R&D works closely with State forestry agencies and other partners to achieve the 

FIA mission. The FIA leverages one partner dollar for every six Federal dollars spent. Recent 

data show that the FIA “census for trees” program positions States and public and private 

landowners to implement and profit from alternative energy and ecosystem service markets 

focused on carbon sequestration and the conversion of woody biomass to energy. The FIA data 

enables the natural resource community to understand the magnitude of changes in forest 

conditions and trends and to make projections of future conditions - information which is vital to 

the long-term health of forests and the sustained availability of multiple uses from forests.

Watershed Management and Restoration - $21,071,000

Adequate supplies of clean water are essential to human health and economic growth. 

Population growth and forest disturbances, however, are stressing surface and ground water 

resources. New approaches are developed to effectively manage water resources given the 

changing social, economic, and environmental conditions. Forest Service R&D delivers:

• BMPs for watershed management and restoration in forest, urban, and agricultural 

settings, which support the provision of abundant, safe drinking water,

• methods for assessing changes in watershed condition as a result of changing 

demographics and development pressures,

• strategies for managing both surface and groundwater resources under changing forest 

conditions and urbanization’

• projections of national and regional water demand and supply as affected by forest 

disturbances, population growth, agriculture production, energy generation, and 

economic development, and

• improved techniques for restoring watersheds, which will enhance overall human and 

ecosystem health.

Bioenergy and Biobased Products - $11,511,000

Our Nation’s forests are a sustainable, strategic asset in achieving and enhancing domestic 

energy security, economic opportunity, environmental quality, and global competitiveness. A 

sustainable renewable bioenergy and biobased products sector is a growing source of jobs in the 

economy and contributes to energy security and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Woody 

biomass is a critical renewable resource that has the potential to supply a significant portion of 

U.S. liquid transportation fuels, chemicals and other bioproducts, and sustainable substitutes for 

fossil fuel-intensive products. A robust and productive research and development program is 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

crucial to building and sustaining this economic sector. This research provides the science and 

technology to sustainably produce, manage, harvest, and convert woody biomass to liquid 

transportation fuels, chemicals, and other high-value products. By developing cost-effective 

conversion processes that deliver fuel and high-value bioproducts plus efficient, high 

productivity biomass feedstock production and management systems, this research reduces 

investor risk in woody biomass projects and contributes to U.S. energy security, environmental, 

and economic goals (U.S. Department of Energy 2011, National Science Foundation 2008).

Urban Natural Resources Stewardship - $5,526,000

Over 80 percent of the U.S. population now lives in metropolitan areas (2010 United States 

Census) and the number is increasing. Improving the sustainability and livability of our cities 

and surrounding suburbs is a long-term challenge and goal as the Nation’s population becomes 

increasingly urban. Forest Service R&D provides leading science and new technology to 

improve environmental health and community well-being in urban areas. Forest Service 

scientists are at the forefront of urban forestry and socio-ecological research that helps cities and 

towns transition to a sustainable future. Critical areas of research include: urban forest structure 

and effects modeling, urban ecosystem health, urban watershed conservation and rehabilitation, 

ecosystem services valuation and assessment, urban environmental stewardship, and green 

infrastructure strategies and BMPs. Forest Service R&D is directing research efforts at the 

municipal level to provide new information and tools to help in sustainability planning. This 

effort involves initiating urban forest inventory work and advancing long-term, place-based, 

collaborative urban forest-related research in a number of cities throughout the U.S.

Nanotechnology - $4,247,000

Forest Service R&D investments in nanotechnology provide research in the production, 

application and technology deployment of cellulose nanomaterials. These activities provide an 

opportunity to utilize wood resulting from forest restoration and fuel treatment operations. 

Cellulose nanomaterials are renewable materials that may displace petroleum-based products in 

automobiles, biomedical devices, body armor, aerospace materials, plastics, composites, 

coatings, and electronics. Consequently, nanotechnology may bring about fundamental changes 

and significant economic and quality-of-life benefits to the American people. This research has 

the added benefit of providing markets for low value wood products, thus providing a financial 

incentive to public and private landowners to remove this low value wood, which reduces fuel 

loads and helps accelerate forest restoration efforts.

Localized Needs Research - $141,518,000

In addition to the research investments in national Priority Research Areas, Forest Service R&D 

invests in research targeted to the geographic regions served by Forest Service research stations 

and field laboratories. Localized needs research is aligned with national strategic goals, but is 

particularly responsive to the social, economic, and ecological issues important to each region. 

Scientists from multiple research stations collaborate across regions to develop and share 

research findings and develop tools that solve common problems. Localized needs research by 

Forest Service R&D provides the foundation of basic and applied science needed to advance 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

research in each of the Strategic Program Areas previously reviewed and described in this 

document.

Forest Service R&D develops and shares basic science, while developing applications specific to 

regional needs. This approach of developing a core foundation of basic science that drives the 

development of regionally specific knowledge, assessment methods, and management tools plays 

out at Forest Service R&D research labs throughout the Nation, addressing critical issues 

concerning wildlife, fish, water, air, forests and rangelands, invasive species, wood products 

utilization, recreation, economics, social science, and other needs critical to sustaining America’s 

natural resources and public uses.

Allocation and Integration

Forest Service R&D priorities are based on the agency’s mission and Administration priorities. 

The base Forest Service R&D program is established using input from the field. The research 

stations, the Forest Products Lab, and International Institute of Tropical Forestry prioritize 

research in response to local and regional needs. Field requests are reviewed, coordinated with 

critical needs identified at the national level, and then merged into a national research program. 

Funds are distributed to support the seven Strategic Program Areas. 

For the FIA program, funds have been allocated historically in equal proportion to Eastern States 

and Western States, as forest acres are evenly split between these two broad regions. Partner 

contributions are 15 percent of the total funding of Eastern States and 10 percent of total funding 

in Western States, with the remainder coming from appropriated funds. For further detail and 

trends see: http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/bus-org-documents/docs/FIA_Annual_Report_2012-opt.pdf

The program also supports forest inventory activities with costs shared by States. Allocations to 

States are based upon the cost-effectiveness of past performance of State FIA implementation. 

State contributions represent approximately 11 percent of the total program funds and are 

contingent on FIA’s ability to provide matching funds. In order to make efficient use of 

available resources, FIA contracts some services when partners can provide them at a lower cost.

Approximately 20 percent of the FIA program (funding and resources) supports the National 

Forest System (NFS), including strategic inventory across 193 million acres in support of forest 

planning with information such as volume, biomass, growth, removals, mortality, forest carbon 

storage, forest health, and fire fuel loads.

Partnerships

Forest Service R&D partners include Federal and State agencies, universities, industry, 

nongovernmental organizations, Tribal groups, and foreign government research cooperators. 

One of the most important functions of Forest Service R&D is the distribution of information to 

forest managers and users implementing land management projects. The agency provides 

valuable technology transfer to our research partners, land management practitioners, State 

agencies, urban planners, private forest owners, private organizations, horticultural 

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-17
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

organizations, agricultural interests, as well as forest practitioners internal to the Forest Service. 

Seeking and forging strategic partnerships is a critical activity of Forest Service R&D.

The FIA program is managed as a partnership, led by Forest Service R&D in cooperation with 

NFS, State and Private Forestry, and the National Association of State Foresters. FIA customers 

include: national forests and grasslands, State forestry agencies, Federal and State policy 

makers; corporations and consultants; researchers; environmental organizations; land managers; 

media; and anyone interested in reliable, current forest data. Partners contribute funds to 

leverage FIA programs commensurate with their individual needs. Partner funding is 

encouraged but not required to receive the base Federal program. In FY 2013, partners 

contributed over $10.1 million to FIA to shorten measurement cycles or otherwise enhance FIA 

programs. Participating State organizations include State forestry agencies, universities, 

nongovernmental organizations, and other partners. Partner contributions are primarily used to 

lower inventory cycles or cost share research. Nearly 34 percent of FIA’s annual work is 

accomplished in this manner. Not all States participate each year, but over the last ten years all 

States have contributed to the FIA program.

In FY 2013, Forest Service R&D partnered with the Intertribal Timber Council and other 

partners to understand the role of Tribal lands and resources in providing ecosystem services to 

tribal communities and the Nation as a whole, build capacity in tribal communities to conduct 

research on issues of concern, and leverage traditional knowledge and expertise of Native 

Americans to address natural resource issues of mutual concern. By enhancing the agency’s 

relationships with tribal communities, there will be enhanced ability to deliver critical science 

information to these communities, as well as opportunities to better leverage local and traditional 

knowledge into our research and development programs.

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Area, Forest Area, FIA Federal Grants, and Partner Funds

by State in FY 2013

Region and State

All Land

(acres in 

thousands)

Forestland

(acres in thousands)

Federal FIA 

Grants

Partner 

Funds

Alaska, Coast 39,041 13,718 $521,327 $140,000

Alaska, Interior 326,000 113,151

Alabama 32,481 22,815 450,000 53,405

Arkansas 33,328 18,720 425,328 107,016

Arizona 72,732 18,711

California 99,824 32,946 76,400

Connecticut 3,101 1,687 500

Colorado 66,387 22,966 890,469 256,522

Delaware 1,251 341 20,489

District of Columbia 168,000 -

Florida 34,520 17,323 444,581 145,673

Georgia 37,068 24,785 694,294 215,658

Hawaii 4,111 1,748 243,000 65,201

Iowa 35,760 3,026 58,025 17,645

Idaho 52,960 21,390 103,600

Illinois 35,580 4,861 58,280 23,359

Indiana 22,957 4,775 159,440 236,900

Kansas 52,367 2,279 135,592 34,938

Kentucky 25,428 12,411 331,440 501,472

Louisiana 27,883 14,412

Massachusetts 5,016 3,015 125,986 40,451

Maryland 6,295 2,454 12,300

Maine 19,753 17,665 689,547 502,064

Michigan 36,359 20,003 109,986 58,950

Minnesota 50,955 17,291 503,560 728,529

Missouri 44,095 15,494 158,750 110,406

Mississippi 30,025 19,572 126,625

Montana 93,157 25,591 795,785 188,377

North Carolina 31,180 18,596 443,161 117,402

North Dakota 44,156 772 24,917 7,200

Nebraska 49,201 1,520 71,708 5,853

New Hampshire 5,740 4,826 45,000 31,650

New Jersey 4,748 1,985 1,667

New Mexico 77,674 16,687 352,414 1,126,187

Nevada 70,276 11,169 1,196,505 122,100

New York 30,223 18,964 85,745 29,890

Ohio 26,210 8,021 11,345

Oklahoma 43,955 12,612 309,810 57,804

Oregon 61,442 30,056 452,760 724,571

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Area, Forest Area, FIA Federal Grants, and Partner Funds

by State in FY 2013

Region and State

All Land

(acres in 

thousands)

Forestland

(acres in thousands)

Federal FIA 

Grants

Partner 

Funds

Pennsylvania 28,685 16,764 1,400 335,074

Puerto Rico 42,175 100,000

Rhode Island 668 352 3,069

South Carolina 19,272 13,101 370,119 106,526

South Dakota 48,574 1,883 62,000 22,752

Tennessee 26,381 13,955 469,776 162,744

Texas 167,626 63,300 634,600 194,113

Utah 52,587 18,277 391,543 1,480,117

Virginia 25,343 15,868 493,856 154,339

Vermont 5,920 4,580 8,600

Washington 42,612 22,379 123,000 -

Wisconsin 34,761 16,872 40,000 1,495,847

West Virginia 15,415 12,081 37,525 49,300

Wyoming 62,147 11,448

TOTAL 2,263,230 809,220 $12,611,405 $10,114,630

Forest and Rangeland Research 3-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

State and Private Forestry

Appropriation State and Private Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

State and Private Forestry

Annual Appropriations $239,696 $229,980 $229,485 -$495 -0%

State and Private Forestry Total 239,696 229,980 229,485 -495 -0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 565 594 568 -26 -4%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 565 594 568 -26 -4%

State and Private Forestry

Landscape Scale Restoration 0 14,000 23,513 9,513 68%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 44,944 58,922 58,922 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 36,894 45,655 45,655 0 0%

State Fire Assistance 25,759 0 0 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,320 0 0 0 0%

Forest Stewardship 30,441 22,398 23,036 638 3%

Forest Legacy Program 50,515 50,965 53,000 2,035 4%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 1,892 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry 30,701 28,040 23,676 -4,364 -16%

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 4,660 0 0 0 0%

International Forestry 7,570 8,000 0 -8,000 -100%

State and Private Forestry Overview

The FY 2014 President’s Budget proposes $229,485,000 for State and Private Forestry (S&PF), 

a decrease of $495,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

S&PF programs help sustain the Nation’s urban and rural forests, assist private landowners in 

maintaining their forests, and protect communities and the environment from insects, disease, 

and invasive plants. More than 50 percent our of Nation’s forests—over 420 million acres—are 

privately owned. These forests supply almost 30 percent of the surface drinking water to cities 

and rural communities and over 90 percent of our domestically-produced forest products (Report 

to Congress on Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act and Other USDA Programs That Benefit 

Private Forests, 2011). S&PF programs help protect these forests and provide support to keep 

working forests intact. This Federal investment leverages the capacity of State Foresters and 

their partners to manage State and private lands and produce ecological, social, and economic 

benefits for the American people. For example, almost 11 million acres are now being managed 

more sustainably because of landowner planning, have been treated to protect against wildfires 

and insects and diseases, or have been protected from development since 2008 as a result of 

S&PF program investments. In addition, Forest Service programs assisted over two million 

landowners through education programs or other related services during this same timeframe. 

State and Private Forestry 4-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships are critical in implementing and delivering S&PF programs. Through a coordinated 

effort in management, protection, conservation education, and resource use, S&PF programs 

help facilitate sound stewardship of lands across all ownerships on a landscape scale, while 

maintaining the flexibility for individual forest landowners to pursue their objectives. S&PF 

programs help Americans reconnect to the outdoors and are engines of job creation in rural 

communities. S&PF programs are key components of the President’s America’s Great Outdoors

Initiative to conserve important landscapes and reconnect Americans to the outdoors. Along 

with the National Forest System, Forest and Rangeland Research, the Department of the Interior, 

and State and local partners, S&PF programs manages the impacts of wildland fires on 

communities and the environment. 

Landscape Scale Restoration 

The new Landscape Scale Restoration program will focus and 

prioritize funds and resources to better shape and influence forest 

land use on a scale, and in a way, that optimizes public benefits 

from trees and forests for current and future generations. This 

program will fund competitive projects that focus on all-lands and 

result in a targeted, positive impact in high-priority areas by 

leveraging State capacity with strategic Federal investment. The 

2014 Farm Bill continues the effort begun under the 2008 Farm 

Bill that tasked all States and Territories with crafting assessments 

of the forests within their boundaries and developing strategies to address threats and improve 

forest health. The resulting Statewide Forest Resource Assessments and Strategies, or State 

Forest Action Plans (http://www.forestactionplans.org/), provide an analysis of forest conditions 

and trends and delineate priority forest landscape areas. Under the 2014 Farm Bill, Forest 

Action Plans will be updated as necessary; and where feasible, will include military installations 

to the extent that management of State and other public or private lands support and contribute to 

the mission of such installations. These State Forest Action Plans are an integral part of 

Landscape Scale Restoration and represent the first-ever “strategic plan” for the Nation’s forests. 

The State Forest Action Plans focus on all-lands (State, private, Tribal, and Federal) and 

strategically assess the greatest need, highest value, or strongest innovation potential. State 

Forest Action Plans are a new path to effectively address contemporary conservation issues 

across the country in the urban-to-rural spectrum. 

Cooperation and coordination across jurisdictional boundaries is needed to deal with the complex 

issues revealed in the State Forest Action Plans, most of which can only be meaningfully 

addressed at a landscape level and working through local communities. State forestry 

organizations and the Forest Service have a long history of working together on important forest 

management issues and State Forest Action Plans are helping us identify priority landscapes on 

which to focus critical conservation actions. These Plans will enable the Forest Service and State 

partners to better leverage stakeholder partnerships and heighten public awareness of the value 

and importance of the Nation’s public and private forests. By focusing on priority outcomes that 

address landscape-scale issues, the State Forest Action Plans guide investments to conserve, 

protect, and enhance our forests. 

S&PF Program Leverages

$13.3 Million in FY 2013

In FY 2013, S&PF competitively 

allocated $13.3 million to State 

Foresters, supporting 69 projects 

in 31 States and Territories. 

These allocations enabled the 

Forest Service to leverage over 

$14 million in partner funds and 

in-kind contributions. 

State and Private Forestry 4-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Prior to the Landscape Scale Restoration program, S&PF provided approximately $20 million in 

funding annually through S&PF Redesign, initiated in FY 2008, for competitive projects 

focusing on issues and landscapes of national importance and on activities that promise 

meaningful outcomes on the ground. As required by Congressional Direction (House Report 

111-180, p. 127), the following table displays the allocation of funding to S&PF Redesign in FY 

2013. These funds supported 69 projects many of which were regional or multi-State in nature 

including a cross-state partnership to transfer successful stewardship models between Michigan 

and New Hampshire. The projects address opportunities and barriers to improve forest 

management and utilization of wood in interface and urban areas in Virginia and North Carolina; 

a multi-state and multi-region project to help partners engage private landowners in New 

England, the Midwest, and the Southeast and the restoration of critical riparian habitat on public 

and private lands in Utah. Other projects supported by this funding included mobile application 

development, watershed restoration, urban forest inventory, and landowner outreach and 

management planning.

S&PF Redesign and Landscape Scale Restoration

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted*

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

S&PF Landscape Scale Restoration - $14,000 $9,513 $23,513

S&PF FHM Cooperative Lands $1,539 - - 0

WFM FHM Cooperative Lands 0 - - 0

S&PF State Fire Assistance 0 - - 0

WFM State Fire Assistance 3,343 - - 0

S&PF Forest Stewardship 4,992 - - 0

S&PF Urban and Community Forestry 3,390 - - 0

Total $13,264 $14,000 $9,513 $23,513

*In FY 2013 Redesign funds were reduced as a result of sequestration. 

State and Private Forestry 4-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Landscape Scale Restoration

Budget Line Item Landscape Scale Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Landscape Scale Restoration

Annual Appropriations 0 $14,000 $23,513 $9,513 68%

Landscape Scale Restoration Total 0 14,000 23,513 9,513 68%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Landscape Scale Restoration

Total value of resources (expressed as a ratio) leveraged 

through partnerships with states and other partners 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $23,513,000 for Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR), 

an increase of $9,513,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

In FY 2015, this program will fund competitive projects that focus on addressing priorities and 

needs identified in States’ Forest Action Plans. Landscape Scale Restoration is a new program 

implemented in FY 2014 that replaced S&PF Redesign. Prior to this program, State and Private 

Forestry (S&PF) provided $13 to $20 million in funding annually through S&PF Redesign. 

Similar to the new LSR program, S&PF Redesign funding was used for competitive projects 

focusing on issues and landscapes of national importance and on activities that promise 

meaningful outcomes on the ground. The Redesign process yielded numerous successful 

projects and leveraged over $125 million of partner funds and in-kind contributions since 2008. 

Investments in S&PF programs have resulted in almost 11 million acres being sustainably 

managed, protected from wildfires and insects and diseases, or protected from development. A 

focused effort on collecting and recording partner dollar and in-kind contributions demonstrated 

that these projects were matched on a more than one-to-one basis each year (see performance 

measure table above). The LSR program will only help increase the pace and scale of these 

investments. Landscape Scale Restoration work is critical to ensuring the continued health and 

resilience of our Nation’s forested landscapes. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Past Performance

Because LSR is a new program there is no prior year performance measure data to report. 

However, this program builds on the Redesign process, so the results of the Redesign process 

provide a useful context for past performance. Through the Redesign process in FY 2013, S&PF 

competitively allocated $13.3 million to State Foresters, supporting 69 projects in 31 States and 

Territories. These allocations enabled the Forest Service to leverage over $14 million in partner 

dollars and in-kind contributions. Further information on the Redesign process is provided in the 

S&PF Overview section.

Program Description

Program Overview

There are over 500 million acres of non-Federal forest lands in the United States—two-thirds of 

the Nation’s forests. These important resources generate millions of dollars in forest products 

revenues and recreation spending; provide well-paying rural jobs; supply more than 50 percent 

of the Nation’s water supply; and support imperiled wildlife and fish species. The LSR program 

will help ensure our Nation’s non-Federal forestlands can continue to provide these important 

benefits to the American public by allowing States to pursue innovative, landscape scale projects 

that focus on their priorities, as identified in their State Forest Action Plans. 

This program is a competitive grant program that provides opportunities to fund innovative 

projects across program boundaries and across landscape jurisdictions that address priorities and 

needs consistent with the State Forest Action Plans. Projects will be focused on restoring healthy 

and resilient landscapes and communities in priority areas that States identify. This will offer 

States the opportunity to develop targeted, creative projects that most effectively leverage the 

agency dollar—spanning a wide spectrum to meet priority needs from aquifer protection in the 

Southwest, to hazardous fuels treatment in the Intermountain West, to conservation of working 

forests in the East. By addressing threats to forest sustainability such as protecting lands from 

development, damaging wildfires, or the spread of insects and disease; these projects will also 

benefit adjacent National Forest System lands, creating healthier, more resilient landscapes. 

Through new spatial tracking tools and improved reporting methodologies, these projects will 

serve as a springboard for developing novel methods to measure and demonstrate improved 

outcomes on the ground in these priority areas such as enhanced water quality and quantity; 

reduced forest loss; improved forest markets; and the energy conservation and carbon 

sequestration benefits resulting from these projects. Spatial accomplishments are reported using 

the Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool.

Allocation and Integration

Funds will be allocated on a competitive basis focusing on cross-boundary projects, guided by 

the priorities outlined in State Forest Action Plans. Projects will be focused in priority areas also 

identified in the State Forest Action Plans. The projects will be required to address nationally 

and regionally significant issues or landscapes and will focus on conserving working forests, 

protecting forests from harm, and enhancing public benefits from trees and forests. Because 

State and Private Forestry 4-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

there are different needs and focus areas in different parts of the country, appropriate regionallyspecific evaluation criteria may be developed, as in the past with Redesign projects. Projects 

will involve diverse collaboration and partnerships in planning and implementation and will 

coordinate with complementary State and Federal programs when possible. 

Partnerships 

The development and implementation of these projects will be coordinated through close 

collaboration with State and Territorial forestry agency partners. All projects will be leveraged 

by non-Federal contributions on at least a 1:1 basis. S&PF works directly with State forestry 

agencies to ensure that forest landowners have the best technical, educational, and financial 

assistance available to help them achieve their objectives in an environmentally beneficial way.

This Federal investment leverages the capacity of State foresters and their partners to manage 

State and private lands and produce ecological, social, and economic benefits.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Health Management

Forest Health Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Health Management

Annual Appropriations $81,838 $104,577 $104,577 0 0%

Forest Health Management Total 81,838 104,577 104,577 0 0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 336 442 447 5 1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 336 442 447 5 1%

Forest Health Management

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 44,944 58,922 58,922 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 36,894 45,655 45,655 0 0%

Forest Health Management Overview 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $104,577,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM), 

at the same level from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues the consolidation of FHM under State and Private 

Forestry as approved in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The combination of 

funding into single budget line items improves program management and performance in 

addition to reducing administrative complexity. The table below shows a comparison of all 

FHM funding from FY 2013 to FY 2015.

FHM Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

S&PF FHM Federal Lands $44,944 $58,922 0 $58,922

WFM FHM Federal Lands 15,151 0 0 0

S&PF FHM Cooperative Lands 36,894 45,655 0 45,655

WFM FHM Cooperative Lands 7,931 0 0 0

Total $104,921 $104,577 $0 $104,577

The FHM program provides insect, disease, and invasive plant survey and monitoring 

information on forest health conditions on Federal and non-Federal (Cooperative) lands and 

provides technical and financial assistance to prevent, suppress, and control outbreaks 

threatening forest resources and watershed conditions. FHM utilizes science, active land 

management, and technology transfer expertise to restore and sustain forest landscapes, across 

urban, private, State, Tribal, and Federal forests, and creates private sector jobs because of the 

expertise required to carry out this work. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Federal Lands: Activities on Federal lands are carried out in cooperation with the National 

Forest System, other Federal agencies, and Tribal governments. These activities optimize 

efficiency in executing a coordinated Federal program to prevent, detect, monitor, evaluate, and 

suppress insects and disease, and restore Federal forestlands. 

Cooperative Lands: Activities on cooperative lands are carried out in cooperation with States 

and territories. These activities optimize efficiency in executing a coordinated program to 

maintain and restore forestlands damaged by insects, disease, and invasive plants on lands owned 

by States, local governments, private organizations, and individual landowners.

Background

Recently completed State Forest Action Plans have, in many cases, identified forest health as a 

key State priority. For example, most States in the South identified the southern pine beetle as a 

key threat in their area. The most frequently mentioned invasive plant in the Southern State 

Forest Action Plans was cogongrass, which easily spreads and thrives in disturbed landscapes 

making it hard to eradicate or slow down. These State Forest Action Plans are being used to help 

guide protection and restoration priorities at the national and regional levels. 

This work helps to restore forest landscapes, and the communities that depend on them, and 

makes them more resilient and healthy. Healthy forests which maintain their tree cover conserve 

more water, provide key wildlife habitat, and store carbon. With technical and financial 

assistance, FHM helps ensure that forests remain healthy and resilient by minimizing impacts of 

native and non-native invasive insects and diseases, and invasive plants. In addition, FHM 

works on facilitating assisted tree migration efforts and gene conservation that involve 

reforestation and afforestation (to establish a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was 

no forest) in those areas where species have been identified as vulnerable to effects of changing 

resource conditions. 

The FHM program will continue to treat prioritized areas, based on risk, to reduce the potential 

for new outbreaks; to protect these areas from damaging insects and diseases; and to reduce the 

risks of undesired mortality from wildfire. Funding is based upon level of risk as identified in 

the National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM), current pest locations and abundances, and 

other factors including cost-effectiveness and probability of successfully implementing a 

treatment. Forest health treatments are integrated with other Forest Service activities, such as 

hazardous fuels, forest management and watershed restoration, and maintenance activities. 

The Forest Service also continues to commit resources to address public safety concerns and 

forest health needs arising from the millions of acres of dead and dying trees from bark beetle 

infestations in the West. In FY 2015, the Forest Service will continue management actions to 

reduce forest susceptibility to beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees through multiple 

funding sources, including FHM. In coordination with partners and stakeholders, the Forest 

Service will direct funds to high-priority areas that have been experiencing tree mortality as a 

result of bark beetle infestations to more aggressively focus our response to promote human 

safety, forest recovery, and resiliency. See the Special Exhibit on Bark Beetles for more detailed 

information.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Current and Future Conditions 

Current conditions of mortality and defoliation are monitored every year by extensive nationally 

standardized aerial and ground surveys conducted on over 400 million acres of forestlands. 

Surveys are conducted in conjunction with State agencies and the USDA Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS). These surveys are an integral part of the FHM program 

because, in the long run, rapid and early detection of forest pests saves more forests and money. 

Surveys provide key information to forest managers, helping to best target treatments to for 

example address the growing bark beetle infestation in the West; monitor the rate of spread and 

activity of the gypsy moth in the East; and track the activity level of the southern pine beetle in 

the South. Current conditions of mortality caused by other pests are not well-represented in 

aerial detection surveys, so FHM uses other reporting mechanisms, like ground surveys, to 

obtain information on current depictions of damage caused by the emerald ash borer, the 

hemlock woolly adelgid, the Asian longhorned beetle, and sudden oak death. 

The NIDRM identifies acres at risk from more than 50 different pests, and highlights acres where 

mortality from these agents is projected to exceed 25 percent over the next 15 years. 

Current and Emerging Threats

To assist in the assessment and evaluation of the areas needing restoration, field units will 

continue to document the occurrence of damage caused by forest insects, tree diseases, and 

invasive plants; changes in the population dynamics of host preferences of pests; and other 

changes in pest activity caused by climatic and other changing conditions. FHM continues to 

collect important genetic material that is at risk, including five-needle pine species such as 

whitebark pine, foxtail pine, limber pine, and bristlecone pine; as well as Atlantic white cedar, 

cypress, and table mountain pine. FHM also works collaboratively with other agencies, 

especially with APHIS, to combat several damaging invasive pests such as Emerald ash borer, 

Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak death, gold-spotted oak borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, 

thousand cankers disease, and invasive plants on non-Federal lands. Most of the partnership 

work includes mapping surveys, control actions, methods development (including biocontrol 

development), and education and outreach with the public.

The following table displays funding levels for selected insects, diseases and invasive plants for 

FY 2013 to FY 2015. The funding strategy is based in large part on the findings from the 

NIDRM, current surveys of pest conditions, and priorities in the State Forest Action Plans.

State and Private Forestry 4-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Funding for Selected Insects, Diseases and Invasive Plants by Fiscal Year

(dollars in thousands) 

R&D (Research Appropriation)

S&PF (S&PF and WFM Appropriations)

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Pres. Bud

Asian Longhorned Beetle (Total) $170 $170 $158

 R&D 120 120 108

 S&PF 50 50 50

Douglas-fir Tussock Moth (Total) $110 $110 $102

 R&D 76 76 68

 S&PF 34 34 34

Emerald Ash Borer (Total) $1,795 $1,797 $1,668

 R&D 1,295 1,297 1,168

 S&PF 500 500 500

Gold Spotted Oak Borer, Thousand Canker Disease, 

Laurel Wilt (Total) $1,086 $1,089 $1,079

 R&D 506 509 499

 S&PF 580 580 580

Gypsy Moth (Total) $9,756 $10,089 $9,990

 R&D 987 987 888

 S&PF 8,769 9,102 9,102

 Slow-the-spread 7,750 8,750 8,750

 Suppression 995 270 270

 Eradication 24 82 0

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Total) $3,721 $3,792 $3,682

 R&D 1,821 1,892 1,782

 S&PF 1,900 1,900 1,900

Invasive Plants (Total) $3,370 $3,803 $3,682

 R&D 1,970 2,003 1,882

 S&PF 1,400 1,800 1,800

Oak Wilt (Total) $474 $574 $574

 R&D 74 74 74

 S&PF 400 500 500

Port Orford Cedar Root Disease - S&PF (Total) $175 $175 $175

Sirex Woodwasp (Total) $520 $370 $364

 R&D 120 120 114

 S&PF 400 250 250

Southern Pine Beetle (Total) $3,918 $4,318 $4,318

 R&D 918 918 918

 S&PF 3,000 3,400 3,400

Subterranean Termites - R&D (Total) $293 $323 $267

Sudden Oak Death (Total) $1,594 $1,620 $1,569

 R&D 244 270 219

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

R&D (Research Appropriation)

S&PF (S&PF and WFM Appropriations)

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Pres. Bud

 S&PF 1,350 1,350 1,350

Western Bark Beetles (Total) $5,442 $5,875 $5,779

 R&D 1,442 1,475 1,379

 S&PF 4,000 4,400 4,400

Whitebark Pine Pests - (Total) $149 $125 $125

R&D 24 0 0

S&PF 125 125 125

White Pine Blister Rust (Total) $611 $621 $652

 R&D 286 296 327

 S&PF 325 325 325

Sub-Totals

 R&D $10,176 $10,360 $9,693

 S&PF $23,008 $24,491 $24,491

TOTAL $33,184 $34,851 $34,184

State and Private Forestry 4-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Annual Appropriations $44,944 $58,922 $58,922 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands Total 44,944 58,922 58,922 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 264 347 352 5 1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 264 347 352 5 1%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Federal acres treated - Invasives 157,507 104,037 137,351 126,460 146,338 146,338

Federal acres treated - Native pests 258,454 223,618 133,490 159,191 179,832 179,832

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $58,922,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM) 

Federal Lands, at the same level from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act approved consolidating the FHM Federal Lands 

program into one budget line item under State and Private Forestry (S&PF). The table below 

illustrates a comparison of overall program funding from FY 2013 to FY 2015.

FHM Federal Lands Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

S&PF FHM Federal Lands $44,944 $58,922 0 $58,922

WFM FHM Federal Lands 15,151 0 0 0

Total $60,095 $58,922 $0 $58,922

Funds are used to conduct forest insect and disease surveys on over 400 million acres of 

forestlands; conduct forest insect and disease prevention, suppression, restoration, and 

eradication projects; provide technical assistance; and to monitor forest health on all Federal 

lands including those of the Departments of Defense and the Interior, and the Army Corps of 

Engineers. A partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) continues to leverage funds to combat several damaging 

State and Private Forestry 4-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

invasive pests. Addressing these threats demonstrates an all-lands approach to supporting the 

resilience and health of the forests and the communities that depend on them. 

Insect and disease pests include those that are native and non-native invasive. Native insects and 

diseases are those that have evolved in the United States over millennia and are going through a 

cyclical outbreak period, whereas non-native invasive insect and disease pests are those that have 

been introduced from other countries and there is little or no resistance from the host, resulting in 

significant damage to the host species. Pests, both native and non-native invasive, can cause 

significant damage and mortality when populations are high; usually a result of the availability of 

hosts, biology of the pest, and environmental factors such as moisture, temperature, and 

nutrients.

The request includes funding to meet the highest priority needs for:

• Western bark beetles

• Emerald ash borer 

• Asian longhorned beetle 

• Sudden oak death 

• Oak wilt, root diseases

• Hemlock woolly adelgid 

• Thousand cankers disease 

• Southern pine beetle 

Funding also supports efforts such as slowing the spread, eradication of new outbreaks, and 

suppression of gypsy moth on forests and grasslands managed by the Forest Service, other 

Federal agencies, and Tribal governments. 

In FY 2015, the Forest Service will continue to fund management actions to reduce forest 

susceptibility to beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees. This will result in resilient forests, 

enhanced visitor safety through reduction of hazard trees, and sustainable communities. In 

coordination with partners and stakeholders, the Forest Service directs funds to areas that have 

been experiencing bark beetle-induced mortality. Peer reviewed studies clearly demonstrate the 

effectiveness of bark beetle treatments on the landscape9. See the Special Exhibit on Bark 

Beetles for more detailed information.

Past Performance

The Forest Service partnered with other Federal agencies in FY 2013 to treat non-native invasive 

pests on 126,460 acres using funds from the S&PF appropriation and 3,681 acres from the 

Wildland Fire Management appropriation. This equals a total of 130,141 acres, as illustrated in 

the following table, under achieving by 6.6 percent the FY 2013 target of 139,269 acres. 

9 Christopher J. Fettig, et. al. “The effectiveness of vegetation management practices for prevention and control of 

bark beetle infestations in coniferous forests of the western and southern United States.” Forest Ecology and 

Management 238 (2007) 24–53

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FHM Federal Lands Consolidated Invasives Pests Performance FY 2013 through FY 2015

Approp. Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

S&PF Federal acres treated - Invasives 137,351 126,460 146,338 146,338

WFM Federal acres treated under 

National Fire Plan - Invasives 1,918 3,681 0 0

Total 139,269 130,141 146,338 146,338

For non-native invasive pests, priority treatments focused on slowing the advance of the gypsy 

moth infestation along a management zone stretching from North Carolina to Minnesota. The 

program also continued to protect critical forest ecosystems from established non-native insects 

and diseases, such as sudden oak death, white pine blister rust, and hemlock woolly adelgid. The 

program also addressed the threats of relatively new non-native invasive pests such as emerald 

ash borer, thousand cankers disease, and gold-spotted oak borer. The methodology for 

calculating out-year targets using average unit costs over the past five years allows the agency to 

set realistic accomplishment targets. 

The Forest Service, with partners, also treated native pest species on 159,191 acres in FY 2013, 

through the S&PF appropriation and native pests on an additional 17,012 acres, through the 

WFM appropriation. Treatment areas for native pests, such as the southern pine beetle and 

western bark beetle focused on high priority landscapes, targeting high risk watersheds. This 

equals a total of 176,203 acres, as illustrated in the following table, exceeding the target of 

141,806 acres. Treating more acres for western bark beetles resulted in a significant overall 

increase in acres treated for native pests, particularly from those projects planned in an integrated 

fashion with other Forest Service programs like hazardous fuels treatment, vegetation 

management, and wildlife and fisheries habitat management. 

FHM Federal Lands Consolidated Native Pests Performance FY 2013 through FY 2015

Approp. Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

S&PF Federal acres treated -

Native Pests 133,490 159,191 179,832 179,832

WFM Federal acres treated under 

National Fire Plan - Native 

Pests 8,316 17,012 0 0

Total 141,806 176,203 179,832 179,832

Targets are based on the average unit costs over the past five years, current year funding, and the 

relative risk to forests. The program allocates funds based on pests posing the greatest risks (e.g. 

mountain pine beetle, southern pine beetle, gypsy moth, and other invasive pests). In FY 2013, 

the significant increase in acres accomplished over the planned target for native species is 

attributed to more funding being allocated to address the bark beetle epidemic, resulting in a 

greater number of acres treated than originally anticipated. In addition, changes in pest 

conditions, treatment methods, and unit costs contributed to this higher than planned result.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The FHM Federal Lands program monitors and assesses 

both short-term and long-term forest health conditions 

across the Nation. Pests and diseases cause billions of 

dollars in damage to trees and other forest resources 

each year, resulting in reduced productivity, loss of 

recreation opportunities for the public, and the creation 

of safety hazards in the Nation’s forested lands. FHM 

Federal Lands program investments provide for 

prevention, detection, monitoring, evaluation, and 

suppression of forest insects and diseases to protect 

forestlands managed by the Forest Service, other 

Federal agencies like the Department of the Interior 

(DOI) and the Department of Defense (DOD), and 

Tribal governments. Pests that are managed include 

white pine blister rust, sudden oak death, thousand 

cankers disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and Asian 

longhorned beetle. Since pests cross administrative 

boundaries, FHM uses an all-lands approach involving 

all partners in the development of integrated 

management strategies to address each important pest. 

FHM treats the highest priority areas identified by aerial and ground surveys and the National 

Insect and Disease Risk Map to make the most efficient use of funding. 

Treating priority areas makes the most efficient use of Federal dollars. Treatments protect 

priority areas from damaging insects and disease, reduce the risks of mortality from wildland 

fire, and prevent future outbreaks by increasing the resilience of treated areas. 

FHM also leads the Slow-the-Spread program for the gypsy moth, which continues to slow the 

progression of this invasive insect by 60 percent as it moves across the eastern U.S. Forest 

Service research indicates that without the Slow-the-Spread program, over 50 million acres of 

oak hardwood forests would be infested with gypsy moth. Slow-the-Spread is an integrated 

program of monitoring, trapping, and treating the gypsy moth so that populations do not spread 

rapidly. 

Additional projects also include gene conservation efforts to conserve at-risk tree species that 

will assist FHM projects that are negatively impacted by the effects of a changing climate, 

insects, and diseases.

The program continues to fund the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center in 

Asheville, North Carolina, and the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center 

in Prineville, Oregon. These Environmental Threat Assessment Centers (Centers) are supported 

by S&PF, National Forest System, and Forest Service Research and Development (R&D and 

Southern Pine Beetle (SPB)

In 2012, SPB populations unexpectedly 

erupted on the National Forests of Mississippi, 

particularly on the Homochitto National 

Forest. The SPB Prevention Program, which 

won the Secretary of Agriculture’s Honor 

Award in 2012, supported thinnings to reduce 

beetle risk on the National Forests. Only two 

of the more than 900 SPB infestations on the 

Homochitto were in thinned stands. This 

proactive treatment, along with aggressive 

treatments of infestations, resulted in very few 

active infestations in 2013. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

provide information on how multiple threats interact with pests, focusing on the effects of a 

changing climate.

A brief synopsis of pest management strategies of the highest priority pests follows:

• Several species of western bark beetle are causing severe mortality across many Western 

States, increasing risks for catastrophic fire, and health and safety of the people who use 

America’s forests. FHM resources are focusing on prevention and suppression, 

especially in high value sites such as campgrounds, in coordination with other Federal 

land managers.

• Emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees in 18 States. APHIS is the lead agency 

in emerald ash borer survey, quarantine, and eradication. The Forest Service provides 

technical assistance to States and Federal land managers and continues to make 

significant advances in Emerald ash borer management and detection. Since 2011, the 

Forest Service has worked with APHIS to develop a national Emerald ash borer trapping 

model and is currently developing a national Emerald ash borer management strategy, 

expected to be completed in FY 2015. Other staff and partners are working on 

developing biological control agents to mitigate the effects of this pest.

• Asian longhorned beetle poses a serious threat to several species of trees found in both 

urban and rural forests. APHIS is the lead agency for Asian longhorned beetle detection, 

eradication, and quarantine. The Forest Service provides technical and scientific support 

to APHIS and States to help manage Asian longhorned beetle. 

• Southern oak death threatens oak woodlands, urban forests, and horticultural industries. 

FHM continues to work with multi-agency partners, including Federal land managers, 

APHIS (lead Federal agency), the National Association of State Foresters, National Plant 

Board, and California Oak Mortality Task Force to better detect, contain, and manage this 

disease in forests where it is established. FHM funding continues to support the Oregon 

and California sudden oak death containment effort in the West.

• Oak wilt is the single most important disease affecting oaks in the eastern half of the 

Nation. FHM continues to support suppression efforts in the Great Lakes and Texas, 

including root graft disruption, spore tree removal, and threat-to-the-line tactics. Threatto-the-line tactics is a strategy to treat oak wilt disease. It entails two aspects; treating by 

trenching around those visibly infected oak trees to sever the roots (core area) and then 

going beyond the core area and treating additional trees that do not show symptoms of 

being infected with oak wilt (buffer). 

• Hemlock woolly adelgid remains a significant threat to the health of hemlock forests in 

the eastern U.S., and the Forest Service has implemented a Hemlock woolly adelgid 

strategic plan to address this non-native insect on private, State, and Federal lands. The 

multi-agency integrated effort focuses on management of high value hemlocks (using 

biological and chemical controls) and continues research and methods development to 

better manage hemlocks across their range. 

• Thousand cankers disease is a recently described insect/disease complex causing black 

walnut mortality. A team of Federal and State agencies, universities, and conservation 

groups developed a National Response Framework for thousand cankers disease. This 

strategy provides land managers with current information to better manage thousand 

cankers disease. The Forest Service and APHIS have developed a reliable trap to detect 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

the insect vector that was made available commercially in 2012 and is currently being 

used. FHM continues to organize and assist with thousand cankers disease surveys 

working across multiple agencies to develop guidelines and a survey database. 

• Southern pine beetle, which has historically been the most destructive forest pest in the 

South, continues to remain at low levels across the region. Since 2004, the Forest Service 

has implemented the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program, which supports forest 

management activities to reduce southern pine beetle risk. More than 1 million acres 

have been treated to reduce the risk of southern pine beetle on state, private, and Federal 

lands across the South. This program continues to be an example of Forest Service 

leadership and successful cooperation across all-lands.

Allocation and Integration

Annual priorities for mitigating the risk of future and current outbreaks are based, in large part, 

on the findings from the pest conditions and location as well as the National Insect and Disease 

Risk Map. Prevention and suppression programs for major pests such as the gypsy moth, 

western pine beetle, and southern pine beetle are directly related to the relative risk of these 

pests, areas currently experiencing pest outbreaks, and the availability of cost-effective treatment 

technologies. Some forest health pests, such as southern pine beetle, can be more easily treated 

than others, such as butternut canker, for which there are few scientific tools available. 

Some of the techniques used to determine integrated optimal areas for treatment include 

overlaying national map layers using Geographic Information Systems for insect and disease, 

fire, watershed condition, and wildland-urban interface. The spatial placement and sequencing 

of treatments on NFS lands are planned and coordinated with other Forest Service vegetation 

management program areas, such as hazardous fuels reduction and forest management through 

the “Sustainable Landscape Management” Board of Directors, a group of Directors from S&PF 

(FHM, Fire and Aviation Management), Forest Service R&D (Forest Management Sciences), 

and NFS (Forest Management, Range Management, and Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and 

Rare Plants). This coordination optimizes on-the-ground prevention and treatment, and 

improves the overall health of forestlands across landscapes and ownerships. 

Partnerships 

This program funds the suppression of forest insect and disease pests on lands managed by all 

other Federal agencies and Tribal governments. Additionally, the FHM program provides 

technical assistance to other Federal agencies and Tribal governments to detect and assess pests 

on their lands. Where proposed treatment locations are adjacent to other Federal lands or nonFederal lands, treatment scheduling is coordinated with non-Forest Service partners to optimize 

improvements to forest health across landownership boundaries. 

The Slow-the-Spread gypsy moth program works seamlessly across all landowners in a 

collaborative, all- lands approach, and partnership. This program has significantly reduced the 

spread of gypsy moth by over 60 percent. The Forest Service works closely with all of the State 

Departments of Agriculture or State Foresters in 10 Slow-the-Spread States from Georgia to 

Wisconsin.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The Forest Service works with APHIS and other partners to combat important invasive pests and 

has systems established to survey, monitor, and respond to these invaders, as well as help 

communities restore degraded ecosystems.

Other Federal agencies, such as DOI and DOD, submit suppression related project requests to the 

Forest Service regional or national office and the projects are evaluated in a competitive process. 

Coordination meetings occur frequently between the other agencies and the Forest Service to 

ensure the funds are used wisely.

State and Private Forestry 4-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Cooperative 

Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Annual Appropriations $36,894 $45,655 $45,655 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands Total 36,894 45,655 45,655 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 72 95 95 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 72 95 95 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Cooperative lands acres treated - Invasives 475,150 546,025 423,145 410,371 468,993 468,993

Cooperative lands acres treated - Native pests 151,564 33,483 43,330 34,203 49,032 49,032

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $45,655,000 for Forest Health Management (FHM) 

Cooperative Lands, at the same level from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act approved consolidating the FHM Cooperative 

Lands program into one budget line item under State and Private Forestry (S&PF). The table 

below illustrates a comparison of overall program funding from FY 2013 to FY 2015.

FHM Cooperative Lands Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted FY 2014 Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

S&PF FHM Cooperative Lands $36,894 $45,655 $0 $45,655

WFM FHM Cooperative Lands 7,931 0 0 0

Total $44,825 $45,655 $0 $45,655

Funds will provide technical and financial assistance to State forestry agencies and State 

departments of agriculture to conduct forest insect and disease surveys; to provide technical 

assistance; to conduct prevention, suppression, restoration, and eradication projects for forest 

insects, diseases, and invasive plants; and to monitor forest health on State and private lands. In 

FY 2015, the Forest Service will adjust monitoring and treatments based on allocations for some 

State and Private Forestry 4-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

efforts such as the Slow-the-Spread program for gypsy moth and for work on southern pine 

beetle and hemlock woolly adelgid.

The program funds the highest priority prevention and 

suppression needs associated with western bark 

beetles, hemlock woolly adelgid, oak wilt, and 

southern pine beetle; and fund slowing the spread, 

eradication of new outbreaks, and suppression of gypsy 

moth on non-Federal lands. These pests are mentioned 

in State Forest Action Plans as high-priority pests. 

Other pests also receive high priority as they can affect 

and spread to all forestlands. These pests include 

emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, sudden 

oak death, gold-spotted oak borer and thousand 

cankers disease. We work with our partners to inform 

the public, map the pests with new surveys, and 

develop methods to manage and mitigate these pests. 

In FY 2015, the Forest Service will continue to fund 

management actions to reduce forest susceptibility to 

beetle outbreaks and protect high value trees. This will 

result in resilient forests; enhanced visitor safety 

through reduction of hazard trees; and sustainable 

communities. In coordination with partners and stakeholders, the Forest Service directs funds to 

the areas that have been experiencing bark beetle-induced mortality. Peer reviewed studies 

clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of bark beetle treatments on the landscape10. See the 

Special Exhibit on Bark Beetles for more detailed information.

Past Performance

The Forest Service partnered with States and other non-Federal partners in FY 2013 to treat nonnative invasive pests on 410,371 acres of State and private lands using funds from the S&PF 

appropriation. Non-native invasive pests were also treated on 16,494 acres using funds provided 

by the WFM appropriation under the National Fire Plan (NFP). This equals a total of 426,865 

acres, as illustrated in the following table, underachieving the target of 458,140 acres by 6.8 

percent. 

10Christopher J. Fettig, et. al. The effectiveness of vegetation management practices for prevention and control of bark beetle 

infestations in coniferous forests of the western and southern United States. Forest Ecology and Management 238 (2007) 24–53 

Gypsy Moth Slow-the-Spread Program

The Slow-the-Spread program has reduced the 

spread rate of gypsy moth by 60 percent along a 

1,000 mile long project area from North 

Carolina to Minnesota, and has delayed the need 

for increased expenditures by Federal, State, 

and local governments as well as landowners. 

In 2012, Slow-the-Spread treated more than 

526,000 acres in eight States. Without Slowthe-Spread about 50 million more acres would 

be infested. In 2013, Slow-the-Spread treated 

approximately 400,000 acres in eight States.

State and Private Forestry 4-20

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FHM Cooperative Lands Consolidated Invasives Performance FY 2013 through FY 2015

Approp. Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

S&PF

Cooperative lands acres treated –

Invasives 423,145 410,371 468,993 468,993

WFM

Acres treated on cooperative 

lands under NFP - Invasives 34,995 16,494 0 0

Total 458,140 426,865 468,993 468,993

Priority treatments for non-native invasive pests focused on slowing the advancing front of 

gypsy moth on State and private lands from North Carolina to Minnesota. Priority treatments for 

invasive plants are focused on biocontrol, developed through the agency’s unique expertise. 

Additionally, the FHM program continued to protect critical forest ecosystems from established 

insects and diseases, such as white pine blister rust and hemlock woolly adelgid. These funds 

also continued to mitigate the threats of non-native invasive pests such as the emerald ash borer, 

sudden oak death, and thousand cankers disease. In addition to treating acres, invasive plant 

funds are used for outreach and awareness, primarily through State forestry agencies and State 

and local weed councils. For FY 2013, State Foresters chose to put more focus on outreach and 

awareness. In addition, there were some impacts to this program due to the need to transfer 

funds for fire suppression. As a result fewer acres were treated to control invasive plants; 

therefore, underachieving the target by 31,275 acres. 

In FY 2013, the Forest Service treated native pest species on 34,203 acres, through the S&PF 

appropriation, and 14,555 acres through the WFM appropriation. This equals a total of 48,758 

acres, as illustrated in the following table, exceeding the target of 47,626 acres. Treatment areas 

for native pests, such as the southern pine beetle and western bark beetles focused on the highest 

priority landscapes, targeting high risk watersheds. 

FHM Cooperative Lands Consolidated Native Pests Performance 

FY 2013 through FY 2015

Approp. Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

S&PF

Cooperative lands acres treated -

Native pests 43,330 34,203 49,032 49,032

WFM

Acres treated on cooperative 

lands under NFP - Native pests 4,296 14,555 0 0

Total 47,626 48,758 49,032 49,032

Program Description

Program Overview

The FHM Cooperative Lands program provides technical and financial assistance to States, the 

District of Columbia, and United States Territories to monitor, assess, and mitigate forest health 

threats on non-Federal lands across the Nation. Treatments protect priority acres from damaging 

State and Private Forestry 4-21
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

insects, diseases, and invasive plants; reduce the risks of mortality from wildland fire; protect 

highly valued sites; and prevent future outbreaks by increasing the resilience of the vegetation in 

treated areas. The program also funds the use of Early Detection and Rapid Response efforts to 

detect invasive insects and diseases early, thereby reducing future costs to address pest 

outbreaks11. The support the Forest Service provides to its non-Federal partners is essential to 

protecting America’s forested lands from insects and diseases. States identified forest health 

challenges as one of the most common problems requiring attention in their State Forest Action 

Plans, but often States and Territories do not have the scientific or financial resources to address 

these issues on their own. A 2011 study found that the cost of non-native invasive forest insects 

to local governments alone is, on average, more than $2 billion per year and that residential 

property value loss due to forest insects averages $1.5 billion per year12. The agency investment 

in the FHM Cooperative Lands program helps reduce these negative impacts. For example, the 

Forest Service gypsy moth Slow-the-Spread of gypsy moth program has reduced the spread rate

of gypsy moth by 60 percent along a 1,000 mile long project area from North Carolina to 

Minnesota. Additionally, for every dollar invested in the gypsy moth Slow-the-Spread program, 

3 dollars are saved in future suppression costs. Without Slow-the-Spread, about 50 million more 

acres would be infested, resulting in the need for larger and more costly treatment needs in the 

future.

Funds support three objectives: conducting pest surveys and providing technical assistance; 

conducting prevention, suppression, restoration, and eradication projects; and monitoring the 

health of the Nation’s forests. The Forest Service uses aerial and ground surveys and the 

National Insect and Disease Risk Map to select project locations for funding allocations to nonFederal partners. The State Forest Action Plans help guide FHM activities on non-Federal lands. 

Treatment placements incorporate local priorities including priority landscapes such as: 

wildland-urban interface areas, municipal water supply areas, outdoor recreational sites, and 

administrative sites. 

Allocation and Integration

Annual priorities are based, in large part, on current surveys of pest conditions and priorities in 

the State Forest Action Plans, and expected predictions derived from the National Insect and 

Disease Risk Map. Some pests, such as southern pine beetle are more easily mitigated through 

management than others, such as sudden oak death. The Forest Service is working to align more 

closely identified risk with allocation, using an all-lands approach.

The program works with the FHM Federal Lands program to identify priority lands and manage 

forest insects and diseases across the landscape. 

11Rabaglia, Robert , Donald Duerr, Robert Acciavatti, and Iral Ragenovich. Early Detectionand Rapid Responsefor Non-Native 

Bark and Ambrosia Beetles (2008) USDA Forest Service.

12 Aukema JE, Leung B, Kovacs K, Chivers C, Britton KO, et al. (2011) Economic Impacts of Non-Native Forest Insects in the 

Continental United States. PLoS ONE 6(9): e24587. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024587.

State and Private Forestry 4-22

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships 

Partnerships leverage Federal financial assistance with a 1:1 match of non-Federal resources to 

implement programs and projects that protect forest resources and improve the health of the 

Nation’s forests. In FY 2013, almost $31 million in grant dollars for prevention and suppression 

were leveraged on a 1:1 basis with States and other non-Federal partners.

Program activities are also coordinated closely with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service and State departments of agriculture to detect and monitor introductions of new nonnative invasive species such as the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak 

death, and thousand cankers disease. 

The gypsy moth Slow-the-Spread program is a strong partnership with State forestry and 

agriculture agencies, which is successfully slowing the spread of gypsy moth by over 60 percent.

State and Private Forestry 4-23
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cooperative Fire Protection

Cooperative Fire Protection

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Cooperative Fire Protection

Annual Appropriations $32,079 0 0 0 0%

Cooperative Fire Protection Total 32,079 0 0 0 0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 48 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 48 0 0 0 0%

Cooperative Fire Protection

State Fire Assistance 25,759 0 0 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,320 0 0 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

State Fire Assistance

Communities assisted (number) 3,843 6,631 5,416 3,986 0 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Volunteer fire departments assisted (number) 4,177 4,080 3,512 4,172 0 0

Cooperative Fire Protection Overview 

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act approved the consolidation of the State Fire 

Assistance program and the Volunteer Fire Assistance program under the Wildland Fire 

Management appropriation. The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues this consolidation. 

Information about this program is within the Wildland Fire Management Chapter, State Fire 

Assistance and Volunteer Fire Assistance Sections.

Past Performance

For more information on Performance Metrics, as illustrated in the table above, see the Wildland 

Fire Management Chapter.

State and Private Forestry 4-24
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cooperative Forestry

Cooperative Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Cooperative Forestry

Annual Appropriations $118,209 $103,403 $101,395 -$2,008 -2%

Cooperative Forestry Total 118,209 103,403 101,395 -2,008 -2%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 151 122 121 -1 -1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 151 122 121 -1 -1%

Cooperative Forestry

Forest Stewardship 30,441 22,398 23,036 638 3%

Forest Legacy Program 50,515 50,965 53,000 2,035 4%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation 1,892 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry 30,701 28,040 23,676 -4,364 -16%

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 4,660 0 0 0 0%

Cooperative Forestry Overview

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $101,395,000 for Cooperative Forestry, a decrease of 

$2,008,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

Cooperative Forestry promotes working in partnership with States, Tribal governments, 

communities, and private landowners to improve management and protection of forests and use 

of forest-based goods to enable them to care for their lands and communities. 

The Cooperative Forestry programs are Forest Stewardship Program, Forest Legacy Program, 

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, and the Urban and Community 

Forestry program. 

The Forest Resources Information and Analysis program is shifted to the Forest and Rangeland 

Research appropriation. 

State and Private Forestry 4-25
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Stewardship Program

Budget Line Item Forest Stewardship

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Stewardship

Annual Appropriations $30,441 $22,398 $23,036 $638 3%

Forest Stewardship Total 30,441 22,398 23,036 638 3%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 60 54 54 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 60 54 54 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Stewardship

Percentage of nonindustrial private forest acres in 

important forest resource areas being managed 

sustainably, as defined by a current Forest Stewardship 

Plan 2.8% 2.8% 5.0% 2.5% 3.0% 3.5%

Acres of nonindustrial private forest land that are being 

managed sustainably under forest stewardship 

management plans. (Annual) 1,531,858 1,652,087 1,500,000 2,178,735 1,500,000 1,500,000

Acres of nonindustrial private forest land that are being 

managed sustainably under forest stewardship 

management plans. (Cumulative) 21,124,245 21,045,039 22,000,000 20,687,289 20,000,000 21,000,000

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $23,036,000 for the Forest Stewardship Program 

(FSP), an increase of $638,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

This program’s focus and impact have been significantly enhanced by the implementation of the 

completed State Forest Action Plans, better coordination with program delivery partners, 

landowner peer-to-peer networks, and information technology advances. State Forest Action 

Plans are enabling States to focus and coordinate program delivery to produce cumulative, 

landscape scale, measurable impacts, with multi-landowner and multi-partner planning, and 

technical assistance efforts. In addition, State Forest Action Plans help States identify and 

address opportunities resulting from emerging ecosystem service and biomass energy markets, 

and focus program assistance to conserve a “green infrastructure” of interconnected, viable 

forested landscape areas. Efforts will continue to focus program delivery in priority landscape 

areas, further leverage existing partnerships, and further develop tools for reaching more 

landowners with limited resources.

State and Private Forestry 4-26
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The program also extends its reach through peer-to-peer efforts which support the program’s 

long-term goal of managing significant landscapes, such as 

priority watersheds (as opposed to scattered, individual 

properties), and the conservation of strategically-located and 

connected open spaces. With the use of the of the recently 

deployed Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool 

(SMART), the program’s cumulative impact is being tracked 

spatially, to assess progress in achieving forest resource 

management outcomes. SMART is also enabling landscape 

based strategic planning, including the ability to leverage 

place based partnerships. 

The FSP is also implementing recommendations as a result 

of an extensive program evaluation study carried out in 2013 

by the Forest Service’s Family Forest Research Center at the 

University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The study used both 

quantitative and qualitative research methods to evaluate the 

program including summaries of existing performance 

metrics, catalogues of State forest stewardship activities, 

analyses of National Woodland Owner Survey data used to 

increase our understanding of how forest landowners use their lands, analyses of forest 

stewardship activities in relation to forest area trends, and focus groups. Recommendations 

being implemented by the FSP include adopting new performance measures and revising FSP’s 

National Standards and Guidelines to promote educational and technical assistance activities that 

were identified in the evaluation as being effective. The FSP plans to continue performing 

program evaluations to strengthen program effectiveness and find more creative ways to 

continue reaching forest landowners.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, nationwide, nearly 21 million acres of non-industrial private forest lands were 

managed according to ongoing, active Forest Stewardship Plans, with nearly 2.2 million acres 

being added in FY 2013, exceeding FY 2013 targets. Of this total, 12 million acres are within 

high priority landscape areas identified in State Forest Action Plans, which is an increase of 1.3 

million acres over FY 2012. SMART enables us to spatially track program accomplishments 

with respect to these priority areas and continue progress with State Forest Action Plan 

implementation. States monitor the implementation of Forest Stewardship Plans using a 

statistically reliable, nationally consistent, field monitoring program. In FY 2013, monitoring 

results confirmed that 90 percent of the acres covered by Forest Stewardship Plans are being 

managed as recommended. 

The actual number of acres (20,687,279) managed under Forest Stewardship Plans was lower 

than targeted (22,000,000) because more plans became inactive than was anticipated and State 

agencies continue to reorganize and adapt programs to target landscapes and priorities that were 

established with State Forest Action Plans. These adaptations continue to draw resources from 

individual landowner management plan development. Also, many program focus areas include 

The Landscape Stewardship 

Approach

The Landscape Stewardship 

Approach focuses program delivery 

on priority landscape areas identified 

by State Forest Action Plans to 

achieve impacts at scales appropriate 

to forest health, wildfire, and other 

pressing resource management 

concerns. Landscape Stewardship 

includes the development and 

implementation of multi-landowner 

Forest Stewardship Plans and works 

to create economies of scale for local 

forest product markets. 

State and Private Forestry 4-27
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

different, and perhaps more diverse landowner demographics that require new and innovative 

outreach and educational tools. In addition, many State programs have been impacted by 

austerity measures to address budget deficits. The Forest Service will continue working with 

States to focus program investments where multiple resource outcomes are more likely, based on 

State Forest Action Plan assessment work. Performance is also likely to improve as the Forest 

Service and States together implement the recently adopted Landscape Stewardship Approach 

which includes the development of multi-landowner, landscape scale Forest Stewardship Plans. 

Program performance and impact within priority areas is increasing significantly.

Program Description

Program Overview

The FSP is the principal Forest Service program focused on private forest land management and 

conservation. Program assistance is provided to landowners through a national network of 

forestry technical assistance providers in the form of comprehensive, multi-resource Forest 

Stewardship Plans and a variety of educational and technical assistance programs and activities. 

This program also serves as an avenue through which landowners can gain access to other forms 

of assistance and incentives, including reduced property tax rates, certification, and financial 

(cost-share program) assistance. The program is focused on process improvements, as 

demonstrated by the recently adopted Landscape Stewardship approach, whereby the Forest 

Service is working with State forestry agencies and other partners to maximize program 

investments by tying individual landowners to surrounding landscapes, and supporting the 

development of multi-landowner, landscape-scale Forest Stewardship Plans. The Forest Service 

will continue its longstanding partnerships with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the 

American Forest Foundation, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and other 

partners to coordinate and streamline technical and planning assistance delivery and better 

address diverse landowner needs. This includes the deployment of a web-based management 

plan and spatial accomplishment tracking tool, SMART, and the development of a national 

geodatabase for relating program accomplishments to a variety of landscape management 

objectives. Because of this unique role, and since the majority of America’s forests are privately 

owned, the FSP is central to fulfilling the Secretary’s vision for managing for healthy forests 

across all-lands.

The FSP helps landowners achieve their forest management objectives. There are thousands of 

small forest landowners in the United States and many of them struggle to find resources to help 

them keep their lands healthy and productive. Private forest landowners are also under 

increasing pressure to sell and sub-divide their forested lands and, as the next generation inherits 

forest lands, they often do not have the knowledge or skills to manage them. Actively managed 

forests provide timber, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, recreational opportunities, and 

many other benefits for landowners and communities. More than 50 percent (420 million acres) 

of our Nation’s forests are privately owned – and over 350 million acres of these are owned by 

small, private, non-industrial landowners, which are the focus of the FSP. Private forestlands 

provide numerous benefits for the American public and keeping them intact as working forests is 

critical to maintaining this stream of benefits. For example, private forest lands alone supply 

almost 30 percent of the surface drinking water to cities and rural communities, provide habitat 

State and Private Forestry 4-28
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

for 60 percent of all at-risk species in the United States, and provide over 90 percent of all the 

timber harvested in this country. 

Investments in FSP helps protect these forests and provide support to keep working forests 

intact. Forest Stewardship Plans motivate landowners to become more active in planning and 

managing their forests, greatly increasing the likelihood that their forests will remain intact, 

productive and healthy, and that the social, economic, and environmental benefits of these lands 

will be sustained for future generations and mitigate the risk of wildfire—healthy private forests 

equal healthier National Forest Systems.

As such, the FSP plays a fundamental role in “keeping forests as forests,” providing places 

where Americans can reconnect to the outdoors. The program also helps create jobs in rural 

communities by sustaining local forest products markets and increasing demand for qualified 

private forestry consultants and State agency field foresters. Additionally, the program helps 

prepare forest landowners for ecosystem services markets and other incentive programs. 

All Forest Stewardship Plans are required to consider the possible near and long-term impacts of 

a changing climate, including increased fire risk, invasive species migration, and species range 

and habitat shifts. Where appropriate and feasible, management plans will include actions to 

mitigate the adverse impacts of a changing climate. 

Allocation and Integration

Program funding is allocated to Forest Service regions, the Northeastern Area and the 

International Institute of Tropical Forestry based on statewide comprehensive program potential 

and cumulative program impact within priority landscape areas. Priority landscape areas are 

delineated in State Forest Action Plans. Program impact is measured primarily by the number of 

acres within high priority landscape areas being managed according to active Forest Stewardship 

Plans as confirmed through a statistically valid field monitoring program. States greatly enhance 

program impact by integrating programs and leveraging partnerships to target high priority areas, 

maximizing Federal program investment. This approach supports both the Secretary of 

Agriculture’s all-lands vision and the Administration’s emphasis on integrated, place-based 

program delivery. 

Partnerships 

All FSP activities are coordinated with and delivered through State and Territorial forest agency 

partners; thus, the program leverages substantial non-Federal financial and human resources. 

States are required to provide a minimum 1:1 match for Federal funds, but most far exceed this 

level. In FY 2013, the Forest Stewardship Program funded nearly $24 million in grants to States 

and other partners that were matched on average, 2:1 by funding and in-kind contributions. 

Through the FSP, the Forest Service works regularly with a variety of forest and resource 

conservation partners including the American Forest Foundation, the Resources First 

Foundation, the National Woodland Owner Association, and The Nature Conservancy. In one 

such partnership, the Forest Service is working with the American Forest Foundation in areas 

State and Private Forestry 4-29
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

such as the Piney Woods of Wisconsin and the Driftless Area of Wisconsin to develop 

innovative place-based landowner outreach and engagement strategies to encourage and inform 

forest landowners who have not historically benefitted from USDA technical assistance or 

conservation programs. 

The FSP also continues to provide funding for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forestry program 

for ecosystem restoration activities because the Chesapeake is the Nation's largest estuary and a 

high priority for Federal investment to improve water quality. In executing this program, the 

Forest Service works closely with State and Federal partners and other organizations in the 

Chesapeake Bay program to implement forest stewardship, restoration, and conservation actions 

that contribute to overall watershed health, and specifically to water quality. This program helps 

to improve coordination in the implementation of riparian forest buffers to protect water quality, 

and provides educational, and technical assistance to partners at all levels. 

The FSP also provides funding to partner with the 

National Resources Conservation Service to 

support the National Agroforestry Center, which 

successfully transfers sustainable agroforestry 

technologies to thousands of land management 

professionals each year. This center, a multiagency Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

partnership, is focused on three primary 

outcomes: (1) increasing the adoption of 

agroforestry practices that improve water, soil and 

air quality; sustainable agriculture; product diversity and rural wealth; (2) creating tailored, 

science-based agroforestry tools that can be used by landowners to address complex 

environmental, economic, and social conditions across all lands; and (3) integrating agroforestry 

into USDA programs and policies. 

Through its Rural Forestry Assistance component, the FSP also supports the Reforestation 

Nurseries and Genetic Resources (RNGR) Center and Team. RNGR provides assistance to 

Federal, State, Tribal, Territorial, and private nurseries, supplying them with the latest technical 

information, thereby supporting an extensive network for seedling production. RNGR is 

delivered in close coordination with USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Plant 

Material Centers and is focused on six strategic areas: (1) providing leadership in reforestation, 

conservation, and restoration, (2) maintaining technical expertise in growing and planting 

adapted seeds and seedlings, (3) expanding the use of native plants, (4) assisting underserved 

communities, (5) streamlining and leveraging resources, and (6) conserving and assuring the 

proper use and development of genetic resources. 

The National Agroforestry Center

The National Agroforestry Center (NAC) accelerates 

the application of agroforestry through a national 

network of partners. For example, in 2013 NAC 

developed a series of YouTube videos on forest 

farming with ramps and mushrooms, in partnership 

with Virginia Tech University and the Forest Service 

Southern Research Station. These videos have been 

incorporated into the National Institute of Food and 

Agriculture’s Extension Forest Farming Community 

of Practice Web site.

State and Private Forestry 4-30
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Legacy Program

Budget Line Item Forest Legacy Program

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Legacy Program

Annual Appropriations $50,515 $50,965 $53,000 $2,035 4%

Forest Legacy Program Total 50,515 50,965 53,000 2,035 4%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 24 24 24 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 24 24 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Legacy Program

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Annual accomplishment for 

Discretionary funds) 149,911 52,999 128,000 87,927 85,000 90,000

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Annual accomplishment for Mandatory 

funds) 0 0 0 0 0 80,000

Acres of environmentally important forests protected 

from conversion (Cumulative) 2,210,563 2,275,320 2,410,320 2,362,577 2,447,577 2,617,577

Parcelization of forests avoided (number of parcels 

prevented) (Discretionary funds) 3,822 2,361 5,203 2,854 2,872 2,846

Parcelization of forests avoided (number of parcels 

prevented) (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 5,535

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $53,000,000 in discretionary funds, an increase of 

$2,035,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. In addition, the request 

includes $47,000,000 in mandatory funds for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) as a transfer 

from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the Department of the Interior, for a 

total of $100,000,000. 

The President’s budget proposes to permanently authorize annual mandatory funding, without 

further appropriation or fiscal year limitation for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture 

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs beginning in fiscal year 2015. Starting in 

2016, $900 million annually in permanent funds would be available. During the transition to full 

permanent funding in 2015, the budget proposes $900 million in total LWCF funding, comprised 

of $550 million in permanent and $350 million discretionary funds. The amounts requested 

include the authorized levels for the Department of the Interior and the Department of 

Agriculture.

State and Private Forestry 4-31
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Legacy funds are used for the protection of important forests that are under significant 

development pressure and that protect air and water quality, provide access, and protect 

important habitat for threatened or endangered wildlife or fish species. The Forest Legacy 

Program is funded through the LWCF. By permanently protecting important working forest 

lands, FLP helps to create and maintain rural jobs and ensure a robust forest infrastructure. 

The increased funding for Forest Legacy is a key component of the President’s America’s Great 

Outdoors Initiative to conserve important landscapes and reconnect Americans to the outdoors. 

The funding helps the Forest Service continue to work across boundaries to support projects that 

protect forests in key landscapes as identified in States’ Forest Action Plans to address the 

national priorities for private forests. These projects are coordinated with other partners to create 

viable and cohesive zones where the economic, social, and environmental values of forests are 

conserved.

In planning for FY 2015, 32 States submitted 56 proposed projects, totaling more than $156 

million, to the Forest Service for funding consideration by the national selection panel. Funding 

is provided to highest priority activities that can demonstrate performance in a transparent 

manner. FLP projects are located in Priority Areas or Forest Legacy Areas identified in Forest 

Action Plans. In FY 2015, 44 projects are proposed for funding. Refer to the FY 2015 Forest 

Legacy Program Proposed Projects at the end of this section. The FY 2015 program targets 

include new measures for the acres of environmentally important forests protected from 

conversion using mandatory funds and parcelization of forests avoided using mandatory funds. 

Past Performance

Since the FLP program was authorized, a total of 2.36 million acres has been protected across the 

country. These acres include approximately 175,000 acres of bodies of water and 3,100 miles of 

streams. In FY 2013, FLP completed 14 conservation easements and 10 fee simple tract 

purchases, leveraging $42,470,000 of Federal funds with $26,100,000 of partner funds to protect 

a total of 87,927 acres. Completed acres in FY 2013 are lower than the FY 2013 target of 

128,000 acres due to the unpredictable nature of real estate negotiations, often lengthening the 

project completion timeline. In addition to the unpredictable nature of real estate transactions, 

FLP projects typically take about two years to close, resulting in a time lag between annual 

funding and the accomplishments. In addition to the normal challenges faced for any project, 

two projects failed when the landowners chose to withdraw from the program. The first project 

was Preparation Canyon in Iowa. The project was funded in 2010 and totaled 1,678 acres, but in 

FY 2013 the property owners (a Boy Scout Council) changed Board members and they decided 

not to proceed with the conveyance of a conservation easement. The second project was the 

North Idaho Timber Communities project. The project was funded in 2011 and was 1,415 acres. 

In FY 2013, the landowner decided he no longer wanted to convey an interest in his property. 

Since the program operates on a willing buyer-willing seller basis, these types of situations arise 

periodically. They are difficult to predict and thus affect target achievement. The agency will 

continue to work to match program goals and targets as closely as possible with expected project 

completions.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

Through FLP, the Forest Service partners with the State lead agency, private landowners, and 

other conservation partners such as The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, The 

Conservation Fund and other local and regional conservation organizations to protect 

environmentally critical forests threatened by land conversion through conservation easements 

and fee-simple purchases, thereby protecting vital forest resources and keeping working forests 

intact. Projects are evaluated by a panel in order to fund the highest priority land conservation 

areas. Funds for the FLP are provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

More than 50 percent (over 420 million acres) of our Nation’s forests are privately owned. 

Family forest owners and timber companies are facing increasing pressure to sell, subdivide, and 

develop their land. Protection of private forests through the FLP helps provide them with a 

conservation option. Intact private forest lands provide a multitude of benefits for the American 

public, including places to recreate and enjoy nature; working forestlands that provide jobs and 

forest products like wood and paper; and habitat for fish and wildlife. The FLP helps mitigate 

development in the wildland-urban interface, which reduces community exposure to wildfire 

danger, and maintains open space, which increases the likelihood of firefighter success in 

defending property. Conservation across a landscape rather than focusing solely within 

ownership boundaries is essential to address large-scale conservation issues such as protection 

and restoration of watersheds, reduction of wildfire risk, and protection of at-risk species. The 

program operates on a willing buyer-willing seller basis and is a non-regulatory, incentive-based 

land conservation program. 

Protection of private forests through FLP maintains a multitude of public benefits, ecosystem 

services, and products that forests provide. Eighty-nine percent of all FLP acres are adjacent to 

other protected lands. Research also shows that approximately 17 percent of human-caused 

greenhouse gas emissions world-wide are the result of deforestation or conversion of forest land 

to other uses (Congressional Research Service, International Forestry Issues in Climate Change 

Bills; 2009). Protecting forests from conversion is key to ensuring resiliency to impacts of a 

changing climate on resource conditions.

Allocation and Integration

FLP projects are nominated through a two-stage competitive process (State-level identification 

and approval, and a national review and ranking), resulting in high-quality projects supported 

both locally and nationally. Each project is ranked using three standardized criteria: (1) 

importance–public benefits gained from the protection and management of the property, (2) 

threat–likelihood of conversion to non-forest uses resulting in a loss of forest values and public 

benefits, and (3) strategic–project fits with a larger conservation plan, strategy, and initiative, and 

enhances previous conservation investments. Project management funds are allocated to Forest 

Service regions based on management needs for the projects.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

To date, more than 2.3 million acres of environmentally important private lands have been 

protected through FLP. States and landowners are the primary partners, but land trusts and other 

conservation organizations play a critical role in identifying and completing projects. While the 

program requires a 25 percent non-Federal match, the program averages a 50 percent nonFederal match.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2015 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request

Administrative Funds $6,400,000

1 MT Haskill Basin Watershed Project 7,000,000

2 ID Hall Mountain 2,700,000

3 TX Bobcat Ridge 2,370,000

4 AZ Turkey Creek Canyon 2,400,000

5 OH Little Smokies 1,285,000

6 ID Clagstone Meadows 5,500,000

7 VT Dowsville Headwaters 2,500,000

8 GA Paulding County Land Area 3,000,000

9 NC East Fork of French Broad Headwater Phase II 3,500,000

10 ME Gulf Hagas Whitecap 1,700,000

11 UT Zion-Orderville Gulch 2,500,000

12 WI Wild Waters Working Forest 2,500,000

13 CA Ryan Creek Conservation Easement 1,200,000

14 OR Hood River Forest and Fish Conservation 3,000,000

15 WA South Puget Sound Coastal Forest 4,000,000

16 VA Upper Rappahannock River Valley 1,085,000

17 CT Whip-Poor-Will Woods 360,000

Subtotal, Discretionary 53,000,000

18 CT

Whip-Poor-Will Woods-remainder of total 

recommended funding 2,145,000

19 CO Sawtooth Mountain 3,000,000

20 CA P-2 McCloud Working Forest Easement 2,300,000

21 SC Liberty Hill Phase II 2,000,000

22 VT Groton Forest Legacy Initiative 2,500,000

23 CA

Rainbow Ridge Wherit Conservation 

Easement 650,000

24 TN Sherwood Forest 3,000,000

25 TN Carter Mountain Project 1,520,000

26 UT Zion North Fork 1,000,000

27 WA Pysht Coastal Forest Phase 2 2,000,000

28 HI Helemano Wilderness Area 3,000,000

29 NY Rensselaer Plateau Working Forest Phase I 755,000

30 HI Hoomau Ranch 1,800,000

31 FL Silver Springs Watershed 3,250,000

32 ME Big Six Forest 3,500,000

33 MA Connecticut to Quabbin Reservoir 1,800,000

34 VT Windham Region Working Forest 1,500,000

State and Private Forestry 4-35
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2015 Forest Legacy Program Proposed Projects

Priority 

Rank State Project Name Request

35 OR West Klamath Lake Forest 2,900,000

36 MT Clear Creek Conservation Project 595,000

37 NH Oliverian Valley 510,000

38 PA The Northeast Connection 1,500,000

39 NC Poison Fork Forest 750,000

40 AR Wye Mountain Headwaters 1,900,000

41 MI Pilgrim River Forest 700,000

42 FL Ocala National Forest Wildlife Corridor 1,200,000

43 NC Chesson Longleaf Forest 225,000

44 MN Lake Alexander 1,000,000

Subtotal, Mandatory 47,000,000

Total Funding $100,000,000

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation

Budget Line Item Community Forest and Open Space 

Conservation

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation

Annual Appropriations $1,892 $2,000 $1,683 -$317 -16%

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Total 1,892 2,000 1,683 -317 -16%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1 1 1 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 1 1 0 0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $1,683,000 for the Community Forest and Open 

Space Conservation Program (CFP), a decrease of $317,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. 

The purpose of CFP is to achieve community benefits through grants to local governments, 

Tribal governments, and qualified nonprofit organizations to establish community forests by 

acquiring and protecting forestlands. By creating community forests through land acquisition, 

communities and Tribes are able to provide public access and recreational opportunities, protect 

vital water supplies and wildlife habitat, address the effects of a changing climate, provide 

demonstration sites for private forest landowners, and derive financial and community benefits 

from sustainable management. 

The Forest Service will use the FY 2015 funds to monitor previously funded projects and fund 

additional community forest projects. These funds will also ensure the agency has capacity to 

continue implementation of this program. 

Past Performance

In FY 2012, the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (CFP) issued its first 

request for applications, received applications, and selected 10 CFP projects from across the 

country, awarding $3.5 million in grants. In FY 2013, three new project grants were awarded, 

totaling $1.05 million. Grants are awarded for an initial two-year period. As such, there may be 

a time delay before projects close and accomplishments can be reported. To date, six projects 

have been completed, totaling almost 2,000 acres in community forests that have been protected 

throughout the country.

The CFP program was authorized in 2008 and has received funding each year from FY 2010 

through FY 2014. Funding from all of these years was used to fund 13 projects selected to-date. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The final implementation regulations were issued October 14, 2011. These regulations outlined 

application requirements as well as the standard selection criteria used by the Forest Service to 

manage the national competitive process to prioritize and fund CFP projects.

Program Description

Program Overview

The CFP achieves community benefits 

through grants to local governments, Tribal 

governments, and qualified non-profit 

organizations to establish community forests 

by acquiring and protecting forestlands. 

Community benefits under CFP include, but 

are not limited to: (1) economic benefits of 

sustainable forest management, related jobs, 

and clean drinking water, (2) environmental 

benefits, including clean water and wildlife 

habitat, (3)educational benefits from forestbased programs, including vocational 

education programs in forestry, (4) benefits 

from serving as replicable models of 

effective forest stewardship for private 

landowners, (5) recreational benefits, including hunting and fishing, and (6) public access 

benefits. This program promotes protection and enjoyment of the Nation’s outdoor heritage by 

empowering people and communities to protect and restore places they cherish. It plays a key 

role in the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative by connecting people to the outdoors 

where they live. Community forests are special public places that promote health, provide a 

place to find quiet and solitude, and generally improve quality of life. 

The Federal contribution to the project cannot be more than 50 percent of the total project cost. 

Cost sharing provides key opportunities to increase financial capacity and promotes local 

investment, allowing communities to actively participate in sustainable management of their 

local forests. 

The CFP complements but not duplicative of the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) and the Urban 

and Community Forestry Program (U&CF). CFP is focused on creating community forests 

through land acquisition, while FLP protects at-risk forests through easements and land purchase. 

While a few projects may align with the intent of both programs, most projects will qualify for 

only one. Also, unlike U&CF which builds capacity for communities to develop and implement 

urban forestry programs, CFP is a land protection program. The program provides another tool 

to those entities that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to community forestry.

Barre Town Forest

In 2013, the Town of Barre in Vermont was able to 

acquire the Barre Town Forest as a result of the CFP. 

The Barre Town Forest is a popular attraction wellknown for its trail network by locals and out of town 

visitors. A University of Vermont report estimates 

that in 2015 the Town Forest will be visited by 10,500 

visitors from out of the area and who are estimated to 

spend $640,000 locally for goods and services, 

supporting 20 jobs. The CFP contributed $400,000 

for this project and leveraged nearly twice that amount 

from a variety of other public and private sources for a 

total of $1.37 million. The Trust for Public Land 

facilitated the Town’s acquisition of the land from the 

Rock of Ages Corp. and other private owners and 

played a key role in project development and 

successful completion.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Allocation and Integration 

Project ranking and selection criteria include: community benefits provided by the project, 

degree of public participation in project development, strategic contribution of the project to 

landscape conservation, and threat of conversion. The current Request for Applications requires 

applications to be submitted to the Forest Service by February 17, 2014. Projects will then be 

selected through a competitive process and grants will be issued to selected recipients. 

Partnerships 

The CFP has received and continues to receive support from State and local governments, Tribal 

governments, land trusts and other conservation organizations, and communities. Though not 

required, some State agencies provide assistance to applicants in the development of their 

applications. In the case of one funded project, two non-profits and a Tribe worked closely 

together to develop a project and the application even though the non-profit organizations will 

not hold title to the community forest. The degree of community and partner support for the 

program is evident from the project cost-share dollars, currently averaging a 60 percent match – 

above the 50 percent cost share requirement. 

State and Private Forestry 4-39
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Urban and Community Forestry

Budget Line Item Urban and Community Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Urban and Community Forestry

Annual Appropriations $30,701 $28,040 $23,676 -$4,364 -16%

Urban and Community Forestry Total 30,701 28,040 23,676 -4,364 -16%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 44 43 42 -1 -2%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 44 43 42 -1 -2%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Urban and Community Forestry

Percentage of people living in communities managing 

programs to plant, protect, and maintain their urban and 

community trees and forests. 44.0% 46.2% 43.0% 47.0% 46.0% 47.0%

Percentage of people living in communities developing 

programs and/or activities to plant, protect, and maintain 

their urban and community trees and forests. 33.0% 31.0% 34.0% 31.2% 31.0% 31.0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $23,676,000 for the Urban and Community Forestry 

(U&CF) program, a decrease of $4,364,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

With the proposed FY 2015 President’s Budget, U&CF will work with State forestry agencies 

and other partners to assist communities in developing and enhancing their urban forestry 

programs. U&CF will work to optimize the social, economic, and environmental services that 

urban and community trees and forests provide. Currently, more than 83 percent of Americans 

live in metropolitan areas. This program’s investment in the i-Tree research tool provides 

communities with the evidence needed to enhance and expand their urban tree canopy. 

Metropolitan areas are using i-Tree to quantify the monetary benefits of city trees and inform 

strategic decisions on the development of master plans and launching major tree planting 

initiatives. The U&CF program will place special emphasis on landscape scale demonstration 

projects that have regional and national significance for urban and community forest 

management across landscapes.

Investing in Climate Resilience

The President believes that we must do more to help communities across the country become 

more resilient to the effects of climate change. Recent events have reinforced our knowledge 

State and Private Forestry 4-40
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

that our communities and economy remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural hazards. 

For that reason, the President’s 2015 Budget includes a new $1 billion Climate Resilience Fund. 

Through this Fund, the President proposes that we: 

• Invest in research and unlock data and information to better understand the projected 

impacts of climate change and how we can better prepare our communities and 

infrastructure.

• Help communities plan and prepare for the impacts of climate change and encourage 

local measures to reduce future risk.

• Fund breakthrough technologies and resilient infrastructure that will make us more 

resilient in the face of changing climate. The Urban and Community Forestry program is 

part of this effort as improving community trees and forests helps remove carbon from 

the air, reduce the need for stormwater treatment, mitigate flooding and provide other 

ecosystem services.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, U&CF provided assistance to 7,292 communities, exceeding the USDA Strategic 

Plan target of 7,200 communities. Through these efforts, the program reached a total of 198 

million people, over 60 percent of the population of the U.S. This assistance helped 

communities develop and maintain urban forestry programs, which protect their urban trees and 

forests. As a result of assistance provided by this program, in FY 2013, 47 percent of people in 

the U.S. are living in communities that are managing programs to protect and maintain their 

urban forests, exceeding the target of 43 percent. Additionally, in FY 2013 over 31 percent of 

people in the U.S. are living in communities that are developing programs to protect and 

maintain their urban forests, which is three percentage points below the target of 34 percent. 

This decrease can be attributed to more communities 

transitioning from developing urban and community 

forestry programs to managing urban and community 

forestry programs. 

This program has also helped to ensure that people in 

the U.S. are living in communities that are healthier 

and more livable. The U&CF program continued to 

work with State forestry agencies and other partners to 

assist communities in developing and advancing their 

urban forestry programs. Funding is provided to the 

highest priority activities that can demonstrate results 

in a transparent manner.

Program Description

Program Overview

U&CF assists cities, suburbs, and towns across the 

country in improving the condition of community trees and forests. U&CF program investments 

are critical to reaching a majority of Americans, including minority and underserved 

Strategic Tree Planting for 

Energy Conservation

U&CF is partnering with the Arbor Day 

Foundation to deliver this national cost-share 

grant program to support tree planting for 

energy conservation and carbon sequestration.

This program leverages support from electric 

utility companies to fund the strategic planting 

of trees and promotes public-private 

partnerships between utilities and community 

organizations. Currently there are nine electric 

utility companies participating in the program 

with nearly 17,000 trees planted in the fall of 

2013.

State and Private Forestry 4-41
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

communities, in order to connect them to their natural heritage and ensure that our Nation’s 

public and private forests remain relevant to the next generation—over 80 percent of the Nation's 

population live in urban areas. There are over 100 million acres of urban forest lands in the U.S. 

Research has shown that urban forests provide critical benefits to Americans, including energy 

conservation; flood and pollution control; climate change mitigation; and open spaces that 

improve quality of life. For example, Forest Service research has found that street trees in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota, save $9.1 million in stormwater treatments annually13. The urban trees 

of Los Angeles, California, remove about 77,000 tons of carbon per year and about 1,976 tons of 

air pollution per year14. The U&CF leverages State and other partner resources to ensure that 

communities across the country continue to protect and their urban forests and the economic and 

health benefits they provide.

Research has shown that the presence of healthy trees encourages outdoor activity among 

children and adults, improving physical health and lowering stress. Our youth are increasingly 

disconnected from nature. While children have historically spent a great deal of their childhoods 

outdoors, their environments have become increasingly urbanized in recent decades. The single 

most important factor in developing personal concern for the environment was positive 

experiences in the outdoors during childhood according to recent scientific research15. 

Investments in the U&CF program that connect youth to the outdoors are critical to our Nation’s 

future. Over the past three decades childhood obesity rates have tripled and today’s more 

urbanized youth spend 50 percent less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago. A shift toward 

a sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to the decline in children's health. Creating 

opportunities for youth to engage with nature also has been shown to have other positive 

benefits, including an improvement in advanced motor fitness; an improvement in the ability to 

concentrate for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; and improved 

powers of observation and creativity.

Allocation and Integration

This program allocates funds based on performance, tracked in a web-based accomplishment 

reporting system. Allocations target communities that have established one or more of the 

following: (1) professional urban forestry staff, (2) tree ordinances, (3) urban forest management 

plans, or (4) tree boards or advisory organizations. 

The U&CF program is well integrated with other Forest Service programs. The U&CF and 

Forest Health Management programs work together to survey and monitor conditions of urban 

forests’ health, including the early detection and response to invasive insect pests such as 

Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle. 

13 Nowak, David, R. Hoehn III, D. Crane, L. Weller, and A. Davila. “Assessing Urban Forest Effects and Values, Los Angeles’ 

Urban Forest.” USDA Forest Service. (2011). Web. http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs47.pdf. 14 “City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Municipat Tree Resrouce Analysis.” Center for Urban Forest Research, USDA Forest 

Service, Pacifica Southwest Research Station, June 2005. Web.

15 Palmer, J. (1993) Development of Concern for the Environment and Formative Experience of Educators. Journal of 

Environmental Education 24:26-30.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

U&CF works with Forest Service Research & Development to develop, disseminate, and support 

i-Tree, an urban and community forest benefits assessment and management software. The iTree is a state-of-the-art software tool designed to help communities of all sizes to strengthen 

their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the environmental services 

that trees provide and the structure of the urban forest. The software tools are public domain and 

are freely accessible. 

The i-Tree has had over 12,000 unique users across all 50 States and 100 different countries. 

Version 5.0 of the i-Tree software was released in October 2012 providing application upgrades 

and an innovative new watershed hydrology modeling application. Version 5.0 features a new 

data collection web form that allows any device, such as smart phones or tablets, with a modern 

internet browser to be used to collect and enter field data. Additionally, a new function within iTree forecasts the growth and benefits of trees through time, based on species and locationspecific growth models. Major cities across the country are using i-Tree to inventory and 

analyze the benefits of their urban forest as a decision-support tool. For example, the City of 

Pittsburgh developed a master plan to expand its urban tree canopy after i-Tree calculations 

showed the city’s trees provided a monetary benefit three times greater than the annual cost of 

upkeep. 

Partnerships

U&CF delivers its program through State forestry agencies, other Federal agencies, local 

governments, community organizations, and volunteers. State programs leverage the Forest 

Service investment with other funding sources to deliver financial assistance to communities for 

urban and community forestry, often providing at least a 2:1 match for the Federal funds. 

To achieve program priorities, U&CF is also working with the USDA National Agroforestry 

Center, The Conservation Fund, Sustainable Urban Forest Coalition, National Association of 

Regional Councils, National Academy of Sciences Arbor Day Foundation, and other national 

partnership organizations. The Forest Service is the Urban Waters Federal Partnership lead on 

behalf of USDA. This Federal partnership launched in 2011, has expanded to 18 pilot cities and 

includes 14 Federal agencies, including USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

Department of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, 

the Department of the Interior, and the Department of the Army. This innovative Federal 

partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of 

life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities 

across the Nation. The partnership also supports President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors 

Initiative aimed at making the Federal Government a better partner with communities that are 

working to provide safe, healthy, and accessible outdoor spaces.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Resources Information and Analysis

Budget Line Item Forest Resources Information and Analysis

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Resources Information and Analysis

Annual Appropriations $4,660 0 0 0 0%

Forest Resources Information and Analysis Total 4,660 0 0 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 22 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 22 0 0 0 0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues the consolidation of the Forest Resources 

Information and Analysis program within the Forest and Rangeland Research (Forest Service 

R&D) appropriation, as approved in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding to 

support implementation of Forest Inventory and Analysis activities will be provided entirely 

within Forest Service R&D. 

Program Description

For more information on Program Changes, Program Description, and Past Performance, refer to 

the Forest and Rangeland Research Chapter.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

International Forestry

Budget Line Item International Forestry

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

International Forestry

Annual Appropriations $7,570 $8,000 0 -$8,000 -100%

International Forestry Total 7,570 8,000 0 -8,000 -100%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 30 30 0 -30 -100%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 30 30 0 -30 -100%

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget does not propose a budget line for the International Forestry 

program. The Forest Service will conduct its highest priority international work under existing 

Forest Service authorities and in partnership with other Federal agencies whose missions are 

more centrally focused on international development.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Forest Service Office of International Programs promotes sustainable forest management 

overseas and brings important technologies and innovations back to the United States. Effective 

forest management at the global level is necessary to protect American trade interests—such as 

the ability of U.S. timber producers to compete on a level playing field—and the sustainability of 

critical domestic and foreign natural resources. Forest management policy discussions routinely 

tackle complex issues such as: trade, U.S. competitiveness, economic growth, preventing illegal 

logging, and national security. Also, the program addresses several critical domestic natural 

resource conservation issues, including protecting the Nation from non-native invasive species as 

well as conserving habitat for U.S. migratory species of high importance.

The Forest Service, through its International Forestry programs, acts as an advocate for U.S. 

interests abroad and engages with countless governmental and nongovernmental partners to 

share best practices. As the Nation continues to be one of the world’s largest traders in forest 

products and a leader in sustainable forest management, active engagement abroad is a smart 

policy to safeguard national interests.

Allocation and Integration

The program prioritizes work in collaboration with other Forest Service programs and in 

conjunction with the U.S. Department of State to address the most important international natural 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

resource management issues including illegal logging, migratory species habitat, invasive forest 

pests, and sustainable forest management.

Partnerships

The International Forestry program works in coordination with Forest Service field units, 

domestic and international partners including those in other Federal agencies, foreign 

governments, international and local environmental organizations, universities, and the private 

sector, on a range of forest management and policy issues. International Forestry engages in 

technical collaboration to develop capacity, strengthen institutions, and develop economic 

alternatives to unsustainable and illegal harvesting.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

National Forest System

Appropriation National Forest System

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

National Forest System

Annual Appropriations $1,455,341$1,496,330 $1,640,484 $144,154 10%

National Forest System Total 1,455,341 1,496,330 1,640,484 144,154 10%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 11,097 11,169 11,247 78 1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 11,097 11,169 11,247 78 1%

National Forest System

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 820,000 820,000 0%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 37,885 40,000 60,000 20,000 50%

Restoration Partnerships 0 2,000 0 -2,000 -100%

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

Land Management Planning 37,203 37,754 0 -37,754 -100%

Inventory and Monitoring 150,652 151,019 0 -151,019 -100%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 261,932 261,719 259,090 -2,629 -1%

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 130,887 140,466 0 -140,466 -100%

Grazing Management 51,568 55,356 49,600 -5,756 -10%

Forest Products 318,280 339,130 0 -339,130 -100%

Vegetation & Watershed Management 172,173 184,716 0 -184,716 -100%

Minerals and Geology Management 77,716 76,423 70,566 -5,857 -8%

Landownership Management 79,869 77,730 71,440 -6,290 -8%

Law Enforcement Operations 133,984 126,653 125,860 -793 -1%

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,192 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

National Forest System Overview 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $1,640,484,000 for the National Forest System (NFS), 

an increase of $144,154,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The Administration has worked this year to analyze and develop a strategy to address 

catastrophic fire risk. There are three main challenges which require a comprehensive plan of 

action to fully address this risk. The first challenge is to provide a stable source of funding for 

wildland fire suppression while minimizing destabilizing transfers from non-fire programs. The 

second is to increase the capacity for active management of Federal lands. Increased land 

management activities will have many benefits including a reduction in wildland fire risk, 

improved fire fighter safety, improved water quantity and quality, and enhanced carbon 

sequestration. The third challenge is for non-Federal land managers, including private land 

owners, to implement actions to reduce the risk of fire and increase the resilience of these lands 

to fire. This budget makes hard choices to support important activities while maximizing the 

Forest Service’s ability to address the three main challenges with wildland fire noted above. 

This resulted in reductions in some programs to increase or maintain funding in others.

National Forest System 5-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The NFS appropriation provides funds for the stewardship and management of over 193 million 

acres of national forests and grasslands. The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes budget 

structure changes designed to increase efficiency in program administration and delivery and to 

reduce redundancy and administrative costs while continuing to support the Administration’s 

highest priorities.

Following Secretary Vilsack’s “All Lands” vision, the Budget focuses on meeting the challenges 

of ecological restoration through collaborative approaches to address fire and fuels, invasive 

species, and watershed degradation; engage communities to help Americans reconnect to the 

outdoors, expand on recreation benefits, and create a wide range of opportunities for economic 

expansion to retain and create jobs; and to partner with communities and fellow agencies to 

reduce the threat of catastrophic wildland fires.

Conserving forests and grasslands not only conserves air quality, water, plants, and wildlife; it 

responds to the public’s interests and needs. Forests and grasslands generate wealth by 

providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism such as camping, picnicking, skiing, 

snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, driving for pleasure, wildlife viewing, scenic driving, 

and visiting cultural sites and visitor centers. People improve their health and well-being by 

engaging in the wide array of outdoor activities available on NFS lands. The restoration of 

landscapes, sustainable forest management, and the development of markets for ecosystem 

services provide jobs to communities that benefit rural economies.

Management of the vast array of natural resources on NFS lands requires effective integration of 

many different and complex program areas. The suite of NFS programs support the planning, 

coordination, implementation, and monitoring of activities that provide a wide variety of 

ecosystem services including: water-quality protection and improvement; recreation 

opportunities for the public; energy for the Nation; food security; timber and non-timber forest 

products; maintenance of open space; and wildlife habitat and habitat connectivity. All of these 

services support the maintenance of jobs as well as growth in the domestic job market. These 

activities are managed to meet the needs of the Nation while maintaining or improving the health 

of the land and protecting the environment to provide the greatest good for the greatest number 

in the long term.

Climate Resilience Fund

The President believes that we must do more to help communities across the country become 

more resilient to the effects of climate change. Recent events have reinforced our knowledge that 

our communities and economy remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural hazards. For 

that reason, the FY 2015 President’s Budget will include a new $1 billion Climate Resilience 

Fund. Through this Fund, the President proposes that we: 

• invest in research and unlock data and information to better understand the projected 

impacts of climate change and how we can better prepare our communities and 

infrastructure,

• help communities plan and prepare for the impacts of climate change and encourage local 

measures to reduce future risk, and 

National Forest System 5-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• fund breakthrough technologies and resilient infrastructure that will make us more 

resilient in the face of changing climate.

Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) and the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 

Program (CLFRP) are important programs for creating healthier forests that will make 

communities, landscapes and watersheds more resilient to climate change.

Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR)

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues to emphasize IRR as the leading approach to 

accomplish on-the-ground restoration. In FY 2015, IRR is expanded beyond the pilot to full 

implementation to meet the commitment of increasing the pace and scale of restoration. Full 

IRR implementation will help meet the social and economic commitments made to communities 

centered on restoration.

This IRR budget structure aligns with the Secretary’s vision of integrating watershed protection 

and restoration into all aspects of our management of national forests and grasslands and to 

create or maintain local economic opportunities and jobs. This budget structure will allow us to 

more effectively accomplish forest health and water quality improvement goals.

The table below compares the FY 2015 President’s Budget proposed funding level to previous 

years as if IRR was previously approved, by adding the amounts of the legacy BLIs. 

Integrated Resource Restoration Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Comparable 

Basis

FY 2014 

Comparable 

Basis Change

FY 2015

Pres. Bud

NFS

Integrated Resource 

Restoration (max total to 

IRR)1,2 [$138,041] [$170,000]3 $820,000 $820,000

NFS

Wildlife and Fisheries 

Habitat Mgmt. 130,887 140,466 (140,466) -

NFS Forest Products 318,280 $339,130 (339,130) -

NFS

Vegetation and Watershed 

Management 172,173 $184,716 (184,716) -

CIM Legacy Roads and Trails 39,814 $35,000 (35,000) -

WFM

Hazardous Fuels nonWildland Urban Interface4 75,264 76,625 (76,625) -

Total $756,324 $775,937 $44,063 $820,000

1. Integrated Resource Restoration in FY 2012 to FY 2014 is a pilot program in Regions 1, 3, and 4.

2. The FY 2013 Continuing Resolution and the 2014 Appropriations Act allowed the Forest Service to transfer “up 

to” these amounts to the IRR Pilot Program.

3. FY 2014 amount includes cost pool expenses calculated with the actual Direct Labor Hours charged in the 

previous year.

4. Figures calculated as 25% of total Hazardous Fuels BLI. 

National Forest System 5-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring

The President’s Budget proposes a consolidated budget line item (BLI) to facilitate an integrated 

approach to landscape management. We propose to merge the current BLIs of Land 

Management Planning, and Inventory and Monitoring, into a single budget line item called Land 

Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring. Forest Service management occurs around 

a continuous cycle of assessing, planning at multiple levels, implementing and adjusting 

programs, and projects based on information acquired through integrated inventory and 

monitoring activities. 

The proposed BLI provides the agency flexibility to achieve efficiencies in several central 

activities in this cycle that are core to implementing the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule, 

which 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 affected by, or 

influencing, planning unit activities. The need to integrate regional and local monitoring and 

assessment activities with unit planning efforts can be accomplished more effectively, clearly, 

and efficiently under the proposed BLI. 

The proposed budget structure improves accountability within the activities funded and 

facilitates a more complete alignment with other BLIs that fund agency information management 

activities by reducing the complexity of agency budgeting and accounting structures. 

Accountability is improved though aligning priority management, information needs, and 

communicating explicit performance expectations in agency direction.

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring

Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

NFS

Land Management 

Planning, Assessment, and 

Monitoring - - $183,928 $183,928

NFS Land Management 

Planning 37,203 37,754 (37,754) -

NFS Inventory and Monitoring 150,652 151,019 (151,019) -

Total $187,855 $188,773 ($4,845) $183,928

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Integrated Resource Restoration

Budget Line Item Integrated Resource Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Integrated Resource Restoration

Annual Appropriations 0 0 $820,000 $820,000 0%

Integrated Resource Restoration Total 0 0 820,000 820,000 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 5,473 5,473 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 5,473 5,473 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Integrated Resource Restoration

Number of watersheds moved to an improved condition 

class 0 9 10 12 15 26

Acres treated annually to sustain or restore watershed 

function and resilience 2,624,016 2,569,617 2,288,000 2,533,121 2,700,000 2,700,000

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 3,878 3,704 2,750 4,168 3,262 3,262

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 2,533 2,644 2,475 2,610 2,800 3,100

Miles of roads decommissioned 1,540 2,103 1,936 1,490 1,200 2,000

Note: Timber volume sold is the total agency target/accomplishment from all funding sources.

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues to emphasize Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) 

as the leading approach to accomplish on-the-ground restoration. This work will lead to 

improved forest and grassland health and resilience using landscape scale restoration to recover 

watershed health and clean water and create or maintain local economic opportunities and jobs. 

Funding of this program is a critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk of 

catastrophic wildfires, improve water quality and quantity and increase carbon sequestration.

The IRR budget line item (BLI) was first introduced in FY 2011 and proposed again in FY 2012 

with the addition of portions of Hazardous Fuels from the Wildland Fire Management BLI and 

Legacy Roads and Trails, and the road decommissioning activity from the Capital Improvement 

and Maintenance Appropriation. 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $820,000,000 for IRR as a single BLI. National 

authority to consolidate these BLIs was not provided in the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act; however, the agency was provided with continuing limited authority under a 

pilot program.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The FY 2014 pilot authority includes Regions 1, 3, and 4, and funding transfer authority up to 

$170,000,000 from the traditional BLIs. IRR includes activities accomplished through previous 

BLIs for Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management, Vegetation and Watershed Management, 

Forest Products, Legacy Roads and Trails, and Hazardous Fuels outside of the Wildland Urban 

Interface (WUI), to reestablish watershed, forest and grassland health fire-adapted landscapes, 

and ecosystem function. 

The pilot authority has provided preliminary validation of the benefits that would be derived 

from nation-wide IRR authority including:

• increased ability to achieve integrated outcomes at the landscape scale,

• a reduced administrative burden within IRR regions, and

• previously separate programs working better together to achieve shared restoration goals.

Integrated Resource Restoration Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Pilot*

FY 2014

Pilot** Changes

FY 2015 

President’s 

Budget

NFS

Integrated Resource 

Restoration - - $820,000 $820,000

NFS

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat 

Mgmt. 24,198 31,000 (31,000) -

NFS Forest Products 42,227 53,000 (53,000) -

NFS

Vegetation and Watershed 

Management 40,206 50,000 (50,000) -

CIM Legacy Roads and Trails 11,502 12,000 (12,000) -

WFM

Hazardous Fuels NonWildland Urban Interface 19,907 24,000 (24,000) -

Total $138,040 $170,000 650,000 $820,000

Note: Integrated Resource Restoration in FY 2012 to FY 2014 is a pilot program in Regions 1, 3, and 4.

*The FY 2013 pilot amounts are the amounts authorized for transfer in the FY 2013 Operating Plan.

**The FY 2014 Appropriations Act allows the Forest Service to transfer “up to” these amounts to the IRR Pilot 

Program. The actual amounts to be transferred still need to be determined. / FY 2014 amount includes cost pool 

expenses calculated with the actual Direct Labor Hours charged in the previous year.

Investing in IRR in FY 2015 is expected to result in 2,700,000 watershed acres treated, 3.1 

billion board feet of timber volume sold, approximately 2,000 miles of road decommissioned, 

and 3,262 miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced.

The outcome measure for IRR is the number of watersheds moved to an improved condition 

class. An estimated 26 watersheds will be restored to a higher condition class in FY 2015. An 

additional 76 watersheds are expected to be improved in FY 2016, up significantly from the four 

watersheds improved in FY 2011, the first year of this new outcome performance measure. This 

trend in additional watersheds improved represents the refocusing of restoration efforts towards 

the most important areas within the priority watersheds as well as the further maturation of the 

watershed restoration action plan components of the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF).

National Forest System 5-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The FY 2015 President’s Budget does not propose a separate funding level for the Management 

of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses account. The Forest Service will continue to meet 

its responsibilities under the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). 

Critical subsistence management related components will be achieved through other National 

Forest System funds, including IRR, that complement the objectives of the subsistence program. 

This approach will continue to provide vital employment in isolated rural communities where 

opportunities are severely limited, as local residents are typically hired to monitor fish and 

wildlife populations.

Using Evidence and Evaluation

IRR—Third Party Monitoring Implementation

The IRR budgeting tool is intended to provide the Forest Service with flexibility to conduct 

integrated restoration and represents one of the most significant changes in the budgeting system 

of the Forest Service in decades. Critical to the success of the IRR pilot is the identification and 

communication of the impacts that IRR is having on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency 

of integrated restoration. A third-party evaluation of the IRR tool and its effects is currently 

being conducted to provide information to the Forest Service, Congress, and stakeholders on 

effectiveness, efficiencies, and areas of improvement. 

National Best Management Practices (BMP) Program

In 2012, the Forest Service initiated the National BMP Program to advance the Agency’s 

compliance with management of nonpoint source pollution at local, regional, and national scales, 

and to address the new planning rule requirement for national BMPs (36 CFR 219.8(a)(4)). The 

intent of putting a system of national BMPs in place is to use a nationally standardized program 

that applies an adaptive management strategy in order to improve consistency, comparability, 

and accountability of implementation and effectiveness of BMPs across all national forests and 

grasslands. Prior to development of this program, the Forest Service did not have a method to 

document or report on our actions to protect water quality during implementation of ground 

disturbing activities. 

The National BMP Program consists of four main components: 1) the National Core BMP 

Technical Guide; 2) the National Core BMP Monitoring Technical Guide; 3) revised national 

direction; and 4) a national data management and reporting system. To develop a program that 

applies nationally, the BMPs are written in broad, non-prescriptive terms, focusing on “what to 

do,” not “how to do it.” Applicable state and local requirements and BMP programs, Forest 

Service regional guidance, and unit Land Management Plans are expected to provide evidence 

based criteria for site specific BMP prescriptions. This approach recognizes the importance of 

existing State and Tribal BMPs and provides for the integration of the national program with 

those existing BMPs. The National Core BMP monitoring protocols are designed to determine 

whether the BMPs are being implemented as planned and whether they are effective in 

protecting water quality. An interim BMP monitoring database will be used to manage the data 

until a corporate data management and reporting system can be developed. This allows the 

National Forest System 5-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

agency to assess and report at all scales, develop adaptive management responses at all scales, 

and document the results of our actions implemented to protect water quality.

Past Performance

In FY 2012, the Forest Service received authorization to pilot the Integrated Resource 

Restoration (IRR) Program for a period of three years (FY 2012 through FY 2014). Forest 

Service Regions 1, 3, and 4 were selected for the pilot program which facilitates and supports an 

integrated approach to land management that maintains, enhances, or restores watersheds at the 

landscape level to improve their resilience.

The primary outcome measure associated with IRR is the number of watersheds moved to an 

improved condition class. There are four output-based measures that indicate the Forest 

Service’s progress toward improving the condition class of watersheds: (1) acres treated 

annually to sustain or restore watershed function or resilience, (2) miles of stream habitat 

restored or enhanced, (3) volume of timber sold, and (4) miles of roads decommissioned. Not 

only are the output indicators representative of the type of work conducted but these measures 

were also chosen because the public recognizes them and has been interested in the Forest 

Service’s progress toward meeting historical targets in these outputs. IRR works toward this 

outcome and associated outputs, in part, by consolidating funding previously in several other 

BLIs (e.g., wildlife and fisheries habitat management, forest products, vegetation and watershed 

management, non-WUI hazardous fuels, and legacy roads and trails, including road 

decommissioning activity) to implement treatments deemed most necessary within a landscape.

The Forest Service evaluated the operational efficiencies of IRR in FY 2012 and will again be 

preparing a summary of FY 2013 operations. Regions 1, 3, and 4 have and will continue to 

evaluate operational efficiencies of IRR through FY 2014 in part through: 

• three to five case studies showcasing accomplishments, successes, and challenges of 

implementing IRR,

• examples of combining focus and funding with CFLRP projects to advance on-theground restoration through community-based collaboration,

• descriptions of how consolidation of multiple BLIs affected programs/activities/project 

selection, and

• advantages and disadvantages of a consolidated BLI. 

The evaluations will be used to summarize each region’s accomplishments. The information will 

also be used to evaluate and improve the application of IRR and will be communicated to the 

House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related 

Agencies in the IRR Pilot Program Accountability report.

National Forest System 5-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Watershed Condition Framework

The Forest Service has established a framework 

to guide the improvement of watershed health 

on national forests and grasslands. The WCF is 

a comprehensive approach for: (1) evaluating 

the condition of watersheds, (2) prioritizing 

work in areas important to the public and where 

work results in noticeable differences in overall 

watershed condition, (3) strategic integrated 

restoration, and (4) tracking and monitoring 

outcomes.

Watersheds were classified using a core set of 

12 indicators. These indicators identify elements 

to be addressed to maintain a watershed’s

condition class or move it to an improved 

condition class, and track changed watershed 

condition aspects over time. 

The classification of 15,000 sub-watersheds and 

the identification of over 200 priority 

watersheds were completed in FY 2011. The 

initial assessment determined that 52 percent 

(7,882) of watersheds were Class 1 – Good, 45 

percent (6,751) were Class 2 - Fair, and 3 

percent (431) were Class 3 - Poor. In FY 2012, 

Step C, the development of the watershed action 

plans designed to move priority watersheds to 

an improved condition class, focused on the 

high priority watersheds. Integrated project 

implementation began in FY 2012 and will 

continue through FY 2015 and beyond. As 

implementation has proceeded, the number of 

priority watersheds has grown to 300 

watersheds in FY 2013. More information is 

available on the internet at:

http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/watershed

Nationally, all units used the Watershed Condition 

Framework (WCF) to assess the condition class of 

the 15,000 watersheds containing significant 

portions of National Forest System (NFS) lands. 

Almost 6,000 of these watersheds are located within 

the IRR pilot regions. As of FY 2013, a total of 300 

watersheds were selected as priorities for restoration 

with 259 currently having established watershed 

restoration action plans. The watersheds will 

continue to be assessed using the WCF, and the 

number of watersheds moved to an improved 

condition class will be reported annually. The next 

complete assessment is tentatively scheduled for the 

fall of 2015. At that time, we anticipate that the 

terrestrial condition assessment process will also be 

implemented to more completely assess terrestrial 

conditions as part of the evaluation process. 

The overall FY 2013 accomplishments for IRR are 

listed below for: 

• number of watersheds moved to an improved

condition class,

• acres treated annually to sustain or restore

watershed function and resilience,

• miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced,

• volume of timber sold, and

• miles of road decommissioned.

Number of watersheds moved to an improved 

condition class (120 percent of the target 

accomplished). In FY 2013 the agency moved 12 

watersheds to an improved condition which 

represents a significant accomplishment toward the 

outcome of healthy and resilient watersheds. As an 

outcome measure, the annual accomplishment is not 

only reflective of work implemented this year, but 

represents the culmination of integrated watershedbased work that started with the development of 

watershed restoration action plans. These are 

blueprints for the work that needs to be implemented 

in order for conditions to improve. They vary in complexity, but all are multi-year plans that 

require a focused approach to complete. In FY 2013, half of the watersheds moved to an 

improved condition class were in designated IRR regions. This was three more watersheds 

improved than were improved in FY 2012. This trend in additional watersheds improved 

represented the refocusing of restoration efforts towards the most important areas within the 

National Forest System 5-9 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

priority watersheds as well as the further maturation of the watershed restoration action plan 

components of the WCF.

Acres treated annually to sustain or restore watershed function and resilience (111 percent of 

target accomplished). In FY 2013 the agency treated 2,533,121 acres but, more importantly, the 

agency is seeing continual performance improvements over the past couple years which are 

attributable to integrated budgeting. Further, Forest Service programs which would have 

historically pursued programmatic goals have improved their level of collaboration to achieve 

over-arching watershed-based goals outlined in the watershed restoration action plans. These two 

programmatic aspects are clearly demonstrating the successes of a collaborative and integrated 

approach and the necessity of doing so to sustain an accelerated pace of watershed restoration. 

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced (152 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013 

the agency restored 4,168 miles of stream habitat. This was 464 more stream miles than in FY 

2012 and reflects the advantages of integrated planning and the effective use of partnerships to 

increase the pace of restoration. This accomplishment enhanced critical habitat for threatened, 

endangered, and sensitive aquatic species as well as habitat for native fishes with commercial 

and non-commercial value, and for desired non-native species important to recreational fishing. 

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

threatened, endangered, and sensitive (TES) aquatic species restoration. Expanding the available 

habitat is making TES less susceptible to impacts associated with catastrophic events such as 

climate change, wildfire, or flood damage. In FY 2013 there were 273 stream crossings 

improved to provide for fish passage, this was similar to the 275 improved in FY 2012. The 

removal of aquatic organism passage barriers significantly expands the potential range available 

to these TES species, which may be limited to isolated, short segments of streams, often limited 

to as little as a half-mile of a stream or less, making them highly vulnerable to increasing 

temperatures or catastrophic impacts of climate change related factors such as wildfires or flood 

damage that can significantly alter habitat.

Cossatott River, Ouachita National Forest, AR

BEFORE AFTER

We replaced a deficient, unsafe bridge with a new bridge that provides passage of aquatic organisms 

including the sensitive Ouachita Shiner and allows vehicles to cross during high flows.

National Forest System 5-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Other work accomplished that was particularly beneficial to aquatic TES habitat includes the 

reconstruction of stream channels and the enhancement of riparian habitat. Target 

accomplishments continue to be on an upward trend that reflects integrated restoration and 

effective partnerships. This work has also been important to recreational fishing which provides 

angling opportunities to over 15 million users annually on NFS lands. These anglers spent over 

$2.2 billion, supporting 57,700 jobs and $264 million in federal income tax revenues.

The restoration efforts of the IRR program are critical in maintaining strong fish and wildlife 

populations important to the American public. Across the U.S., hunters, anglers and wildlife 

viewers combined spent $7.7 billion for their activities and equipment used for Forest Service

related recreation on NFS lands. These expenditures supported 189,000 jobs and $878 million in 

federal income tax receipts (Report prepared by American Sportfishing Association for the 

Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants Staff, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, January 3, 

2007, pg. 8).

Tongass National Forest Watersheds Economic Contribution to Local Economies

Alaska’s commercial salmon harvest had another banner year in 2013, with a record harvest of 219 million pink 

salmon, providing significant contributions to local economies. Almost half of the pink salmon harvested 

originate from the temperate rain forest streams of the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. The State’s 

sustainable commercial fishing regulations and the Tongass National Forest’s largely healthy watersheds and 

stream habitat contribute to the production of these prolific wild pink salmon populations. A 2011 economic study 

valued Southeast Alaskan salmon at $986 million, a figure expected to be surpassed with the 2013 record-breaking 

salmon harvest, including the combined commercial, recreational, and unique subsistence fishery in Alaska.

National Forest System 5-11 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Volume of timber sold (107 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, the agency prepared 

and sold 2.61 billion board feet using IRR funding, forest products appropriations and permanent 

and trust funds. The estimated target for volume of timber sold in FY 2013 was 2.47 billion 

board feet. This figure differs from the planned FY 2013 President’s Budget Justification 

estimated target level of 2.8 billion board feet due to the reduction in funding appropriated in FY 

2013.

Actual accomplishments can be attributed to the wide range of variables that are included in 

estimated volume of timber sold, such as unforeseen incidents and other unpredictable events 

(e.g. fires, floods, windfall, and litigation). The Forest Service to a degree is also becoming more 

efficient through an all-lands restoration approach and collaboration with partners, Federal, state, 

and local agencies, and Tribes in achieving restoration and maintenance activities.

Timber harvest also makes important contributions to rural economies; each year forest products 

from NFS lands contribute approximately 42,000 jobs and $2.7 billion to the national economy.

Miles of road decommissioned (77 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013 the agency 

decommissioned a total of 1,490 miles of roads, 45 percent of which were funded through IRR or 

Legacy Roads and Trails funding. The overall accomplishment for this measure is closely tied to 

the extent of travel management plan implementation in the field. That is, where travel 

management plans are being implemented, there is a clear plan and support for the 

decommissioning of roads and the work is being accomplished. Since travel management plans 

continue to be implemented, there is a clear path for improvement over the coming years.

Additionally, the agency also maintained 928 miles of roads, improved 176 miles of roads, 

repaired or replaced three bridges or major culverts, maintained 365 miles of trails, and improved 

48 miles of trails with IRR and Legacy Roads and Trails funding. All of these accomplishments, 

including the road decommissioning work, make key contributions to our restoration goals by 

addressing the environmental impacts from our transportation systems. Work was targeted to 

mitigate conditions that were causing water quality issues adversely affecting threatened, 

endangered, or sensitive species or impacting community water systems. These 

accomplishments also contribute directly to achieving resource restoration goals.

Program Description

Program Overview

IRR implementation emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders and internal interdisciplinary 

planning in an effort to continuously improve restoration projects and increase community 

support for restoration work. In return, the agency expects to accomplish more on-the-ground 

work, create or maintain jobs, and improve the stability of rural communities and the safety of 

their drinking water.

Watershed restoration, fish, wildlife and threatened and endangered species habitat enhancement 

activities, vegetation management, timber management, and road restoration activities contribute 

to the enhancement and maintenance of jobs in rural communities where employment 

National Forest System 5-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

opportunities are often limited. These restoration activities provide critical support to local 

economies.

The Secretary of Agriculture’s vision for active forest management advances the role of healthy 

forests to protect and enhance water resources and to maintain landscape resilience in response to 

impacts of a changing climate and other stressors. The IRR program focuses on priority needs for 

landscape scale activities that promote watershed resilience on NFS lands. Included in the IRR 

program of work is all traditional work activities associated with investments, management, and 

services that occurred under the previous individual BLIs of Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat 

Management, Forest Products, Vegetation and Watershed Management, Legacy Roads and 

Trails, and a portion of Hazardous Fuels. Active management of national forests and grasslands 

is critically necessary to address threats to health and safety of America’s forest-dependent 

communities and watersheds. IRR enhances the capacity of the agency to increase the pace and 

scale of restoration activities agency-wide. The IRR landscape scale approach aligns and 

emphasizes restoration actions through forest management, range management, wildlife and 

fisheries habitat management, vegetation and watershed management, hazardous fuels 

management in non-wildland-urban interface (non-WUI) areas, road decommissioning, and 

activities previously accomplished under the Legacy Roads and Trails, and Rehabilitation and 

Restoration programs. 

Activities previously accomplished under the Legacy Roads and Trails activity continue under 

IRR, including urgently needed road and trail decommissioning, long-term road storage, repair, 

and maintenance and associated activities. The removal of fish passage barriers is especially 

important in areas where roads may be contributing to water quality problems in streams and 

water bodies that supported TES. Removal of barriers also can help to offset the impacts of 

climate change to these species. Road and trail repairs required due to storm disturbances in 

local communities that are urgently needed to protect community water resources are also an 

important consideration for funding within IRR. 

The IRR program also incorporates implementation of the WCF. The WCF is used interactively 

to identify where decommissioning needs to occur within priority watersheds and where culverts 

blocking fish passage should be removed or upgraded to protect aquatic resources and provide 

resiliency to flooding. Road and trail decommissioning will continue to be based on travel 

management analysis and to reduce the impact of unneeded systems by putting roads into long 

term storage for future use to protect water quality and other resources such as wildlife, fish, and 

plant communities.

By combining the budget authority of multiple land management programs into one BLI, we 

gain administrative efficiency by reducing accounting codes for a given project, and flexibility to 

schedule multiple resource management activities at one time, in one place.

Several activities contribute to the number of watershed acres treated, including reforestation, 

rangeland improvements, invasive species treatments, terrestrial habitat improved for wildlife, 

soil and water resource improvements, and non-WUI fuel treatments. Other work supported in 

the IRR program includes air quality monitoring, wildlife interpretation and education programs, 

National Forest System 5-13 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

water rights management, and soil quality management, stewardship contracts, timber sales, 

special forest products, and firewood sales.

The IRR, landscape scale approach also allows the agency to better address many of the resource 

challenges facing NFS lands, such as the bark-beetle epidemic, the decline of longleaf pine and 

other forest ecosystems, threatened and endangered species management, wild horse and burro 

management, restoring lands historically used as roads to a natural state, replacement of bridges 

or major culverts to allow aquatic organism passage, and impacts from climate variability, while 

protecting the overall resiliency of forests and grasslands. 

Stewardship contracts are a critically important tool used to implement IRR projects across 

priority watersheds and Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program projects. Use of the 

stewardship contracting authority creates jobs in the forest products industry, helping to sustain 

communities and develop and maintain forest operations infrastructure. By using the value of 

forest products to offset the cost of services, we can better provide opportunities to achieve 

landscape scale management goals.

Allocation and Integration 

Allocations to the regions represent a strategic investment of financial resources focused on 

sustaining, improving, and restoring natural ecosystems. Allocations reflect priority needs for 

landscape and watershed restoration; reducing wildfire risk; support for local economic 

infrastructure and jobs; decommissioning of roads or trails; forest vegetation management; and 

resource needs to address TES species, air quality, invasive species, and those activities that are 

critical to the overall management of the national forests and grasslands. Funds continue to also 

support core and historical operations and management functions to prevent the decline in the 

health and condition of the national forest and grassland ecosystems. 

As regions compile and analyze data from Watershed Restoration Action Plans we estimate that 

regional allocations to implement these Action Plans will amount to 20 percent or more of total 

IRR funding. Restoration activities reflect the need to support strong and diverse forest products 

and livestock grazing industries, facilitating their important contributions to jobs and 

communities. Integration and collaboration with other programs not included in IRR is 

important to implementing land management activities. Coordination of efforts with State and 

Private Forestry programs, Federal and State Fish and Wildlife programs, and other USDA 

agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service has resulted in a synergistic effect 

in restoring priority watersheds on a landscape scale. 

Partnerships 

The agency continues to enhance program delivery and accomplishments through an extensive 

network of collaborators and long-term partners, Federal and State agencies, Tribal governments, 

nongovernmental organizations, and local communities. For decades, we have worked closely 

with a diverse set of partners including civic organizations and national conservation-oriented 

organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the National Fish and Wildlife 

National Forest System 5-14 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Foundation (NFWF), the National Forest Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wildlife 

Forever, Ducks Unlimited, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. 

In FY 2013 external partners helped the agency complete over 6,600 fish and wildlife projects on 

national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service investment of $16.5 million of NFWF related 

funds was matched with the dollar and in-kind value of partner contributions totaling nearly $181 

million. 

Successful partnerships and collaborative efforts have led to the improvement of millions of 

acres of terrestrial habitat, and thousands of miles of streams for imperiled, common, and 

economically significant species throughout the Nation. Our partnerships support landscape 

restoration that supports ecosystem services such as clean water provided by NFS lands, which 

provide the drinking water supply for approximately one-fifth of U.S. communities. These 

partnerships have increased our capacity to conduct restoration through sizeable contributions of 

matching funds and in-kind support from external partners (See Special Exhibit on Partnerships 

for more detailed information). 

The Forest Service has also entered into partnership agreements with several organizations; 

including American Forests, the National Arbor Day Foundation, the National Forest 

Foundation, and the National Garden Clubs, and businesses to increase the amount of NFS lands 

receiving reforestation treatments following wildfires and other natural events. 

National Forest System 5-15 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

Budget Line Item Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

Annual Appropriations $37,885 $40,000 $60,000 $20,000 50%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Total 37,885 40,000 60,000 20,000 50%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 238 238 238 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 238 238 238 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration

Acres of forest vegetation established 5,537 20,906 5,700 15,539 19,400 24,250

Acres of forest vegetation improved 20,561 34,591 95,000 67,511 173,200 167,500

Acres of noxious weeds and invasive plants treated 11,393 19,478 20,900 18,180 24,700 30,875

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 38 298 220 111 222 244

Acres of terrestrial habitat enhanced 167,263 182,046 331,000 398,231 382,000 420,200

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 121.3 216.0 352.0 379.0 420.0 462.0

Number of green tons and/or volume of woody biomass 

from hazardous fuel reduction and restoration treatments 

on Federal land that are made available through permits, 

contracts, grants, agreements, or the equivalent 267,890 354,906 797,500 756,882 534,900 601,500

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 77,133 142,661 300,300 277,966 304,500 380,625

Acres of hazardous fuels treated outside the Wildland 

Urban interface to reduce risk of catastrophic fire 45,884 114,758 164,600 141,912 197,300 246,625

Miles of roads decommissioned 50 169 350 152 555 243

Miles of passenger car system road reconstruction and 

capital improvement 25 89 425 120 229 229

Miles of high clearance system road reconstruction and 

capital improvement 40 56 212 137 87 120

Note: Targets are estimates of annual outputs/accomplishments from CFLRP project activities.

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $60,000,000 for the Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Program (CFLRP), an increase of $20,000,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. Funding of this program is a critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to 

reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, improve water quality and quantity and increase carbon 

sequestration.

The FY 2015 President’s Budget would expand the authority of the 23 existing projects and also 

permit the investment into up to 10 new CFLRP projects. New CFLRP projects will be 

National Forest System 5-16
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

submitted by Forest Service Regions and reviewed by an Advisory Committee. The Advisory 

Committee will then submit recommendations for funding projects to the Secretary of 

Agriculture, who will make a final decision regarding which projects will receive CFLRP funds. 

The Secretary may select up to 10 new projects for funding in FY 2015. As the new projects are 

selected and begin to implement treatments on the ground, we expect outputs to increase; 

primarily in FY 2016 and beyond. 

This additional capacity will also allow the Agency to continue to encourage ecological, 

economic, and social sustainability and re-establish natural fire regimes that reduce the risk of 

uncharacteristic wildfires. By directly working with communities and local organizations when 

developing these projects, the Forest Service will be able to accelerate restoration work while 

providing sustainable jobs in rural communities. As detailed in the project emphasis area 

descriptions below, these projects benefit people, water, wildlife and local economies by creating 

strong markets for wood by-products that will in turn reduce treatment cost for projects. 

Project activities include: 

• safety enhancement through the treatment of hazardous fuel acres,

• restoration of watershed function and resilience,

• improvement of forest vegetation and wildlife habitat, and

• generation of commercial timber and biomass for bioenergy as a result of restoration

treatments.

The FY 2015 existing projects and emphasis areas are listed in the following table and described 

below. 

FY 2015 CFLRP Projects

Project Name Region Forest(s)

Southwestern Crown of the Continent

1 Flathead, Lolo and Helena 

NFs

Selway-Middle Fork

1 Nez Perce-Clearwater and 

Bitterroot NFs

Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative 1 Idaho Panhandle NF

Uncompahgre Plateau 2 Uncompahgre NF

Front Range

2 Pike, San Isabel, Arapaho and 

Roosevelt NFs

Four Forest Restoration Initiative

3 Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, 

Kaibab and Tonto NFs

Southwest Jemez Mountains

3 Santa Fe NF and Valles 

Caldera National Preserve

Zuni Mountain CFLRP 3 Cibola NF

Weiser-Little Salmon Headwaters CFLRP 4 Payette NF

Dinkey Landscape Restoration Project 5 Sierra NF

National Forest System 5-17 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Project Name Region Forest(s)

Burney-Hat Creek Basins Project 5 Lassen NF

Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone 

Project

5

Eldorado and Stanislaus NF

Tapash 6 Okanogan-Wenatchee NF

Deschutes 6 Deschutes NF

Lakeview Stewardship CFLRP 6 Fremont-Winema NF

Southern Blues Restoration Coalition 6 Malheur NF

Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020 6 Colville NF

Accelerating Longleaf Restoration 8 Florida-Osceola NF

Shortleaf-Bluestem Community 8 Ouachita NF

Grandfather Restoration Project 8 Pisgah NF

Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Restoration 8 Ozark-St. Francis NF

Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration and 

Hazardous Fuels Reduction

8

De Soto NF

Missouri Pine-Oak Woodlands Restoration 

Project

9

Mark Twain NF

FY 2015 Project Emphasis Areas

Southwestern Crown of the Continent

This project, located on the Flathead, Lolo, and Helena National Forests, will work towards 

achieving their 10-year fuels reduction, ecosystem restoration, economic and social sustainability 

goals with their partners. The project will treat hazardous fuels near communities to enhance 

safety, and generate forest products to support local economies. The project team will also begin 

planning for future year restoration treatments. 

Selway-Middle Fork

The Selway-Middle Fork project, located on the Nez Perce-Clearwater and Bitterroot National 

Forests, will significantly improve watershed health through the decommissioning of roads and 

maintenance of trails. In addition, restoration thinning activities will enhance habitat for 

terrestrial species as well as generate forest products such as timber and biomass to support local 

communities.

Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative

This project, located on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, will include a diverse work 

portfolio, and will have a large impact on landscape scale ecosystem health. Projects 

implemented this year will include prescribed burning, habitat improvement, fuels reduction, 

invasive plant management, culvert upgrades, fish passage/culvert replacement, road 

decommissioning, road maintenance, pre-commercial thinning, reforestation, trail reconstruction, 

in-stream fisheries improvement, trail bridge replacement, riparian area improvements, and trail 

National Forest System 5-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

maintenance. Restoration activities will generate both commercial timber and biomass to 

support local communities. 

Uncompahgre Plateau

The focus of the Uncompahgre Plateau Project, located on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and 

Gunnison National Forests, will be to restore structure and function of priority ecosystems across 

broad landscapes. This goal will be achieved through the use of prescribed fire, mechanical 

treatments using stewardship contracting, and commercial timber sales. Restoration treatments 

will enhance habitat for terrestrial species, and protect communities from uncharacteristic 

wildfire.

Front Range 

This project, located on the Pike, San Isabel, Arapaho, and Roosevelt National Forests, will 

continue to emphasize restoring ponderosa pine ecosystems and protecting communities through 

hazardous fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface. Treatments will generate timber to 

support local economies, and will enhance community safety in the face of wildfire.

Four Forest Restoration Initiative

The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) is located on the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, 

Kaibab, and Tonto National Forests. Implementation of the 4FRI Integrated Resource 

Stewardship Contract will increase to approximately 30,000 acres annually and will include 

timber sales that support local businesses. Treatments on the east side of the project will restore 

watershed function and resilience through road decommissioning and maintenance, enhance 

habitat for terrestrial species, and protect soil resources.

Southwest Jemez Mountains 

This project straddles the Santa Fe National Forest and Valles Caldera National Preserve. 

Implementation will focus on forest thinning through stewardship contracts and innovative 

partnerships, as well as prescribed burning to reduce hazardous fuels. The project will also 

enhance watershed resilience and function through road closure, trail restoration, and riparian 

restoration activities.

Zuni Mountain 

The Zuni project, located on the Cibola National Forest, will build on mechanical treatments 

completed in previous years by increasing implementation in prescribed burning. Local 

businesses will likely gain momentum from prior year supplies of forest products, leading to a 

decreased cost of treatment and an increase in overall restored acres in the project landscape. 

Treatments will enhance terrestrial habitat, improve rangelands, and enhance watershed function

Weiser-Little Salmon Headwaters

This project is located on the Payette National Forest. It will focus on restoring watersheds 

through road and trail maintenance, enhancing habitat for terrestrial species, and treating 

hazardous fuels near communities and beyond. Through these restoration treatments, the project 

will generate commercial timber and biomass to support robust local economies. 

National Forest System 5-19 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Dinkey Landscape Restoration Project

This project is located on the Sierra National Forest, and will support youth employment, 

funding youth to work on the project. Additionally, mechanical treatments will reduce 

hazardous fuels and generate timber to support local economies. Noxious weeds will be treated 

to protect native ecosystems, and local meadows will be restored through stewardship contracts.

Burney-Hat Creek Basin

This project is located on the Lassen National Forest. The project will focus on implementing 

active and adaptive management to establish and improve forest vegetation, enhance terrestrial 

habitat, and treat hazardous fuels. Restoration treatments will generate timber to support local 

economies, as well as enhance soil and water resources in the project area.

Amador Calaveras Consensus Group Cornerstone

This project, located on the Eldorado and Stanislaus National Forests, will implement treatments 

to improve forest health and resiliency. Projects planned will improve forest health and 

resiliency with commercial/pre-commercial thinning, removing biomass, and masticating brush. 

Road work will reduce sedimentation and improve soil stabilization through road reconstruction, 

maintenance, realignment and decommissioning. The Forest Service will prepare and implement 

stewardship contracts to accomplish restoration objectives within the project area to balance 

local environment, community, and economy for an all-land result. 

Tapash

This project is located on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Restoration treatments will 

improve watershed health throughout the project area through the maintenance and the 

decommissioning of roads and the mitigation of stream crossings. Mechanical thinning will 

decrease the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire near communities. 

Deschutes

This project, located on the Deschutes National Forest, will continue to implement forest 

vegetation improvements and hazardous fuels reductions through stewardship contracts. In 

addition, the project will improve soil and water conditions and terrestrial habitat by treating 

noxious weeds within the project landscape. Watershed health and local recreationists will both 

benefit from trail maintenance activities.

Lakeview Stewardship CFLR

This project is located on the Fremont-Winema National Forests. Restoration projects will 

include thinning, hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, and wildlife and aquatic habitat 

enhancement. Restoration activities will protect soil and water resources, support local 

economies, and enhance watershed function and resilience.

Southern Blues Restoration Coalition

This project is located on the Malheur National Forest. With the threat of the loss of local wood 

products infrastructure in the project area, the project team is working with local elected officials 

to more than double the annual outputs from restoration activities. Restoration treatments that 

reduce hazardous fuels, enhance terrestrial habitat, and protect soil and water resources will 

generate commercial timber byproducts to help the project and forest achieve this goal.

National Forest System 5-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Northeast Washington Forest Vision 2020 

This project is located on the Colville National Forest. The project will continue to work under 

the guidance of the original project proposal, establishing and improving forest vegetation, 

treating priority acres for invasive species, using mechanical treatments to thin overly dense 

stands, and enhancing stream habitat for aquatic species. Community security will be enhanced 

through the removal of hazardous fuels, and the generation of forest products will help to support 

local economies.

Accelerating Longleaf Restoration

This project, located on the Florida-Osceola National Forest, will continue to enhance terrestrial 

habitat and treat hazardous fuels. Mechanical treatments will generate commercial timber, and 

road decommissioning will protect and enhance watershed function. The project will establish 

forest vegetation and thin existing stands to create habitat for the endangered red-cockaded 

woodpecker. 

Shortleaf Bluestem Community

This project, located on the Ouachita National Forest, will tackle a diverse portfolio of 

restoration activities. Prescribed burning and commercial thinning will enhance terrestrial 

habitat, improve watershed function, and protect local communities. The project will also 

complete herbicide treatment of invasive species, road decommissioning, trail maintenance, 

stream crossing improvements, re-establishment of milkweed and other native plant species, and 

environmental education. Red-cockaded woodpecker habitat improvement work will consist of 

providing artificial inserts for nesting and roosting, improving nesting and foraging habitat by 

commercially thinning stands and accomplishing mid-story removal through contracts and 

stewardship work, and removing flying squirrels from cavities for this endangered species. 

Grandfather Restoration Project

This project is located on the Pisgah National Forest. The project team will continue to treat 

invasive species in key drainages across the project area. In addition, they will restore and 

enhance early successional wildlife habitat through both mechanical and herbicide treatments, 

maintain roads to reduce sedimentation into streams, use prescribed fire to restore fire adapted 

ecosystems, and improve and establish forest vegetation. 

Ozark Highlands Ecosystem Restoration Project 

This project is located on the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. Trail maintenance and 

improvement will continue in areas worked on in previous years, wildlife habitat improvement 

will create early successional habitat for a variety of species, and shore lake dredging will 

continue to improve the aquatic habitat and recreational opportunities. Treatments for invasive 

species will be conducted on highest priority acres throughout the project. 

Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration & Hazardous Fuels Reduction 

This project, located on the National Forest of Mississippi, De Soto National Forest, continues to 

implement high priority restoration and hazardous fuels activities. Project activities will include 

longleaf pine restoration, pitcher plant bog restoration, invasive cogongrass treatments, road 

decommissioning, trail maintenance, road maintenance, and watershed restoration. 

National Forest System 5-21 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Missouri Pine-Oak Woodlands

This project is located on the Mark Twain National Forest. Project implementation will include 

awarding timber sale contracts, stewardship contracts, and understory thinning contracts. These 

contracts will help to establish and enhance forest vegetation, protect soil and water resources, 

generate commercial timber and biomass, enhance habitat, and reduce hazardous fuels. 

Past Performance 

In FY 2013, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) projects 

implemented treatments to restore ecosystem resilience and reduce the risk of wildland fire, 

while also building collaborative, restoration, and infrastructure capacity in local communities. 

National targets established for CLFRP, including for FY 2013, are only estimates because 

decisions on how to allocate project resources are made locally. 

CFLRP project accomplishments are a subset of unit and regional accomplishments. CFLRP 

accomplishments will continue to reflect local decision making, in accordance with the Forest 

Landscape Restoration Act (FLRA, Title IV of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 

2011, P.L. 111-11). While annual accomplishment estimates will continue to improve over the 

10-year life of CFLRP projects, those projects will continue to focus on the strength of local 

decision making to achieve the outcomes of the Act, as opposed to simply striving to accomplish 

an estimated national target.

For example, CFLRP projects achieved the following results in FY 2013*: 

• 398,231 acres of terrestrial habitat were enhanced (120 percent of FY 2013 estimate), 

• 15,539 acres of forest vegetation were established (269 percent of FY 2013 estimate), 

• 379 million board feet (MMBF) of timber was sold (105 percent of FY 2013 estimate), 

• 277,966 acres of forest were treated to reduce hazardous fuels in the WUI (92 percent of 

FY 2013 estimate), 

• 756,882 greens tons of woody biomass were made available for bioenergy production (94 

percent of FY 2013 estimate), and

• 1,757 miles of passenger roads received maintenance (152 percent of FY 2013 estimate). * FY 2013 estimates were adjusted upward from those previously published to reflect the additional 

accomplishments expected from the projects added to the program in FY 2012.

In 2013, CFLRP projects created or maintained approximately 5,307 jobs, generating an 

estimated $195,907,524 in labor income.

CFLRP is a unique program in that it funds projects with a 10-year life span. Ten of 23 projects 

in the program have been implementing and monitoring treatments since FY 2010, an additional 

10 were added in FY 2012, and an additional three were added in FY 2013. Between FY 2010 

and FY 2013, projects funded through the CFLRP have:

• treated fuels in the wildland-urban interface on 588,461 acres,

• generated 814 MMBF of timber, 

• made 1,914,866 green tons of biomass available for bioenergy production, and 

National Forest System 5-22
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• enhanced habitat on 474 miles of streams.

Together, the entire portfolio of accomplishments from FY 2010 to present are working toward 

the common goal of restoring ecosystem resilience and reducing the risk of wildland fire.

Program Description

Program Overview

The CFLRP encourages collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest 

landscapes. The CFLRP was authorized by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 

(Pub. L. 111-11, Title IV, March 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 1141). This Act authorizes the ecosystem 

restoration of priority forest landscapes that must be at least 50,000 acres in size, with the aim of 

recovering resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or 

destroyed. 

CFLRP is unique in that projects are selected based on proposals collaboratively developed with 

diverse partner communities. These collaborative groups continue to be involved in projects, 

providing feedback and input through the NEPA process and partnering as appropriate to 

complete implementation and monitoring. The CFLRP funds can be matched with appropriated, 

permanent, trust, or partnership funds; in-kind contributions; and restoration treatments funded 

through timber value within a stewardship contract. The CFLRP funds may be used to pay up to 

50 percent of the cost of carrying out and monitoring ecological restoration treatments that occur 

on National Forest System (NFS) lands. Activities implemented using CFLRP funds include: 

reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire, including the use of fire for ecological restoration 

and maintenance and reestablishing natural fire regimes; improving fish and wildlife habitat; 

maintaining or improving water quality or watershed function; preventing, remediating, or 

controlling invasions of exotic species; maintaining, decommissioning, and rehabilitating roads 

and trails; and facilitating the removal and utilization of woody biomass and small trees 

produced from projects implementing the strategy. No more than $4 million of CFLRP funds 

can be allocated to an individual project in any one year. Land areas for consideration must have 

a substantially complete restoration strategy, be primarily composed of forested NFS lands, and 

be accessed by wood-processing infrastructure to use the woody biomass removed during 

ecological restoration treatments.

Investing in CFLRP advances on-the-ground restoration through community-based 

collaboration, implementation, and monitoring. All CFLRP projects must be developed and 

implemented through a transparent and collaborative process that involves multiple, diverse 

interests. By working more closely with communities, CFLRP projects are identifying 

innovative techniques for getting work done, increasing community buy-in for restoration 

projects, and generally increasing the capacity and pace of restoration work in CFLRP project 

areas. Furthermore, it supports local rural communities through the generation of forest products 

such as timber and biomass for bioenergy production, as well as the creation and maintenance of 

jobs.

National Forest System 5-23
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Allocation and Integration

The CFLRP Advisory Panel, a 15 member Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) committee, 

reviewed CFLRP project proposals in 2010 and 2011 and made recommendations for selection. 

The Secretary of Agriculture then made the final decision as to which projects would receive 

funding, selecting 10 projects in 2010 and 10 more in 2012. Three additional projects were 

recommended by the CFLRP Advisory Panel in FY 2012 and began receiving funding in FY 

2013. 

The CFLRP funds can be spent on up to 50 percent of implementation and monitoring within the 

CFLRP project boundary on NFS lands. The other 50 percent of implementation and monitoring 

must be funded by specified matching Forest Service budget line items (BLIs), funds contributed 

through partnership agreements, partner in-kind contributions, or service work accomplished 

through goods-for services funding with a stewardship contract. Matching BLIs are 

interdisciplinary, and must be consistent with the CFLRP project description and landscape 

restoration strategy. Determination for qualification of a BLI as appropriate for matching the 

CFLRP BLI is based upon the purpose for which a BLI is appropriated and definition as a 

treatment activity necessary to implement a landscape restoration treatment in the context of the 

project restoration strategy.

Partnerships

At the national level, the Forest Service works with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to 

provide support to the field units in implementing CFLRP projects. The NFF has facilitated 

several peer-to-peer webinars for CFLRP projects. These webinars are designed to facilitate the 

sharing of information and best practices, and have focused on topics such as implementation, 

collaboration, and multi-party monitoring. The Forest Service also works with field units and 

partners to develop methodologies for tracking project progress. In June 2011, the Forest 

Service met with interested partners and field representatives to develop indicators of project 

progress to develop the five year report to Congress required by the Act. These indicators cover 

topics including ecology, jobs, fire cost reduction, leveraged funds, and collaboration. Four of 

these indicators were implemented by the Forest Service in FY 2012. The CFLR Coalition, a 

partner group spearheaded by five non-governmental organizations, is taking on the 

collaboration indicator independently. The Forest Service also partnered with the CFLR 

Coalition to draft a report on the program’s progress in November 2011; an updated version of 

this report was published in late 2012.

Described below are two examples (Deschutes Collaborative and Uncompahgre Plateau) of how 

public and non-governmental organizations are working together to prioritize and accomplish 

forest landscape restoration. 

National Forest System 5-24
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Deschutes Collaborative: Leveraging Trust into Restoration Accomplishment 

The future of forestry in a changing world lies in 

finding new and effective ways to collaborate with the 

public we serve. Programs and tools that allow us to 

work more closely with communities are altering the 

way forestry supports local economies and the way the 

Forest Service interfaces with stakeholders. The work 

occurring on the Deschutes National Forest (DNF) 

exemplifies this shift. The DNF built on its history of 

successful collaboration to form an overarching 

collaborative group in 2010. This group generated the 

Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project, which became 

one of the first projects selected under CFLRP. The 

collaborative effort brought former adversaries to the 

table to work through the prioritization of restoration 

projects. A collaborator from an environmental nonprofit group that has previously litigated the DNF said 

that through the collaborative effort, he has “gone from horrified to pretty darn optimistic about 

the future of this forest.” In addition, innovative leadership on the part of the DNF has allowed 

this group to gain momentum. “The Forest Service has created space for a meaningful role for 

the collaborative,” one collaborator stated. 

The collaborative effort has allowed the forests to pursue innovative techniques for getting work 

done. DNF has successfully utilized stewardship contracts on several restoration projects, which 

have in turn grown restoration capacity in the local community. One contractor reported having 

a colleague who had previously struggled to find consistent work and often relied on gathering 

firewood to generate income. When the forest began offering stewardship contracts, he 

recognized a need for new skills in the community, and now owns four mowers and employs a 

hand crew. 

The success of the collaborative project is allowing the CFLRP project to make measurable 

impacts on the ground. DNF is currently working on a project that will encompass 25,000 acres, 

80 percent of which will be treated, a stark increase from the previous average of about 40 

percent treatment. In addition, the growing trust between collaborative members is accelerating 

the pace of restoration. The project expanded their CFLRP boundary in FY 2013, allowing for 

more work to get done on the ground through the program. 

Uncompahgre National Forest: Effective Collaboration and Treatment in Energy Corridors 

Electric transmission lines are vulnerable to wildfire threats across the United States. Traditional 

approaches to address the issue include management of vegetation utilizing Lands Special Uses 

Permits, but these permits typically address only the right-of-way corridor and management of 

hazard trees, leaving overstocked forests that are a clear threat to the transmission lines and 

general forest health. The Uncompahgre National Forest, a part of the Uncompahgre Plateau 

CFLRP project, worked closely with vegetation managers from Western Area Power 

Deschutes National Forest in Oregon

The Deschutes Forest Supervisor speaks 

with a collaborator in a restored forest stand 

on the Deschutes National Forest.

National Forest System 5-25 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Administration (WAPA) and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State) 

to develop and implement an innovative treatment plan 

for forest restoration and fuels reduction that reached far 

beyond the limits of the right-of-way, leading to 

treatments on over 2,000 acres of NFS lands. 

The projects were proposed in a collaborative manner; 

and local stakeholder groups, environmentalists, 

industry, livestock permittees, other agency personnel, 

and interested citizens were all included in the initial 

discussions. The National Environmental Policy Act 

documentation was put together by an interdisciplinary 

team led by the district silviculturist, including 

assistance from a fuels planner and wildlife biologist. 

Industry representatives from the electricity companies 

were critically important providing technical advice and 

experience to assist in both planning and 

implementation. This collaborative process generated community support for the projects, and 

none were appealed or litigated. 

The projects include wildlife habitat improvement prescriptions, regeneration cuts to convert 

high elevation conifer forests to aspen, long-term treatments to protect the utility lines, and 

prescribed burning units. Treatments were carried out utilizing standard timber sale, stewardship 

and service contracts, and were jointly funded by the Forest Service, WAPA, and Tri-State. In 

addition, grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation was utilized to complete 

the projects. 

Last fall, approximately 100 Vegetation Management Specialists from electric companies across 

the United States visited the projects as part of a workshop hosted by Tri-State Electric Company 

in Montrose, Colorado.

Uncompahgre National Forest

in Colorado

A stand converted from conifer forest to aspen 

as a part of restoration and utility line 

protection treatments on the Uncompahgre 

National Forest.

National Forest System 5-26
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Restoration Partnerships

Budget Line Item Restoration Partnerships

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Restoration Partnerships

Annual Appropriations 0 $2,000 0 -$2,000 -100%

Restoration Partnerships Total 0 2,000 0 -2,000 -100%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 6 0 -6 -100%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 6 0 -6 -100%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Restoration Partnerships

Total value of resources (expressed as a ratio) leveraged 

through partnerships with states and other partners 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 0.0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $0 for Restoration Partnerships, a decrease of 

$2,000,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The budget line item is no 

longer requested, as similar activities can be carried out through partnerships under the proposed 

Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item. 

Program Description

Restoration Partnership Program Overview 

For a century, the Forest Service has maintained a commitment to working with a variety of 

organizations and interests while fulfilling our motto of “caring for the land and serving people”. 

In FY 2014, this program will focus on expanding public-private partnerships and serve as a 

catalyst to stimulate a number of high profile partnerships ready for development. Developing 

innovative partnerships involving more diverse people and organizations is an essential 

mechanism for achieving social, economic, and ecological goals associated with public lands and 

dependent local municipalities. We exercise many creative and innovative approaches to address 

place-based needs and opportunities and to promote healthy and vibrant watersheds, forests, 

grasslands, and communities. These opportunities for partner engagement include not only 

funding support, but significant volunteerism and in-kind contributions across the country in 

areas where partner and Forest Service interests intersect. Expanding public-private partnerships, 

and the strong and enduring relationships they build, are essential to assuring that the National 

National Forest System 5-27 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forests and Grasslands continue to offer the myriad of benefits the American public has come to 

expect from them.

In FY 2014, this budget line item will support the agency’s objectives as outlined in the agency’s 

initiative to accelerate landscape restoration to:

• save time and money,

• make better use of available resources through leveraging,

• engage youth and underserved communities through public land corps involvement ,

• increase delivery of goods and services,

• broaden public and stakeholder support for mission delivery through the use of 

partnerships ,

• increase leadership alignment, both within the agency and with federal partners in order 

to facilitate comprehensive discussion/engagement across the agency, and

• more effectively and efficiently implement national policy and programs.

Allocation and Integration

In FY 2014, funding for both Restoration Partnership activities will be competed among the 

regions using project criteria and selection determined by the Chief of the Forest Service.

Funding will be allocated to a cost-share program and to partnership development. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring

Budget Line Item Land Management Planning, Assessment & 

Monitoring

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Annual Appropriations

Inventory and Monitoring $150,652 $151,019 0 -$151,019 -100%

Land Management Planning 37,203 37,754 0 -37,754 -100%

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

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 

Total 187,855 188,773 183,928 -4,845 -3%

Annual Appropriation FTEs

Inventory and Monitoring 969 971 0 -971 -100%

Land Management Planning 263 265 0 -265 -100%

Land Management Planning, Assessment & Monitoring 0 0 1,234 1,234 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,232 1,236 1,234 -2 -0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Land Management Planning, Assessment & 

Monitoring

Number of land management plan amendments 

underway 33 38 26 28 20 20

Number of land management plan revisions or creations 

underway 19 23 20 31 16 24

Acres of inventory data collected and acquired 44,871,472 30,489,750 15,215,000 45,675,608 16,650,000 16,200,000

Number of annual monitoring requirements completed 1,464 1,542 1,059 1,330 1,158 1,130

Number of land management plan assessments 

completed 58 49 27 35 21 20

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $183,928,000 for the Land Management Planning, 

Assessments, and Monitoring Program, a net program decrease of $4,845,000 from the FY 2014 

Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes consolidating the Land Management Planning and 

Inventory and Monitoring programs into one budget line item. The net amount was calculated 

using the combined totals from FY 2014 Enacted level as illustrated in the table below. 

National Forest System 5-29 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Management Planning, Assessment, and Monitoring 

Consolidated Budget Line Items 

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres Bud

NFS

Land Management 

Planning, Assessment, and 

Monitoring - - $183,928 $183,928

NFS Land Management 

Planning 37,203 37,754 (37,754) -

NFS Inventory and Monitoring 150,652 151,019 (151,019) -

Total $187,855 $188,773 ($4,845) $183,928

The consolidation was first proposed in the FY 2012 President’s Budget. Forest Service 

management occurs around a continuous cycle of assessing, planning at multiple levels, 

implementing and adjusting programs and projects based on information acquired through 

integrated inventory and monitoring activities. The proposed BLI provides the agency flexibility 

to implement the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule which include an increased focus on 

agency assessment and monitoring activities. Under the proposed BLI, critical work would not 

be constrained by insufficient funds in one activity that would otherwise prevent successful 

implementation of the full range of activities in the management cycle. The need to integrate 

regional and local inventory, monitoring and assessment activities with unit planning efforts can 

be accomplished more effectively and efficiently under the proposed BLI. These efficiencies 

help achieve plan revisions in three to four years instead of the five to six years it currently takes.

The 2012 Planning Rule has been developed under 36 CFR 219 and replaces the 2008 Planning 

Rule invalidated by the Federal district court decision in Citizens for Better Forestry v. USDA, 

632 F.Supp. 2d 968 (N.D.Cal., 2009). The 2012 Planning Rule promotes a collaborative 

science-based approach for planning, monitoring, and conducting assessments that considers 

information from and about “All Lands” affected by, or influencing, planning unit activities. 

National Forest System (NFS) units work with counterparts in Research and Development and 

State and Private Forestry, as well as with the public, Tribes, and other partners, to revise and 

amend plans, develop unit and regional monitoring programs and strategies, conduct assessments 

in advance of plan revisions, and ensure that inventories, data management, and corporate data 

systems support these and other business requirements. 

Management priorities and actions funded under each activity area include:

Land Management Plan Revisions and Amendments - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes 

funds for the creation, revision, and amendment of land management plans (LMPs). Funding 

supports LMP revisions required under the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). These 

funds will allow continued work on 24 revisions under way and 6 units conducting pre-revision 

assessments. Seven of these revisions are currently scheduled for completion by the end of FY 

2015. The agency will continue to improve its capacity to revise LMPs and implement the other 

National Forest System 5-30
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

provisions of the 2012 Planning Rule. In addition, the agency amends, corrects or adjusts, as 

needed, the plans not currently under revision, focusing on completing amendments to address 

critical issues and decisions, including energy corridors, integrated forestry, travel management 

plans, and watershed restoration opportunities. This funding level supports work on 20 LMP 

amendments. 

Assessments and Monitoring - The FY 2015 President’s Budget funds inventory, 

monitoring and assessment work on national forests and grasslands in support of LMP

revisions, amendments, and other agency priorities. The agency also integrates and 

improves databases and ensures that all existing and newly acquired data resides in a 

centralized repository which supports the efficient implementation of the 2012 Planning 

Rule and other programs requiring forest-wide inventory data. Assessments conducted in 

advance of LMP revisions determine the need to change direction in existing plans. The 

agency will complete 20 assessments in FY 2015. 

The 2012 Planning Rule establishes a planning framework that emphasizes developing 

collaborative, science-based unit-monitoring programs and broad-scale monitoring 

strategies at regional and national levels to address high-priority resource questions, 

conditions, and issues. These could include watershed and ecological conditions, focal 

species, visitor use and recreation objectives, influences from a changing climate, and 

other local, regional and national objectives. This multi-tiered approach highlights 

ecological, social, and economic trends and conditions relevant to LMPs. The approach 

also generates efficiencies in data collection, mapping, storage, reporting, and use. Units 

will be completing and compiling monitoring information prior to initiating revisions or 

amendments in order to assess plan direction and identify resource issues. 

Past Performance

Number of land management plan amendments underway (108 percent of target accomplished).

In FY 2013, NFS units had 28 plan amendments underway. Additional amendments were 

initiated to address the effects of large-scale disturbances such as fires and floods as well as the 

sage grouse habitat issue in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The agency continues to expect 

that the number of major amendments underway and completed during the next two to three 

years will stabilize as the agency transitions to the requirements under the 2012 Planning Rule. 

Number of land management plan creations or revisions underway (140 percent of target 

accomplished). In total, 31 units were revising plans or engaged in pre-revision activities in FY 

2013. Seventeen units had revisions underway using the 1982 procedures under the 2000 

Planning Rule. The other 11 units are implementing the 2012 Planning Rule. Initial assessment 

activities were started on eight Early Adopter units in FY 2012 and in another three units in FY 

2013. The pre-revision assessment work begun on these 11 units is also reflected in the target 

accomplishment for the Assessments Completed performance measure. Plan revision work on 

the 17 units using the 1982 procedures resulted in one revision completed in FY 2013 with 

another nine units expected to be completed in FY 2014 under the 2000 Rule. 

National Forest System 5-31 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Acres of inventory data collected and acquired (300 percent of target accomplished). In FY 

2013 the agency inventoried over 45 million acres. This was over 15 million acres more or 155 

percent of the more than 30 million acres collected/acquired in FY 2012. Additional acreage was 

accomplished on several units due to an increase in the migration of legacy data from digital or 

hardcopy sources into corporate applications and the purchase or acquisition of remote sensing 

data from external sources. Inventory data supported 17 plan revisions, 28 amendments, 11 

forest-wide assessments in advance of plan revisions, and other agency priorities. 

Number of land management plan assessments completed (130 percent of target accomplished).

In FY 2013, the agency completed 35 plan assessments, some of which reflected the 

requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule. Several units conducted multiple unique social, 

economic, and ecological assessments to meet the 2012 Planning Rule requirements in FY 2013. 

Assessments are a key initial step for determining the need to revise or amend plans in response 

to changing ecological, social and economic conditions and for collaborating with the public. 

They are also used to identify opportunities for implementing land management plans.

Program Overview

The Land Management Planning, Assessments and Monitoring program funds the inventory, 

monitoring, and assessment activities that are integral to the development, maintenance, and 

revision of LMPs. The program funds the acquisition, analysis, and storage of data that support 

planning and other critical programs, initiatives, and projects such as restoration activities, 

climate change impact evaluations, travel management, watershed condition assessments, 

strategies for addressing needs for specific wildlife species and roadless area evaluations.

The Land Management Planning, Assessment and Monitoring program is foundational for 

allowing all of the economic benefits that are derived from National Forest System (NFS) lands 

including the economic benefits derived from timber, grazing, and many types of outdoor 

recreation. Without adequate planning and monitoring, restoration treatments, recreation and 

special use permitting, and other economic activities cannot occur on NFS lands. Collaboration 

with partners and the public is critical to developing, revising or amending LMPs, conducting 

assessments and developing and implementing a monitoring program. Collaborative activities 

assist in identifying needs, establishing desired conditions, crafting alternatives or scenarios for 

future management, and identifying information needs and monitoring requirements.

A LMP provides broad guidance for identifying, prioritizing, and implementing the programs 

and projects that move a NFS unit towards achieving desired conditions and agency objectives. 

Collaboration with the public and partners results in plans that address a wide variety of 

programs and issues. Goals and objectives may include adapting to changing climate conditions, 

ensuring abundant clean water, providing recreation opportunities, restoring and maintaining 

forest and rangeland ecosystems, and improving priority watersheds across larger landscapes. 

The National Forest Management Act requires that each unit of the NFS have a LMP that is 

formally revised every 10 to 15 years to address changing conditions and new information 

related to natural resources, management goals, and public use. The Forest Service has 

developed 125 LMPs to guide the management of 155 national forests, 20 grasslands, and other 

National Forest System 5-32
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

unique units of the NFS. Since the late 1980s, the agency has revised 58 LMPs, about 46 percent 

of the total. 

Examples of data collected through inventory and monitoring activities, analyzed in assessments, 

and used for planning and restoration purposes include: vegetation conditions; wildlife habitat; 

social and economic conditions and impacts; air, water and soil quality; recreation visitor use; 

and potential impacts to climate. Inventories help establish baseline information that is used to 

identify, prioritize, and frame objectives to achieve desired conditions through restoration 

programs and activities. Assessments consider and evaluate social, economic and ecological 

conditions, trends and future management opportunities for the unit. Monitoring provides 

information for evaluating progress towards achieving objectives. 

Specific program objectives needing information resource support include: 

• planning for the management of land and other resources;

• enhancing scientific understanding of ecosystems;

• fulfilling agreements for conducting inventory and monitoring activities with partners;

• providing data, information, and analyses to decision makers in response to current

management needs and emerging issues;

• providing information necessary to assess efficacy and responsiveness of Forest Service

programs; and

• supporting cost-effective program delivery.

This program is delivered through the following major activities:

• Land Management Plan Revisions and Amendments - This activity includes all planning

activities associated with LMP revisions, creations, amendments, corrections, and other

plan maintenance identified in the 2012 Planning Rule. This includes: collaboration and

public involvement; development of LMP components; conducting any analyses after

legal notice initiating an amendment or revision; development and evaluation of

alternatives; preparation of draft and final environmental impact statements; content

analysis of public comments; and resolving appeals, litigation, and objections to the

LMP.

• Assessments and Monitoring - This activity includes the inventory, assessments, and

monitoring essential to the development, amendment, or revision of LMPs. Resource

inventories are designed to meet LMP requirements and other management needs of the

agency. Resource inventory activities include data collection and acquisition; data entry,

including migration of legacy data, and storage in corporate systems; data evaluation and

analyses to ensure accuracy and determine data classifications; documentation and

implementation of quality control procedures and compilation of metadata; and resource

mapping.

• LMP development and revision assessments evaluate current and desired resource

conditions and trends for the unit at appropriate scales. These assessments rapidly

evaluate existing information about relevant ecological, economic, and social conditions,

National Forest System 5-33 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

trends and sustainability and their relationship to the LMP within the context of the 

broader landscape. LMP implementation assessments assist in identifying and locating 

projects and activities designed to achieve plan objectives. Monitoring and evaluation 

assists in determining if there is a need to change direction in a LMP. Both 

implementation and effectiveness monitoring are needed to evaluate progress towards 

achieving desired LMP conditions and objectives. The development and implementation 

of broader scale monitoring strategies assist in obtaining information on specific resource 

issues that need to be addressed consistently at the regional or national level.

Allocation and Integration

Integrated allocations for this program are based on several factors related to each activity. 

These include the number of LMPs in each region that are under revision, the number of plans in 

a non-revision or maintenance mode, and the number of units and total acreage in each region. 

Priority for allocating funds for planning is given to those units revising their LMPs and 

conducting inventory, assessment, and monitoring activities supporting land management 

planning under the 2012 Planning Rule. Additional funding may also be allocated to field units 

conducting roadless area evaluations. Adjustments may be made among regions based on 

regional capability or to mitigate situations where a proposed allocation would create undesirable 

transition effects. Coordination with other programs with responsibility for inventory, 

monitoring and assessments ensures that appropriate direction, funding, and performance 

expectations are included in agency program and information resource direction.

Partnerships

Collaboration with partners and the public is critical to developing, revising or amending LMPs, 

conducting assessments and developing and implementing a monitoring program. Collaborative 

activities assist in identifying needs, establishing desired conditions, crafting alternatives or 

scenarios for future management, and identifying information needs and monitoring 

requirements.

For plan development, revision, and maintenance activities, agency field units work closely with 

citizens and organizations with an interest in how the land is managed. The agency also works 

with Federal, regional, and local partners to inventory and monitor its lands. Within the Federal 

Geographic Data Committee, the Forest Service has the lead responsibility to work with other 

agencies to set standards for vegetation classification. The agency also works with governmental 

and nongovernmental partners to collect data and set inventory and monitoring protocols for 

consistent data collection methods.

In November of 2013, the Federal Advisory Committee for Implementation of the Planning Rule 

(FACA Committee) presented to the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service 

recommendations for revisions to the proposed directives. The FACA Committee is comprised 

of 21 members who provide balanced and broad representation of public interests including 

industry and user groups; environmental organizations; conservation organizations; recreation 

interests; members of the scientific community; State, county, or local elected officials (or 

designee); Tribal representatives; and other public interests. The Department and the Forest 

National Forest System 5-34
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Service will consider the FACA Committee’s recommendations, along with public comment, as 

it revises the directives for final publication in spring 2014. 

Land Management Plan Revision Schedule

Creations and 1st Time Revisions Completed prior to FY 2014 (Total = 60)

R-1 Beaverhead-Deerlodge R-5 Cleveland R-8 Uwharrie

R-1 Dakota Prairie NG R-5 Los Padres R-9 Allegheny 

R-2 Arapaho-Roosevelt R-5 San Bernardino R-9 Chequamegon-Nicolet

R-2 Black Hills R-5 Sequoia NM R-9 Chippewa

R-2 Bighorn R-8 Chattahoochee-Oconee R-9 Finger Lakes

R-2 Medicine Bow R-8 Cherokee R-9 Green Mountain

R-2 Nebraska R-8 Croatan R-9 Hiawatha

R-2 Rio Grande R-8 Daniel Boone R-9 Hoosier

R-2 Routt R-8 Francis Marion R-9 Huron-Manistee

R-2 Thunder Basin NG R-8 Jefferson R-9 Mark Twain 

R-2 White River R-8 Kisatchie R-9 Midewin National

R-2 San Juan R-8 El Yunque Tallgrass Prairie (new plan)

R-3 Cibola NG R-8 Land Between the R-9 Monongahela

R-4 Boise Lakes NRA (new plan) R-9 Ottawa

R-4 Caribou R-8 NFs in Alabama R-9 Shawnee

R-4 Payette R-8 NFs in Florida R-9 Superior

R-4 Sawtooth R-8 NFs in Texas R-9 Wayne

R-4 Targhee R-8 Ouachita R-9 White Mountain

R-4 Uinta R-8 Ozark-St. Francis R-10 Chugach

R-4 Wasatch-Cache R-8 Sumter R-10 Tongass

R-5 Angeles R-8 George Washington 

Revisions (27) and Pre-Revision Assessments (6) Underway in FY 2014 (Total = 33) 

R-1 Idaho-Panhandle1 R-3 Coconino2 R-6 Colville2

R-1 Kootenai1 R-3 Coronado2 R-6 Malheur2

R-1 Clearwater3 R-3 Kaibab1 R-6 Okanogan-Wenatchee2

R-1 NezPerce3 R-3 Prescott1 R-6 Umatilla2

R-1 Flathead3 R-3 Carson4 R-6 Wallowa-Whitman2

R-1 Helena4 R-3 Santa Fe4 R-8 El Yunque (2nd)

3

R-1 Lewis & Clark4 R-3 Tonto4 R-8 George Washington (2nd)

1

R-2 Shoshone1 R-5 Lake Tahoe Basin1 R-8 NFs in Mississippi1

R-2 Rio Grande(2nd)

4 R-5 Sequoia NF3 R-8 Francis Marion (2nd)3

R-3 Apache-Sitgreaves1 R-5 Sierra3 R-8 Nantahala-Pisgah3

R-3 Cibola NF3 R-5 Inyo3 R-10 Chugach (2nd)

3

1. Expected completions under the 2000 Planning Rule (1982 procedures) in FY 2014 (9)

2. Expected completions under the 2000 Planning Rule (1982 Procedures) in FY 2015 (7)

3. Notice of Intent to Revise LMP under 2012 Planning Rule expected in FY 2014 (11)

4. Conducting assessments; Notice of Intent to Revise LMP under 2012 Planning Rule expected in FY 2015 (6)

2nd = Second Revision for Plan (5)

National Forest System 5-35 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Future First Time Revisions - FY 2015 and Beyond (Total = 40)

R-1 Bitterroot R-4 Humboldt-Toiyabe R-6 Fremont-Winema

R-1 Custer R-4 Manti-La Sal R-6 Gifford Pinchot

R-1 Gallatin R-4 Salmon-Challis R-6 Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie

R-1 Lolo R-5 Eldorado R-6 Mt. Hood

R-2 Cimarron-Comanche NG R-5 Klamath R-6 Ochoco

R-2 Grand Mesa, R-5 Lassen R-6 Olympic

Uncompahgre, Gunnison R-5 Mendocino R-6 Rogue River

R-2 Pike-San Isabel R-5 Modoc R-6 Siskiyou

R-3 Gila R-5 Plumas R-6 Siuslaw

R-3 Lincoln R-5 Shasta-Trinity R-6 Umpqua

R-4 Ashley R-5 Six Rivers R-6 Willamette

R-4 Bridger-Teton R-5 Stanislaus R-8 Land Between the

R-4 Dixie R-5 Tahoe Lakes NRA

R-4 Fishlake R-6 Deschutes R-9 Midewin National

Tallgrass Prairie

There will be 27 LMP revisions underway (Notice of Intent published) in FY 2014. Sixteen of 

these are using the 1982 procedures under the 2000 Planning Rule. Eleven units began 

assessment work in FY 2012 and 2013 and will be initiating revisions in FY 2014 under the 2012 

Planning Rule. Six additional units have begun assessment work in FY 2014 in advance of 

initiating revisions in FY 2015. 

Units Implementing Revision Requirements under the 2012 Planning Rule

Assessment 

Initiated

Revision 

Initiated Region Unit State

2012 2014 1 Clearwater NF Idaho

2012 2014 1 Nez Perce NF Idaho

2012 2014 5 Inyo NF California

2012 2014 5 Sequoia NF California

2012 2014 5 Sierra NF California

2012 2014 3 Cibola NF New Mexico

2012 2014 8 El Yunque NF Puerto Rico

2012 2014 10 Chugach NF Alaska

2013 2014 1 Flathead NF Idaho

2013 2014 8 Francis Marion NF South Carolina

2013 2014 8 Nantahala-Pisgah NF North Carolina

2014 2015 1 Helena NF Montana

2014 2015 1 Lewis & Clark NF Montana

2014 2015 2 Rio Grande NF Colorado

2014 2015 3 Carson NF New Mexico

2014 2015 3 Santa Fe NF New Mexico

2014 2015 3 Tonto NF Arizona

National Forest System 5-36
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness

Budget Line Item Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Annual Appropriations $261,932 $261,719 $259,090 -$2,629 -1%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness Total 261,932 261,719 259,090 -2,629 -1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 2,075 2,074 2,074 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,075 2,074 2,074 0 0%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Manage Recreation Operations 151,920 151,797 150,272 -1,525 -1%

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorizations 39,290 39,258 41,454 2,196 6%

Manage Heritage Resources 28,813 28,789 28,500 -289 -1%

Manage Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers 41,909 41,875 38,864 -3,011 -7%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness

Number of recreation site capacity (PAOT days) 

operated to standard 86,575,330 83,127,395 70,658,286 71,371,135 74,080,790 71,000,000

Percentage of NFS lands covered by travel management 

plans resulting in visitor safety, resource protection using 

best management practices, and less visitor conflict with 

off-road vehicle usage 76.8% 79.0% 100.0% 85.5% 100.0% 100.0%

Number of recreation special use authorizations 

administered to standard 13,308 13,784 11,258 17,506 12,279 12,800

Number of wilderness areas managed to minimum 

stewardship level 220 307 309 356 365 365

Number of wild and scenic river areas meeting statutory 

requirements 42 53 55 55 57 57

Number of heritage programs managed to standard 0 77 57 81 61 75

Heritage program score 0 5,108 3,870 5,231 4,130 5,000

Customer satisfaction with value for fee paid 83.0% 83.0% 80.0% 84.0% 80.0% 80.0%

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $259,090,000 for the Recreation, Heritage and 

Wilderness program, a decrease of $2,629,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations 

Act.

These programs work to strengthen communities and connect people to the outdoors by 

continuing to align activities with the Framework for Sustainable Recreation and the Forest 

Service Strategic Plan. We continue to support the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, 

the stewardship of our natural, cultural and historic resources, and youth and volunteer 

National Forest System 5-37 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

engagement. In FY 2015, Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness programs will focus on 

enhancing privately provided services through the administration of special use permits; 

continued enhancement of information delivery and customer service through contemporary 

tools like Recreation.gov; implementing the Travel Management Rule; connecting with younger 

generations through urban and youth conservation corps; and implementing the National Travel 

and Tourism Strategy.

Promoting America’s Great Outdoors 

In support of the AGO Initiative, we will work to 

expand recreation opportunities for youth and diverse 

populations, support job creation through youth 

engagement and employment programs, and pursue 

opportunities to enhance guest services while 

sustaining and expanding business opportunities for 

permit holders. As a charter member and 2014 chair of 

the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR), we aim to improve 

coordination and collaboration among the Federal land and water agencies, increasing 

efficiencies and providing more seamless visitor experiences. 

We will continue to engage a diverse group of recreation stakeholders, encouraging their 

ongoing input to more sustainably and cooperatively manage our recreation programs. We will 

increase public, open access to recreation information, and support improvements to our publicfacing websites and Recreation.gov. These improvements will enhance our visitors’ ability to 

plan their trips, and better align the program with the National Travel and Tourism Strategy and 

AGO goals. We will continue working with others to identify gaps in visitor information and 

leverage resources for conducting market research. 

By greening our operations, we reduce our environmental footprint while maintaining a 

comparable level of service to the public and helping to protect recreation opportunities for 

generations to come. 

We will continue to steward our wilderness areas and perpetuate the gains achieved by the 10-

Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge (10YWSC). We will work to forge stronger 

connections between communities and Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers using assistance 

from partner groups. For example, the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and its 

members (the Society for Wilderness Stewardship, WILD50, among others) are helping us 

engage the public and implement the Wilderness Character Monitoring protocol. The Arthur 

Carhart Interagency Wilderness Training Center and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research 

Institute continue their efforts to provide education and research that directly supports ecosystem 

health, resilience, and restoration of Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Recreation Contributes Nearly $13 Billion to 

National Gross Domestic Product

Each year, outdoor recreation and tourism, 

including hunting and fishing, contributes nearly 

$13 billion dollars and about 194,000 jobs to the 

U.S. economy.* This comprises around 40 percent 

of the Forest Service’s contribution to the Gross 

Domestic Product. 

*2012 Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring 

Report

National Forest System 5-38
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Volunteers, Youth & Veterans Engagement 

The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) program will continue to be a high 

priority in FY 2015. The Forest Service will expand our emphasis on outreach to relevant 

stakeholders to promote new partnerships with 21CSC member organizations that will enhance 

the agency’s ability to support employment opportunities for youth and veterans for appropriate 

AGO activities. 

Providing training to program staff will further enhance our ability to develop high quality 

conservation projects with partners that will accomplish essential work while also developing a 

new source of conservation stewards to preserve and protect public lands 

The Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness program is subdivided into four activities; specific 

priorities within each activity include:

Manage Recreation Operations - The FY 2015 President’s Budget provides funding for 

Recreation Operations. While integrating key concepts of the Framework for Sustainable 

Recreation and the Forest Service Strategic Plan, we will provide to the public such 

services as campgrounds, cabins, lookouts, reservations, visitor centers, picnic areas and 

other day use sites, interpretive and 

heritage services, outfitter guides and 

recreation events. These resources, 

when leveraged with cost recovery 

and visitor fee collections authorized 

by the Federal Lands Recreation 

Enhancement Act, provide us the 

ability to operate 23,700 recreation 

sites to millions of visitors. 

The Framework for Sustainable Recreation 

also stresses the importance of providing the 

right information to the public. Recreation 

information is the most sought-after Forest 

Service information on the web, and the 

public expects it to be credible, accurate, 

open, and accessible from anywhere. For the 

first time, all Forest Service recreation sites 

will be presented on the Interactive Visitor 

Map, which will be launching, alongside a 

new agency website, in 2014. In FY 2015, 

with broad agency collaboration, we will 

make a concerted effort to prepare the 

program for a future of rich information collection and sharing. Updates to our digital 

infrastructure will allow for more efficient, mobile, and consistent data management, as well as 

an increased capacity for leveraging volunteers and partners’ involvement. These efforts will be 

Zipline at Heavenly:

Implementing Year-Round Activities at Ski Resorts

Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, CA is one 

of the first ski resorts to implement year-round activities as 

authorized by the Ski Area Resort Opportunity Enhancement 

Act of 2011. In Lake Tahoe, we are working closely with 

the resort and local communities as well as engaging staff 

from landscape architecture, engineering, and trails staffs to 

help set the national standard for quality and experience for 

year-round activities. The expansion has created an 

additional 70 jobs in the community so far and is 

contributing to the recovery of tourism in South Lake Tahoe, 

CA and Stateline, NV.

National Forest System 5-39 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

essential in engaging current and future generations, enhancing access to recreation 

opportunities, and expanding our visitor base.

Implementation of route and area designations for motor vehicle use, reflected on Motor Vehicle 

Use Maps (MVUMs), helps us sustain critical watersheds and ecosystems in the face of climate 

change, and enables us to provide recreation opportunities for Off-Highway Vehicle enthusiasts. 

By 2015, we will fully implement the Forest Service’s Route and Area Designation 

Implementation Guide. Implementation centers management of designated routes and areas 

around four activities: education, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation. Completing 

MVUMs has taken longer than anticipated due to the need for more public involvement and 

collaboration. Public controversy, appeals, and litigation has delayed producing some MVUMs. 

We will continue our efforts to complete all remaining MVUMs by FY 2015.

We engage stakeholders, youth, and volunteers as we implement the America’s Great Outdoors 

Initiative, the National Travel and Tourism Strategy, and the Framework for Sustainable 

Recreation. Our coordination with Federal, State, local agencies, and stakeholders provides 

efficiencies in planning and delivers improved access to recreation opportunities on NFS lands. 

These efforts strengthen communities and connect people to the outdoors by supporting 

community-based outdoor recreation and sustainable tourism development, resulting in job 

creation and economic expansion. We will expand our partnerships and volunteer programs to 

build inclusive support to restore and conserve our resources and improve public access and 

employment opportunities.

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorizations - The FY 2015 President’s Budget provides 

funds for Recreation Special Use Authorizations, supporting approximately 5,000 outfitters and 

guides that help create tourism-oriented identities for the local areas in which they operate. 

These permittees provide access to public lands 

which many people would not otherwise have. 

In response to an OIG audit of the Special Uses 

program (No:08601-55-SF, issued June 2011), 

we have established criteria to prioritize 

monitoring and inspections to allow focus of our 

staffing resources on situations where, if 

noncompliance occurs, it is more likely to have 

adverse impacts on natural resources or on 

health and safety. In FY 2014, field units will 

identify inspection requirements for all ongoing 

and new authorizations. At the same time we 

will correct data errors in our SUP database to 

improve reporting accuracy for ongoing 

authorizations. Once required inspections have

been identified and data errors corrected, we will 

realign targets for administration to standard for 

FY 2015. The revised inspection system will 

improve monitoring of health and safety in the 

War Veterans Historic Preservation Training Program, 

Eastern and Southern Regions

The Forest Service partnered with HistoriCorps and the 

Student Conservation Association and provided eight 

veterans three months of service training in historic 

preservation. Veterans restored five historic buildings at 

three sites and received a stipend and the opportunity for 

college credit. Following the season, one participant was 

hired as a historic preservationist.

National Forest System 5-40
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

delivery of public facilities and services to National Forest System visitors.

Special use authorizations are an important tool for delivering services on the national 

forests and grasslands. In FY 2014, we will be taking notice and comment on the 

proposed directive to implement the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement 

Act of 2011 (SAROEA), and in FY 2015, we anticipate an increase in requests for 

amendments to existing authorizations in response to SAROEA. This authority is 

intended to allow ski resorts on NFS land to offer recreational activities year round. The 

year-long recreation season could sustain up to 600 extra jobs and could raise up to an 

additional $40 million for local communities in direct spending, annually (projections 

based on Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring data). 

Manage Heritage Resources – The FY 2015 President’s Budget provides funding for the 

stewardship of our heritage and cultural resources, including investments into partnership 

initiatives such as Historicorps and Passport in Time. These programs preserve and 

sustain historic places and resources for public benefit through partnerships that foster 

public involvement, engage volunteers, and provide training and education. In FY 2013, 

HistoriCorps implemented a program to train young war veterans in historic preservation, 

and the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest Regions were recognized for a ten-year 

initiative linking Chinese Americans to their ancestral history on national forests through 

the Passport in Time Program. By implementing the Preserve America Executive Order 

13287, we will further support local communities by rehabilitating significant heritage 

assets linked to community economic development and sustainable operational plans, and 

we provide useful asset evaluations and inventories for agency, Tribal, and public benefit.

In FY 2015, we will make plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic 

Preservation Act, taking place in 2016. Examples of the many activities and products 

highlighting the Forest Service’s contributions to American history include the 

restoration of up to 16 fire lookouts by 2016. This initiative is partially funded and 

supported by HistoriCorps, the Forest Fire Lookout Association, and the National Trust 

for Historic Preservation. 

At the requested funding level, we will manage less than 65 percent of our 115 forest and 

grassland unit programs to standard (114 of the 155 forests and 20 grasslands have 

heritage assets or programs). Heritage program managers will use information from an 

advanced corporate database to facilitate monitoring the condition of over 360,000 

historic properties, the most of any Federal agency. We monitor program sustainability 

through a set of criteria established in 2012. In FY 2013, 70 percent of all programs 

reported that their historic properties were maintained to agency-set standards. By FY 

2015, we expect to implement new operating procedures to help us increase program 

sustainability through increased support from our information systems, partnerships and 

efficient regulatory procedures.

National Forest System 5-41 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Manage Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers - The FY 2015 President’s Budget 

provides funding for the planning and operation of America’s Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers. These funds allow us to make progress on two important wilderness 

program priorities following the successful completion of the 10-Year Wilderness 

Stewardship Challenge in FY 2014: (1) revising the national protocol for monitoring 

wilderness character and (2) implementing a new performance measure to evaluate the 

effectiveness of our wilderness stewardship program. 

With the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act (the Act) in 2014, 

we have begun to implement a new nationwide wilderness character monitoring program 

to gauge our effectiveness at “preserving wilderness character,” the key mandate from the 

Act. To support this management shift, in FY 2015 we will implement a new 

performance measure, “number of wildernesses meeting baseline performance for 

preserving wilderness character.” This measure will help us more effectively measure 

our program capacity and our stewardship actions to preserve wilderness character. To 

implement this management change, we will provide individual units the flexibility to 

select locally-relevant elements 

within a consistent national 

framework. Elements will 

include actions taken to 

improve water quality, restore 

native plant communities, and 

engage partners and volunteers 

to accomplish crucial 

stewardship work.

As we look forward to the 50th

Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Act in 2018, we anticipate that 

a total of 59 out of a total of 119 wild 

and scenic rivers managed by the 

Forest Service will meet statutory 

requirements under the Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Program. We continue 

to ensure that wilderness and wild and 

scenic rivers values are addressed as 

part of agency efforts in response to 

the President’s America Great 

Outdoors Initiative. In addition, we 

ensure that wilderness and wild and 

scenic river values are recognized for 

their contributions to addressing climate change and for providing recreation, renewal, 

subsistence, and employment to surrounding communities. 

FY 2015 Hurdygurdy Creek LWCF Project:

Last Large Inholding of Wild & Scenic Smith River

The Smith River Alliance (SRA) secured a purchase agreement for the 

last large inholding (5,400 acres) within the Smith River National 

Recreation Area (NRA). The property includes over 4,000 acres along 

Hurdygurdy Creek, which is one of the best salmon spawning and rearing 

streams in the NRA, supporting many forms of recreation. SRA launched 

a campaign to purchase these properties and transfer them to the NRA for 

long-term management and restoration.

National Forest System 5-42
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Past Performance

Number of Recreation Special Uses Administered to Standard (176 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, we reported as “administered to standard” 17,506 recreation special 

use authorizations, compared to a target of 9,948. The increase in accomplishment is attributable 

to a change in policy regarding special use permit administration, as recommended by Office of 

Inspector General Audit 08601-55-SF. The minimum inspection frequency of special uses 

permits has been reduced from annually, biannually, and triennially, depending on the use code, 

to once every five years. Additionally, only permits which run five years or longer automatically 

require an on-site inspection. In addition to the reduced inspection frequency, it is likely that in 

FY 2013 national forests and grasslands counted all temporary or less than five-year permits as 

“administered to standard,” which dramatically increased the number of permits counted as 

“administered to standard.” There is an inherent lag time between changing a measure and 

executing its implementation Nationwide, so we will continue to experience atypical reporting of 

“administration to standard” in FY 2014. By FY 2015, the targets will be aligned with the 

policy. 

Percentage of NFS lands covered by travel management plans resulting in visitor safety, resource 

protection using best management practices, and less visitor conflict with off-road vehicle usage

(85 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, we demonstrated improvement toward 

achieving our target, however completing motor vehicle use maps (MVUMs) has taken longer 

than anticipated due to the need for more public involvement and collaboration. This approach 

has been helpful in minimizing public controversy, appeals, and litigation which have all delayed 

producing some MVUMs. Out of 114 units producing MVUMs, 98 have completed MVUMs to 

date. We will continue our efforts to complete all remaining MVUMs in FY 2014. 

Number of Heritage Programs managed to standard (142 percent of target accomplished). There 

are 115 heritage program reporting units within the agency representing all lands within the NFS. 

Of these, 81 (70 percent) are managed to standard. A Heritage Program is considered managed 

to standard when the cumulative total of seven stewardship indicators reaches a minimal score of 

45. These indicator scores reflect the health and performance of Forest Service unit programs in

meeting manual direction to preserve America’s heritage through responsible stewardship 

activities that recognize, protect, enhance, and use cultural resources for the greatest public 

benefit. The FY 2013 level of performance may be artificially high because the rating system is 

new and the parameters for meeting managed to standard will become more rigorous. This 

evolution of the standards is in keeping with the agency’s commitment to heritage resources and 

the importance they hold locally and nationally. 

Number of wilderness areas managed to a minimum stewardship level (115 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, we managed to a minimum stewardship level a total of 356 

wilderness areas, exceeding the target by 15 percent and the prior year total of 307. This greater 

than anticipated gain towards the 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge is attributable to 

focused national support of on-the-ground management activities and regional strike teams, as 

well as partnerships leveraged through the National Forest Foundation's Wilderness Stewardship 

Grants program. The most notable gain was in the Southwestern Region, improving by 17 

wildernesses to standard compared to the previous year, an improvement of 33 percent. 

National Forest System 5-43 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Number of wild and scenic river areas meeting statutory requirements (100 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, we achieved a total of 55 wild and scenic river areas meeting 

statutory requirements. This is an increase from the FY 2012 accomplishment of 53 rivers 

meeting standard. 

Program Description

Program Overview

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness programs on the NFS offer some of the greatest diversity of 

outdoor recreation opportunities in the world and produce significant social and economic 

benefits for the Nation, including employment in rural and urban communities. Aspects of the 

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness programs also restore and maintaining landscape character, 

settings and sense of place, including the landscapes visitors recreate within, the trail corridors 

they hike, and the viewsheds they value. High-value recreation settings and scenery also support 

community identity and influence quality of life and our sense of place. These settings shape our 

public image and guide experiences of visitors recreating on NFS lands. Participation in 

recreational activities is the way that most people come to our national forests and grasslands, 

making recreation a critical avenue for developing an understanding of the relevance of our lands 

and natural and cultural resources, and creating support and a future constituency for public land 

management.

Outdoor recreation is the most popular use of the NFS. Recreational pursuits, including hunting, 

fishing, and wildlife viewing, sustain more jobs than any other activity on NFS lands, supporting 

about 205,000 jobs and contributing about $13.6 billion to the communities surrounding national 

forests and grasslands. The benefits to rural communities from visitors to NFS lands grow long 

after visitors leave the forest. Visitors spend money in rural communities on everything from 

lodging and restaurants to ski lessons and river guides. In addition to these economic benefits, 

recreation opportunities contribute greatly to the physical, mental, and spiritual health of 

individuals, bonds families and friends, and instills pride in our cultural heritage.

Over the past few years, NFS lands have hosted more than 160 million visits annually, with 

visitors engaging in activities such as camping, picnicking, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, 

fishing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, scenic driving, and visiting 

cultural sites and visitor centers. Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness programs manage and 

administer 23,700 recreation sites, over 23,500 recreation special use authorizations, 25 major 

visitor centers, 22 National Historic Landmarks, over 345,000 heritage assets, 136 national 

scenic byways, 439 designated wildernesses (over 36 million acres), and 122 designated wild 

and scenic rivers (over 4,900 miles). Through advancements in innovation and technology, we 

are expanding access to information and reservation services to encourage public enjoyment of 

these recreation opportunities.

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness programs are delivered through the following activities:

Manage Recreation Operations - This activity funds the operation of developed sites, 

such as campgrounds, day-use areas, boat ramps, solid waste disposal facilities, and 

National Forest System 5-44
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

visitor centers; general forest areas, including landscape corridors for national trails and 

scenic byways, snow play areas, lakes, streams, and roads; interpretive and educational 

services; and dispersed recreation activities such as hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, 

and wildlife and scenic viewing. This activity also funds sustainable recreation and 

tourism planning, visitor use management, cleaning facilities and sites; providing safety 

and security measures for visitors and employees; conducting prescribed inspections; 

managing partnerships and volunteers; and providing interpretive or educational 

programs, presentations, and products to visitors. In addition, this activity also provides 

for the assessment, inventory, protection, enhancement, and monitoring of NFS 

recreation settings and scenic character. 

Administer Recreation Special Use Authorization - This activity funds processing new 

requests for recreation special use permits and administering existing authorizations, 

including permits for downhill ski areas, campground management, organization camps, 

and outfitting and guiding, resorts and marinas, recreation events, and recreation 

residences. This activity funds responses, analyses, and decisions to proponents and 

applicants who request the use of NFS lands to provide recreation opportunities and 

benefits to forest visitors. This activity also includes providing inspection, oversight, and 

monitoring of authorizations issued to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions 

of the authorizations. Special use permits make it possible for the public to enjoy many 

recreational opportunities which we would not otherwise be able to provide. 

Manage Heritage Resources - This activity supports the protection of significant heritage 

assets and contributes interpretive, educational, site stewardship, and scientific and 

technical information to governmental entities, the public, and tribes. Agency efforts 

include heritage asset rehabilitation, both to reduce deferred maintenance and to provide 

enhanced opportunities for community economic development and tourism. Funded 

activities include identifying, evaluating, protecting, monitoring, and preserving heritage 

resources, sites and areas; and promoting heritage values through interpretation, Passport 

in Time projects, presentations, and other public information and outreach efforts. 

Manage Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers - This activity funds the protection and 

management of designated wilderness and wild and scenic rivers. Funded activities 

include managing visitor use and impacts, education and outreach, inventory and 

monitoring, information management, protecting wilderness character for designated 

wilderness, and protecting free-flowing conditions for wild and scenic rivers through 

collaborative public, private, and interagency management. Funded activities also 

include evaluating and recommending areas and rivers worthy of addition to the National 

Wilderness Preservation System and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System during 

Forest Planning. 

Allocation and Integration

Funds are allocated to the regions based on program capability, core operations, and national 

priorities. The allocation process considers past performance and future needs regarding 

National Forest System 5-45 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

developed recreation site use; special use permit processing and administration; heritage 

resources; and management of wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers.

Recreation and wilderness programs achieve multiple management objectives by integrating with 

other land and resource programs. Examples include: joining resources with Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance programs to implement travel management; coordinating with 

other programs to address interpretation and education needs that connect the American public to 

nature; identifying and pursuing acquisition of needed access with and through the Lands 

programs; coordinating with the Integrated Resource Restoration program to complete resource 

tasks in wilderness areas such as invasive species management, air quality monitoring, and 

prescribed burning; and utilizing Research and Development programs to address the effects of 

climate change on wilderness areas. 

Partnerships 

The Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness program is supported through volunteers, Youth 

Conservation Corps, and hosted programs. Hosted program organizations such as the Greening 

Youth Foundation, Student Conservation Association, AmeriCorps, Los Angeles Conservation 

Corps, Southwest Conservation Corps, and others work with us to offer public service 

opportunities to connect youth with nature and prepare the next generation of conservationists. 

More than 80 percent of these contributions have been in the areas of recreation, trails, and 

wilderness.

The public’s use and enjoyment of resources on national forests and grasslands is enhanced 

through a variety of partnerships, including volunteers and non-governmental organizations such 

as outfitting and guiding, ski areas, and campground concessionaires. We collaborate with the 

Departments of Transportation, Commerce, and the Interior; States and communities; and other 

recreation providers to improve programs, provide access, and to support social and economic 

benefits derived from federally managed lands. Partnerships and programs that enable youth and 

veterans to serve and work on public lands are essential to sustaining these resources for future 

generations and developing our workforce. This program consistently involves the highest 

number of volunteers and service participants within the agency.

Volunteers and service participants contribute significantly to assisting the agency in managing 

heritage resources, providing interpretive services, maintaining trails, and managing youth 

programs and campgrounds. In addition, we work with partners at the national level, such as the 

National Forest Foundation, National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, and the River 

Management Society, to recruit wilderness and wild & scenic river volunteers and with the 

WILD Foundation on international skill exchanges. 

In FY 2013, more than 101,000 volunteers and service participants contributed 3,855,000 service 

hours valued at $85 million. This represented an eight percent decrease below FY 2012 levels. 

Their hourly contributions were equal to 2,141 fulltime equivalents.

National Forest System 5-46
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Grazing Management

Budget Line Item Grazing Management

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Grazing Management

Annual Appropriations $51,568 $55,356 $49,600 -$5,756 -10%

Grazing Management Total 51,568 55,356 49,600 -5,756 -10%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 420 420 420 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 420 420 420 0 0%

Grazing Management

Manage Grazing Allotments 22,780 24,453 21,911 -2,542 -10%

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA 28,788 30,903 27,689 -3,214 -10%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Grazing Management

Allotment acres administered to 100% of Forest Plan 

standards 27,132,200 30,396,997 27,000,000 29,268,333 27,000,000 27,000,000

Number of grazing allotments with signed decision 

notices 194 111 125 123 125 110

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $49,600,000 for Grazing Management, a program 

decrease of $5,756,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

Funding the Grazing Management Program supports two primary activities: administering 

livestock grazing use on approximately 93 million acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands 

and approximately 10 million acres of private land within grazing allotments; and completing 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis on grazing allotments in accordance with 

the NEPA schedule established under the provisions of the Rescissions Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-

19, section 504), along with the subsequent implementation of management practices derived 

from NEPA decisions. In FY 2015 a balance between the completion of allotment NEPA and 

the administration of existing permits will be emphasized. Administration of existing permits 

will focus on basic stewardship in order to ensure grazing will be sustained at the appropriate 

levels. Implementation of newly developed management practices aimed at restoration and/or 

rehabilitation of rangelands will continue at a reduced level, extending the timeframe for gaining 

overall improvement in sustainability and proper functioning of these lands. 

NEPA allotment planning and management is a dynamic process. The NEPA national summary 

of allotment schedules is published every three years to incorporate a new three-year planning 

National Forest System 5-47 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

period and to maintain a long term schedule. FY 2013 was the end of a three-year cycle, and a 

new national summary of allotments scheduled for NEPA will be published once all the data has 

been gathered to produce a new summary. The reduced rate of completion of NEPA will 

necessitate extending the scheduling timeframe for all needed NEPA analyses. FY 2014 begins 

a new 12 year national summary of allotments needing NEPA analyses that are broken up into 

four three-year periods.

We propose to assess an administrative fee of $1.00 per Head Month based on annual authorized 

Head Months to offset administrative costs associated with administering grazing permits on 

NFS lands. Based on the total Head Months of use, the Forest Service could generate 

approximately $5 million in administrative fees that could be used to offset costs associated with 

grazing permit administration.

Benefits from the FY 2015 program of work will include: a sustainable supply of forage for 

livestock; economic opportunities for rural communities; sustaining grazing management 

practices to support ecosystem restoration efforts; and working landscapes associated with open 

space and habitat connectivity across NFS and other Federal, State, Tribal, and private lands. 

Opportunities to coordinate sustainable landscape management on grazing lands will be at 

reduced levels compared to the FY 2014 enacted levels.

Specific priorities within each activity include:

Manage Grazing Allotments - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes administration of 

27,000,000 acres of grazing allotments to 100 percent of Forest Plan standards. This measure 

reflects the level of permit administration relative to implementing all grazing management 

direction prescribed in land management plans, project level NEPA decisions, grazing permits or 

agreements, and other relevant documents. Administering allotments to standards assures that 

management decisions identified during the NEPA process are implemented, achieve desired 

outcomes, or are adjusted if initial actions are not effective. Although all grazing allotments are 

administered, priority is placed on administering allotments with known critical resource issues, 

such as management of habitat for endangered species.

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA - The FY 2015 President’s Budget provides funding to 

complete grazing NEPA analysis and decisions for 110 grazing allotments, a reduction of 15 

from the target of 125 allotments for FY 2014. The planned accomplishment level reflects an 

accurate capacity assessment based on a number of factors including a lower fund request 

reflecting national efforts to reduce federal budgets, an anticipated increase in NEPA analysis 

unit costs due to many controversial and complex allotments, and prioritized allocation of funds 

towards restoration activities. In addition, survey work needed for completing grazing NEPA 

analysis is closely connected to the agency’s Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item. 

Adjusting priorities in response to dynamic change on the landscape (such as fires, floods, and 

other unplanned events) could have a direct impact on the number of grazing decision 

completed. Effective NEPA analysis and decisions ensure that livestock grazing strategies are 

designed to provide for the restoration and long-term sustainability of rangeland vegetation and 

dependent resources while continuing to provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

National Forest System 5-48
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Past Performance

Allotment acres administrated to 100 percent of forest plan standards (108 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013 the agency administered 29,268,333 acres to 100 percent of Forest 

Plan Standard. We emphasized the on-the-ground administration and monitoring in FY 2013 to 

help ensure we were moving towards attaining forest plan standards per the allotment 

management plans. This measure was designed so that we would know how close we are to 

having all allotment plans fully implemented and monitored with the objective of meeting all the 

forest plan standards, which are developed in part through a public involvement process. By 

meeting the forest plan standards, we ensure that grazing is managed to sustain healthy 

rangelands which has a direct relationship to the quality and quantity of water flowing from or 

through rangelands. 

Number of grazing allotments with signed decision notices (98 percent of target accomplished). 

In FY 2013, the agency completed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis for 123 

allotments. Signed decisions gives the agency a NEPA-sufficient path forward to manage the 

rangelands in an allotment to maintain, restore, and rehabilitate the land as needed to meet the 

forest plan standards. A signed decision signifies to the permit holder that their allotment has a 

NEPA sufficient plan and that there is a path forward to maintain, restore, and rehabilitate the 

lands so that they have a stable grazing environment. If there is no NEPA-sufficient decision for 

an allotment, then the permit is issued with the same terms and conditions as the expired one. If 

those terms are not sufficient to protect the environment, incremental decisions would need to be 

made to prevent excess use or environmental degradation. 

Completing scheduled NEPA work has been a challenge due to realigning priorities and 

resources to manage all-risk activities such as wildfires, increased complexity of analysis, 

increased workload associated with litigation, increased costs for comprehensive resource 

condition and trend data to support decisions, and the lack of completed assessments necessary 

to support the record for making management decisions. 

One way we achieved efficiencies in FY 2013 is that approximately 30 allotments were 

combined together in one large decision; however, these combined decisions can only occur on 

national grasslands where the sites are very similar across many acres. This approach cannot be 

repeated consistently across the entire National Forest System (NFS).

Program Description

Program Overview

Proper control and management of grazing use was one of the core reasons for the establishment 

of a Forest Reserve system that eventually became the NFS. The development and 

implementation of proper grazing practices has been a significant part of the overall management 

of the Forest Service from the very beginning of the agency. Restoration of unhealthy 

rangelands has been an ongoing key focal point of Grazing Management. The Grazing 

Management program manages the diverse rangeland resources on approximately 90 million 

acres of NFS lands. The program seeks to maintain healthy rangelands but also to restore and/or 

National Forest System 5-49 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

rehabilitate historically depleted rangelands to maintain a sustainable supply of forage for 

livestock, to maintain open space and wildlife habitat connectivity by linking NFS grazing 

authorizations to privately owned lands managed for agricultural production, and by helping 

sustain the rural based ranching and farming lifestyle. Each year livestock grazing on NFS lands 

contributes approximately 19,500 jobs and almost $900 million to the Nation’s economy.

Properly managed rangelands use benefits ecosystems that provides for a secure food source, 

sustains the water resources, and provides wildlife habitat and other natural resources benefits. 

This program’s activities include environmental planning through compliance with NEPA for the 

use of grazing allotments and grazing permit administration. Through the Grazing Management 

program, national forests and grasslands meet the management standards for grazing established 

in their land management plans and the allotment specific NEPA-based decisions that maintain 

ecosystem sustainability. By administering grazing permits in compliance with these standards, 

the agency ensures that grazing on NFS lands provides for a secure food source and supports 

local economies while being managed to restore and maintain health rangelands and sustain the 

quality and quantity of water resources associated with grazing allotments.

This program is delivered through the following activities:

Manage Grazing Allotments - This activity provides for implementation of NEPA sufficient 

management plans along with the proper administration and monitoring of grazing permits and 

activities. This includes issuance of grazing permits, processing permit waivers, preparation and 

processing of bills for collection, and the development of annual operating instructions. 

Compliance monitoring determines if the terms and conditions of the grazing authorization are 

being implemented by the grazing permittee. Implementation monitoring determines whether 

the evaluated acres meet, do not meet, or are moving towards resource objectives identified in 

the land management plan or other appropriate decision document, and allows managers to 

determine whether additional monitoring or adjustments in management are required.

Prepare Grazing Allotment NEPA - Involves all elements of NEPA compliance pertaining to 

decisions authorizing grazing on an allotment, including the resolution of appeals and litigation 

associated with these decisions. This activity includes managing public involvement in the 

decision process; coordinating with Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments; development 

of alternatives; analysis of environmental effects; and the preparation of NEPA documents. The 

agency strives to incorporate adaptive management into grazing NEPA decisions. Adaptive 

management strategies are designed to maximize management flexibility for the grazing 

permittee with a concurrent increase in accountability for success in meeting desired resource 

condition on the allotments and across the larger landscape. It also allows maximum flexibility 

for the agency to gain ecosystem improvement by properly changing timing and use to fit ever 

changing weather and climate conditions.

National Forest System 5-50
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated to the field based on the number of term grazing permits, the number of acres 

in active allotments, the amount of scheduled NEPA work, and the number of grazing allotments 

for which the agency made NEPA decisions during the previous three fiscal years. The agency 

may make additional adjustments to reflect regional capability.

The Grazing Management program has been closely integrated with the approved pilot and 

would continue to be integrated with the proposed national Integrated Resource Restoration 

program. The Integrated Resource Restoration program provides the funding for the assessments 

for rangeland vegetation monitoring necessary to determine the health of rangeland ecosystems, 

as well as to determine whether implemented grazing management actions are achieving desired 

resource conditions. Data gathered through these monitoring efforts is the foundation for 

preparing grazing NEPA analyses and making subsequent decisions for allotment management, 

as well as determining where management adaptations are necessary. The Integrated Resource 

Restoration program also provides the funding for construction of range improvements needed to 

implement allotment management plans if determined necessary in the NEPA decisions. 

In each fiscal year, FY 2014 and FY 2015 the agency estimates that we will transfer $1,250,000 

to the BLM in support of activities for the management of wild horse and burros. 

Partnerships 

The agency supplements our capability to accomplish grazing permit administration through a 

variety of partnerships. Grazing permittees may be certified to conduct utilization monitoring, 

and may provide documentation demonstrating compliance with livestock distribution and other 

management requirements. Special interest groups also enter into agreements with the agency to 

conduct implementation monitoring, often in coordination with the grazing permittee.

National Forest System 5-51 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Minerals and Geology Management

Budget Line Item Minerals and Geology Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Minerals and Geology Management

Annual Appropriations $77,716 $76,423 $70,566 -$5,857 -8%

Minerals and Geology Management Total 77,716 76,423 70,566 -5,857 -8%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 517 511 492 -19 -4%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 517 511 492 -19 -4%

Minerals and Geology Management

Administer Minerals Operations 27,752 27,290 20,580 -6,710 -25%

Process Minerals Applications 20,217 19,880 19,015 -865 -4%

Manage Geologic Resources & Hazards 6,106 6,005 5,470 -535 -9%

AML Safety Risk Mitigated 7,321 7,199 6,109 -1,090 -15%

Manage Environmental Compliance 1,883 1,852 995 -857 -46%

Manage Environmental Restoration 14,437 14,197 18,397 4,200 30%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Minerals and Geology Management

Number of mineral operations administered 12,441 9,985 10,521 10,019 10,000 8,000

Number of mineral applications processed 8,350 6,953 7,260 5,865 7,000 7,000

Number of leasable energy minerals actions processed. 0 0 0 144 240 270

Number of AML safety risk features mitigated to "no 

further action" 418 374 448 604 430 486

Number of administrative units where audits were 

conducted 26 22 15 18 20 17

Number of contaminated sites mitigated 73 51 36 42 40 42

Number of geologic hazards managed 276 282 240 340 190 300

Number of geologic resources managed 633 642 550 662 565 600

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $70,566,000 for Minerals and Geology Management, 

a program decrease of $5,857,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Priority will be given to programs with statutory requirements, and to those that support local 

communities, provide jobs, and support restoration of our landscapes. The program will 

emphasize environmental review of nondiscretionary activities, such as proposed operations for 

locatable minerals development, oil and gas drilling applications, related infrastructure needs, 

and proposals for exploration or production operations for other energy and non-energy minerals 

subject to mineral leases. Other priorities will include inspection and monitoring of new and 

ongoing critical mineral operations, providing professional expertise to ensure watershed health 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

and public safety, and managing geologic hazards and important geologic resources, especially 

those with statutory direction for management such as paleontological resources and caves. 

Specific priorities within each activity will include:

Administer Mineral Operations - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal funds the 

administration of an estimated 8,000 new and ongoing mineral operations to ensure 

compliance with operating plans and environmental standards for the protection of 

surface resources. The program will emphasize 

administering those activities in sensitive areas or 

those that otherwise have a higher risk of adverse 

impact to public health and safety, and surface 

resources.

Process Mineral Applications - The FY 2015 

President’s Budget proposal funds the processing of 

an estimated 7,000 mineral applications and plans. 

The actual number of applications received may 

vary significantly due to market influences which 

directly affect demand for mineral resources from 

National Forest System (NFS) lands. We plan to 

maintain our capacity in this area and emphasize 

the energy component of this activity by processing 

industry applications on existing leases and 

completing priority analyses. This will help us to 

make decisions on the availability of NFS lands for leasing of oil and gas, coal, and 

geothermal resources from NFS lands, in support of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 

Manage Geologic Hazards and Resources - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal 

funds the identification and management of an estimated 300 geologic hazards and 600 

geologic resources. Identifying and managing geologic hazards is critical in protecting 

the safety and health of employees and the public, minimizing or mitigating costly 

damage to infrastructure, and sustaining soil and water resources. Managing geologic 

resources is necessary for conservation and interpretation of special and unique features, 

including paleontological resources and caves, for purposes of ecological sustainability, 

education, scientific discovery, and public enjoyment. 

Abandoned Mine Land (AML) - Safety Risk Features Mitigated - The FY 2015 

President’s Budget proposal funds the mitigation of an estimated 486 abandoned mine 

sites. The AML program specifically focuses on mitigating safety risk features and 

related activities associated with abandoned mines that are likely to cause serious injury 

or death in high use areas and high-priority watersheds. 

Manage Environmental Compliance - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal funds 17 

environmental compliance audits, ensuring that employee and public health and safety 

are protected through agency compliance with environmental laws and regulations. 

Little Missouri National Grassland,

North Dakota

The Forest Service approves industry 

plans for use of National Forest System 

lands to explore and produce oil and 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Manage Environmental Restoration - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal funds 

restoration activities on 42 hazardous material sites on NFS lands. Cleanup of 

contaminated sites is critical for the long-term protection of surface and groundwater 

quality, and contributes to overall public and ecological health.

Past Performance

Number of Mineral Operations Administered (95 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, 

the agency administered 10,019 mineral operations to standard. Mineral operations include 

activities for locatable and salable minerals; non-energy leasable minerals activities; and 

approved oil, gas, coal, and geothermal operations. Administering an operation includes Forest 

Service actions taken to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of all previously 

approved permits or authorizations, such as a mineral material permit, acceptance of a Notice of 

Intent, an approved Plan of Operation, or prospecting permits.

Number of Mineral Applications Processed (81 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, 

the agency processed 5,865 mineral applications. The shortfall in our anticipated FY 2013 

accomplishment for mineral applications processed was due, in part, to NEPA-related court 

decisions which require full notice, comment, and appeal opportunities for actions that were once 

typically categorically excluded and added new permitting requirements. Recent updates in our 

locatable mineral regulations at 36 CFR 228 Subpart A, consistent with a 2012 court ruling, 

allow the operator to decide whether to submit a Notice of Intent if they feel the activity will not 

require a proposed Plan of Operation. Therefore, fewer notices are being submitted to Ranger 

Districts and the number of mineral applications processed (which includes Notices of Intent) 

has dropped.

The shortfall is also due to field inspections delayed because of wildfires and the fact that 

applications for locatable minerals are often based on walk-in proposals. Walk-in proposals are 

usually not planned, but instead are brought in by a proponent and are subject to the availability 

of specialists and other resources. Some proposals are not processed until the following year. 

Number of Geologic Hazards Managed (142 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, the 

agency took management action on 340 identified geologic hazards. The larger than expected 

accomplishment was due, in part, to the fact that many of these actions were relatively simple 

and of short duration; however, this is an anomaly that cannot be depended on. Also, because of 

the sudden and unexpected nature of certain types of geologic hazards, field units are obligated 

to take action on them even though they may not have been accounted for in targets.

Number of Geologic Resources Managed (120 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, the 

agency took management action on 662 geologic resources, including paleontological sites, 

caves, and other specially managed geologic features. The larger than expected accomplishment 

was due, in part, to the fact that many of these actions were simple and of short duration, 

allowing additional geologic resources to be addressed. Managing geologic resources is 

necessary for conservation and interpretation of special and unique features, including 

paleontological resources and caves, for purposes of ecological sustainability, education, 

scientific discovery, and public enjoyment of public lands.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Number of Administrative Units where Audits were Conducted (120 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, the agency completed 18 external environmental compliance audits 

of our facilities. We were able to complete additional audits on units in close proximity for little 

additional cost thus ensuring compliance with our mandate of auditing 20 percent of our 

administrative units annually.

Number of Abandoned Mine Land Safety Risk Features Mitigated: (134 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, the agency mitigated 604 hazardous mine features including open 

adits (horizontal mine openings) and shafts (vertical mine openings) at abandoned mines 

resulting in a safer environment for visitors and employees on NFS lands. The accomplishment 

of additional targets in FY 2013 was due in part to completion of projects scheduled but not 

completed in FY 2012. 

Number of Contaminated Sites Mitigated (117 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, the 

agency mitigated 42 contaminated hazardous material sites. The increased accomplishment is 

due primarily to the identification of previously unknown contaminated sites located within 

ongoing cleanup of project areas. These unanticipated cleanups of sites such as oil spills, 

marijuana farms, and methamphetamine labs were able to be added cost effectively to existing 

projects’ scopes of work. Additionally, partnerships and responsible party settlements 

contributed to our ability to accomplish more work on the ground. 

Barren Fork Coal Mine Portal Safety Closures, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky

BEFORE AFTER 

These pictures of the Barren Fork Coal Mine provide an example of a permanent closure constructed at the opening of an 

abandoned coal mine to improve public safety, protect bat habitat and minimize vandalism to historic structures. This 

Kentucky coal mine was in operation in the late 1800s to 1930s by the Barren Fork Coal Company. Today, mine openings, 

or portals, associated with this mine are located adjacent to the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail. “Extreme 

explorers” view these abandoned mines as challenging and dangerous adventures. Such hazardous environments can 

become deadly due to toxic gases, low oxygen levels and subsidence or collapses. Safety closures over mine portals are 

completed every year providing a safer environment for visitors and employees on NFS lands.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The Minerals and Geology Management (MGM) program provides significant contributions to 

meeting the Nation’s energy and mineral needs while providing jobs and protecting NFS 

watersheds and resources. The MGM program provides the technical foundation and direction 

for management of geologic hazards and management and protection of geologic resources. 

Additionally, the MGM program mitigates the effects of abandoned mines and other 

contaminated sites on NFS lands and conducts environmental compliance audits to assure our 

operations are in agreement with environmental laws and requirements to protect human health 

and safety and the environment.

Minerals and Energy on NFS lands

Energy and mineral production from NFS lands contributes almost $8 billion annually to the 

Nation’s economy. In addition to receipts from lease rentals, royalties, bonus bids, and mineral 

material sales returned to the Treasury, States, and counties, mineral and energy development on 

NFS lands supports on average approximately 56,000 jobs each year, often in areas or 

communities where employment opportunities are limited. Of the total receipts received through 

energy and minerals production on NFS lands, 75 percent or 50 percent (depending on whether 

production is from Acquired or Public Domain lands) are returned to the Treasury. The other 25 

percent or 50 percent (again, depending on land status) is returned to the States or counties where 

production occurred.

Energy and mineral production on NFS lands falls into the following four categories:

Energy production from federal leases on NFS lands - Over 5.5 million acres underlying 

NFS lands are currently leased for oil, gas, coal, and geothermal operations. In FY 2013, 

coal from NFS lands accounted for about 25 percent of the Nation’s coal production,

there were an estimated 4,200 federal oil and gas wells on NFS lands, and production of 

geothermal energy on NFS lands contributed 16.5 million kilowatt-hours of electrical 

generation capacity. The returns to federal treasury from annual lease rentals, royalties 

on production, and bonus bids were $538 million, of which $378 million came from coal, 

and $160 million came from oil and gas.

Energy exploration and production from non-federal minerals underlying NFS lands -

Non-federal, mostly private, mineral interests are associated with close to 11 million 

acres of NFS lands. In addition to activities associated with federal minerals described 

above, close to 15,500 oil and gas wells and a few other types of mineral development 

operations are associated with these private mineral interests on NFS lands. Small 

business interests conduct the majority of these operations. Each oil and gas well can 

directly contribute to up to 115 jobs through the life of the well, with about three 

additional indirect jobs associated with each direct job.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Solid leasable minerals (non-energy) - Production of solid non-energy leasable minerals 

on NFS lands include phosphate, lead, zinc, and copper and in 2012 generated royalties 

of $21 million. Ongoing exploration projects for other valuable mineral deposits are 

occurring across the country. 

Mineral production from NFS Lands - At any given time, the agency administers 

operations on approximately 160,000 mining claims, and manages approximately 2,600 

mineral material permits and/or sale contracts. In 2012, the 8 largest hard rock mines on 

NFS lands produced resources with an estimated value of $1.6 billion. Mineral material 

sales (e.g., sand and gravel) vary from year to year but in FY 2012, 2.9 million short tons, 

at a value exceeding $3.2 million, were produced. A large portion of the material is 

provided as free use to other government agencies or for in-service use. The portion that 

was sold generates $2.2 million in revenue. 

Geologic Resources and Hazards on NFS lands 

Geologic resources include sites and areas with scientific, aesthetic, cultural, educational, 

recreational, and other values based on geology; paleontological resources; cave systems; and 

groundwater resources and associated groundwater-dependent ecosystems. NFS lands have over 

1,000 designated special geologic sites and areas, with potentially thousands more undesignated 

sites that provide a variety of benefits to the public. In many cases, geologic resources, 

especially those with statutory protection, such as paleontological resources, significant caves, 

and water, require specialized expertise and strategies for management and conservation. 

Geologic hazards are geologic conditions or processes, such as floods, landslides, avalanches, 

earthquakes, volcanoes, and naturally occurring hazardous minerals and gases (e.g., asbestos, 

radon) that present a risk or have the potential to threaten life, property, or other natural 

resources. Hundreds of sites, especially those with high recreational value and use, require 

specialized technical assessment, continuous monitoring, and/or mitigation to minimize threats to 

life, health, and infrastructure from geologic hazards.

Abandoned Mine Lands, and Environmental Compliance and Protection 

Analysis of available data indicates there may be 27,000 to 39,000 abandoned mines on NFS 

lands, of which approximately18,000 to 26,000 are abandoned hardrock mines. Of these 

hardrock mines, an estimated 9,000 to 13,000 are past producers of valuable minerals, and 

therefore more likely to require environmental cleanup or safety mitigation work. Since 1998, 

the agency has mitigated more than 5,000 safety hazards at abandoned mines and cleaned up 

hazardous substances at more than 450 sites, with more than 100 cleanups in progress. 

Additionally, the agency conducts environmental compliance audits of approximately 20 percent 

of its administrative units annually. The agency emphasizes training and pollution prevention as 

a means to both achieve and maintain environmental compliance.

The Minerals and Geology Management program is delivered through six activities: 

Administer Mineral Operations - Provides for the inspection, oversight, and monitoring 

of approved mineral operations on NFS lands. Administration ensures compliance with 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

approved plans, and with State and Federal environmental laws and regulations, for the 

protection of public health and safety.

Process Mineral Applications - Provides for the review and approval of plans for 

proposed mineral activities, including exploration and development of hardrock minerals 

under the authority of the Mining Act of 1872; coal, oil, gas, and geothermal exploration 

and production under the various mineral and geothermal leasing acts; and contracts for 

the extraction of mineral materials such as sand and gravel, by the public and local, State, 

and Federal agencies under the Materials Act of 1947. Also, provides for necessary work 

to make lands available for leasing by the Department of the Interior.

Mitigate Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Safety Risk Features - Provides for the 

inventory, assessment, and mitigation of abandoned mine safety hazards and associated 

environmental damage. This work includes closing underground mine openings and 

vertical shafts; re-contouring open pits, trenches, and associated roads; and removing or 

stabilizing abandoned buildings, and equipment. Wherever feasible, AML work 

minimizes or mitigates adverse effects on dependent wildlife and AML-associated 

cultural and historic resources. 

Manage Geologic Resources and Hazards - Provides assessments of geologic settings and 

processes for land management planning, environmental protection and restoration, and 

cost-effective management of roads, recreation sites, and other infrastructure. Program 

delivery activities include inventory and management of geologic resources such as caves 

and karst areas, paleontological resources, groundwater, and ground water-dependent 

ecosystems for protection, study, and appropriate use. Activities also include 

identification, assessment, and management of potential risks to public health and safety 

from geologic hazards such as landslides, debris flows, karst collapse features, and 

naturally occurring hazardous minerals and gases (e.g., asbestos and radon).

Manage Environmental Compliance - This activity funds audits and our compliance 

program that assesses Forest Service compliance with environmental statutes and trains 

field personnel on compliance and pollution prevention.

Manage Environmental Restoration - This activity provides for the inventory, assessment, 

cleanup, long-term operation and maintenance, and monitoring of sites where there is a 

release, or threat of release, of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant on NFS 

lands. Restoration occurs at both AML and non-AML sites and involves Comprehensive 

Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and non-CERCLA 

authorities. Cleanup projects are typically initiated under requirements of CERCLA, the 

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or the Clean Water Act. This restoration helps 

minimize or eliminate threats to human health and the environment.

Allocation and Integration

Regional allocation criteria for the Minerals and Geology Management program include 

projected workload in response to new and ongoing mineral exploration, development, 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

production and reclamation activities; number of AML safety features requiring mitigations, as 

well as severity of and probability of human contact to abandoned mine hazards; projected need 

for inventory, interpretation, and protection of geologic resources; number of required 

environmental audits; and number of nationally prioritized environmental cleanup projects. 

Adjustments may be made between regions based on regional capability data to respond to new 

issues or emerging mineral development trends and markets.

Integration with other resource programs is a priority that helps the agency facilitate 

environmentally sound mineral development while maintaining and restoring healthy 

watersheds. This integration is designed to ensure compliance with applicable environmental 

laws and regulations and to minimize impacts on natural resources. Integration with other 

programs also maximizes the achievement of diverse resource objectives that are compatible 

with program activities, such as interpretation of culturally significant sites, restoration of water 

quality, and protection of threatened and endangered species. 

Partnerships 

The Forest Service works in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to manage 

the Federal minerals on NFS lands. The Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM, has 

management responsibilities for the Federal mineral estate, including Federal minerals that 

underlie NFS lands. The Forest Service is responsible for the management of surface resources 

on mineral, oil, and gas projects proposed or operating on NFS lands. 

The Forest Service, the BLM, and industry form partnerships through the issuance of various 

mineral leases. Industry provides capital, and expertise, while the agencies provide lands on 

which to explore and develop mineral and energy resources in an environmentally sound manner 

for the Nation. 

The Forest Service is also developing partnerships with geologic and hydrologic organizations to 

help raise awareness of the importance of applying geologic principles to ensure sound and 

sustainable management of geologic resources and safe management of geologic hazards on NFS 

lands. In addition, these partnerships will help improve awareness of the role of NFS lands in 

supplying ground and surface water to meet societal needs. Cooperative partnerships with other 

government agencies and non-profit organizations also supplement appropriated funds to 

inventory and assess geologic resources and restore streams and watersheds. 

Agency emphasis within the environmental compliance and protection and AML activities 

includes cost recovery and efficient and effective use of partnerships including, but not limited 

to, Environmental Protection Agency, States, non-profit groups, and Tribes to restore and 

remediate abandoned mine lands and disturbed ecosystems. Costs of restoration work may be 

recovered when the potentially responsible party is identified. 

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Landownership Management

Budget Line Item Landownership Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Landownership Management

Annual Appropriations $79,869 $77,730 $71,440 -$6,290 -8%

Landownership Management Total 79,869 77,730 71,440 -6,290 -8%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 603 593 592 -1 -0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 603 593 592 -1 -0%

Landownership Management

Adjust Land Ownership 14,376 14,769 13,574 -1,195 -8%

Protect Land Ownership Title 5,592 7,773 7,144 -629 -8%

Locate Land Boundaries 19,967 22,542 20,718 -1,824 -8%

Administer Energy, Communication and Land Use 

Authorizations 25,957 21,764 20,003 -1,761 -8%

Process Land Use Proposals 13,977 10,882 10,001 -881 -8%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Landownership Management

Acres of land adjustments to conserve the integrity of 

undeveloped lands and habitat quality 156,081 26,330 19,697 23,566 22,860 21,030

Number of land use authorizations administered to 

standard 17,271 17,735 11,573 28,887 12,500 14,700

Number of land use proposals and applications processed 4,505 4,339 3,507 4,047 3,500 3,600

Miles of landownership boundary line 

marked/maintained to standard 3,823 3,862 1,895 2,322 2,707 2,070

FY 2015 Program Changes

The President’s FY 2015 Budget includes $71,440,000 for Landownership Management, a 

decrease of $6,290,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

In FY 2015, these funds provide for basic land management or real estate activities necessary to 

support all National Forest System (NFS) programs, in addition to those of special emphasis, 

including ecosystem restoration and the Administration’s emphasis on renewable energy, 

communications and energy transmission. The Landownership Management program will lay 

the foundation for all natural resource management activities, including: providing for the survey 

and location of public lands, maintaining all records associated with the public’s ownership, and 

granting authorizations for use and development of NFS lands, such as communication sites, 

energy transmission corridors, water developments, as well as roads and highways. This 

program will also provide land exchanges and other ownership adjustments, critical to protecting 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

sensitive lands while maintaining stable tax bases and providing for community development and 

protection. 

Within the broad spectrum of Landownership Management, the following activities are critical to 

meeting public needs and expectations: Adjust Land Ownership; Protect Land Ownership Title; 

Locate Land Boundaries; and Administer Energy, Communication and Land Use Authorizations; 

and Process Land Use Proposals. Agency priorities for FY 2015 within each of those activities 

are as follows:

Adjust Land Ownership - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal includes funds to 

exchange ownership of NFS and private lands. Landownership adjustment helps improve 

public access, conserve open space where its loss threatens the sustainability of the 

national forests and grasslands, and to protect healthy forested lands and watersheds. 

Adjustments encourage private development on lands better suited for that purpose, 

including construction of infrastructure on private lands. Land adjustment also supports 

more effective and efficient Forest Service management by preserving intact watersheds 

and reducing fragmentation. Consolidating ownership allows us to reduce future land 

management costs for both landowners and taxpayers, respond to community 

development needs, and retain lands on local tax rolls. 

Protect Land Ownership Title - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal includes funds to 

resolve critical land title claims, encroachments, trespass, and other unauthorized uses, 

specifically those that involve litigation, legislation, or are associated with tribal land claims. 

Resolution of these claims secures and protects the interest, rights, title, and land and resources 

of the U.S. and bona fide claimants. We also identify and process critical changes in land 

classifications such as wilderness, roadless, research natural areas, and assist in processing 

mineral withdrawals to protect these designated areas. We anticipate reducing overall costs to 

resolve title cases by implementing the new Title Claims and Encroachment Management 

System (TCEMS) database. TCEMS will help us focus law enforcement and other management 

efforts where the largest number and most significant encroachments are located and evaluate 

long-term management challenges which will help us to identify lands which could be conveyed 

or acquired in order to reduce management costs.

Locate Land Boundaries - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposal includes funds to mark and 

maintain NFS property line as part of priority restoration, watershed protection, and other 

resource management projects. Encroachments and trespass on NFS lands continue to grow due 

to increasing development in the rural landscape and the rapidly expanding wildland urban 

interface. Marking and maintaining property lines help secure investments in natural resource 

Eagle Valley Land Exchange Supports Conservation and Community Resources

With Five Eagle County Colorado entities, one state agency, and a local private landowner, in FY 2013 the 

Forest Service completed a complex land exchange that will permanently protect 1,549 acres of open space 

in the communities of Avon and Edwards. The project included the conveyance of 758 acres of isolated 

Forest Service lands to local governments for open space programs, water supply systems, and roads and 

trails in exchange for 828 acres of high resource lands. The exchange represents one of the most significant 

conservation legacy acts in Eagle Valley and a significant investment in those communities.

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management. Clearly identifying NFS boundaries also provides landownership protection, 

security, and title defense. Leaving property lines unmarked and unmaintained can result in 

expensive and protracted litigation and loss of public lands and public trust. To maximize cost 

efficiencies, we prioritize cooperative and joint land surveys with other agencies through 

challenge cost-share and other agreements.

Administer Energy, Communication and Other Land Use Authorizations, Process Land 

Use Proposals - The FY 2015 President’s Budget provides funds for the administration of 

special use permits on NFS lands, of which there are 180 different categories of land 

uses. This includes $8,000,000 for the evaluation of new proposals and the inspection, 

oversight, and monitoring of non-recreation infrastructure related special use 

authorizations. In response to an OIG Audit of the Special Uses program, we have 

established criteria to prioritize monitoring and inspections to focus staffing resources on 

situations where, if noncompliance occurs, it is more likely to have adverse impacts on 

natural resources and/or on health and safety. The revised inspection system will 

improve monitoring of health and safety in the delivery of public facilities and services to 

visitors of the NFS.

Key services provided by Lands special uses are energy development, transmission, and 

communications, all of which are essential to community infrastructure. We will 

continue to permit approximately 15,000 miles of power lines, 6,600 miles of pipelines, 

1,500 communications sites, 14,000 recreation residences, and 2,000 domestic water 

impoundments (reservoirs) in FY 2015. We will prioritize reducing the expired 

authorization backlog to meet reductions outlined in regional action plans developed in 

response to Office of Inspector General Audit report 08601-55-SF. 

In FY 2015, we will implement the newly released vegetation management desk guide 

and the soon to be completed Memorandum of Understanding with industry regarding 

vegetation management in utility corridors. In addition, we will inspect and monitor 

existing utility corridor authorizations. Lastly, we will begin to implement the 

recommendations from the Forest Service’s energy team for protecting the resource, and 

enhancing capabilities and streamlining processes on NFS lands.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensed hydropower facilities are one 

of the largest sources of renewable energy produced on the NFS and have an installed 

capacity of over 18,000 megawatts of power. In FY 2015, we anticipate participating in 

currently planned FERC administered license proceedings and responding to new 

proposals sufficient to meet all FERC regulated deadlines. The Forest Service develops 

Castle Butte – Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

Castle Butte is a Forest Service lookout with two-way radio antennas, for private mobile radio service. Users 

include the Forest Service and State of Idaho (Police, Transportation, Fish & Game, etc.). The solar array is 

used to charge the batteries, which in turn runs the equipment, as there is no power to this remote site. Castle 

Butte is one example of a local government co-locating on our facilities to meet communication and public 

safety needs.

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and submits Federal Power Act Section 4 (e) conditions that include appropriate 

mitigation of project effects. Mitigations include fish protection upstream and 

downstream, integrated management of campgrounds along project reservoirs, providing 

for recreational flow releases, and protecting cultural resources potentially affected by 

project operations. 

Past Performance

Acres of land adjustments to conserve the integrity of undeveloped lands and habitat quality (120 

percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, we acquired 23,566 acres, nearly 4,000 above the 

target of 19,697 acres. Land adjustment targets are estimated based on funding levels and 

historic averages, and not necessarily the workload that a region is able to complete in that fiscal 

year. Land adjustment, primarily conducted through exchanges, is one of many tools we have to 

support other resource objectives, and is often a multi-year process. 

Number of land use proposals and applications processed (115 percent of target accomplished). 

In FY 2013, we processed 4,047 proposals and applications for new land use authorizations on 

the NFS. In any given year, the number of land use applications we process is based on the 

number we receive, and we set targets based on historic averages. We have no control over the 

number of proposals we receive nor the complexity of the requests, which can vary from a 

mailbox to a major power line. Further, some national forests and grasslands have issued 

moratoria on the acceptance of new applications due to staffing limitations. 

Miles of NFS boundary line marked/maintained to standard (123 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, we marked and maintained 2,322 miles of NFS boundary line, 426 

miles above our target, due in part to more cost effective surveys, cooperative efforts with 

adjoining landowners and other Federal agencies, unplanned projects supporting other resource 

areas, and adjoining development on non-NFS lands, all requiring boundary management 

support. 

Number of land use authorizations administered to standard (250 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, we reported as “administered to standard” 28,887 out of 

approximately 45,000 total authorizations for non-recreation land uses on the NFS, exceeding 

our target of 11,573. While the FY 2013 accomplishment may suggest that we performed 

significantly above our target, this would be a misleading conclusion. In the middle of FY 2013, 

we changed our reporting and 

monitoring standards in response to a 

report by the USDA Office of the 

Inspector General, and as a result, in FY 

2013 many of our simpler permits were 

counted as “administered to 

standard.” The new standards will help 

field staff focus inspections on the more complex permits, such as those for communications 

sites and electric transmission lines, enabling us to better address health and safety needs and 

potential impacts to ecological resources. 

Mountain Top Communications Site 

The Forest Service administers approximately 4,200 authorizations 

at more than 1,500 communication sites, to help meet America’s 

communication and public safety needs. These uses annually 

generate approximately $10 million in revenue to the United States 

Treasury.

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In FY 2014, we will update the definition of the measure and reset targets to continue aligning 

accomplishments with new reporting requirements.

Program Description

Program Overview 

The Landownership Management program enables us to secure and protect approximately 193 

million acres of lands and interests within the NFS and ensures that we return economically 

valuable public services and benefits from those lands. Through this program, we support the 

public interest both as a Federal landowner and as a neighbor and member of local communities 

across the Nation. Landownership Management supports restoration activities on crossboundary landscapes by providing legal clarity on federal land boundaries; allows the agency to 

work with communities to implement optimal ownership patterns of Federal and private land; 

and allows the agency to administer activities that directly support thousands of private sector 

jobs through special use activities on NFS lands. 

Landownership Management is a critical component to effectively carry out agency and national 

priorities. Examples include the identification and administration of renewable energy 

development and energy corridors (approximately 15,000 miles of powerlines), management of 

1,500 mountain top communication sites, funding the acquisition of lands to provide access and 

consolidate aquatic and terrestrial habitats and fire buffers, management of 14,000 cabin lots, 

legal protection of watersheds that serve as natural reservoirs for water supplies, and many other 

economically and environmentally valuable land uses. Landownership Management also 

provides the legally defensible boundaries and records that are essential to implement any type of

land management activity, from timber sales to habitat management to exploration for energy or 

gas production. Without the certainty of legally defensible boundaries, Federal investments on 

NFS lands are often subject to expensive and time-consuming legal disputes. 

The agency marks and maintains NFS property lines and protects forest resources in support of 

other land and resource management priorities. Not administering permits or identifying 

boundaries can result in trespass, encroachments, title claims, expensive and protracted litigation, 

and loss of public lands, as well as damage or destruction of special areas, plants, fish, and 

wildlife. 

Some of the uses and activities we facilitate for the benefit of the American public include:

• acquiring priority land to protect critical resources and to increase public recreation 

opportunities,

• authorizing the use of NFS lands for power lines, fiber optic lines, and communication 

sites such as cell phone towers to provide electricity and communication infrastructure to 

cities and communities,

• authorizing the use of NFS mountain tops for many types of communications, including 

emergency services, which are critical to rural and urban America, particularly in the 

West, 

• authorizing the use of NFS lands for pipelines to carry natural gas and oil,

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• ensuring that hydroelectric projects protect critical resources riparian areas on a national

forest or grassland,

• exchanging and conveying lands to achieve a desired NFS landownership pattern that

supports forest land and resource goals and objectives,

• conveying administrative sites to allow us to realign and enhance our asset portfolio;

• surveying national forest boundaries to identify and protect private and public lands;

• determining the market value of lands purchased, exchanged, or conveyed,

• authorizing road access across NFS land to a private subdivision within a national forest,

• accepting donations of land to protect important resources, including archaeological or

historical sites,

• maintaining records of NFS land areas, transactions, status, permitted uses, and

easements, and

• securing public road and trail access across private land to public NFS lands.

The program is delivered through the following activities: 

Adjust Land Ownership - This activity supports landscape scale management by 

consolidating ownership patterns, creating more contiguous habitat, and managing 

benefits to the public and wildlife. Adjusting land ownership improves the efficiency of 

land management, allows the agency to better meet public access needs, reduces 

intermingled ownership and boundary maintenance, eases fire protection and law 

enforcement control, facilitates road maintenance, and minimizes trespass and 

encroachment cases. It allows the agency to convey to private ownership lands which 

have lost their national forest character, are isolated from other public ownership, and/or 

are heavily encumbered with private uses. In addition, adjusting land ownership secures 

access across private lands necessary to reach NFS lands for resource management and 

public recreational use. Land ownership adjustment is carried out principally through 

exchanges, conveyances, and rights-of-way acquisitions. Case processing involves site 

analysis, title review, legal description verification, and appraisal and deed execution.

Protect Land Ownership Title - This activity funds title defense and resolution of land 

title claims, Tribal claims, trespass, encroachments, other unauthorized uses, land sales, 

and grants and selections. It includes title claim identification, inventory, and 

investigation. This activity also includes managing the land status record system, which 

provides legally defensible boundaries and accurate, complete landownership records of 

NFS lands. 

Locate Land Boundaries - This activity provides professional land surveying services, 

including property boundary surveys, locating and marking NFS property lines and 

administrative boundary lines, boundary and property corner maintenance and 

perpetuation, legal land description preparation and review, land title research, expert 

witness testimony, and geospatial and geodetic services, in order to protect the title, land 

ownership, and use of the public estate. The Forest Service has 276,000 miles of 

property line, of which approximately 33,000 miles (12 percent) are currently marked to 

Forest Service standards. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Administer Energy, Communication and Other Land Use Authorizations, Process Land 

Use Proposals - This activity allows the program to administer approximately 47,200 

land use authorizations for a wide variety of purposes, including rights-of-way for roads, 

pipelines, communication and navigation sites, and electric transmission and distribution 

facilities. Such permitted uses on NFS lands directly support jobs, particularly in rural 

communities where the agency is a major landowner. The program funds inspection, 

oversight, and monitoring of existing non-recreation special use authorizations to ensure 

compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization while ensuring the health 

and safety of the public; protection of the environment; compliance with Federal, State, 

and local laws and regulations; and protection of the interests of the United States. 

This activity provides for evaluation of new proposals to occupy and use NFS lands for 

non-recreational purposes. Included are proposals for roads, communications sites, 

hydropower facilities, oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines, and other energy 

related uses to facilitate the delivery of reliable energy resources and communication 

links.

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated to the regions based on regional program capability, core operations support, 

and national priorities. The allocation process considers past performance and future needs 

regarding boundary management, landownership adjustments, land use authorization processing 

and administration, and title protection.

In each fiscal year, FY 2014 and FY 2015 the agency estimates that we will transfer up to 

$500,000 to the BLM for federal authority cadastral surveys on NFS lands.

Partnerships 

The agency cooperates with many other Federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Land 

Management, the National Park Service, and the Department of Defense; State agencies; 

interagency working groups; local and Tribal governments; non-Federal exchange parties; and 

private landowners. The program identifies and secures cost-share and partnership opportunities 

in order to enhance management of public lands, eliminate or reduce redundant efforts, and 

leverage funds to secure high-priority resource lands for public access and resource protection.

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Law Enforcement Operations

Budget Line Item Law Enforcement Operations

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Law Enforcement Operations

Annual Appropriations $133,984 $126,653 $125,860 -$793 -1%

Law Enforcement Operations Total 133,984 126,653 125,860 -793 -1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 855 729 724 -5 -1%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 855 729 724 -5 -1%

Law Enforcement Operations

Enforce Laws & Regulations 88,429 83,591 83,066 -525 -1%

Investigate Crime 45,555 43,062 42,794 -268 -1%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Law Enforcement Operations

Percent of cases referred for adjudication 7.5% 7.7% 6.7% 8.1% 7.3% 7.0%

Number of documented law enforcement incidents per 

10,000 forest visits 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.3 6.1 6.0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s budget proposes $125,860,000 for Law Enforcement and Investigations 

(LEI), a decrease of $793,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. LEI will 

continue to prioritize response to emergency and life-threatening situations. This includes 

placing emphasis on combating the illegal activities of Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) 

operating on National Forest System (NFS) lands, particularly in California and along the 

Southwest and Northern borders. 

LEI will also continue crime prevention with the National Sherriff’s Association through the use 

of cooperative law enforcement agreements at a reduced level. In support of the National Fire 

Plan, LEI will continue to prioritize arson investigations.

Specific priorities within each activity include:

Enforce Laws and Regulations – The FY 2015 President’s Budget request of $83,066,000 

funds uniform patrol presence to protect natural resources, Forest Service employees, and 

the public and respond to safety incidents and violations of laws and regulations. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Investigate Crime – The FY 2015 President’s Budget request of $42,794,000 will fund 

criminal and civil investigations for arson, drug possession, theft and assaults. Drug 

Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) have been identified as the key producer of marijuana 

on NFS lands. DTO activities have been confirmed on 68 national forests in 20 States.

In FY 2015, LEI estimates 7.0 percent of cases will be referred for adjudication and there will be 

approximately 6.0 documented law enforcement incidents per 10,000 forest visits.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, there were 6.3 documented law enforcement incidents per 10,000 forest visits, 

compared to a target of 6.4. Many of these incidents were critical emergency incidents involving 

threats to the safety of the public, our employees, or property and resources. Also in FY 2013, 

8.1 percent of all criminal cases were referred for adjudication compared to a target of 6.7 

percent. Many of the adjudicated cases included serious felony violations of law such as assault, 

controlled substance violations, theft and damage of government property, and significant civil 

cases. In FY 2013, Law Enforcement and Investigations (LEI) staffing levels were at reduced 

levels due to hiring difficulties and concerns with projected budgets. Although visitation and 

activity levels have increased and personnel levels have decreased, LEI has maintained 

performance consistent with previous years.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Forest Service LEI program is charged with providing a safe environment for the public, our 

employees, and protecting the Nation’s natural resources on approximately 193 million acres of 

NFS lands in 44 states. The program accomplishes this by enforcing laws and regulations and 

investigating crimes. Increasing population growth in the wildland-urban interface, increasing 

popularity of NFS lands for motorized recreational use, and illegal occupancy of NFS lands 

cause significant impacts to NFS lands and resources and increase risks to public and employee 

health and safety.

The LEI program provides a highly visible uniformed patrol presence and rapid emergency 

responses to incidents affecting the public and employees visiting or working on NFS lands. LEI 

conducts regular and recurring patrols. The LEI staff responds to crimes and conducts complex 

criminal and civil investigations ranging from minor infractions to serious felonies such as 

homicide, rape, assaults, and threats against the public and employees, domestic disputes, 

robbery, drug production and trafficking, domestic terrorism, destruction of government 

property, theft of archaeological resources, gang activity, and fire investigations. 

The LEI staff also frequently responds to catastrophic natural or manmade disasters at the local, 

regional, and national level, and commonly provide immediate emergency response in support of 

catastrophic wildland fire incidents on public lands. LEI is often the first law enforcement 

responder in these incidents and responsible for the safety of firefighting personnel and 

equipment, the evacuation of visitors and residents, and the protection of property. The LEI 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

program is also a rapidly deployable national law enforcement asset under the FEMA 

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #13- Public Safety and Security. 

Approximately 80 percent of marijuana grown on Federal public lands is grown on NFS lands. 

The LEI is the lead agency combating this threat to public lands. LEI’s efforts to address illegal 

cannabis production, the associated severe environmental damage, and the significant safety risk 

Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) pose to public lands is a central tenet of the White 

House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy National Drug Control Strategy’s goal to 

Disrupt Domestic Drug Trafficking and Production and to Eradicate Marijuana Cultivation. 

This program performs the following two activities:

Enforce Laws & Regulations – Includes uniformed patrol presence resource protection 

patrols and response to public and employee safety incidents and violations of laws and 

regulations. Common incidents on national forests include theft, assault, alcohol and drug 

use, unauthorized motor vehicle use, illegal occupancy, and trespassing. 

To protect NFS resources and visitors, Forest Service law enforcement officers carry 

firearms, defensive equipment, make arrests, execute search warrants, complete reports and 

testify in court. They establish a regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public 

lands, roads, and recreation sites. The primary focus is the protection of natural resources, 

protection of Forest Service employees and the protection of visitors. 

Investigate Crime – Covers criminal and civil investigations of both internal and external 

cases such as felony arson, drug possession, smuggling and manufacturing, thefts, and 

assaults. 

DTOs have been identified as the key producers of marijuana on NFS lands. The DTO 

activities have been confirmed on 68 national forests and in all regions except Region 10. Of 

the marijuana grown on Federal public land, 80 percent is on NFS lands. Illegal ground 

importation and trafficking on or near national forest lands of immigrants, drugs, weapons, 

and other contraband, and illegal exportation of weapons and illicit cash profits create 

ongoing and imminent threats to the personal safety of employees and the visiting public. 

Special Agents plan and conduct investigations concerning possible violations of criminal 

and administrative provisions of the Forest Service and other statutes under the United States 

Code. These normally plain clothes officers carry concealed firearms and other defensive 

equipment, make arrests, carry out complex criminal investigations, prepare investigative 

reports and present cases for prosecution to U.S. Attorneys. 

Allocation and Integration 

Funding allocations support core operations and address priority needs, based on competitive 

regional criteria including number of visitors and acreage of NFS lands. In addition to public 

safety, priority is placed on responding to activity by Drug Trafficking Organizations. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

The LEI program maintains a partnership with Federal, State, and local law enforcement 

agencies and other programs by building strong relationships with State and Local cooperators, 

and Federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency; Federal Bureau of Investigation; 

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Office of the United States Attorney, the 

Federal Court System; and other Federal land management agencies. In addition, the LEI 

program uses approximately 500 Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreements, which utilize state 

and local cooperators to assist and augment patrols on NFS lands to enhance LEI patrol coverage 

and to ensure public safety. However, in many remote areas or areas with diminished local law 

enforcement, LEI often provides the only law enforcement personnel available.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Valles Caldera National Preserve 

Budget Line Item Valles Caldera National Preserve

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Annual Appropriations $3,192 $3,364 0 -$3,364 -100%

Valles Caldera National Preserve Total 3,192 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1 1 0 -1 -100%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1 1 0 -1 -100%

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,192 3,364 0 -3,364 -100%

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget does not propose a separate funding level for management of 

the Valles Caldera National Preserve (Preserve). This program will be funded at $2,586,000 in 

FY 2015 from a variety of budget lines that are directly relevant to the work being completed. 

Funds will support the integrated program management objectives of the Preserve. 

This proposal also allows the Valles Caldera Trust (Trust) to maintain Preserve operations, and 

continue progress toward meeting the goal of becoming financially self-sustaining by the end of 

FY 2015. Continued investment in the Preserve allows the agency and the Trust to protect and 

preserve for future generations the scientific, scenic, historical, and natural values of this unique 

land area. Continued investment also allows the Trust to fully implement the aspiration of 

managing public land in a transparent and financially self-sustaining manner. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the Trust’s goals continued to focus on public access use, restoration, and 

enhancement of the Preserve’s rich natural, cultural and historic resources for sustainable use and 

enjoyment and the financial sustainability to support the preservation, enhancement, and 

operation of the Preserve. The planned year-round access which was scheduled to offer 

additional recreation and education programs and provide for increased public visitation fell 

short due to a major wildfire on the Preserve. The Thompson Ridge Fire, which burned 

approximately 25,000 acres of the Preserve, impacted much of the Trust’s public programs, 

including hunting, fishing, hiking, van tours, environmental education, and special events. The 

Trust, which was staffed to also offer an ecological and economical livestock program that 

contributed revenues towards the management of the Preserve’s resources, was altered due to the 

fire. Total revenue generated from these recreation programs totaled $692,000. Appropriated 

dollars were used for rehabilitation of its road infrastructure, due to the post-fire flooding events 

caused by the 2011 Las Conchas Wildfire and the 2013 Thompson Ridge Wildfire. A total of 

55,000 acres of the Preserve’s 89,000 acres have sustained impacts from these two wildfires. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The Preserve’s entire potable water system has been compromised by the Thompson Ridge Fire 

and as of yet repairs have not been initiated.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve Public Access and Use Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) Plan and Record of Decision were completed in FY 2013, along with the completion of the 

Draft EIS for the Valles Caldera National Preserve Landscape Restoration and Management 

Plan. The Final EIS along with the Record of Decision is scheduled for completion the first 

quarter of FY 2015. Due to the Las Conchas Fire of 2011 and the Thompson Ridge Fire in 2013, 

the analyses on both plans were delayed because of impacts to the Preserve. 

Program Description

Program Overview

The Valles Caldera Preservation Act of July 25, 2000 (Public Law 106-248) provided for the 

acquisition of the Baca Ranch, located in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. The Act 

designated the Baca Ranch as a Preserve and provides for the management of the 88,900-acre 

tract as a unit of the National Forest System. The Preserve was established to protect various 

natural resources within its boundaries, and to provide multiple-use and sustained-yield of 

renewable resources. In addition, the Act requires the tract to continue to be managed as an 

operating ranch.

The Act requires management of the Preserve by the Trust, a government corporation subject to 

the Government Corporation Control Act. A nine-member Board is responsible for the 

protection and development of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Seven of its members are 

appointed by the President of the United States. In addition, the current Superintendent of 

nearby Bandelier National Monument and the Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest 

also serve on the Board. All Board decisions are made at public meetings. In August of 2002, 

the management authority for the Preserve was transferred to the Trust. 

Funding for the Trust contributes to the management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve’s 

resources to protect grasslands, watersheds, and forest vegetation through the practice of sound 

range, watershed, and forest management. The Valles Caldera National Preserve program also 

supports recreation opportunities as well as protecting and interpreting cultural and historic 

resources.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve program is delivered through the following activities:

Inventory, Monitoring, and Research - This activity includes the inventory, monitoring, 

and research of natural and cultural resources, such as vegetation, animals, soils, geologic 

formations, water resources, archaeological resources, and historic resources. These 

activities provide information for adaptive management of Preserve resources and for 

preparation of environmental documents.

Ecosystem Management - The program emphasis is to restore the resilience and adaptive 

capacity of the Preserve’s forest and grassland systems by thinning forests, managing 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

wildland fires, and eradicating or controlling the spread of noxious weeds. The program 

also promotes increased soil, riparian, and wetland resilience and reduced erosion by 

closing, decommissioning, and maintaining roads; rehabilitating the Preserve’s wetlands, 

geothermal exploration areas, log landing sites, aggregate pit source sites, and other 

historic infrastructure created in support of logging, grazing and geothermal 

development. This includes re-vegetating and otherwise stabilizing stream banks, and 

restoring historic wetland flows. This also includes the management of domestic 

livestock grazing on the Preserve. 

Recreation and Special Use Management - This activity provides for the management of 

recreation and education programs, special use authorizations, and management of 

volunteers. This includes providing interpretive activities; reservation services for 

activities and special events; establishment and management of day-use programs, such 

as, fishing, elk hunting, guided and unguided hiking, horseback riding, and winter sports; 

authorizing special uses for commercial filming and photography; special events such as 

mountain bike rides, marathons, celestial and solar viewing, and group tours; and uses by 

Native Americans for religious and cultural purposes. 

Infrastructure Management - This activity includes the inventory, evaluation, planning, 

programming, and management actions related to occupancy, maintenance and 

improvement of buildings, water and wastewater systems, communication facilities, 

roads, trails, signing, and ranch infrastructure, such as corrals, fences, and earthen tanks. 

Evaluation includes determining the condition and effectiveness of the facility. Planning 

includes forecasting the development, disposal, and major alterations and renovations 

necessary to preserve or restore the functionality of the facility. This includes the use and 

daily maintenance of the Valle Grande Staging area, which is a self-sustainable contact 

station, used for visitor contact and information. 

Partnerships 

The Preserve benefits from monetary as well as non-monetary contributions. Non-monetary 

contributions include time and expertise contributed by many volunteers. These volunteers 

assisted with many of the recreation programs, along with wetland restoration projects 

throughout the year. 

Extramural funding refers to money invested in projects (mostly research, inventory, and 

monitoring) conducted on the Preserve by outside agencies and organizations. A continued 

objective for the Trust is to encourage scientific activities on the Preserve. Indicators for science 

community interest in studying the Valles Caldera National Preserve can be gleaned from the 

number of projects conducted, the amount of funding generated to support these projects, and the 

number of publications and presentations resulting from the research. In FY 2013, funding from 

outside (non-Valles Caldera Trust) sources came from 38 different project sources, and exceeded 

$4.8 million. While these outside grant funds were not part of the Valles Caldera Trust budget, 

they nonetheless contributed to the regional economy through personnel salaries, purchasing of 

equipment and supplies, travel, contracts, and educational stipends – and all of these transactions 

generate tax revenues for the local, State and Federal governments. More importantly, the 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

information gleaned from these studies is being used to advise managers on how best to apply 

manipulative actions on the ground including: forest thinning prescriptions, use of fire, 

distributions of livestock, predator impacts on elk populations, fisheries management, and other 

land management tools.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Appropriation Capital Improvement and Maintenance

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Annual Appropriations $358,510 $350,000 $306,280 -$43,720 -12%

Capital Improvement and Maintenance Total 358,510 350,000 306,280 -43,720 -12%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 2,164 2,157 2,031 -126 -6%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,164 2,157 2,031 -126 -6%

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Facilities 70,572 71,000 71,600 600 1%

Roads 165,959 166,000 154,000 -12,000 -7%

Trails 74,999 75,000 77,530 2,530 3%

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement 2,986 3,000 3,150 150 5%

Legacy Roads and Trails 39,814 35,000 0 -35,000 -100%

Supplemental, Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 

2013 (P.L.113-2) 4,180 0 0 0 0%

Capital Improvement and Maintenance Overview

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $306,280,000 for Capital Improvement and 

Maintenance a decrease of $43,720,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. In 

addition, $61,000,000 is requested through the new Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative 

to repair and maintain trails and facilities across the National Forest System (NFS). 

The Administration has worked this year to analyze and develop a strategy to address 

catastrophic fire risk. There are three main challenges which require a comprehensive plan of 

action to fully address this risk. The first challenge is to provide a stable source of funding for 

wildland fire suppression while minimizing destabilizing transfers from non-fire programs. The 

second is to increase the capacity for active management of Federal lands. Increased land 

management activities will have many benefits including a reduction in wildland fire risk, 

improved fire fighter safety, improved water quantity and quality, and enhanced carbon 

sequestration. The third challenge is for non-Federal land managers, including private land 

owners, to implement actions to reduce the risk of fire and increase the resilience of these lands 

to fire. This budget makes hard choices to support important activities while maximizing the 

Forest Service’s ability to address the three main challenges with wildland fire noted above. 

This resulted in reductions in some programs to increase or maintain funding in others. 

This proposal shifts activities previously conducted under the Roads program and the Legacy 

Roads and Trails program to the Integrated Resource Restoration program under the NFS 

appropriation. Managing our primary capital investments that directly support local 

governments (Roads and Facilities) will allow continued economic interface between counties 

and cities, will connect villages with cities, will insure safe public access to public lands, and 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

will allow for safe and efficient infrastructure connectivity (e.g. fiber optic cables, utility lines, 

etc.). The Forest Service transportation system provides mission critical access for recreational, 

administrative, resource management and commercial purposes. It also provides access to and 

between rural and gateway communities, contributing to community vitality and economic 

development. Infrastructure maintenance and improvement enables the Forest Service to supply 

goods and services to the American public, while helping meet critical natural resource needs. 

In an effort to manage Forest Service lands in a manner consistent with the America’s Great 

Outdoors Initiative, a portion of the Forest Service roads funding will be used to cost-effectively 

address the transportation system maintenance backlog. The National Forest Road System is an 

integral part of the rural transportation network. It provides escape routes in the event of 

wildland fire or other emergency situations, and emergency access for first responders. The 

system also supports recreation visitors who bolster local economies through expenditures in and 

around NFS lands. Maintaining this system is necessary to continue to provide this access, to 

meet Highway Safety Act requirements and to protect the quality of critical water supplies 

provided by NFS lands to communities.

Our agency priority is to provide safe and healthful environments for all users that are in 

compliance with all applicable regulations and codes. Funds will be prioritized to provide 

infrastructure that supports safe public, administrative, and recreation uses. Priority for Facilities 

funding will be placed on repairing and improving those facilities, including buildings, water and 

wastewater systems, dams, and recreation sites, that receive public use and are critical to 

supporting agency mission and operations.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Facilities

Budget Line Item Facilities

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Facilities

Annual Appropriations $70,572 $71,000 $71,600 $600 1%

Facilities Total 70,572 71,000 71,600 600 1%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 394 395 382 -13 -3%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 394 395 382 -13 -3%

Facilities

Maintain Facilities 58,363 59,000 55,369 -3,631 -6%

Improve Facilities 12,209 12,000 16,231 4,231 35%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Facilities

Facilities condition index* 85.0% 84.0% 83.0% 88.0% 82.0% 82.0%

Percent of administrative facilities with "Good" or "Fair" 

condition rating 62.7% 58.0% 63.0% 57.0% 58.0% 57.0%

Percentage of recreation facilities with a "Good" or 

"Fair" condition rating 71.0% 73.0% 70.0% 73.0% 69.0% 68.0%

* Facilities Condition Index (FCI) is a general measure of the constructed asset’s condition. FCI is one minus the ratio of repair needs to the

facility current replacement value, expressed as a percentage. A higher FCI represents a better asset condition. The following assets are 

included in the measure: ALL buildings, Water & Wastewater systems and Dams.

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $71,600,000 for Facilities, an increase of $600,000 

from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. An additional $50,500,000 is also 

requested through the new Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative to repair and maintain 

facilities. 

The agency’s program priorities for FY 2015 will be to support the safety and health of all users 

of our infrastructure. We will place emphasis on facilities that receive public use and are critical 

to supporting agency operations. These facilities include buildings, water and wastewater 

systems, dams, air tanker bases, telecommunication facilities, towers, and recreation sites. The 

table at the end of this section provides a list of major projects costing more than $500,000. 

One of the priorities of the FY 2015 President’s Budget is to emphasize reduction of the agency 

footprint through consolidation and elimination of underutilized facilities. These opportunities 

for footprint reduction are identified through asset management planning and updating of Facility 

Master Plans (FMPs) that incorporate an appropriate level of financial analysis. We will use the 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FMP process and Value Analysis to analyze the minimum level of assets needed to meet the 

agency mission. We will use the results to prioritize acquisition, maintenance and 

decommissioning. 

Another priority is to reduce critical deferred maintenance work items on agency high priority 

assets. The agency is making this work a priority over the next five years, beginning with 

agency owned high hazard dams.

Specific priorities within each activity include:

Maintain Facilities - The FY 2015 President’s Budget funds the maintenance of fire, 

administrative, and other facilities (FA&O), along with recreation facilities and sites. Our 

agency priority is to provide safe and healthful environments for users in compliance with all 

applicable regulations and codes. We will concentrate first on facilities that house employees for 

extended periods of time, store mission-critical equipment, and provide unique recreation 

experiences. Other priorities the agency will address when possible include reducing deferred 

maintenance and making our facilities more sustainable.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-4

Improve Facilities - The FY 2015 President’s Budget funds the improvement of facilities. Our 

agency priorities include replacing or renovating facilities and recreation sites that are critical to

the agency mission, receive the highest use by the public and agency personnel, and are in the 

worst physical condition. New 

building construction projects for Bristlecone Visitor Center, Inyo National Forest, CA

regional offices, supervisor’s offices, 

district offices, visitor centers, and 

research offices or laboratories where 

the building is 10,000 gross square feet 

or greater in size must be registered

and certified using either the U.S. 

Green Building Council’s Leadership 

in Energy and Environmental Design 

(LEED) rating system (minimum 

Silver certification), Green Globes

(minimum Two Green Globes 

certification) or another third-party 

certification system. All other 

buildings, whether new or major 

renovations, must be designed to Facility funds were used to construct a new LEED Gold certified 

incorporate sustainable principles into visitor center replacing one destroyed by an arson fire.

the systems and components 

appropriate to the building type and project scope. This requirement applies to buildings on an 

individual basis, and the most recently issued version of the third-party certification system must 

be used. We encourage construction projects to be designed and constructed with domestically 

harvested wood products ideally locally sourced and from National Forest System lands, 

whenever practicable and feasible. 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In FY 2015, we are updating and clarifying the number of outdoor recreation facilities 

maintained to standard measure to percent of outdoor recreation facilities with “Good” or “Fair” 

condition rating. This will parallel the percent of administrative facilities with “Good” or “Fair” 

condition rating. Likewise, we stopped reporting on the number of administrative buildings 

maintained to standard measure.

Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative 

In December 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (BBA) was enacted which replaced 

reductions in FY 2013 from sequestration with longer-term reforms. The President’s Budget 

adheres to the BBA’s discretionary funding levels for 2015. In addition, the President’s FY 2015 

Budget Request includes a separate $56 billion Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative 

(OGS Initiative) that is offset with spending reductions and tax reforms. In FY 2015, the OGS 

Initiative is designed to spur economic progress, promote opportunity, and strengthen national 

security through additional discretionary investments. 

Under this initiative, $50,500,000 to provide overdue maintenance and repairs on approximately 

5,000 Forest Service facilities across the Nation. This new fund will complement the 

Department of the Interior’s Centennial Initiative and provide essential infrastructure 

maintenance and repair to sustain the benefits of existing infrastructure.

The investment funds will focus on correcting critical deferred maintenance at approximately 

5,000 facility assets. Critical deferred maintenance represents the highest priority component of 

the deferred maintenance backlog, which addresses serious threats to public health or safety, a 

natural resource, or the ability to carry out the mission of the organization. Correcting these 

maintenance deficiencies will be a significant step in addressing the overall $159.5 million of 

critical deferred maintenance backlog that currently exists.

Work will include repairing maintenance items on buildings, water/wastewater systems, dams, 

air tanker base tarmacs, campgrounds and other related facility infrastructure. The cost to repair 

an asset can range from as little as a few thousand to more than several hundred thousand dollars. 

The majority of this work will be done by contracts supporting jobs in our rural communities. 

Investments in facilities infrastructure are essential to create sustainable public access and 

support a wide range of economic opportunities provided by National Forest System (NFS) 

lands. These investments also ensure safe and efficient public access for the use and enjoyment 

of the national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service receives an estimated 160 million 

visits annually and these additional facilities investments will help to sustain the economic return 

to the Nation from NFS lands. Forest Service infrastructure supports recreation visitation that 

contributes almost $13.6 billion annually to the U.S. economy and sustains more than 205,000 

full-and part-time jobs.16

16 USDA Forest Service, March 2013. Chief Tidwell comments before the House Committee on Agriculture, 

Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry March 13, 2013; and National Visitor Use Monitoring Results 

USDA Forest Service National Summary Report (Data collected FY 2007 through FY 2011) Last updated May 22, 

2012.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Piney Campground, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, TN

BEFORE AFTER

A FY 2013 project replaced 40+ year old shower/toilet buildings with pre-fabricated concrete buildings that are 

well received by the public, reduce existing deferred maintenance, provide minimal annual maintenance, meet 

current ADA standards, and greatly improve energy efficiency. 

Past Performance

Number of outdoor recreation facilities maintained to standard (149 percent of target 

accomplished). In FY 2013, 12,260 recreation sites were “maintained to standard.” Personnel 

worked diligently to maintain recreation sites to meet public demand with FY 2013 funds and, 

between FY 2009 and FY 2011, the agency spent permanent appropriation funds (remaining 

from the Recreation Fee Demo program) and Economic Recovery funds to address a significant 

amount of deferred maintenance. This use of funds contributed to the increased number of sites 

we are able to maintain to standard. 

Number of FA&O facilities maintained to standard (93 percent of target accomplished). The 

agency maintained 9,425 out of 16,512 administrative facilities to standard. In FY 2013, 

maintenance activities were focused on the most critical health and safety needs such as ensuring 

water systems are delivering safe potable water; ensuring wastewater systems are not posing 

unacceptable risks from contact, contamination of potable water, or damage to the environment; 

and bringing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and electrical systems up to current codes 

while achieving increased energy efficiencies. The agency focused work on those facilities 

where employees are housed and where the public interacts. Deferred Maintenance, Operations 

and Maintenance of Quarters, Conveyance of Administrative Sties, and the Facilities Assessment 

also contribute to this measure’s accomplishments. Fewer facilities were maintained to standard 

than expected because some contract awards were delayed as a result of fire transfer.

From 2004 through 2013, the agency reduced its total number of buildings from 41,296 to 

40,268. We continue to make significant progress in reducing our facilities footprint. The 

condition of administrative facilities ranges from poor to good, with approximately 42 percent 

needing major repairs or renovation, approximately 13 percent in fair condition, and 45 percent 

of the facilities in good condition. 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The facilities program is integral to supporting the agency themes of restoration, communities, 

and wildland fire management and emergency response efforts. The facility program on each 

National Forest is similar in nature to the facility infrastructure in a county, providing office 

space, emergency protection, and recreation opportunities. 

The agency’s Facilities program supports agency mission activities by administering facilities 

and sites used for recreation, research, and FA&O purposes. FA&O facilities include fire 

facilities, such as airtanker bases, lookouts, airports, heliports, and fire management centers; 

administrative facilities, such as administrative offices (ranger district offices, forest supervisor 

offices, regional offices, research stations, and laboratories), and service and storage buildings; 

and other facilities, such as telecommunication facilities, towers, dams, and recreation visitor 

centers. This program includes carrying out maintenance and capital improvement on 

approximately 23,700 recreation sites, and approximately 23,500 recreation, research, and other 

administrative buildings.

A major part of the Facilities program is to provide the recreation infrastructure for the 166 

million visits that occur annually on NFS Lands. The infrastructure includes 25 major visitor 

centers, campgrounds, trailheads, and day-use sites.

Flexibility to consider a full range of engineering tools is essential to continue to efficiently and 

cost-effectively modernize services the Forest Service provides to the American public, in part 

Corvallis Research Lab & Siuslaw National Forest Headquarters Collocation, OR

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project replaced a 46 year old, 17,000 square foot (SF), energy inefficient and seismically deficient East 

Wing of the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Lab with a new 9,700 SF energy efficient building. The project also improves 

building security and accessibility; saves $10 million over 30 years in operations and maintenance costs; and 

eliminates $4.8 million of deferred maintenance. It collocates the Siuslaw National Forest and Pacific Northwest 

National Resource Inventory System with the Corvallis Forestry Sciences Lab eliminating a high cost lease for the 

National Forest and provides for savings realized from combining multiple agency operations.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

by responsibly reducing the agency’s facilities footprint. When planning major facility projects, 

we include both new construction and maintenance in our list of major facilities projects based 

on our facility master plans and the most effective use of taxpayer dollars. The facility staff are 

demonstrating leadership in environmental sustainability and increasing workforce efficiency by 

providing effective delivery of services to protect human safety, providing cost-effective work 

plans for facilities, modernizing recreational facilities, and eliminating excessively high leases.

The Facilities program consists of two activities, Maintain Facilities and Improve Facilities. 

Maintain Facilities - Maintenance is defined as the act of keeping fixed assets in usable 

condition. It includes repairs, preventive maintenance, and replacement of parts and 

structural components. Maintenance projects for recreation developed sites, such as 

campgrounds and day-use sites, and more expensive FA&O facilities projects are funded 

within this activity. Maintenance excludes operation costs. The maintenance of facilities 

is essential to prevent a potential risk to public or employee safety or health, compliance 

with codes, standards and regulations, to reduce energy and water consumption across the 

agency, and to create a sustainable network of facilities that meet Forest Service needs 

while reducing their environmental impact.

Improve Facilities – This activity includes capital improvement projects for FA&O and 

recreation sites. Capital improvements include alteration of existing facilities to change 

function and expansion of facilities to enhance our capacity to meet needs that are 

different from the original intent. Improvements are often required to expand public 

service capability or recreational opportunities. In many cases, capital improvements 

eliminate deferred maintenance.

J. Herbert Stone Nursery, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests, OR

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project repaired the failing lagoon liner and re-contoured the embankment for the 23 million 

gallon lagoon that supplies irrigation water to J. Herbert Stone Nursery.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

An emphasis for this program is the Forest Service Energy Reduction Plan. One key action to 

address inefficiencies in our energy and water utility bills is to identify the top energy consuming 

facilities. Utility bill clean-up efforts will result in significant cost reductions by eliminating 

unintended waste. Additionally, we are identifying candidate facilities for installing renewable 

biomass heating systems and plan to have approximately 80 smart energy meters operational in 

FY 2014. By 2015, we expect to exceed the requirement in Executive Order 13514 by having 

more than 15 percent of our buildings over 5,000 gross square feet meeting the Guiding 

Principles for High Performance Sustainable Buildings. 

Sustainability at the Forest Service is being implemented through the sustainable operations 

program. Sustainability is at the heart of the Forest Service mission “to sustain the health, 

diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and 

future generations.” The Forest Service strives to promote and practice sustainability in all 

aspects of its operations including: making our buildings and equipment more energy and water 

efficient, buying green and recycled materials, reducing our travel by holding more virtual 

meetings and sharing rides whenever possible, reducing waste whenever possible, and changing 

behavior such as turning off equipment at night or using less of disposable items. 

We will continue to make safety a priority. When safety hazards are identified, we will mitigate 

these hazards at developed sites to the greatest possible extent to ensure we are providing the 

safest possible facilities for the recreating public. 

Allocation and Integration 

Allocations to the field are based upon the agency’s FA&O master plans and high priority 

recreation facilities that address the agency’s long-term strategic asset management objectives 

and the visitor safety action plan. These objectives include reducing long-term operation and 

maintenance costs, reducing deferred maintenance, disposing of unnecessary assets, and 

identifying and mitigating significant potential threats to employee and public safety.

Ely National Air Tanker Base, Superior National Forest, MN

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project replaced a double wide trailer with an office to correct a number of facility 

deficiencies and meet the National Air Tanker Base standards.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Facilities maintenance and improvement activities are also funded by the Deferred Maintenance 

and Infrastructure Improvement budget line item. FA&O facilities are also funded through the 

Facilities Maintenance Assessment funds (see Special Exhibit - Facilities Maintenance 

Assessment) and the Operation and Maintenance of Quarters Fund (see Permanent 

Appropriations Chapter). In addition to appropriated funds, annual maintenance and repairs to 

recreation facilities are also funded through other special authorities, including the Timber Sales 

Pipeline Restoration Fund and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Through the use 

of these funds the Forest Service is able to operate and maintain many of its recreation facilities 

that might otherwise have been closed due to increasing costs.

Partnerships 

The agency accomplishes valuable facility work by leveraging funds for completing these 

activities through partnerships. Volunteers, concessionaires, and other partners are engaged to 

enhance recreation experiences and help maintain nearly 70 percent of recreation sites. The 

agency currently has over 23,000 recreation special use authorizations which offer a great 

opportunity for partnership to support the more than 160 million visits that occur annually across 

NFS lands.

The Forest Service also emphasizes the need to co-locate with other Federal agencies through the 

Service First initiative, resulting in shared facilities that lower operation costs and increase 

collaboration between organizations. Service First is a partnership authority among four 

agencies: Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, National Park Service, and US Fish and 

Wildlife Service.

FY 2015 Facilities Major Projects List

(dollars in thousands)

Agency-wide Critical Infrastructure Support Total Cost

Total - Recreation Maintenance (Projects Under $500,000) $39,465

FA&O Maintenance (Projects $250,000 - $499,000) 1,623

Capital Improvement (Projects Under $500,000) 2,580

Planning and Design for Future Projects 2,497

Washington Office (Maintenance and Improvement) 3,942

Albuquerque Service Center Business Management (Maintenance and Improvement) 7,089

Project Management and Implementation Support 1,195

Critical Infrastructure Support Subtotal $18,926

Total - Critical Infrastructure Support and Recreation Maintenance $58,390

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2015 Facilities Major Projects List

(dollars in thousands) 

Region/ 

Station/ 

Area State Project Name and Type Unit

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Eliminated

Project 

Cost

National Priority Projects

1 MT Regional Office Rehabilitation at Fort 

Missoula - Phase 3 Regional Office $0 $1,200

3 AZ Prescott Aviation Fire Center 

Improvements Prescott NF 167 1,000

10 AK CoLocated Sitka Office Renovation Sitka Ranger 

District 474 800

National Priority Subtotal $641 $3,000

Regional Priority Projects

1 MT Regional Office Rehabilitation at Fort 

Missoula - Phase 2 Mountain Region $0 $1,600

2 WY Cook Lake Dam Repair Black Hills NF 86 1,225

2 CO Gunnison Office Renovations (Phase 2) GMUG 769 600

4 ID Salmon-Challis NF Seasonal Housing 

Relocation (Phase 1) Salmon-Challis NF 314 920

8 GA Morganton Point Water/Wastewater 

Replacement Chattahoochee NF 129 713

9 IN Deer Creek Dam Rehabilitation Hoosier NF 1,250 1,500

10 AK Sitka Energy Retrofit Tongass NF 95 650

Research HI Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest 

Infrastructure Improvements PH 7

Pacific Southwest 

Research Station 0 1,000

Research WI Forest Products Lab Building 33 Fume 

Hood Replacement

Forest Products 

Lab 603 603

Research WI Forest Products Lab Building 29 and 34 

Fume Hood Replacement

Forest Products 

Lab 579 579

SDTDC CA Replace SDTDC Electrical & Test 

HVAC Systems

San Dimas T&D 

Center 820 820

Regional Priority Subtotal $4,645 $10,210

Total - National and Regional Facilities Projects Funding $5,286 $13,210

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Roads

Budget Line Item Roads

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Roads

Annual Appropriations $165,959 $166,000 $154,000 -$12,000 -7%

Roads Total 165,959 166,000 154,000 -12,000 -7%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,051 1,051 1,051 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,051 1,051 1,051 0 0%

Roads

New Road Construction 6,646 6,018 7,700 -14,846 -66%

Operations & Maintenance 141,066 143,454 129,360 -14,094 -10%

Reconstruction of Existing Roads 18,247 16,528 16,940 16,940 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Roads

Miles of passenger car roads receiving maintenance 37,304 37,437 30,166 34,281 36,000 32,000

Miles of high clearance system roads receiving 

maintenance 22,170 17,679 17,924 14,111 11,300 9,200

Miles of road reconstruction and capital improvement 2,379 2,512 2,000 2,037 1,900 1,800

Percent of road and trail rights-of-way acquired that 

provide public access through easement acquisitions or 

land adjustments 90.0% 20.0% 85.0% 90.0% 85.0% 80.0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $154,000,000 for Roads, a decrease of $12,000,000 

from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

In FY 2015, we will focus our roads program on three key outcomes: Access, Restoration, and 

Safety. We will achieve these outcomes by implementing plans we are currently developing, 

related to travel management, road management objectives, best management practices, 

watershed condition assessments, and watershed restoration action plans. Across these efforts, 

we will comply with legal requirements including the Highway Safety Act for passenger car 

roads, and inspect our bridges in accordance with the National Bridge Inspection Standards 

(NBIS). Our focus will be on achieving these outcomes and ensuring our performance measures 

are aligned with and support these outcomes. 

To help monitor progress toward the desired outcomes, we will measure progress in four key 

areas of the Roads Program, to better align with agency strategic goals. These outcomes include:

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Mt. Hood National Forest, OR

Access - This outcome will be measured as the percent of the existing road system in 

alignment with the minimum road system. Each National Forest is reviewing the existing 

road system and will publish a report and map by the end of FY 2015 displaying roads 

likely needed for future use and roads likely not needed for future use. The Forest 

Service transportation system provides mission critical access for recreational, 

commercial, resource management, and administrative purposes that support the mission, 

goals, and priorities of the Forest Service. It also provides access to and between rural 

and gateway communities, contributing to community vitality and economic 

development. 

Restoration - This outcome will be measured as the percent of watershed restoration 

action plans (WRAPs) where all identified road work has been completed. Restoration 

supports a primary goal of the agency, reduces stream sedimentation, restores wildlife 

habitat and provides jobs for local communities. As culverts are removed, upgraded, 

and/or replaced, many miles of stream habitat can be re-opened to migratory fish, 

including listed species. Restoration work also supports the Administration Executive 

Order to address infrastructure preparedness and resiliency to the impacts of Climate 

Change.

Road Safety - This outcome will be measured as the percent of passenger car roads with a 

Safety Condition rating of good or fair. The agency sees public safety as a core element 

within our mission. We need to provide safe access to ensure passenger vehicle roads 

and important recreational areas remain accessible and available. This transportation 

infrastructure will support rural communities and provide jobs. 

Bridge Safety - This outcome will 

be measured as reducing the percent 

of bridges identified as structurally 

deficient or functionally obsolete, 

and /or with critical deferred 

maintenance to 10 percent or less of 

the Agency inventory. The agency 

will meet NBIS bridge inspection 

standards for our 6,200 bridges and 

prioritize inspection deficiency’s to 

ensure that our most critical bridges 

are maintained in good condition. 

Having safe bridges supports agency 

priority’s in emergency fire 

protection as well as supporting 

thriving communities. 

We will continue to track and report on existing targets, but we will also ensure that work is 

prioritized to help us meet the desired outcomes found in the plans and frameworks mentioned 

above. 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-13
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In FY 2015 our focus will continue to be on work related to ensuring public safety and critical 

access needs. The agency will continue to identify a properly sized road system for each 

National Forest System (NFS) unit. Our ultimate goal is management and sustainability of a 

road system that minimizes adverse environmental impacts by assuring roads are in locations 

only where they are necessary to meet access needs, and can be maintained within budget 

constraints. The agency will continue to use a science-based approach that considers the 

ecological, social, and economic impacts of roads to inform future travel-management decisions 

that move administrative units toward the Minimum Road System. Through Subpart A of the 

agency’s Travel Management Rule, we are reviewing and analyzing the existing road system to 

determine which roads are needed for future administration, use, and protection of the NFS. 

Once this analysis is complete, the agency will track implementation of the opportunities 

identified. These opportunities will be analyzed using site specific National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) planning where required. 

For FY 2015, the activities previously accomplished with the Legacy Roads and Trails program 

will be moved to the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item (BLI). Activities include 

road decommissioning, road and trail repair and maintenance and associated activities, and 

removal of fish passage barriers, especially in areas where Forest Service roads may be 

contributing to water quality problems in streams and water bodies that support threatened, 

endangered or sensitive species or community water sources. Activities also include 

decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed, including unauthorized roads that are not 

part of the transportation system. Decommissioning unneeded roads and structures eliminates 

the environmental effects of such roads and helps achieve ecological, terrestrial, and aquatic 

restoration objectives. The work performed on the ground can include removing drainage 

structures, constructing water bars and scarifying and seeding the road bed. Refer to the 

Integrated Resource Restoration section in the NFS appropriation for more details.

In FY 2015 for the Roads BLI, specific priorities within each activity include:

Operations and Maintenance - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes funding for the 

operations and maintenance of the National Forest Road System (NFRS). The request funds 

maintenance of an estimated 32,000 miles of passenger car roads and 9,200 miles of high 

clearance and closed roads. Currently, there are approximately 65,200 miles of passenger car 

roads, 204,600 miles of roads operated for high clearance vehicle use, and 102,000 miles of 

closed roads, which are kept in storage to provide options for future management activities.

Operations and maintenance funds maintain the NFRS in its current standard. Priority projects 

include the maintenance necessary to meet Highway Safety Act requirements, emergency access 

for first responders, escape routes in the event of wildland fire or other emergency situations, as 

well as roads identified on a motor vehicle use map. Effective road maintenance ensures that 

roads open for public and administrative travel comply with safety requirements and 

environmental protection laws and are available for critical access needs. We will explore 

innovative technologies that reduce deferred maintenance with cost effective methods. Road 

maintenance activities reduce sediment deposition into streams, and this maintenance is critical 

to protect the quality of water originating on NFS lands that provide primary water supplies to 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-14
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

many communities. Properly functioning road drainage makes our roads less susceptible to mass 

failure, and the resulting water quality impacts, due to severe storms.

Reconstruction of Existing Roads - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes funding for the 

reconstruction of existing roads. The funds provide for the reconstruction of an estimated 1,800 

miles of existing road, considering all funding sources. Priority reconstruction projects include 

replacement of deficient bridges and stream crossings, recreation site and administrative site 

access needs, and engineering support for road reconstruction needed for vehicle and equipment 

access for timber sale and stewardship contracts. Road reconstruction ensures a transportation 

system that meets applicable safety laws and standards as well as essential public and critical 

access needs.

Road Construction - The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes funding for road construction. A 

limited amount of funds will only be used to build segments of new roads when needed to 

support critical resource efforts, such as the agency’s bark beetle efforts or to ensure human 

health and safety.

In FY 2015 we will emphasize passenger car safety on critical access routes and have adjusted 

our targets to increase passenger car road maintenance. Because this work is more costly than 

higher clearance road maintenance, we have reduced the high clearance maintenance target 

slightly.

Past Performance

The Forest Service goal in the Roads program is to manage a safe and sustainable road system 

that meets critical access needs while minimizing adverse environmental impacts with an 

emphasis on the safety of our passenger car roads. In FY 2013 we maintained 34,281 miles of 

passenger car roads, 13,671 miles of high clearance roads, and 440 miles of roads in storage. 

Blind Stream Road, Ashley National Forest, UT

 DURING CONSTRUCTION AFTER

This FY 2013 project removed a slough area and widened the road to increase driver safety and bring 

back to improve the maintenance level condition.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-15
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Roads placed in long term storage are closed to all traffic, including administrative traffic, for a 

period greater than one year. Many stored roads receive treatment to reduce ecological 

damage. Treatment levels depend on location, topography, and the expected duration of storage. 

In addition to road maintenance, road construction and reconstruction are necessary to ensure our 

transportation system meets applicable safety laws and standards while ensuring essential public 

and critical access needs are met. In FY 2013, the Forest Service reconstructed 1,041 miles of 

passenger car roads and 997 miles of high clearance roads meeting our expectations (99 percent 

of target accomplished) and we constructed 41 miles of new roads that were critical for resource 

management.

The Forest Service recognizes the need to decommission roads which are no longer needed, 

including unauthorized roads that are not part of the transportation system. In FY 2013, the 

Forest Service decommissioned 1,491 miles of road, 48 percent of which were non-Forest 

Service system roads, and improved 272 stream crossings to provide easier passage for aquatic 

organisms. Forests already implementing Travel Management Plans have seen the most year-toyear improvement in decommissioning roads, therefore we anticipate that as the agency moves 

toward the goal of 100 percent implementation of travel management, road decommissioning 

accomplishments are likely to see accelerated progress.

The Forest Service acquired 52 rights-of-way enabling access to the National Forest System 

where we did not have legal access. These 52 rights-of-way represent 41 miles of road and trail 

easements.

Program Description

Program Overview

The NFRS is essential for the management, protection, and public use and enjoyment of 193 

million acres of NFS lands. Virtually all agency and public activities on NFS lands require 

travel over the system, which consists of approximately 372,000 miles of roads and 6,200 road 

bridges. 

Preserving the investment in the transportation system and maintaining the system to meet safety 

standards are important areas of program emphasis. The level of effort to ensure 6,200 bridges 

are inspected on-time and to standard requires significant staff resources. Many of the bridges 

are now reaching the end of their design life and are in need of replacement. Due to the age of 

the bridges over 50 percent of the NFS road bridges have inventoried safety related critical 

deferred maintenance deficiencies.

The Roads program supports the staff required to implement restoration activities across the 

transportation system. These include road decommissioning, storm proofing, implementing best 

management practices, making recommendations where drainages need to be improved to 

support aquatic passage, and the required analysis to ensure the transportation system is the 

“minimum” needed to provide access.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-16
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The transportation system on each National Forest provides for the protection, utilization, and 

administration of very diverse natural landscapes. The operation and maintenance of these 

transportation systems is complex. Work that supports public safety and resource protection are 

priorities for these program funds. Emphasis will be placed on the safety of our passenger car 

road system and minimizing erosion and fragmentation of habitats. 

The NFRS currently has:

• 65,000 miles of roads open for use by and maintained for passenger cars and other State

highway legal vehicles (Maintenance Levels 3 – 5), making them subject to Highway

Safety Act requirements. These roads provide public access for camping, recreation,

administrative uses, and resource management and development activities;

• 205,000 miles of road managed for high clearance vehicles (Maintenance Level 2), which

provide access primarily for recreational, administrative, and resource management and

development activities; and

• 102,000 miles of road that have been placed in long-term storage for future use

(Maintenance Level 1) and are not maintained for traffic.

The Forest Service is committed to preventing watershed and habitat degradation associated with 

off-road vehicle use. We are working to ensure our roads do not block the movement of aquatic 

organisms through stream crossings. The pictures below illustrate an example of improvements 

to road/stream crossings to protect water resources. 

Over the past ten years, the Forest Service has reduced the total number of road miles by 

approximately 7,000 miles. During that same period, the number of miles of passenger car road 

available has gone from approximately 79,800 to 65,200; a reduction of 18 percent. The Forest 

Service continues to identify the minimum transportation system required to meet the needs of 

the various users while balancing our ability to properly maintain that system.

Little Boulder Creek, Bitterroot National Forest, MT

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project eliminated a passage barrier that impeded bull trout and westslope 

cutthroat trout from accessing about 1.5 miles of their historic spawning and rearing 

habitat.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-17
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Following are several of the key uses and associated benefits to the American public of a wellmaintained NFRS:

• Recreation visitors contributed an estimated $13.6 billion annually to economies and 

communities within 50 miles of national forests and grasslands. The NFRS is the critical 

component in maintaining access, and supporting local recreation-dependent 

communities associated with NFS lands. A designated system of roads, trails, and areas 

for motor vehicle use provides for sustained recreation opportunities for motor vehicle 

enthusiasts and provides a foundation for provision of support facilities such as trailhead 

parking and information. The NFRS supports Goal A of the President’s America’s Great 

Outdoors Initiative to “Increase and improve recreational access and opportunities.” 

• In order to maintain, reconstruct, and construct the NFRS, the Forest Service hires 

contractors that frequently supply good jobs in rural areas. The NFRS provides access to 

a variety of resources that provide jobs, such as energy and minerals. In 2012, receipts 

from annual lease rentals, royalties on production, and bonus bids for competitive leases 

were $667 million, with $458 million from coal and $209 million from oil, gas and other 

leasable minerals.

• The NFRS provides critically important access for recreational, administrative, and 

commercial purposes. It provides access to and between rural and gateway communities, 

contributing to community vitality and economic development. In some cases, these 

roads provide the only escape or access routes for forest users and local residents in the 

event of wildfire or other emergency situations, including access for emergency 

responders.

• Effective road maintenance is essential to protect the quality of waters provided by NFS 

lands, which provide the drinking water supply for approximately one-fifth of U.S. 

communities and habitat for over 470 fish and 346 crayfish species as well as more than 

124 Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Aquatic species. The condition of our roads 

has a direct effect on our ability to provide clean water. Deferring maintenance or not 

repairing roads after storm events allows sediment to enter streams and rivers thereby 

degrading water quality and jeopardizing the safety of users.

The terms “Construction” and “Maintenance” are used as defined by 23 U.S.C. 101. The Roads 

program is delivered through the following activities:

Operations and Maintenance - This activity includes the operation and maintenance of existing 

system roads, bridges, and other vehicle access areas such as parking lots. Operations include 

the inventory, classification, and mapping of the transportation system, traffic monitoring, road 

management, and transportation planning (travel management). Transportation planning, 

formally known as travel management, helps the agency identify opportunities to reduce the 

number of open roads and determine the appropriate service level for the roads remaining to 

obtain a sustainable transportation system. Maintenance includes actions necessary to preserve 

or restore a road to its original service level and condition, in order to provide acceptable service 

and achieve its expected life. This includes maintenance of the travel ways; roadside vegetation; 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

drainage facilities; structures, including bridges; traffic control devices, including signs and 

gates; and engineering support for timber sale contracts that include required road maintenance 

by the timber purchaser. Engineering support costs for timber sales are included in this activity 

only for road work that qualifies as maintenance. Engineering support includes the design, cost 

estimates, contract preparation, and contract administration necessary to assure applicable safety 

and environmental standards are met.

Reconstruction of Existing System Roads - Reconstruction includes the renovation and 

restoration of existing roads, bridges, or other vehicle access areas such as parking lots 

that have deteriorated due to the accumulation of deferred maintenance; rights-of-way 

acquisition; changing the function of existing roads to accommodate different users, such 

as changing a logging road to a recreation road; increasing capacity of an existing road 

such as changing a single-lane road or bridge to a two-lane road or bridge; safety 

improvements that correct or improve high hazard locations such as replacement of 

deficient bridges or culverts; and other improvements to meet public and resource 

management needs. Most of the Forest Service Road System was built in the 1960s and 

1970s and the associated road bridges are reaching the end of their 50 year design life. 

Due to age related deterioration, 13.5 percent of road bridges are now structurally 

deficient and are being load restricted or closed at an accelerating rate. Reconstruction 

also includes the engineering support costs for timber sale contracts that include timber 

purchaser provided reconstruction of existing roads that may be in storage. Engineering 

support includes the design, cost estimates, contract preparation, and contract 

administration necessary to assure applicable safety and environmental standards are met.

New Road Construction - New road construction includes the construction of roads, 

bridges, and vehicle access areas to meet public and resource management needs; 

reclassifying unauthorized roads; and rights-of-way acquisitions. New road construction 

also includes the engineering support costs for timber sale contracts that include timber 

purchaser provided new road construction. This activity results in a minor addition of 

miles to the transportation system where none previously existed. 

Allocation and Integration 

In several of the past years, Congress has provided annual direction on the proportionate 

amounts of the Roads appropriation to be spent for construction and to be spent for maintenance. 

When funding is allocated to the field, the agency uses a formula that reflects this direction. The 

formula considers land area, visitor use, timber volume offered on timber sale and stewardship 

contracts, and acres treated for hazardous fuels. Adjustments may be made between regions 

based on capability information submitted by the regions or to mitigate situations where 

proposed allocations would create undesirable transition effects.

The NFRS is an integral part of the rural transportation network and is operated and maintained 

to provide safe access for all resource program activities including terrestrial and aquatic 

ecosystem management programs such as Integrated Resource Restoration, Hazardous Fuels, 

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness, and Trails. The NFRS supports public enjoyment of NFS 

lands by providing access to recreation sites, trailheads, and special areas. We focus allocations 

on the implementation of completed travel analyses. Coordination across multiple program areas 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

is integral to successfully managing the NFRS to ensure the transportation system is adequate to 

meet those needs.

Partnerships

The NFS Road program supports partnership opportunities such as Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration Program projects, cooperative agreements, work with states and counties 

through the current highway bill (MAP-21), with local counties thru RAC agreements, and with 

Tribal governments. These partnerships leverage NFS Road program funds to complete 

decommissioning and resource restoration work and to help communities reduce hazardous fuels 

by providing access to remove the material for biomass use opportunities.

The National Forest Roads and Trails Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-657, 16 U.S.C. 535) authorizes 

cooperative construction and maintenance of road systems. Under this authority, the Forest 

Service enters into Cooperative Road Construction and Use Agreements (i.e. Cost Share 

Agreements) with the owners of large tracts of lands intermingled with NFS lands. The Forest 

Service also enters into Forest Road Agreements with public road authorities, such as states and 

counties, where NFS access, local residential access, and local commerce needs coincide. Tens 

of thousands of miles of NFS roads are included in these kinds of agreements.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Trails

Budget Line Item Trails

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Trails

Annual Appropriations $74,999 $75,000 $77,530 $2,530 3%

Trails Total 74,999 75,000 77,530 2,530 3%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 591 591 591 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 591 591 591 0 0%

Trails

Maintain Trails 58,049 58,000 69,777 11,777 20%

Improve Trails 16,950 17,000 7,753 -9,247 -54%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Trails

Miles of system trails maintained 50,305 59,274 29,969 50,915 48,000 49,500

Miles of system trail improved 1,255 1,886 1,173 1,018 1,000 1,100

Percentage of system trails meeting standard 24.7% 26% 30% 22% 24% 25%

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $77,530,000 for Trails, an increase of $2,530,000 

from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. An additional $10,500,000 is requested 

through the new Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative to maintain Trails on National 

Forest System (NFS) lands.

The NFS inventory of approximately 158,000 miles of trails offers a vast range of recreation 

opportunities to the American public, directly supporting the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) 

initiative. We continue to designate trails for motor-vehicle use consistent with the Travel 

Management Rule and to strengthen partnerships in trail stewardship, particularly those that help 

deliver youth development programs and foster citizen engagement. The 21st Century 

Conservation Service Corps Program will provide additional opportunities to work with partners 

on trails maintenance. Through the Trails program, we continue to focus on management and 

protection of the National Scenic and Historic Trails. We will also be responding to the GAO 

Report: “Forest Service Trails: Long- Short Term Improvements Could Reduce Maintenance 

Backlog and Enhance System Sustainability” (GAO-13-618). The Secretary of Agriculture has 

developed a Statement of Action that details actions the Forest Service will take over the next 

several years to improve maintenance of NFS trails. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In response to GAO-13-618, we will conduct an analysis of the Trails Program in FY 2014 and 

FY 2015 to evaluate program needs and available resources. We will identify ways to increase 

capacity for conducting trails maintenance with partners and volunteers. We will also develop 

criteria for defining a sustainable trail and trails program that will help the agency strategically 

focus priorities and resources across the National Forest trail system. By calendar year 2016, we 

will develop a national strategy for a sustainable trails program. 

In the FY 2015 President’s Budget, we are including a target of 25 percent for “Percent of 

System Trails Meeting Standard,” a performance measure previously included in the 2007-2012 

Forest Service Strategic Plan. This measure reflects the percentage of National Forest trails that 

meet National Quality Standards, consistent with the maintenance cycle identified for each trail. 

These standards address health and cleanliness, resource setting, safety and security, 

responsiveness to trail users, and condition of facilities. A trail that “meets standard” complies 

with all of the critical national standards, and the majority of the remaining standards, and has 

little or no deferred maintenance. This performance measure is a key indicator of the condition 

of each trail and overall condition of the trail system. 

Through the combination of trail maintenance and improvement work, Forest Service units, in 

collaboration with partners and volunteers, we will focus on priority trail work to address key 

health and safety issues, improve trail conditions and recreation opportunities, and maximize the 

miles of trails meeting National Quality Standards.

Specific priorities within each activity include:

Maintain Trails - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes funding to maintain and 

repair trails, including repair and reconstruction of trails and trail bridges damaged by 

flooding and major storm events, wildfire, tree-kill from insects and disease, and other 

natural disasters. At least 20 percent of this work will be accomplished through the use 

of volunteers and partners. We will continue to validate and improve a basic NFS trail 

inventory, as well as collect trail assessment and condition survey data, to ensure that we 

have sound, accurate information on trails. We will also continue to increase and deliver 

training for consistent reporting of trail accomplishments. Trail maintenance reduces 

resource damage and improves safety conditions to provide a safe and quality experience 

for trail users.

Improve Trails - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes funding to improve trails in 

the NFS, investing funds to provide increased connectivity and enhanced trail-related 

access and recreation opportunities. Funds will also be used to improve access to 

recreational rivers, directly addressing an AGO goal. Trail improvement helps ensure 

safe and quality experiences for trail users; protects valuable wildlife, fish, and plant 

habitat; and protects water quality by preventing sedimentation of streams.

Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative – Trails

In December 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (BBA) was enacted which replaced 

reductions in FY 2013 from sequestration with longer-term reforms. The President’s Budget 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-22
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

adheres to the BBA’s discretionary funding levels for 2015. In addition, the President’s FY 2015 

Budget Request includes a separate $56 billion Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative 

(OGS Initiative) that is offset with spending reductions and tax reforms. In FY 2015, the OGS 

Initiative is designed to spur economic progress, promote opportunity, and strengthen national 

security through additional discretionary investments. 

Under this initiative $10,500,000 is requested to perform maintenance on approximately 9,000 

miles of trails in the NFS. This new fund will complement the Department of the Interior’s 

Centennial Initiative and provide essential infrastructure maintenance and repair to sustain the 

benefits of existing infrastructure.

Investments in NFS trails improve public safety and backcountry access for wildland fire and 

natural resource management, support physical fitness, and support a range of recreational 

opportunities, including those in wilderness areas. Communities adjacent to public lands and 

individuals whose livelihoods are tied to public lands also benefit from investments in trails. 

With 50 million visitor days of non-motorized and motorized use each year, NFS trails 

contribute substantially to the nearly $13.6 billion that recreational visits to national forests 

contribute annually to the U.S. economy. The vast majority of outfitters and guides 

(approximately 5,000) who work on the NFS depend on trails that are safe, well-maintained and 

available to the public. Trail investments will also create opportunities to employ youth, to 

develop skills among temporary and seasonal employees, and to expand contract work. With 

increasing demand for low-cost recreation opportunities, additional investments are needed to 

sustain and expand the economic return to the Nation from NFS trails. 

Past Performance

North of Rocky Mountain Trail Rehab

The north side of Rocky Mountain, near Indian Grave Gap in Georgia, featured many steep and 

heavily eroded areas. In 2012, a Konnarock Volunteer Trail Crew of 15 spent two weeks on this 

project on the Chatahoochee-Oconee National Forests, hardening the tread with rock and log steps 

(including one massive staircase of 45 steps), and installing several waterbars to improve 

drainage. In 2013, the crew came back to finish what was started in 2012, building steps and 

waterbars to protect every unstable or eroded spot between where the 2012 crew left off and 

Indian Grave Gap.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-23
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Miles of system trails maintained (170 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, we 

conducted maintenance on 50,915 miles of system trails which far surpasses our FY 2013 target 

of 29,969. Field personnel took advantage of as many opportunities as possible to maintain 

trails. For example, where travel management planning was complete or near completion, some 

units had increased capacity to turn their full attention back to core trails work. We also have 

more partners working with the agency to progress toward common goals and the 

accomplishments from those relationships were a significant contributor to the program’s 

success in FY 2013. For example, in caring for the Pacific Crest Trail, we continued to grow in 

strength and depth our collaborative partnership between Backcountry Horseman of California, 

Oregon, and Washington; Oregon Equestrian Trails; Pacific Crest Trail Association; and the 

Bureau of Land Management. There, we established two Centers of Excellence to support 

traditional skills, including mule and horse packing. Through this collaboration, we maintained 

2,650 miles of trail for public use, and raised to standard 1,150 miles of trail that were previously 

had deferred maintenance.

Working with the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, we also started a successful new youth 

program engaging more than 70 students, ages eight to twelve years, who participated in a threeweek environmental education program. Through this type of outreach and direct engagement, 

we aim to enrich students’ knowledge and experience with the outdoors as well as grow future 

stewards of our public lands.

Program Description

Program Overview

Through the Trails program we manage an inventory of over 158,000 miles of trails, a portion of 

which are National Scenic and Historic Trails. We strive to ensure public safety and 

backcountry access through the operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement of NFS 

trails, serving a wide constituency of visitors at a relatively low cost per visitor. About 32,000 

miles of trails are located within designated wilderness areas. Trail use by the public both 

directly and indirectly supports local economies from funds spent by the Forest Service to 

maintain and improve trails to expenditures made by visitors in recreation gateway communities.

Trails provide primary access to a wide variety of outdoor recreation on NFS lands. Outdoor 

recreation is by far the single greatest use, dwarfing every other use. Not surprisingly, it also 

supports the largest number of private sector jobs of any Forest Service program, and it provides 

the single greatest stimulus for local economies. Recreation, hunting, fishing, and wildlife 

viewing together sustain more jobs than any other activity on NFS lands, supporting about 

194,000 jobs and contributing nearly $13 billion to the communities surrounding national forests 

and grasslands.

The NFS trails accommodate roughly 50 million visits of non-motorized and motorized travel 

and activities including hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing, 

snowmobiling, and off-highway vehicle use each year. The NFS Trails program offers a vast 

range of recreation opportunities to the American public, directly supporting the America’s Great 

Outdoors and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” Initiatives.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-24
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The Forest Service administers National Scenic and Historic Trails, including the Pacific Crest 

National Scenic Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Florida National Scenic Trail, 

Nez Perce (Nee Mee Poo) National Historic Trail, Arizona National Scenic Trails, Pacific 

Northwest National Scenic Trail, and portions of an additional fifteen other National Scenic and 

Historic Trails, such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. This administration is 

accomplished in coordination with other Federal public land agencies (see the Special Exhibit on 

National Scenic and Historic Trails for further details.)

Trails programs are delivered through the two following activities. The terms “Improvement” 

and “Maintenance” are used as defined by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board 

Accounting Standards No. 6 (GPO # 041-001-00462-9). The maintenance and improvement of 

system trails ensures trails are accessible, adequately designed, safe, and environmentally 

responsible as described below: 

Maintain Trails (both annual and deferred maintenance) - This activity includes the maintenance 

and operation of system trails and trail bridges. Maintenance activities include the actions 

necessary to preserve or restore a trail to its originally intended condition in order to provide 

acceptable service and achieve the expected trail lifespan. Work includes clearing encroaching 

vegetation and fallen trees and the repair, preventive maintenance, and replacement of trail signs, 

tread and surfacing, water drainage, trail bridges, and other trail structures. Trail maintenance 

also provides trail accessibility and promotes ecosystem health by protecting soil, vegetation, and 

water quality.

Improve Trails - Provides for the planning and design, new construction, alteration and 

expansion of system trails, trail bridges, and trail structures, such as barriers, culverts, fencing, 

and wildlife viewing platforms.

Allocation and Integration 

Funding is allocated based on the existing miles of NFS trails, regional capability, and 

management of National Scenic and Historic Trails. In addition to maintaining a base-level 

ability to maintain trails in all of the national forests and grasslands, a portion of the trails 

funding creates jobs for youth and others in rural areas by leveraging resources. Projects that 

leverage the most non-Federal dollars and create the most jobs are high priorities. Trail 

maintenance and improvement is also funded by Capital Improvement and Maintenance, 

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement, Integrated Resource Restoration, and 

some permanent appropriations. 

Partnerships 

We rely upon healthy and effective partner organizations to help carry out a sustainable 

Recreation and Trails program. Sharing best practices of fundraising and management among 

Federal agencies, established partner groups and smaller, newer non-profit organizations will 

enable us all to expand recreation opportunities in support of the America’s Great Outdoors 

Initiative.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-25
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The NFS Trails programs leverage thousands of hours of trail work from partner organizations, 

volunteers and youth organizations to operate, maintain, and improve thousands of miles of trail 

each year. Trail crews are one of the primary means for the Forest Service to employ young 

adults and to partner with local communities and interest groups. Across the NFS trails overall, 

in FY 20132 partners and volunteers contributed approximately 1.2 million hours of trail 

maintenance work valued at $26.75 million. 

The Trails programs leverage an enormous amount of skill, time, and tangible accomplishments 

from volunteers and partners. In FY 2013, partners and volunteers contributed approximately 

1.2 million hours of trail maintenance work on NFS trails, valued at $26.7 million. At least 25 

percent of the program’s accomplishments result directly from work completed under NFS 

public-private partnerships.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-26
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement

Budget Line Item Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure 

Improvement

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement

Annual Appropriations $2,986 $3,000 $3,150 $150 5%

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure 

Improvement Total 2,986 3,000 3,150 150 5%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 8 8 7 -1 -12%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 8 8 7 -1 -12%

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $3,150,000 for Deferred Maintenance and 

Infrastructure Improvement, an increase of $150,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. 

Other appropriations, such as Facilities, Roads, and Trails, contribute to the agency’s efforts to 

reduce the deferred maintenance backlog. For FY 2015, we developed a national prioritized list 

of projects from proposals developed by the units. A priority for the agency is to reduce critical 

deferred maintenance on high priority assets. In line with this priority, projects for FY 2015 

were selected that would eliminate critical deferred maintenance items at agency high hazard 

dams.

FY 2015 Deferred Maintenance & Infrastructure Improvement Projects

(dollars in thousands)

Region State Forest Project Name Allocation

Deferred 

Maintenance

eliminated

3 AZ Kaibab Railroad Tank Dam Decommissioning $350 $200

4 WY Bridger-Teton Cottonwood Dam Lower Notch 82 210

5 CA Shasta-Trinity Hume Lake Dam Repairs 2,120 2,324

8 TX North Carolina Houston Dam Decommissioning 438 438

8 NC North Carolina Skitty Creek Dam Repairs 160 55

Total $3,150 $3,227

Past Performance

In FY 2013, with funding of $2.6 million, the agency completed the following major projects, 

which contributed to the elimination of almost $2.9 million of deferred maintenance in total.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-27
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The infrastructure required to support the mission of the Forest Service is complex and 

geographically dispersed. The priority for this program is to address the critical deferred 

maintenance on priority infrastructure which compliments agency goals and objectives.

The Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement program provides for maintenance, 

repair, and improvement of the agency’s infrastructure. The Forest Service portfolio includes 

approximately 40,300 buildings, 4,820 drinking water systems, 4,880 wastewater systems, 

approximately 23,700 recreation sites, over 158,000 miles of trails, 6,720 trail bridges, 6,220 

FY 2013 Deferred Maintenance Major Projects

(dollars in thousands)

State Region Forest Project name

Project 

Type Funding

Deferred 

Maintenance 

eliminated

ID 1

Nez 

Perce

Fenn Ranger Station Water 

and Wastewater Treatment 

Systems Replacement FA&O $969 $654

AZ 3

Corona

do

Loma Linda Water System 

Rehabilitation

FA&O / 

Recreation 767 867

OR 6

Mt 

Hood

Timberline Lodge Water 

Piping Replacement Recreation 740 1,015

TX 8

Sam 

Houston

Double Lake Lift Station and 

Force Main Reconstruction Recreation 443 356

National

Deferred Maintenance 

Project Management 67

Total $2,986 $2,892

Alaganik Sough Boat Ramp Replacement, Chugach National Forest, AK

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project replaced an old, damage boat ramp that was not useable in low water with a safe accessible 

boat ramp that will also reduce erosion.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-28
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

road bridges, 372,000 miles of roads, 500 jurisdictional dams, and additional infrastructure 

features. These assets currently have a backlog of over $5.56 billion dollars in maintenance 

needs, as of the end of FY 2013. The cost of addressing deferred maintenance varies each year 

(e.g. changes in building material). Please see the Special Exhibit on Deferred Maintenance for 

additional information. 

This program provides for maintenance of recreation developed sites, water-wastewater systems, 

roads, trails, road and trail bridges, fire, administrative, and other facility maintenance projects as 

well as infrastructure capital improvements as described below: 

Maintenance - This activity includes repairs, preventive maintenance, and replacement of 

parts and structural components. Maintenance that is not performed as needed or 

scheduled is referred to as deferred maintenance. Deferred maintenance leads to 

deterioration of performance, increased costs to repair, and a decrease in the value of the 

infrastructure. Deferred maintenance complements the Facilities, Roads, Trails, and the 

Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) programs by directing funds specifically toward 

reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance in large part to ensure the safety of the 

recreating public, agency employees, volunteers, and contractors. 

Infrastructure Improvement - This activity includes the construction of new 

infrastructure, alteration of existing infrastructure to change its function, and the 

expansion of existing infrastructure to increase capacity. Improvements are often 

required to maintain public service capability or recreational opportunities. Capital 

improvement projects eliminate deferred maintenance and provide mission-critical 

infrastructure.

Rifle District Office, White River National Forest, CO

BEFORE AFTER

This project renovated and expanded the Rifle District Office to accommodate all District staff. The 

consolidation allowed the disposal of several modular outbuildings and substantial improvements in 

energy efficiency, accessibility and utilization.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-29
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Allocation and Integration

Projects that achieve the greatest reduction in the agency’s total deferred maintenance backlog 

are given priority for funding. Starting in FY 2011, funds have been allocated to nationally 

selected projects that address the most critical health and safety infrastructure needs particularly 

in areas heavily used by the public and agency employees. Condition assessment surveys drive 

management decisions and national allocations regarding construction, use, maintenance or 

decommissioning, and disposal of assets.

In addition to Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement, other programs and 

authorities are available to reduce deferred maintenance, including IRR; Capital Improvement 

and Maintenance, Facilities, Roads, and Trails programs; and Permanent Appropriations 

including the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Fund, Roads and Trails for States Fund, 

and Operations and Maintenance of Quarters. Through the use of these funds, the agency is able 

to direct additional resources that address the significant backlog of deferred maintenance on the 

agency’s infrastructure.

Partnerships

This program leverages funds through partnerships with non-profit organizations and volunteers. 

Additional leveraging is accomplished through concessionaire programs, user maintenance fees, 

and other partner-based work.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance 6-30
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Acquisition

Appropriation Land Acquisition

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Land Acquisition

Annual Appropriations $49,762 $43,525 $51,000 $7,475 17%

Land Acquisition Total 49,762 43,525 51,000 7,475 17%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 53 52 53 1 2%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 53 52 53 1 2%

Appropriation Acquisition of Lands for National Forests 

Special Acts

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts

Annual Appropriations $903 $912 $950 $38 4%

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts 

Total 903 912 950 38 4%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

Appropriation Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land 

Exchanges

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges

Annual Appropriations 0 $217 $216 -$1 -0%

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 

Total 0 217 216 -1 -0%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

Note: The Land Facilities Enhancement Fund is covered in the Permanent Funds Chapter under the Conveyance of 

Administrative Sites and Site-Specific Lands Acts Funds.

Land Acquisition 7-1 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Land Acquisition (Appropriation)

Number of acres acquired or donated (Discretionary 

funds) 20,149 26,330 19,897 62,133 43,378 32,760

Number of acres acquired or donated (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 49,336

Priority acres acquired or donated that reduce the 

conversion of forests, grasslands, and aquatic and 

riparian ecosystems to incompatible uses in order to 

improve and maintain ecological conditions for federally 

listed and candidate species, species of concern and 

species of interest (Discretionary funds) 14,075 20,624 18,750 20,954 34,463 26,208

Priority acres acquired or donated that reduce the 

conversion of forests, grasslands, and aquatic and 

riparian ecosystems to incompatible uses in order to 

improve and maintain ecological conditions for federally 

listed and candidate species, species of concern and 

species of interest (Mandatory funds) 0 0 0 0 0 39,468

FY 2015 Program Changes

Land Acquisition

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $51,000,000 in discretionary funding for the Land 

Acquisition budget line item, an increase of $7,475,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. An additional $76,673,000 of mandatory funding is proposed to be 

transferred from the Department of the Interior (DOI) for a combined total of $127,673,000. 

Acquisitions address public support for the conservation of public lands for enjoyment and use 

by the public, as outlined in the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative.

Collaborative Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Initiative

The President’s budget proposes to permanently authorize annual mandatory funding, without 

further appropriation or fiscal year limitation for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture 

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs beginning in fiscal year 2015. Starting in 

2016, $900 million annually in permanent funds would be available. During the transition to full 

permanent funding in 2015, the budget proposes $900 million in total LWCF funding, comprised 

of $550 million in permanent and $350 million discretionary funds. The amounts requested 

include the authorized levels for the Department of the Interior and the Department of 

Agriculture.

The request includes $46,603,000 ($14,715,000 discretionary and $31,888,000 mandatory 

portions) to support the projects described in this section under the heading “Collaborative 

Landscape Planning” (CLP). This CLP endeavor addresses AGO Action Item 5.2a: Implement 

an interagency process to invest part of the Federal LWCF funds in high-yield conservation 

projects that address shared ecological goals. USDA and DOI identified landscapes where the 

agencies can collaboratively respond to locally supported planning efforts to protect critical 

ecosystems before fragmentation occurs. 

Land Acquisition 7-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Conserving large-scale landscapes provides multiple resource and economic benefits to the 

public, including cleaner drinking water, improved recreational opportunities, reduced wildfire 

risk, protection of habitat for at-risk and game species, and jobs creation on and off forests and 

grasslands. All proposed land acquisition projects are within National Forest System boundaries 

and congressionally designated areas. Acquiring them will reduce expenditures associated with 

boundary management and other land management activities, and with fire suppression for the 

Forest Service and surrounding communities, and will increase public access to other Federal 

lands or provide direct access to recreational resources not previously available to the public.

There are ten CLP projects among the discretionary and mandatory requests. Two projects 

focused on Longleaf Pine restoration are proposed for funding. One project in Florida is 

proposed for a second round of funding, and one project in South Carolina proposes initial 

investments. The California Southwest Desert and National Trails System projects also propose 

initial investments. Each CLP project complements investments by the DOI and reinforces the 

Administration’s commitment to these important landscapes.

Core Forest Service Acquisitions

The request includes $63,570,000 for core Forest Service acquisitions ($26,285,000 discretionary 

and $37,285,000 mandatory) focused on acquiring the highest priority lands, which further 

specific agency goals for forest and grassland restoration, watershed management under the 

Watershed Condition Framework, and increased public access. Often, acquisition of a single 

parcel can provide significant large-scale benefits by ensuring that entire watersheds and 

ecosystems remain intact. They can also be the key to significantly increasing the availability of 

existing Federal lands to the public. 

Recreational Access/Critical Inholdings 

The Forest Service will use $4,000,000 ($2,000,000 discretionary and $2,000,000 mandatory) of 

FY 2015 LWCF funds to acquire strategically- located parcels that secure or improve access, 

both motorized and non-motorized, to National Forest System lands where access is currently 

unavailable or inadequate. These funds will also be used to acquire parcels which provide direct 

use of important recreation resources such as hunting and fishing opportunities, climbing routes 

and motorized uses. Specific recreational access projects are identified in the FY 2015 Land 

Acquisition Projects list displayed at the end of this section. Our goal with recreational access, 

as recommended in the AGO report, is to invest LWCF funds to better meet recreation and other 

management needs. 

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts; and Acquisition of Lands to Complete 

Land Exchanges

The request includes $950,000 for the Acquisition of Lands for National Forests Special Acts 

and $216,000 for Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges. These funds acquire lands 

that protect critical watersheds, address flood damaged areas, and protect forested lands and 

resources.

Land Acquisition 7-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Legislative Proposal

We propose an amendment to the Small Tracts Act (PL 97-465) adding additional categories of 

eligibility, including isolated, inaccessible parcels, title claims not resolvable under existing 

authorities and sites previously committed to uses such as cemeteries. Proceeds from the sale of 

National Forest System lands under this proposed authority would be collected under the Sisk 

Act and used for future acquisitions and/or enhancement of existing public lands and facilities. 

Proposed language will be transmitted to Congress following submittal of this Budget Proposal.

Past Performance

Number of Acres Acquired or Donated (312 percent of target accomplished). In FY 2013, we 

acquired 62,133 acres for the National Forest System due to purchases primarily in Montana, 

California, the Northeastern and Southern Regions, as well as an unplanned 30,000 acre donation 

of subsurface mineral interests in Kentucky. This donation resulted from a Comprehensive 

Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as 

Superfund, settlement that originated from an effort totally unrelated to land acquisition. Federal 

law requires that this contaminated site be reclaimed and cleaned up. Several decades of coal 

mining in the Daniel Boone National Forest have resulted in severe environmental degradation to 

several sites within the Forest Boundary. With other Federal and State partners, we will manage 

the clean-up of this site and restore ecological health and resilience to the site. More areas of the 

forest will eventually be open for recreational activities that previously were unavailable due to 

contamination from industrial coal mining waste products.

In FY 2013, we were also able to close a number of land acquisition projects using both 

remaining FY 2012 and FY 2013 funds. We acquired high priority lands to consolidate 

inholdings and support management needs related to restoration, fire, and watershed 

management. Significant accomplishments include the completion of the first large-scale 

acquisition funded by the interagency Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) collaborative 

initiative. We acquired 11,659 acres of checkerboard lands on the Lolo and Flathead National 

Forests in Montana, complementing acquisitions by the Department of the Interior (DOI) in the 

same landscape, to protect both forested and working lands. This is compared to a typical 

acquisition the previous year of 2,188 acres for the same national forests. The increased pace of 

acquisition investment afforded by the CLP effort through FY 2015 will allow the Forest Service 

and DOI partners to complete this globally important project in four years instead of 12 to 15 

years.

In FY 2013, we also funded 18 small acquisitions in 16 national forests totaling over 4,000 acres, 

to facilitate greater public access and forest land consolidation. Other key acquisitions included 

a critical inholding in the Yolla Bolly Wilderness in California; the remaining half of Wolf 

Island, a candidate for the National Register of Historic Places in the Superior National Forest in 

Minnesota; and the second phase of Miranda Canyon, which when finished, will help protect the 

headwaters of the Rio Grande River and the drinking water of Taos, New Mexico.

Land Acquisition 7-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The Land Acquisition program funds the acquisition and donation of lands, waters, and other 

interests to further agency goals for restoration; outdoor recreation and public access; habitat for 

wildlife including threatened and endangered species; and for water quality and quantity 

protection. Land acquisition is best able to further these goals through consolidation and 

connection of fragmented lands. Potential acquisitions are based on how well they support 

effective land management and improve stewardship functions such as habitat restoration, fuels 

reduction, and public access; along with how they reduce costs associated with boundary line 

management and encroachments, and how important social benefits such as recreational access 

to hunting and fishing areas and economic support of gateway communities is improved.

Land acquisition can also reduce management costs by consolidating landownership. 

Fragmented development within forest boundaries can exacerbate fire, insect, and disease 

management challenges. Forest Service land acquisitions generally have broad support by 

stakeholders at the local level, partially due to their potential effect on local and regional 

economies. Land acquisition is just one land adjustment tool we have to promote the long-term 

health and sustainability of the national forests and grasslands.

The Forest Service works with a substantial array of partners to identify and acquire lands that 

will deliver a diversity of benefits to the public. Partnerships are critical to the success of our 

land acquisition program and are further described in the Partnership section.

The program is delivered through the following activities:

• Land Acquisition Management - This activity covers expenses to complete land 

acquisitions and donations, including costs associated with employing technical 

expertise, and due diligence work such as title search, appraisals, land acquisition 

surveys, and legal document preparation. Acquisition management funds also cover 

administrative costs associated with high priority land exchanges when the land to be 

acquired meets Land and Water Conservation Fund criteria.

• Land Purchase - Funds pay for the costs of purchasing lands.

• Cash Equalization - This activity provides for a cash payment needed to equalize values 

in a land exchange when the value of the non-Federal land exceeds the value of the 

Federal land (up to 25 percent of the Federal land value).

• Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts – These funds are used to acquire 

lands necessary to protect watersheds, minimize soil erosion, and rehabilitate specified 

National Forests in Nevada, Utah, and California.

• Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges - This program provides for the 

acquisition of lands with funds collected from the exchange or sale of NFS lands with 

Land Acquisition 7-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

State, county, or municipal governments, public school authorities, or other non-Federal 

parties, allowed under various authorities.

Allocation and Integration 

Core land acquisition projects funded through LWCF are selected using a two-stage process. 

First, Forest Service regions review and rank projects according to the Strategic Land 

Acquisition Rating System (SLARS). Top regional projects are submitted to agency 

headquarters, where they compete nationally against other projects proposed by other Forest 

Service regions. Criteria tie the selection process to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 

and the agency’s Strategic Plan goals and objectives, and are used to identify and prioritize 

acquisitions to maximize public benefit. Congressionally approved project funds are allocated to 

the benefiting regions as soon as all parties are ready to close on the sale of the property. 

Acquisitions may be funded through other means such as Sisk Act funds or revenue raised 

through sales or exchanges. Information about the SLARS and the national criteria are available 

on the Forest Service web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/LWCF/index.shtml. The 

processes used to identify and recommend funding for the Priority Recreational Access Parcels 

and the CLP are described elsewhere in this section.

Acquisition management funding is allocated to the regions using criteria based on workload, 

including prior year accomplishments and new current fiscal year funded projects. Cash 

equalization funds are accessed at the time an individual land exchange is ready to close.

Partnerships

Forest Service Land Acquisition has been a partnership based program for over 30 years. Our 

work with partners on important conservation acquisitions funded by the LWCF is the 

foundation of several longstanding relationships that have protected key strategic lands that 

allow the Forest Service to provide a diversity of benefits to the public. The agency priorities 

articulated in our Land Acquisition project list are in many respects a compendium of years of 

collaboration and on-going dialogue with partners. Partnerships provide more than funding and 

logistical support for acquisitions. They are essential for communication, learning and 

innovation, helping us be responsive and deliver results. The Land Acquisition program relies 

on partnerships and relationships with local, State, Federal, Tribal, corporate and nongovernmental organizations, and individuals. These partners often work with us on multiple 

programs such as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, watershed protection 

and restoration, and the Forest Legacy Program.

Partners working with the Forest Service on projects recommended for FY 2015 funding include 

The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, The Partnership 

for the National Trails System, Charleston County South Carolina, and The Truckee Donner 

Land Trust.

Working with numerous partners, the Land Acquisition program leverages a significant amount 

of funding each year. Funding and other project support from partners for due diligence such as 

landowner outreach, title, appraisal, and environmental analysis, can provide 20 to 40 percent of 

administrative funding each year for projects. In FY 2013, partners supported due diligence 

Land Acquisition 7-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

costs at a ratio of more than 4:1; the Forest Service received more than $2,950,000 in the form of 

direct assistance from landowners to help cover transaction costs and donated real estate value 

while spending approximately $657,000 in direct costs associated with acquisitions and 

donations.

Collaborative Landscape Planning

Land Acquisition in FY 2015 builds on efforts started in FY 2013 to strategically invest in 

interagency landscape-scale conservation projects while continuing to meet agency-specific 

programmatic needs. The Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service collaborated 

extensively to develop a process to more effectively coordinate land acquisitions with 

government and local community partners to achieve the highest priority shared conservation 

goals. 

For FY 2015, DOI and USDA are requesting $240,705,000 for CLP landscapes. Approximately 

$194,102,000 is requested among the three DOI bureaus and the remaining $46,603,000 by the 

Forest Service. The FY 2015 CLP projects have been evaluated by a Technical Advisory 

Committee (TAC) according to merit-based criteria in the following categories: 

• Process - Ensure proposals are built through Federal agency and local stakeholder 

collaboration and make efficient use of Federal funding.

• Outcomes - Ensure Federal resources are targeted to achieve important biological, 

recreational, cultural, and socio-economic outcomes.

• Urgency - Ensure funding is focused on outcomes that may be lost today if no action is 

taken or that are particularly achievable today.

• Contribution to National Priorities - Ensure local proposals are important contributors to 

the highest priority national conservation goals.

Through this rigorous evaluation process, the joint DOI-USDA National Selection Committee 

selected the Florida-Georgia and South Carolina Longleaf Pine landscapes for a second round of 

funding. Initial investments in the California Southwest Desert and National Trails System are 

also requested in FY 2015.

Investing now in these ecologically important but threatened landscapes will ensure that they 

remain resilient in the face of development pressures and global climate change, and are made 

available to the public in the near term. 

The Florida-Georgia Longleaf Initiative and South Carolina Longleaf Legacy projects, target the 

most critical conservation needs for the Longleaf Pine ecosystems in the Southeast. These 

projects address the issues of States with growing populations that need to balance the interests 

of threatened and endangered species with the need to protect water resources and public access. 

The Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the States of Florida and South Carolina have 

collaborated over the last 20 years to dramatically grow Threatened Red-Cockaded Woodpecker 

populations as part of the recovery of the longleaf pine ecosystem as well as to protect and 

expand critical wildlife and water recharge areas.

Land Acquisition 7-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The California Southwest Desert CLP landscape focuses on a part of Southern California that is 

less than a day’s drive for 40 million people. This arid landscape is characterized by extensive 

wildlife corridors including 67 federally-protected species. Forest Service acquisitions in this 

landscape will protect important inholdings within and adjacent to the San Jacinto Wilderness. 

These acquisitions will remove six miles of interior boundary line with a cost savings of 

$150,000 in boundary management. This project also protects critical segments of the heavily 

used Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

The National Trail System CLP project seeks to address recreational trails as linear landscapes 

that connect people to the outdoors in both rural and urban environments. With initial funding 

slated for FY 2015, the Forest Service proposes to fund a diversity of National Historic and 

Scenic Trails in Washington State, California and Tennessee. The Unicoi Turnpike National 

Historic Trail, which follows the historic corridor of the Trail of Tears, offers a unique 

opportunity to protect a rapidly disappearing aspect of American and Native American history 

and culture.

FY 2015 Land and Water Conservation Fund Prioritized List

Administrative Funds

Funding 

Request

Acquisition Management $7,500,000 

Priority Recreational Access $2,000,000 

Cash Equalization $500,000 

Priority 

Order Project Name State Unit Funding 

Request

1 CLP*: California Southwest Desert CA San Bernardino $2,100,000 

CA Pacific Crest NST $1,265,000 

2 Sierra Nevada Checkerboard; Royal 

Gorge CA Tahoe $2,200,000 

3 Tenderfoot MT Lewis and Clark $2,000,000 

4 CLP: National Trails System TN Appalachian NST $330,000 

WA Pacific Northwest NST $2,700,000 

WA Pacific Crest NST $1,320,000 

5 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Pisgah $2,100,000 

6 Wilderness Inholdings NM Gila Wilderness $500,000 

NM White Mountain Wilderness $100,000 

KY Beaver Creek Wilderness $50,000 

AK Stikine LeConte Wilderness $145,000 

CA Ventana Wilderness $240,000 

7 CLP: Florida-Georgia Longleaf Pine 

Initiative FL Osceola $5,000,000 

8 Mid-America's Great Rivers IL Shawnee $2,200,000 

9 Pacific Northwest Streams OR Siuslaw $150,000 

WA Rogue River-Siskiyou $350,000 

10 Washington Cascades-Yakima River 

Watershed WA Okanogan-Wenatchee $2,700,000 

11 Great Lakes Northwoods MI Ottawa $650,000 

WI Chequamegon-Nicolet $2,500,000 

12 Miranda Canyon NM Carson $2,600,000 

13 CLP: South Carolina's Longleaf Legacy SC Francis Marion $2,000,000 

14 Wasatch Watersheds-Bonneville 

Shoreline Trail UT Uinta-Wasatch-Cache $1,500,000 

Land Acquisition 7-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Priority 

Order

Project Name State Unit Funding 

Request

15 Hurdygurdy CA Six Rivers $1,300,000 

16 Missouri Ozarks-Current River MO Mark Twain $1,000,000 

17 Montana Legacy MT Lolo; Flathead $4,000,000 

Subtotal Discretionary Funding $51,000,000 

Acquisition Management $5,000,000 

Recreational Access $2,000,000 

Cash Equalization $500,000 

18 CLP: Upper Rio Grande CO Rio Grande $4,700,000 

19 Pacific Northwest Streams OR Mt. Hood $2,300,000 

OR Umpqua $800,000 

20 CLP: Grasslands/Prairie Potholes SD Black Hills $2,856,000 

21

Tennessee Mountains Trails and WatersRich Mountain Inholding TN Cherokee $3,700,000 

22 Heinrich-Fossil Creek AZ Coconino $1,000,000 

23 Chesapeake Bay Headwaters Protection VA

George Washington and 

Jefferson $1,545,000 

24 CLP: High Divide ID Caribou-Targhee $1,325,000 

ID Payette and Salmon Challis $4,260,000 

MT Beaverhead-Deerlodge $200,000 

MT Gallatin $2,000,000 

25 Greater Yellowstone Area WY Bridger-Teton $3,000,000 

26 Castle Crags CA Shasta-Trinity $2,800,000 

27

Georgia-Disappearing Wildlands of GA 

Mountains and Rivers GA Chattahoochee-Oconee $2,700,000 

28 Taconic and Green Mountain Range VT White Mountain $1,000,000 

29 Montana Legacy MT Lolo; Flathead $4,000,000 

30 North Carolina Threatened Treasures NC Pisgah $3,500,000 

31 Wilderness Inholdings GA Brasstown Wilderness $350,000 

VA Barbours Creek Wilderness $200,000 

ID Frank Church Wilderness $1,590,000 

OR Wild Rogue Wilderness $350,000 

32 CLP: National Trails System CA Pacific Crest NST $3,600,000 

WA Pacific Crest NST $1,500,000 

MT

Nez Perce NHT-Holland 

Ranch $1,050,000 

TN Appalachian NST $2,720,000 

33 Great Lakes Northwoods MN Superior $3,000,000 

34

CLP: Florida-Georgia Longleaf Pine 

Initiative FL Osceola $3,677,000 

35 CLP: South Carolina's Longleaf Legacy SC Francis Marion $4,000,000 

36

Wasatch Watersheds-Bonneville 

Shoreline Trail UT Uinta-Wasatch-Cache $1,500,000 

37 Mid-America's Great Rivers IN Hoosier $950,000 

38 Cube Cove AK Tongass $3,000,000 

Subtotal Mandatory Funding $76,673,000 

Total Funding $127,673,000 

*Collaborative Landscape Planning project, part of Interagency Collaborative Land and Water Conservation fund Initiative.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Land Acquisition 7-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund

Appropriation Range Betterment Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Range Betterment Fund

Annual Appropriations $2,338 $3,000 $2,320 -$680 -23%

Range Betterment Fund Total 2,338 3,000 2,320 -680 -23%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 5 6 5 -1 -17%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 5 6 5 -1 -17%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Range Betterment Fund

Number of range structural improvements 379 350 335 339 250 300

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $2,320,000 for Range Betterment, a decrease of 

$680,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

This program emphasizes essential structural and non-structural improvements prescribed in 

National Environment Policy Act compliant grazing allotment decisions. Treatment of noxious 

weed species related to permitted livestock use continues to be a significant portion of the nonstructural rangeland improvement work. The program will help to address the considerable loss 

of range improvements over the past two years due to fires, as well as to develop improvements 

for drought mitigation.

Past Performance 

In FY 2013, we constructed or improved a total of 338 structures, which was slightly over the 

target of 335 structures (101 percent of target accomplished). Surpassing the target is 

attributable to integrating range efforts with other programs’ objectives to meet a landscape goal 

of improved plant health and reduced fire risk. Of the total accomplishment, 200 structures were 

constructed or improved using Range Betterment Funds and an additional 138 structures were 

constructed or improved through other programs. The agency also accomplished 90,690 acres of 

rangeland vegetation improvement with funding through the Range Betterment Fund 

appropriation.

Other Appropriations 8-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The structures constructed or improved through this program can include but are not limited to 

fences and livestock watering facilities. These structures help manage the movement of animals 

to provide for proper range management and maintain or improve plant health. The nonstructural rangeland improvement activities, such as noxious weeds and invasive plants 

treatments and brush control, reduce fire risk on rangelands by limiting plant densities and/or by 

changing species composition.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, (43 U.S.C. 1751) P.L. 94-579, as 

amended by the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1751(b) (1) P.L. 95-

514, authorizes the Range Betterment program. Further, it authorizes the allocation of one-half 

of grazing receipts from National Forest System (NFS) lands in the 16 Western States for 

rangeland rehabilitation, protection, and improvements on the NFS lands from which the receipts 

were collected. Allocations have historically been at one-half of the receipts level. This 

program supports all of the same economic activities associated with the Grazing Management 

program, but at a more limited scale.

Allocation and Integration

Funds are allocated proportionately to the regions where receipts are collected. Activities 

performed to improve forage, change vegetative composition, control patterns of use, provide 

water, stabilize soil and water conditions, and provide habitat for livestock and wildlife include, 

but are not limited to: construction of water developments to aid in livestock distribution, 

building fences to protect sensitive resources, and treatment projects to alter soil and vegetation 

conditions on NFS lands. These activities enhance or stabilize vegetative conditions, improve 

water quality, maintain riparian areas and stream banks while conserving threatened or 

endangered plant and animal species. Funds may also be used to treat noxious weeds that are 

present as a result of permitted livestock grazing.

Partnerships

Grazing permittees are significant and important partners in the implementation of rangeland 

betterment projects. Program funds are leveraged with permittees’ fees or in-kind contributions 

to enhance livestock management. These partnerships also provides a foundation for involving a 

variety of special interest organizations such as cattlemen’s associations, resource conservation 

organizations, and land trusts further enhancing opportunities for rangeland betterment.

Other Appropriations 8-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and Rangeland Research

Appropriation Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest 

and Rangeland Research

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and 

Rangeland Research

Annual Appropriations $45 $40 $45 $5 12%

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Forest and 

Rangeland Research Total 45 40 45 5 12%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $45,000 for Gifts, Donations, and Bequest for 

Research, an increase of $5,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the Forest Service received donations from individuals and businesses for research 

work units and other organizational sub-units to further their research and development 

programs. The funds were used to purchase supplies and equipment and to offset travel to 

training and seminars.

Program Description

Program Overview

This special account serves for acceptance of gifts, donations, and bequests for deposit that are 

used to establish or operate any forest and rangeland research facility. These gifts or donations 

can be received from outside sources, such as individuals and businesses.

Other Appropriations 8-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses

Appropriation Management of National Forest Lands for 

Subsistence Uses 

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses 

Annual Appropriations $2,438 $2,500 0 -$2,500 -100%

Management of National Forest Lands for Subsistence 

Uses Total 2,438 2,500 0 -2,500 -100%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 13 13 0 -13 -100%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 13 13 0 -13 -100%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget does not propose a separate funding level for Management of 

National Forest Lands for Subsistence Uses. This program will be funded at $2,438,000 in FY 

2015 from a variety of budget lines that are directly relevant to the work being completed. 

The Forest Service will continue to meet its responsibilities under the 1980 Alaska National 

Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The most critical subsistence management related 

components will be achieved through other National Forest System (NFS) funds, such as 

Integrated Resource Restoration, Recreation Management, and Law Enforcement Operation 

funds that complement the objectives of the subsistence program. This approach will continue to 

provide vital employment in isolated rural communities where opportunities are severely limited. 

Local residents are typically hired to monitor fish and wildlife populations which are essential 

for adjusting harvest regulations and keeping fish and wildlife populations strong.

Past Performance

Past performance includes activities accomplished using both Management of National Forest 

Lands for Subsistence Uses funds and other NFS funds that complement the objectives of this 

program. In FY 2013, the Forest Service completed 33 management analyses to determine 

current population levels, appropriate harvest levels for fish and wildlife species, and 

management actions to provide for subsistence uses on the national forests in Alaska. Together 

with the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service also continued to expand consultation on 

all facets of the Federal subsistence program, including annual rulemaking, with all Alaska 

Tribes and Native Corporations in order to comply with presidential and secretarial policy 

direction and to be respectful of the current and historical role of native Alaskans in managing 

for their customary and traditional subsistence uses.

In addition, the agency oversaw 10 salmon stock assessments, one comprehensive assessment for 

the eulachon (a small anadromous fish), two fish use monitoring projects, and five population 

Other Appropriations 8-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

surveys for subsistence-harvested wildlife species. Most monitoring was implemented through 

contracts and agreements, which supported about 45 local jobs in rural communities with tribal 

organizations.

Law enforcement investigated five incidents specific to subsistence uses, out of 122 fish and 

wildlife cases. Based on the priorities of the subsistence program, subsistence funding was 

focused on regulatory actions such as increased user participation and more support of tribal 

participation in Subsistence Board activities.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) (16 U.S.C. 3101) provides 

rural Alaskan residents a subsistence priority to harvest fish and wildlife on Federal lands over 

sport and commercial uses. ANILCA authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue regulations 

relevant to the taking of fish and wildlife on public lands in the State of Alaska. The ANILCA 

envisioned that the State of Alaska would manage for this rural priority, as was the case for 10 

years. However, the statute was found to conflict with the Alaska State Constitution, which 

prohibits granting subsistence priority to only rural residents. As a result, the Federal 

government assumed responsibility for subsistence management on Federal public lands in 1990 

and expanded its responsibility to Federally-reserved navigable waters in Alaska in 1999.

The Subsistence program is delivered through the following activities:

Regulatory - This activity includes an annual cycle of rule promulgation for harvesting 

fish and wildlife, in-season actions to address immediate conservation issues, and 

administration of harvest permits to manage use. The Alaska Regional Forester serves on 

the inter-agency Federal Subsistence Board, and is delegated to act for the Secretary of 

Agriculture for all aspects of the Federal interagency program. Federal subsistence 

hunting and fishing regulations must be reviewed annually to ensure a sustained supply 

of wild food resources and that a harvest priority is provided for rural residents on 

Federal lands. Annually, the Forest Service, through the Board, addresses up to 60 

proposed changes to existing regulations and responds to more than 1,500 requests for 

harvest permits.

Information Gathering - This activity includes fish and wildlife monitoring necessary for 

regulatory purposes and to ensure the conservation of fish and wildlife. Most monitoring 

is implemented through contracts and agreements, providing local jobs in rural 

communities with tribal and other local organizations. Collection and analysis of critical 

information is used to substantiate which regulatory changes should be implemented, and 

justification for those which cannot be supported. Monitoring information can also lead 

to emergency actions to curtail harvest in-season, to assure conservation of viable 

populations.

Other Appropriations 8-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Law enforcement and education - This activity includes enforcement of Federal 

regulations for the taking of fish and wildlife on 22 million acres, approximately 75 

waterways and navigable lakes, and areas of the Prince William Sound. It also includes 

education of subsistence users and others to reduce the need for enforcement action. 

Enforcement of Federal subsistence hunting and fishing regulations requires protecting 

the subsistence priority and conserving healthy fish and wildlife populations.

The subsistence program provides vital employment in isolated rural communities where 

opportunities are severely limited. Local residents are hired to monitor fish and wildlife 

populations which are essential for adjusting harvest regulations and sustaining fish and wildlife 

populations.

Other Appropriations 8-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Wildland Fire Management

Appropriation Wildland Fire Management

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Wildland Fire Management

Annual Appropriations $1,868,795$2,162,302 $2,265,113 $102,811 5%

Wildland Fire Management Total 1,868,795 2,162,302 2,265,113 102,811 5%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 11,945 11,765 12,168 403 3%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 11,945 11,765 12,168 403 3%

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness 948,651 1,057,580 1,080,840 23,260 2%

Suppression 509,812 680,488 708,000 27,512 4%

Hazardous Fuels 301,056 306,500 358,564 52,064 17%

Research and Development 20,603 19,795 19,795 0 0%

Joint Fire Science Program 6,884 6,914 6,914 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands 15,151 0 0 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 7,931 0 0 0 0%

State Fire Assistance 52,672 78,000 78,000 0 0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,035 13,025 13,000 -25 -0%

Wildland Fire Management Overview

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $2,265,113,000 for Wildland Fire Management 

(WFM), an increase of $102,811,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

Through WFM programs, the Forest Service protects life, property and natural resources on 

National Forest System (NFS) land and an additional 20 million acres of adjacent State and 

private lands through fee or reciprocal protection agreements.

The Budget calls for a fundamental change in how wildfire suppression is funded in order to 

reduce fire risk, manage landscapes more holistically, and increase resiliency of the Nation’s 

forests and rangelands and the communities that border them. With the cost of suppression 

having grown from 13 percent of the agency’s budget just 10 years ago to over 40 percent in 

2014, it is clear that the cost of wildland fire suppression is subsuming the agency’s budget and 

jeopardizing its ability to implement its full mission. Given growth in the number and severity 

of fires in recent years, and the frequency of catastrophic fires that risk life and property, 

combined with an ever expanding wildland-urban interface (WUI), suppression costs have 

exceeded amounts provided in annual appropriations seven times since 2002, requiring the 

Forest Service to transfer funds from other programs to cover those costs. The lost momentum 

of critical restoration programs as fire transfers deplete the budget by up to $500 million 

annually is felt across critical programs nationwide and exacerbates the frequency and intensity 

of fires in future years.

Wildland Fire Management 9-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The Budget proposes a new and fiscally responsible funding strategy that recognizes that 

catastrophic wildland fires should be considered disasters, funded in part by additional budget 

authority provided through a wildfire suppression cap adjustment. In 2015, the Budget proposes 

discretionary funding for wildland fire suppression at a level equal to 70 percent of the estimated 

10-year average suppression costs, which reflects the level of spending associated with 

suppression of 99 percent of wildfires. In addition, the Budget includes up to $954 million to be 

available under a disaster funding cap adjustment to meet suppression needs above the base 

appropriation. This strategy provides increased certainty in addressing growing fire suppression 

needs, better safeguards non-suppression programs from transfers that have diminished their 

effectiveness, and allows us to stabilize and invest in programs that will more effectively restore 

forested landscapes, treat forests for the increasing effects of climate change, and prepare 

communities to avert and minimize the destruction of future wildfires.

Further, the agency has made great progress in its continued focus on risk-based decision-making 

when responding to wildfires, and in 2015 will continue this important work to better inform 

decision makers on the risks and trade-offs associated with wildfire management decisions. The 

WFM program recognizes the importance of integrating fire as a critical natural process in land 

and resource management plans and activities, managing wildfire across landownership 

boundaries, and applying the best available science. 

The Budget also furthers efforts to focus hazardous fuels treatments in the WUI in areas that are 

identified in Community Wildfire Protection Plans and are highest priority, with plans to focus 

hazardous fuels treatments to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire on over 1.4 million WUI acres.

Investing in Climate Resilience

The President believes that we must do more to help communities across the country become 

more resilient to the effects of climate change. Recent events have reinforced our knowledge that 

our communities and economy remain vulnerable to extreme weather and natural hazards. For 

that reason, the President’s 2015 Budget will include a new $1 billion Climate Resilience Fund. 

Through this Fund, the President proposes that we:

• Invest in research and unlock data and information to better understand the projected 

impacts of climate change and how we can better prepare our communities and 

infrastructure.

• Help communities plan and prepare for the impacts of climate change and encourage 

local measures to reduce future risk. The State Fire Assistance program is an important 

mechanism for assisting State, local and private land owners prepare for and respond to 

wildfires.

• Fund breakthrough technologies and resilient infrastructure that will make us more 

resilient in the face of changing climate. The Hazardous Fuels program plays a critical 

role in reducing fire risk and making our communities, landscapes and watersheds more 

resilient to climate change.

Wildland Fire Management 9-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Preparedness

Budget Line Item Preparedness

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Preparedness

Annual Appropriations $948,651$1,057,580 $1,080,840 $23,260 2%

Preparedness Total 948,651 1,057,580 1,080,840 23,260 2%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 6,968 6,749 6,781 32 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 6,968 6,749 6,781 32 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Preparedness

Percent change from the 10-year average for the number 

of wildfires controlled during initial attack. -0.8% -1.2% 0.5% -0.1% 0.2% 0.2%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President's Budget proposes $1,080,840,000 for Preparedness, an increase of 

$23,260,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This funding fully reflects the 

costs of readiness resources and program management. As directed by Congress in the FY 2014 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, a detailed table of actual and proposed estimated spending on 

fire operations, including aviation resources is included as a Special Exhibit. 

The Preparedness program ensures agency capability to protect life, property, and natural 

resources while assuring an appropriate, risk informed, and effective response to wildfires that is 

consistent with land and resource management objectives. Firefighter and public safety are the 

primary considerations for all operations. 

In FY 2015, the agency will continue to emphasize strategies to increase operational efficiency, 

including: 

• predictive services analysis of fire season potential to strategically deploy firefighting 

resources 

• risk-informed, performance-based fire suppression strategies 

• web-based wild fire decision support tools 

• development, enhancement, and integration of technology applications 

• centralized management of aviation assets, and

• modernizing the firefighting air tanker fleet.

Wildland Fire Management 9-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Resource Summary FY 2013 to FY 2015

Resource

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. Budget

Firefighters (FFTR) – Total is inclusive of categories below 10,000 10,000 10,000

Type I Interagency Hot Shot Crews (twenty person)

67 crews

1,340 

FFTR 

67 crews

1,340 

FFTR 

67 crews

1,340 FFTR 

Other Firefighters 7,940 7,940 7,940

Smoke Jumpers 320 320 320

Prevention Technicians 400 400 400

Engines 900 900 900

Heavy Equipment – Dozers, Tractor Plow Units, Tenders 210 210 210

Helicopters

Type 11 34 Up to 34 Up to 34

Type 2 33 33 33

Type 32 43 46 46

Airtankers

Legacy Airtankers3 12 Up to 8 Up to 8 

Next Generation Airtankers3 Up to 9 Up to 21

Excess US Coast Guard aircraft converted airtankers C-130 H 0 Up to 1 Up to 1

Single Engine Airtankers

Scoopers

1

2 

Up to 1

Up to 3 

Up to 1

Up to 1

1. Only includes agency owned/leased or exclusive use contracted assets.

2. Only includes helicopters whose primary purpose is wildland fire response.

3. Numbers reflect maximum number of aircraft allowed under the contracts.

The FY15 President’s Budget will fund 25 airtankers under exclusive use contracts, which 

include legacy airtankers, next generation large airtankers, and an agency owned C-130H 

aircraft. The Forest Service will exercise options under the exclusive use contracts for additional 

airtankers, if necessary. The agency will also phase out the legacy airtankers as the next 

generation large airtankers become available, thereby maintaining between 18 to 28 contracted 

and agency-owned next generation large airtankers as identified in the Large Airtanker 

Modernization Strategy. The 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) transferred 

seven C-130H aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Forest Service. The aircraft will initially 

be transferred to the U.S. Air Force for retrofitting and installation of a retardant delivery system. 

One C-130H airtanker may be available for airtanker missions in late 2014.

The NDAA provided $130,000,000 to the U.S. Air Force for retrofitting all seven aircraft and 

$5,000,000 each for the installation of the retardant delivery system. The Forest Service will pay 

for operation and maintenance of the C-130Hs within our requested budget by implementing 

programmatic efficiencies and identifying firefighter resource allocation changes that will 

decrease our costs and maintain or increase our operational capability. Programmatic 

efficiencies include implementation of the optimized dispatching analysis, streamlining of our 

information technology (IT) investments through the Wildland Fire IT initiative and a decrease 

in programmatic administrative costs, such as managing aviation assets under national contracts, 

streamlined hiring processes, centralizing training opportunities, and shared fire leadership 

positions between administrative units.

Wildland Fire Management 9-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Past Performance

The agency’s preparedness performance measure focuses on reduced fire risk to people, 

communities, infrastructure, and resources. The measure tracks the agency’s success in 

maintaining our ability to control wildfires effectively. The agency’s initial attack success rate –

the percent of fires that were suppressed before they reached 300 acres in size – was 97.7 percent 

which is 0.09 percentage points higher than the 10-year average, slightly over achieving the 

planned amount. The conditions of the landscape and severe drought in some areas of the 

country created fire conditions and fire behavior that were slightly more severe in those areas. 

Since the Forest Service was able to deploy firefighting assets that were comparable to previous 

years, containment of fires within initial attack efforts was slightly higher than anticipated in FY 

2013. 

Program Description

Program Overview

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

ecosystems managed by the Forest Service. Due to climatic shifts and above normal fuel loads, 

fire seasons are becoming longer and fires are becoming more severe causing, in some cases 

unnatural damage to the landscape. In the West, climate change and other factors have 

contributed to hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons, on average 60 to 70 days longer than in the 

prior decade. The six worst fire seasons since 1960 have occurred since 2000.

The wildland-urban interface (WUI), where there are higher densities of both people and 

infrastructure, is of particular concern as nearly sixty-five million acres of WUI are adjacent to or 

near national forests and grasslands. In order to protect the WUI and sustain the natural 

landscape in the face of climate change, the need for emergency response as well as the need for 

qualified personnel to provide that response has increased rapidly over the past few decades. 

The Forest Service utilizes the Preparedness program to maintain a fire organization that has the 

capability to ensure timely, appropriate, risk informed, and effective response operations to all 

wildland fires. A robust Preparedness program is also essential to reducing the costs of wildland 

fire to the American public. The Fire Program Analysis (FPA) strategic management tool has 

demonstrated that for every $1.00 that is reduced in Preparedness funding, we can expect an 

increase of $1.70 in Suppression costs. Thus we must maintain adequate Preparedness resources 

through the Preparedness program, or risk substantial increases in firefighting costs and more 

devastating losses to life, property and the environment.

The Preparedness program provides for fire management assets that protect National Forest 

System, other Federal, State, and private lands from damaging wildfires, reducing threats to life 

and values at risk commensurate with land management objectives in the context laid out in the 

Cohesive Strategy. Key components of the wildland fire response mission delivery are readiness 

capability and program leadership necessary to ensure appropriate, risk informed, and effective 

operations. Preparedness also supports other vital elements of a comprehensive wildland fire 

management program like planning, prevention, education, development of information 

Wildland Fire Management 9-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

technology and decision support systems, training and education, development and advancement 

of firefighting technology, and organizational learning through program analysis and review.

The Preparedness program is a core component of implementing the National Cohesive Wildland 

Fire Strategy, which is a national collaborative effort between wildland fire organizations, land 

managers, and policy making officials representing Federal, State and local governments, Tribal 

interests, and nongovernmental organizations. The Cohesive Strategy builds on the successes of 

the National Fire Plan and other foundational documents and aims to address the Nation’s 

wildland fire challenges holistically across all lands and jurisdictions. 

The Cohesive Strategy identifies three key areas that present the greatest challenges and the 

greatest opportunities for making a positive difference in addressing our national wildfire issues:

• restoring and maintaining fire resilient landscapes, 

• creating fire-adapted communities, and

• effectively responding to wildfire.

Federal, State, local, Tribal and nongovernmental partners completed Phase I in 2011, which 

outlines the national strategy to address wildland fire issues across the Nation. Phase II was 

completed in 2012 and developed a risk based framework for evaluating local, regional, and 

national alternatives for wildfire response and preparedness at a mix of different temporal and 

geographic scales. Phase III will be the final National Cohesive Strategy report, set to be 

released in spring 2014, which sets broad, strategic and national-level direction as a foundation 

for implementing actions and activities across the Nation. It prioritizes where activities will be 

emphasized from a national perspective, based on the premise that planned actions have a greater 

likelihood of being most effective and efficient in areas where conditions contributing to the 

issue are most severe. Through use of the best available science, the Cohesive Strategy identifies 

four high-priority areas to focus resources: (1) vegetation and fuels, (2) homes, communities and 

values at risk, (3) human-caused ignitions, and (4) effective and efficient wildfire response.

Allocation and Integration

Preparedness funds are allocated to regions based on predicted fire activity and anticipated 

wildfire workloads. The placement, and associated funding allocations of specific resources 

considers logistical and mobilization efficiencies. The agency’s overall readiness capability and 

resource geographical placements have been established through various fire planning and 

budgeting analyses. However, as the fire season develops and ongoing risk is assessed, national 

and local resources are repositioned to ensure timely and effective responses. Predictive services 

and other relevant data sources are used to analyze potential seasonal fire activity to guide 

strategic placement of resources.

The Forest Service continues its strategy to deploy, assess, and improve the FPA system, which 

was used to support and inform the FY 2015 budget formulation. The FPA was used to assess 

trade-offs between different potential preparedness and suppression scenarios. The development 

of this comprehensive interagency fire planning and budget analysis tool began in 2002. The 

vision was that this tool would replace existing budget planning systems in the federal fire 

management agencies. The goal was to have a system which could identify the most cost 

Wildland Fire Management 9-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

effective fire management program, irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries, to facilitate long 

term strategic planning and budget formulation exercises. The FPA system incorporates the 

highly complex science associated with modeling natural resource variables over an immense 

and highly variable geographic area. Since FY 2012, the FPA has provided both the Forest 

Service and Department of the Interior key outputs for budget formulation. The current FPA 

outputs provide information suitable for national strategic wildland fire management planning.

Partnerships

The Preparedness program has numerous partnerships with other Federal agencies and States 

which include protection agreements, collaborative research efforts, and development of an 

interagency fire planning and budgeting analysis system. The agency also collaborates with 

cooperators, including the National Association of State Foresters and the Department of the 

Interior for training, planning, equipment use contracts, and interagency fire coordination 

centers. In addition the agency has an agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) to 

provide support in fire suppression through the Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) 

program. The DOD provides C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS units as surge capacity for 

aerial firefighting when requested by the Forest Service. MAFFS are portable fire retardant 

delivery systems that can be inserted into military C-130 aircraft to convert them into large 

airtankers when needed. The MAFFS program is a 40-year long joint effort between the Forest 

Service and the DOD. The Forest Service owns the MAFFS equipment and supplies the 

retardant, while the DOD provides the C-130 aircraft, pilots, and maintenance and support 

personnel to fly the missions.

The Forest Service both sponsors and participates in interagency training exercises. Municipal, 

State, and other fire, emergency, and medical professionals are actively recruited for incident 

training drills. The experience and education provided to the participants strengthens job 

performance and communication throughout the U.S. emergency response community.

Wildland Fire Management 9-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Suppression

Budget Line Item Suppression

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Suppression

Annual Appropriations $509,812 $680,488 $708,000 $27,512 4%

Suppression Total 509,812 680,488 708,000 27,512 4%

Suppression Cap Adjustment 0 0 954,000 954,000 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 2,919 3,010 3,069 59 2%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2,919 3,010 3,069 59 2%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Suppression

Percent of fires not contained in initial attack that exceed 

a Stratified Cost Index (SCI) 20.8% 24.0% 18.0% 36.4% 24.0% 24.0%

Three-year average percent of fires not contained in 

initial attack that exceed a Stratified Cost Index (SCI) 27.5% 28.2% 24.0% 27.1% 26.0% 26.0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $708,000,000 for Suppression, within discretionary 

limits and $954,000,000 as a budget cap adjustment. 

The President’s Budget proposes a cap adjustment as a new approach for budgeting for wildland 

fire suppression to minimize the risk of fire transfers and provide more stability and certainty of 

funding to other programs that support critical forest and rangeland management needs. Based 

on a joint analysis between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior 

(DOI), one percent of fires represent 30 percent of Suppression costs. The remaining 70 percent 

of costs represent 99 percent of fires. As such, this request proposes 70 percent of the 10-year 

average for Suppression, currently calculated at $1.011 billion (see Table 1) to be funded within 

the discretionary spending limits. The proposed cap adjustment would fund the remaining 30 

percent of the 10-year average and anything above the 10-year average (which is currently 

funded through fire transfers) equal to the high end of the 90 percent confidence interval 

predicted by the outyear forecast17. For FY 2015, the total proposed cap adjustment is $954 

million (see Table 2). 

17 Abt, K.L., J.P. Prestemon, and K. Gebert. 2009. “Wildfire suppression cost forecasts for the US Forest Service”. Journal of 

Forestry 107(4):173-178. Note: models have been and are continuously being updated since publication of this article, and only 

changes that result in improved fit statistics are used for the forecasts.

Wildland Fire Management 9-8

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

As directed by Congress in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, a detailed table of 

actual and proposed spending on fire operations, including aviation resources is included as a 

Special Exhibit on page 14-69. 

Table 1 – Forest Service Suppression Obligations 2004 – 2013

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Net Nominal 

Suppression 

Obligations

GDP Inflator

[2005=1.00]

GDP Deflator

[2013=1.00]

Adjusted 

Obligations1

[2013=1.00]

Rolling

10-year 

Average

Adjusted Rolling 

10-year Average 

(for rebaselining)2

2004 $726,000 0.9685 0.8109 $895,338 $869,442

2005 690,000 1.0000 0.8372 824,136 899,969

2006 1,501,000 1.0331 0.8650 1,735,354 991,404

2007 1,374,000 1.0597 0.8872 1,548,651 1,121,176

2008 1,458,805 1.0976 0.9190 1,587,461 1,237,253

2009 1,018,329 1.1036 0.9240 1,102,114 1,297,867

2010 897,686 1.1191 0.9370 958,088 1,249,340

2011 1,414,379 1.1432 0.9571 1,477,724 1,307,637

2012 1,436,614 1.1711 0.9805 1,820,197 1,324,364

2013 1,356,535 1.1944 1.0000 1,711,535 1,366,060 1,011,060

1/

$355 million was added to Adjusted Obligations in both FY 2012 and FY 2013 to account for rebaselining (i.e., shifting 

aviation contract costs and cost pools from Suppression to Preparedness) to ensure FY 2012 and FY 2013 obligations are 

comparable to prior years when these costs were included in Suppression. 2

/$355 million is then subtracted from the Rolling 10-year average to get the Adjusted Rolling 10-year Average, as these costs 

are now included in Preparedness and not Suppression. 

In Table 1 above, the net nominal suppression obligations are inflated to constant 2013 dollars to 

calculate the rolling 10-year average. To do this, the GDP inflator and the GDP deflator are used 

together to calculate the factor that is applied to the nominal suppression obligations to adjust 

them to constant 2013 dollars. The nominal suppression obligations are then divided by the GDP 

deflator to get the adjusted obligations (i.e., obligations converted to constant 2013 dollars), 

which are used to calculate the rolling 10-year average. The rolling 10-year average for a 

particular fiscal year is calculated by adding the adjusted obligations from that fiscal year to the 

previous nine years and dividing by ten. Finally, the rolling 10-year average is adjusted for 

rebaselining by subtracting out the funding for aviation contract costs and cost pools that were 

previously paid for with Suppression, but have now been shifted to Preparedness. See footnotes 

for Table 1 for more detail on rebaselining.

Table 2 – FY 2015 Forest Service Suppression Expenditure Forecast

and Confidence Interval (CI)

(dollars in thousands)

Median total 

Forest Service 

expenditure

Lower 90 

Percent CI

Upper 90 

Percent CI

FY 2015

Pres. Budget 

Suppression

FY 2015

Proposed Cap

Adjustment

FY 2015 $1,190,820 $712,960 $1,661,640 $708,000 $953,640

Wildland Fire Management 9-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Funds within the budget cap adjustment will only be accessible for wildland fire suppression 

operations if one or more of the following criteria are met and a declaration has been issued by 

the Secretary of Agriculture:

• a fire has required an emergency Federal response based on significant complexity, 

severity, or threat posed by the fire to human life, property, or resource, or 

• the fire covers 1,000 acres or more, or

• the fire is within 10 miles of a major urban area (defined as 50,000 inhabitants or more), 

or

• the cumulative costs of wildfire suppression operations will exceed all of the amounts 

previously appropriated within 30 days.

Suppression is an “All Lands” program that funds activities to suppress wildland fires on or 

threatening National Forest System (NFS) lands, other Federal lands, and 20 million acres of 

non-Federal lands under fire protection agreements. Funding for Suppression enables the agency 

to respond to unplanned wildland fire incidents which threaten lives, property, and resources. 

Wildfires continue to be larger and more difficult to suppress due to the effects of a changing 

climate, persistent drought and hazardous fuels conditions, and the increased size and complexity 

of housing developments adjacent to the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The Forest Service 

recognizes the costs of WUI suppression activities and will continue to aggressively pursue risk 

management measures including: 

• focusing hazardous fuels funding for treatments in the WUI, 

• using risk-informed, performance-based suppression strategies, 

• clarifying roles and responsibilities in the WUI, 

• using appropriate cost-share agreements, and 

• deploying decision support tools.

The Forest Service and the DOI are committed to restoring the resilience and diversity of fireadapted ecosystems on the landscape, consistent with public safety needs. The agencies will 

identify, establish, and maintain necessary governance and risk management protocols that will 

guide program management and incident response with the application of resources to reduce 

unnecessary risk to firefighter safety in the short-term and contribute to the long-term resiliency 

of fire-adapted ecosystems. 

The Forest Service will expand efforts to manage wildfires to meet land management objectives. 

We will make a concerted effort to allow fire to return to the landscape when these fires will 

improve the health of the forest and when risks to safety and communities make it appropriate to 

do so. Phase III of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) developed 

models that will better inform decision-makers and allow them to understand the risks and tradeoffs associated with wildland fire management decisions.

Wildland Fire Management 9-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Past Performance 

The Forest Service suppression performance measure is a program outcome and efficiency 

measure. To help analyze suppression costs the agency uses an efficiency measure that 

compares actual to expected suppression costs via a stratified cost index (SCI). 

The SCI is a set of predictive models based on historical large fire data from 1995-2004. This 

data set provides a baseline for comparison. The SCI determines expected suppression costs for 

each fire utilizing several factors found to be associated with suppression costs. In real time, the 

SCI provides a comparison of a fire’s expenditures to historical fires with similar characteristics 

(including fuel type, slope, elevation, and total housing value), increasing cost awareness and 

providing a basis for fire incident budgeting. 

The percentage of incidents not contained in initial attack that exceeded the SCI in FY 2013 was 

36 percent—an increase from 24 percent in FY 2012. The 2013 fire season was a very active 

one, and while we did not achieve our planned accomplishment of 18 percent, we did perform 

relatively consistently in 2013 to all years FY 2009 thru 2012. The FY 2013 target was based on 

those established during the development of the Forest Service Strategic Plan in FY 2006, at 

which time this calculation methodology was very new with little historical data. Since then, 

more historical data sets have been added, as well as fire data from the fire seasons since 2004. 

Based on this additional information, and subsequent refinements to the model, we have learned 

that a target of 18 percent is unattainable. From FY 2006 through FY 2012, performance has 

fallen within the 18.2 to 39.7 percent range which is representative of no significant statistical 

change in performance. Our challenge is to consistently drive agency performance to the low 

end of this range and continue to refine targets appropriately. We are refining the methodology 

used to calculate the SCI as we obtain more data and improve computational ability.

Two of the main factors that may influence cost outcomes in the management of wildfire are 

long-term ecological and changing climatic conditions which are not modelled within 

SCI. These factors can cause our management strategies to change for a fire of similar 

characteristics that occurs in different years since the potential outcomes can be drastically 

different. As such, SCI is a good indicator of cost alignment with previous similar incidents, but 

it is not an absolute measure of efficiency, effectiveness or overall performance. We will 

continue to develop new performance measures and improve the SCI calculation enabling us to 

more thoroughly analyze how our wildland fire management response decisions affect response 

outcomes.

In FY 2013, we continued to implement risk management and fiscal accountability initiatives to 

help ensure we have an appropriate, risk informed, and effective response to all wildland 

fires. We also continued to refine how large and complex wildfires are managed, focusing on 

improving risk management protocols and striving to increase incident management efficiency. 

In FY 2013, National Incident Management Organization teams actively engaged National 

Forests and local communities in risk assessment and the development of risk-informed decision 

making. Fire managers used the latest decision support tools, emerging technology, and 

localized knowledge to make decisions and measure the probability of success of those decisions 

Wildland Fire Management 9-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

to reduce risk while more effectively managing cost. The Forest Service will continue these 

efforts in FY 2015. 

Program Description

Program Overview

The Suppression program is the primary source of funding for all wildfire response operations. 

The Forest Service is known for its excellence in emergency response and works in coordination 

with other Federal agencies, State, Tribal and local government partners to protect life and 

property against wildfire and other natural disasters. This program also protects the health of our 

forests and watersheds from the impacts of fires so that forests maintain their capacity to 

sequester and store carbon, mitigate climate change, and deliver benefits such as clean water, 

wildlife and fish habitat, and recreation opportunities. The Suppression program also helps to 

restore and maintain resilient landscapes by managing naturally ignited, unplanned wildfires on 

NFS lands and to accomplish resource management, ecological restoration, and fuels reduction 

goals where appropriate. 

This program provides resources to efficiently respond to wildland fires on or threatening NFS 

lands and other Federal and non-Federal lands under fire protection agreements through a risk 

management decision-making framework in the context of the Cohesive Strategy. The program 

funds firefighter salaries and equipment in direct support of a fire incident, aviation asset 

operations, incident support functions, and fire management administration.

We also provide suppression resources to Department of the Interior incidents on a reciprocal 

non-reimbursement basis. In addition, the Suppression program funds personnel and resources 

for the following activities: 

Attainment of Resource Benefits - Management of naturally ignited, unplanned wildland fires on 

NFS lands to accomplish resource management, ecological restoration, and fuels reduction goals 

consistent with the revised guidance for the implementation of the Federal wildland fire policy 

and land management plan direction.

Burned Area Emergency Response - Post-fire actions on NFS lands to prevent or minimize 

unacceptable erosion and loss of soil productivity, deterioration of water quality and downstream 

damage, changes to ecosystem function, establishment of non-native invasive species, and 

degradation of cultural and natural resources. 

Severity - Increasing readiness and response capability when predicted or actual burning 

conditions are extraordinary or are deemed imminent. This capability is also used during early 

or extended fire seasons. 

Non-Fire Incident Response - Supports the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency through Forest Service participation in the National Response 

Framework and other activities authorized by the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5121, as amended). 

Wildland Fire Management 9-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The quality of decision-making on a fire incident determines outcomes of safety, cost, 

relationships, and environmental effects. All fires are managed in accordance with risk 

management protocols that emphasize firefighter and public safety and determine the most 

effective response to protect values at risk and manage NFS lands. The Forest Service utilizes 

the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) in managing wildfires. This system is 

structured to provide access to a suite of data and decision support tools and document firemanagement decisions and long-term operational plans when needed. Managers use WFDSS to 

assess management options with regard to risk and tactical implementation strategies on wildland 

fires. 

Allocation and Integration

The Forest Service allocates funds from the Suppression account only for active incident 

response. Wildland fire management is extremely complex and each fire is unique. Each 

incident is immediately evaluated and an incident risk analysis is completed. Costs for managing 

the fires will depend on the complexity and duration of the incident. 

Partnerships

The Suppression program is a key component of implementing the Cohesive Strategy. The 

Cohesive Strategy, developed in FY 2010, is a national collaborative effort among wildland fire 

organizations, land managers, and policy making officials representing Federal, State and local 

governments, Tribal interests, and nongovernmental organizations that builds on the successes of 

the National Fire Plan and other foundational documents. 

The Cohesive Strategy is broad and national in scope meant to address wildland fire issues 

across the Nation. Together with our partners, we identified three key areas that present the 

greatest challenges and the greatest opportunities for making a positive difference in addressing 

our national wildfire issues:

• restoring and maintaining fire resilient landscapes, 

• creating fire-adapted communities, and 

• effectively responding to wildfire.

The wildland firefighting community is an interagency, inter-jurisdictional partnership because 

wildland fire crosses all boundaries. We maintain strong partnerships with other Federal 

agencies, States, local government entities, and contractors. Mutual-aid response agreements are 

often at the State level, but may be created at the local level. We encourage our wildland 

firefighters to cross train with State and local forces to be familiar with their communications, 

equipment, and capabilities if and when a complex multi-party response incident occurs. These 

local partnerships are essential to ensure protection of life, property, and resources through 

appropriate, risk informed, and effective operations.

Wildland Fire Management 9-13
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Hazardous Fuels

Budget Line Item Hazardous Fuels

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Hazardous Fuels

Annual Appropriations $301,056 $306,500 $358,564 $52,064 17%

Hazardous Fuels Total 301,056 306,500 358,564 52,064 17%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 1,834 1,844 2,335 491 27%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 1,834 1,844 2,335 491 27%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Hazardous Fuels

Number of acres restored and maintained per million 

dollars gross investment. 3,910 3,649 2,800 4,490 3,800 4,000

Acres moved to a better condition class per million 

dollars gross investment. 1,060 944 1,002 1,018 1,005 1,000

Percent of treated acres identified in Community 

Wildfire Protection Plans or equivalent plans. 60.8% 93.0% 75.0% 85.4% 90.0% 90.0%

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 1,611,991 1,867,202 1,100,000 1,736,927 1,250,000 1,430,000

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $358,564,000 for Hazardous Fuels, an increase of 

$52,064,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding of this program is a 

critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, improve 

water quantity and quality and increase carbon sequestration.

The Forest Service is continuing to focus on the most strategic acres for treatment, which are 

often the most expensive because they require mechanical treatment or a combination of 

mechanical treatment with prescribed fire. Funding will be used to treat approximately 1.43 

million acres of the highest priority areas in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). WUI treatment 

cost per acre can be up to four times more expensive than treatments in non-WUI areas because 

most work is done mechanically, by hand crews, or with machinery. 

Projects completed using hazardous fuels funds will support the goals of the National Cohesive 

Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) by focusing on:

• strategically protecting communities (and associated lives, property, and public 

infrastructure) which are at the highest risk from damaging wildfire,

Wildland Fire Management 9-14
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• providing a safer environment for wildland fire management operations, and

• supporting communities that are 

working to achieve Firewise 

standards, have identified acres to 

be treated in Community Wildfire 

Protection Plans (CWPPs) or 

equivalent plans, and have made 

an investment in implementing 

local solutions to protect against 

wildland fire. 

In addition, this request includes 

$38,000,000 to fund nationally 

competitive projects that reduce the risk to 

communities and firefighters and increase 

the resilience of the forests. These funds 

will be targeted to areas of high risk near 

communities that are actively working on 

reducing risk to the communities.

In FY 2015, this program will also support 

the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative. 

The Forest Service will leverage a small 

amount of grant funds with USDA Rural 

Development’s grant and loan programs 

by providing subject matter expertise and 

technical assistance in the early stages of 

project development through Woody 

Biomass Utilization Grants, so the 

proponents can successfully compete for 

Rural Development’s loans and grants. Funding will also support work on other facets of the

Wood to Energy Initiative, including technical and financial assistance to facilitate conversion to 

wood energy in communities; air quality improvement through development of better 

combustion technology; and expanding the use of wood into new markets. 

Refer to the Special Exhibit on Biomass and Bioenergy for further details.

Past Performance

Acres of WUI high-priority hazardous fuels treatment - The Hazardous Fuels program treated 

approximately 1.74 million acres on National Forest System (NFS) and adjacent lands in the 

wildland-urban interface (WUI) in FY 2013, exceeding the target of 1.1 million acres of WUI 

high-priority hazardous fuels treated. In addition, over 886,000 acres were treated outside of the 

WUI, resulting in a total program accomplishment of over 2.6 million acres. Included in the 

total Hazardous Fuels program accomplishment are nearly 465,000 WUI/non-WUI acres burned 

Kyle Canyon Fuels Reduction

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Fuel treatments played a critical role in the effective 

response to the Carpenter 1 Fire in the Spring Mountain 

National Recreation Area near Las Vegas, NV Areas in and 

around communities were previously treated to remove 

excessive vegetation using a combination of hand thinning, 

mastication (shredding), piling, and prescribed 

burning. Projects were designed specifically to improve 

safety, fire management effectiveness, and reduce the threat 

to surrounding homes from wildfire. While conducted by 

the Forest Service, these projects were planned in 

collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada 

Division of Forestry, Nevada Fire Safe Council, Clark 

County Fire Department, and area home owners. 

Firefighters used the fuel treatments around the Rainbow 

Subdivision to safely perform burn-out operations, resulting 

in successful protection of all structures threatened and 

reduced impacts to the surrounding forest by reducing fire 

intensity and limiting damage to residual trees.

Wildland Fire Management 9-15
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

by naturally ignited wildfires, which were shown through field verification to have benefitted 

ecosystems by moving them toward specific desired conditions for forests and grasslands based 

on land management objectives identified in Land and Resource Management Plans or other 

planning documents. This significant increase in naturally burned acres over last year’s total 

largely contributed to the overachievement of the target in FY 2013. Tools used to determine the 

effects of the fire include satellite imagery or burn severity mapping, as well as collection of sitespecific data. Naturally ignited fires that benefit ecosystems will continue to be an important 

part of the total Hazardous Fuels program, and the acres treated each year will vary with the 

activity of the fire season.

Percent of treated acres identified in Community Wildfire Protection Plans or equivalent plans -

The target for “percentage of acres treated in the WUI that have been identified in CWPP) or 

equivalent plan” is 75 percent. In FY 2013, 85.4 percent of the acres treated in the WUI were 

identified in areas covered by a CWPP or equivalent plan, exceeding the planned target. The 

Forest Service continues to focus on targeting fuels treatments in those communities that are 

working to prepare for wildland fire, including by having a CWPP in place. We also work in 

cooperation with communities at risk to provide assistance and expertise in preparing these 

plans.

Biomass Energy - In FY 2013, biomass energy efforts continued to expand as part of the USDA 

Wood to Energy Initiative. Ten biomass grant awards from the Woody Biomass Utilization 

Grant program, totaling approximately $2.5 million, were made to small business and 

community groups across the country. Cooperative agreements totaling $1.1 million were 

awarded to five State Wood Energy Teams from the first request for proposals in FY 2013. 

These state teams support communities in the development of wood energy projects. In addition 

the Forest Service assisted the Secretary in the development of a Memorandum of Understanding 

with four wood energy organizations to expand development. All of these efforts are 

components of the Forest Service’s focus on bioenergy and biobased products and will result in 

secure, sustainable, renewable energy sources; strong rural economies; and more acres of 

hazardous fuels treated with less air pollution. Wood energy and biobased products are newer 

products that are part of an integrated wood products industry and need to be incorporated 

synergistically. Since 2005, this program has awarded almost $42 million to 175 grant 

recipients, including small businesses, non-profits, tribes, and State agencies, across the country. 

Forest Service employees and partners provide technical assistance to grant applicants and assist 

in the administration of the awarded grants.

Program Description 

Program Overview

The Hazardous Fuels program restores forest health and reduces wildfire risks. Our Nation’s 

ability to protect its forest and grassland resources is now at risk due to drought, the impacts of 

climate change, severe wildfires, and uncharacteristically large outbreaks of insects and disease. 

Such stresses and disturbances are impacting forests, grasslands, and watersheds on an 

unprecedented scale, causing millions of dollars in damage and limiting the ability to obtain 

economically viable products from our forests. There is an urgent need to increase the pace and 

Wildland Fire Management 9-16
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

scale of our restoration efforts and the Hazardous Fuels program is a linchpin in that effort. 

Healthy, resilient landscapes have greater capacity to adapt to and withstand natural disturbances 

and large scale threats to sustainability, especially under changing and uncertain future 

environmental conditions such as those created by climate change.

Hazardous fuels reduction is reducing the quantity or changing the arrangement of living and 

dead vegetation in forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands through prescribed burning, 

mechanical treatments, and other methods, to protect communities (and associated lives, 

property, and public infrastructure) and important assets which are at the highest risk from 

damaging wildfire, provide an environment where wildland fire can be managed more safely and 

effectively, and create healthy landscapes that help maintain our Nation’s wealth and provide 

places for the American public to visit and enjoy nature.

Hazardous fuels are treated using a wide range of tools with the goals of:

• reducing the spread, intensity, and severity of wildfire in order to protect values at risk,

• restoring and maintaining the resilience of natural systems by reducing high fuel loads so 

that when wildfires do occur their ecological impacts are positive or neutral,

• providing strategic opportunities to increase our capability to manage wildfire for 

resource benefits, and

• increasing options for safe and efficient management tactics that reduce spread and 

impacts of damaging wildfire.

Healthy, resilient landscapes have greater capacity to survive natural disturbances and large scale 

threats to sustainability, especially under changing and uncertain future environmental 

conditions, such as those driven by climate change and increasing human use. While hazardous 

fuels projects can emit greenhouse gases, they also mitigate potentially greater quantities of 

emissions from uncharacteristic wildfire. Whether through prescribed fire or mechanical means, 

hazardous fuels treatment requires skilled workers, and this serves as an important source of 

jobs, especially in rural communities.

To measure success and allow for program evaluation, a fuels treatment effectiveness assessment 

must be completed for every wildfire that starts in or intersects with a fuels treatment area. 

These assessments increase the understanding of the effects of hazardous fuels treatments on fire 

behavior, fire severity, and fire suppression effectiveness and help direct program improvements 

that increase success. These assessments have also shown that fuel treatments sufficiently 

modify fire behavior to prevent loss of private property and to provide a safe working 

environment for fire management personnel. The agency is improving data availability by 

incorporating spatial data for fuel treatments into the Widland Fire Management Decision 

Support System to help support wildfire incidents and inform risk management decisions. 

The Hazardous Fuels program is a key component of implementing the Cohesive Strategy and 

will contribute to successful outcomes in restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes, creating 

fire adapted communities, and responding to wildfires by funding projects that restore forest 

landscape health and reduce wildfire risks to communities. Hazardous fuels reduction can be the 

Wildland Fire Management 9-17
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

most effective way to protect community values, restore forest and grassland health, improve 

firefighter and public safety, and potentially reduce large fire suppression costs.

Biomass

The Hazardous Fuels program funds biomass grants through the Woody Biomass Utilization 

Grant program up to $5 million annually. Since FY 2005, the Hazardous Fuels program has 

provided funding for this successful grant program to help build capacity for biomass utilization 

in support of fuels reduction and landscape restoration. These funds are implemented in 

coordination with USDA Rural Development programs resulting in greater overall investments 

beyond the Forest Service budget. Biomass utilization provides energy from vegetation that is 

removed for fuels management. Using this biomass for energy, instead of just burning it in piles, 

contributes to rural economic vitality, national energy security, and reduces greenhouse gas 

emissions.

Collaborative Forest Restoration Program

The Hazardous Fuels program also provides approximately $5 million per year to fund the 

Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) in New Mexico. CFRP provides grants to

diverse stakeholder groups for projects that develop, demonstrate, and evaluate ecologically 

sound forest restoration techniques and small diameter utilization projects on Federal, Tribal, 

State, county, and municipal lands. Projects promote healthy watersheds, reduce the threat of 

high intensity wildfires, and improve the functioning of forest ecosystems. A Federal Advisory 

Committee evaluates grant proposals and provides funding recommendations to the Forest 

Service.

Allocation and Integration

The Forest Service will continue to use the Hazardous Fuels Prioritization and Allocation System 

to allocate funds to the field, emphasizing areas where probability of fire is high, expected fire 

severity is high, and important values - particularly communities - are at risk. The 2014 national 

model incorporates results from the Large Fire Simulation Model to estimate probability of fire 

occurrence and expected fire severity for all National Forest System lands. This data, in 

combination with proximity of residential development and municipal watersheds will help to 

identify areas where fire risk to communities and municipal water supplies is greatest. The 

Forest Service will prioritize investments in hazardous fuels treatment in high risk areas with 

CWPPs or equivalent plans and where communities have made an investment in mitigating risk.

Partnerships

In addition to the integrated efforts within the Forest Service, we use our authorities and the 

Hazardous Fuels program to work with outside partners to address wildland fire threats on other 

Federal, State, and private lands to:

• conduct fuel treatments on adjacent non-Federal lands;

• partner with local communities in the development of CWPPs;

Wildland Fire Management 9-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• coordinate fuels treatment programs with Natural Resources Conservation Service and 

Department of the Interior agencies; and

• conduct treatments on NFS lands in cooperation with nongovernmental organizations.

Expanded partnerships and collaborative efforts increase treatment efficiencies and allow the 

agency to reduce costs, treat additional areas, and reduce the risk to communities. For example, 

use of the Good Neighbor Authority in Colorado and Utah allows these States to conduct 

hazardous fuels treatments on National Forest System land when performing similar activities on 

adjacent State or private land.

The USDA Wood to Energy Initiative has created partnerships with Rural Development and 

State agencies (Forestry, Energy, Economic Development), nongovernmental organizations, and 

the private sector through cooperative agreements to expand the wood energy sector as well as 

an MOU to expand wood energy development with the Biomass Power Association, the Biomass 

Thermal Energy Council, the Pellet Fuels Institute, and the Alliance for Green Heat.

The budget also funds institutes established in the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire 

Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-317) to enhance our capacity to execute practical sciencebased forest restoration treatments that will reduce the risk of severe wildfires and improve the 

health of dry forest and woodland ecosystems in the Interior West.

Wildland Fire Management 9-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Research and Development

Budget Line Item Research and Development

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Research and Development

Annual Appropriations $20,603 $19,795 $19,795 0 0%

Research and Development Total 20,603 19,795 19,795 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 103 99 99 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 103 99 99 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Research and Development

Customer satisfaction index score for R&D 75 79 79 79 79 79

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $19,795,000 

for the National Fire Plan Research and Development, the 

same as the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act 

level. The proposed budget will support fire research that 

informs management to reduce the negative impacts of 

wildland fire on human communities and protect the 

ecological benefits forests supply including clean water, 

recreational opportunities, fish and wildlife habitats, and 

forest products. Continued investments will focus on 

partnerships that leverage Forest Service funding.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, National Fire Plan Research provided new 

tools in areas such as fire behavior, 

smoke production, and movement; fire effects; and 

decision support systems. A few key products delivered 

are summarized below.

Forest Service researchers monitored smoke chemistry 

and found that wildfires in the Interior Mountain West 

burn at a much lower combustion efficiency than 

Wildfire Prevention Pays Big Dividends

A team of Forest Service scientists and 

Federal, State, and Tribal partners 

analyzed the extent to which wildfire 

prevention efforts reduce human-caused 

wildfires. Research showed that for a 

small investment in prevention of half a 

million dollars per year in the early 2000s, 

the State of Florida saved over $3 million 

in suppression expenditures and avoided 

over $12 million in losses of structures, 

timber, and economic disruptions. These 

findings are being used to update existing 

wildfire management software used by the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs and other 

agencies.

Wildland Fire Management 9-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

prescribed fires. This finding means that for a given mass of vegetation burned, wildfires emit 

more fine particulate matter and more non-methane organic compounds that lead to ozone 

formation. These results indicate previous estimates of wildfire emissions underestimated the 

production of these pollutants and the potential of wildfires to degrade local and regional air 

quality.

Forest Service scientists, in collaboration with university partners, designed the National Fire and 

Fire Surrogate study to evaluate how alternative fuel reduction treatments influence a multitude 

of ecological effects in seasonally dry forests for most sites. The treatments modified stand 

structures and fuel levels to the point where post-treatment stands are expected to be much more 

resistant to moderate wildfire.

Program Description

Program Overview

The National Fire Plan R&D program conducts research to support management of fire-affected 

ecosystems to sustain forest health and to reduce the risk of damaging wildland fires in the 

context of changing social and physical environments. It supports vital fire management and fire 

research activities for the benefit of land managers and policy makers. As a result of this 

research we develop information, products, and tools to help communities and homeowners 

mitigate fire risk, to restore fire-adapted ecosystems, and to support risk-based management. 

The National Fire Plan R&D program is managed under a strategic plan that outlines five 

portfolio areas: (1) core fire science, (2) ecological and environmental fire science, (3) social fire 

science, (4) integrated fire and fuels management research, and (5) science application. This 

plan states that the goal of National Fire Plan R&D is to provide the knowledge and tools that 

managers use to reduce the negative impacts and to enhance the beneficial effects of fire and fire 

management on society and the environment. These investments help fire managers, policy 

makers, and citizens to make scientifically sound wildfire and fuels management decisions; 

wisely invest fuel and fire expenditures to minimize the negative social, economic, and 

ecological impacts of fire; avoid environmental damage when dealing with fuel and fire risk 

problems; and develop effective community programs to speed the adoption of fire-safe 

construction and landscaping practices.

Overall, the National Fire Plan R&D has implications for many highly important issues of 

forested landscapes: protection of large-diameter trees; recreation; protection of communities, 

people, and wildlife in the wildland-urban interface; creation of resilient forests; and climate 

change mitigation and adaptation. The results of this research influence suppression spending, 

demonstrate the effectiveness of fuels treatments, inform allocation of fuels management 

funding, and reveal opportunities to utilize biomass from thinning treatments.

Allocation and Integration

A Wildland Fire Strategic Program Area (SPA) team and Portfolio teams made up of 

Washington Office staff and research station representatives evaluate and recommend allocations 

Wildland Fire Management 9-21
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

of National Fire Plan R&D funds annually. The Wildland Fire Strategic Program Area and 

Portfolio teams enhance integration and collaboration across stations on research focused in four 

major areas: firefighting, rehabilitation and restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, and 

community assistance.

Partnerships

Partnerships with users and other research organizations are a fundamental component of Forest 

Service fire research. These partnerships include Federal agencies, a number of national forests, 

90 U.S. colleges and universities, 30 nongovernmental organizations, more than 50 state and 

local governments, industry partners, and international organizations.

Wildland Fire Management 9-22
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Joint Fire Science Program

Budget Line Item Joint Fire Science Program

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Joint Fire Science Program

Annual Appropriations $6,884 $6,914 $6,914 0 0%

Joint Fire Science Program Total 6,884 6,914 6,914 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 13 13 13 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 13 13 13 0 0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes $6,914,000 for the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), 

the same level as the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This funding supports the 

development of important technical and scientific 

information that is needed to support the large 

national effort focused on fuel treatment 

effectiveness, landscape restoration, wildlife, 

emissions, and demonstration projects. Forest 

Service Research and Development will continue to 

work jointly with the Department of the Interior 

(DOI) in managing the program and setting 

priorities. This funding will allow continuation of 

two out of the three lines of research as well as 

science delivery, and research on emerging 

management needs.

Past Performance

Forest Service Research and Development (Forest 

Service R&D) formed the Pacific Fire 

Exchange (PFX) to address the need for a 

collaborative and regionally specific exchange of 

information to support effective fire prevention, 

mitigation, and management in Hawaii and the US 

Affiliated Pacific Islands. The PFX has delivered 

multiple fire-themed trainings, newsletters, and 

webinars; developed a watershed-based wildfire 

decision support tool for use by communities and 

organizations; and hosted the first ever fire 

symposium at the Hawaii Conservation Conference.

New Tool for Predicting Smoke Dispersion 

Enhances Safety

Forest Service scientists and partners developed 

a new modeling tool to improve predictions of 

local smoke transport during low-intensity 

wildland fires in forested environments. The 

modeling system was tested using 

meteorological and air-quality data collected 

during prescribed fires conducted by the New 

Jersey Forest Fire Service in the New Jersey 

Pine Barrens. This modeling tool will help fire 

and forest managers plan prescribed fires so that 

adverse air-quality effects on residents and 

firefighters near wildfires are minimized.

Wildland Fire Management 9-23
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service R&D sponsored an international symposium on fire economics, planning, and 

policy, which focused on climate change and wildfires. The symposium brought together 125 

scientists, academicians, fire and fuel managers, and fire practitioners from agencies with fire 

protection responsibilities in 18 countries. This was an opportunity for policy makers, natural 

resource managers, and fire managers and practitioners to exchange ideas and learn from mutual 

concerns and experiences. Results showed a relationship between more and longer periods of 

droughts under climate change conditions and increases in wildland fire occurrences. Providing 

information on current and potential future conditions will help communities be better prepared 

to respond to these events.

Program Description

Program Overview

The JFSP is an interagency fire research and development partnership between the Departments 

of the Interior and Agriculture. The JFSP contributes to sound decision-making and project 

implementation through credible research tailored to the needs of fire and fuel managers. 

Research projects compliment and build on other Federal research programs, such as those 

carried out by the Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other research partners. 

Synthesis of research findings and targeted delivery to managers are essential components of the 

program. The JFSP supports research, tool development, and science application related to 

specific emphasis areas defined by Congress. These areas include: fuel inventory and mapping; 

fuel treatment scheduling and risk assessment; fire effects and fire behavior; monitoring and 

evaluation; restoration of fire-adapted ecosystems; post-fire stabilization, rehabilitation, and 

restoration; remote sensing; and developing and integrating research information for local land 

managers. Land managers use results from JFSP projects to plan and implement fuels 

treatments, support fire management decisions, restore lands affected by fire, and meet 

regulatory requirements. More information can be found at http://www.firescience.gov.

Allocation and Integration

Funding priorities and policies are set by the JFSP governing board with representatives from the 

DOI and the Forest Service. Proposals are accepted for topics determined annually by the 

governing board. Allocations are determined by the board following a competitive peer review 

of submitted proposals. The reviews are conducted by land managers, technical specialists, and 

scientists, resulting in approximately 20 percent of research proposals receiving funding.

Partnerships

The JFSP is a partnership-based program. The governing board has representatives from the 

Forest Service and five DOI bureaus. The program office is staffed with personnel from both the 

DOI and the Forest Service. The JFSP collaborates with other governmental and 

nongovernmental entities including more than ninety colleges and universities. In all, the JFSP 

has engaged nearly 200 organizations in its research.

Wildland Fire Management 9-24
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Annual Appropriations $15,151 0 0 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands Total 15,151 0 0 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 83 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 83 0 0 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands

Federal acres treated under NFP - Invasives 5,714 2,883 1,918 3,681 0 0

Federal acres treated under NFP - Native pests 28,688 21,108 8,316 17,012 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues the consolidation of Forest Health Management 

Federal Lands into one budget line item in the State and Private Forestry appropriation as 

approved in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Information about this program is 

within the State and Private Forestry Chapter, Forest Health Management Federal Lands Section.

Past Performance

For more information on Performance Metrics, as illustrated in the table above, see the State and 

Private Forestry Chapter. 

Wildland Fire Management 9-25
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Budget Line Item Forest Health Management - Cooperative 

Lands

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Annual Appropriations $7,931 0 0 0 0%

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands Total 7,931 0 0 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 23 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 23 0 0 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands

Acres treated on cooperative lands under NFP -

Invasives 131,681 32,058 34,995 16,494 0 0

Acres treated on cooperative lands under NFP - Native 

pests 7,607 3,862 4,296 14,555 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget continues the consolidation of Forest Health Management 

Cooperative Lands into one budget line item in the State and Private Forestry appropriation, as 

approved in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Information about this program is 

within the State and Private Forestry Chapter, Forest Health Management Cooperative Lands 

Section.

Past Performance

For more information on Performance Metrics, as illustrated in the table above, see the State and 

Private Forestry Chapter.

Wildland Fire Management 9-26
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

State Fire Assistance

Budget Line Item State Fire Assistance

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

State Fire Assistance

Annual Appropriations $52,672 $78,000 $78,000 0 0%

State Fire Assistance Total 52,672 78,000 78,000 0 0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 2 50 50 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2 50 50 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

State Fire Assistance

Communities at risk from wildfire assisted - NFP 

(number) 10,881 9,946 8,124 7,576 12,180 12,500

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $78,000,000 for the State Fire Assistance (SFA), the 

same level as the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding of this program is a 

critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk to communities, residents, property 

and firefighters. State, local and private landowner efforts are key to reducing these risks. 

Without improved building codes and maintenance of defensible space, federal efforts to address 

wildland fires will be reduced.

The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act approved consolidating the SFA program into 

one budget line item under Wildland Fire Management (WFM). The table below illustrates a 

comparison of overall program funding from FY 2013 to FY 2015.

State Fire Assistance Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

WFM State Fire Assistance $52,672 $78,000 $0 $78,000 

S&PF State Fire Assistance 25,759 0 0 0

Total $78,431 $78,000 $0 $78,000

The agency will focus funds on assisting communities with hazardous fuel treatments, capacity 

building, fire prevention education, and preparedness activities to help ensure States and local 

Wildland Fire Management 9-27
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

governments continue to reduce fire risk in their communities, and to support firefighting 

capacity within each State. States will report data on an annual basis to document 

accomplishments in these focus areas. Additionally, program reviews will be conducted on an 

annual, rotating basis among Forest Service regions to determine program effectiveness. 

To help ensure funds are focused on the highest priority projects, the agency will continue to 

issue program direction encouraging States to focus program funds on areas with communities 

that are working to become fire adapted as discussed within the National Cohesive Wildland Fire 

Management Strategy. A portion of funding will continue to be allocated for competitive 

projects that help create more Fire Adapted Communities through the completion of community 

wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and hazardous fuel reduction. Competitive projects are 

selected through a rigorous application process that is managed by the State foresters in 

consultation with the Forest Service. Proposed projects are then screened by an expert panel and 

ranked prior to final project selections.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the SFA program assisted 11,562 communities in a variety of different activities, 

with 7,567 communities assisted through the WFM appropriation and 3,986 communities 

assisted through the S&PF appropriation, achieving about 85 percent of the planned target of 

13,540.

State Fire Assistance Performance FY 2013 to FY 2015

Approp Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

WFM

Communities at risk from 

wildfire assisted – NFP* 8,124 7,576 12,180 12,500

S&PF Communities assisted 5,416 3,986 0 0

Total 13,540 11,562 12,180 12,500

*National Fire Plan.

The SFA program focused on mitigating the risk of wildland fire for communities at risk in FY 

2013. Assistance included providing $5,305,201 of funding to support 2,118 risk assessments 

and fire management planning projects in 1,410 communities. SFA also provided $15,596,310 

for hazardous fuels treatments in the WUI, directly treating 129,907 acres of hazardous fuels and 

leveraging treatment of another 119,127 acres. These projects lowered risk in 1,598 

communities. Over 7,770 prevention and education programs were conducted in FY 2013, 

benefitting 6,942 communities. The program supported $12,205,349 in preparedness activities 

and $6,932,869 in suppression operations. In addition, SFA funded the training of 35,815 

firefighters and invested $6,441,854 in the purchase, maintenance, and rehabilitation of needed 

firefighting equipment for State agencies. 

Wildland Fire Management 9-28
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The SFA also provided significant support for the 

Fire-Adapted Communities program of the Forest 

Service, which is designed to reduce risks in WUI 

areas. The SFA funding supported national level 

partnerships and agreements that further supports 

Fire Adapted Communities, which is one of the 

elements of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire 

Management Strategy. Examples of these 

national level partnerships and agreements 

include: 

• the wildfire prevention campaign with the 

Ad Council,

• the development of Ready, Set, Go! 

programs with 870 fire departments in 48 

States,

• a total of 997 recognized Firewise 

Communities, and countless other 

individual homeowners and communities 

who use Firewise principles without 

seeking recognition,

• expanding partnerships with national 

organizations that leverage Federal and 

State funding and support for fire-adapted communities, including the Nature 

Conservancy, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State 

Forestry, the National Fire Protection Association, Institute for Business and Home 

Safety, and the Watershed Research and Training Center,

• development of the Wildland Fire Assessment Program training through the National 

Volunteer Fire Association to help volunteer fire departments in the WUI areas conduct 

needed assessments, and

• continuing support of a national Fire-Adapted Communities public service campaign and 

the Fire-Adapted Communities website (www.fireadapted.org ).

The total number of communities assisted tends to fluctuate from year-to-year depending on the 

type and costs of the individual projects that the States choose to implement. For example, if 

some States’ priority projects were relatively expensive then they generally accomplish fewer 

projects and therefore assist fewer overall communities. However, if the States spread the funds 

across a larger number of communities to accomplish priority projects that were less expensive, 

then the total number of communities assisted is greater.

The Forest Service strongly encourages States to focus their efforts on the objectives of the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy: creation of fire adapted communities, 

landscape restoration, and wildfire response. Projects are planned, completed, and entered into 

the performance database by each State and are not under the direct control of the Forest Service. 

To help ensure focus on the highest priority projects, the agency issues program direction 

encouraging the States to focus the funds on areas covered by CWPPs or equivalent plans.

Fire Adapted Communities

SFA funds are supporting the Fire Adapted 

Communities (FAC) approach as outlined in the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management 

Strategy, emphasizing mitigation as a shared 

responsibility by federal, State, local, and private 

stakeholders, and thereby helping individual 

communities become fire adapted. Towns County, 

Georgia, one of the hub communities in the Fire 

Adapted Communities Learning Network, is 

increasing engagement in FAC activities by the local 

community, governmental, non-profit organizations 

and local businesses. For more information visit: 

http://townscountyfireprevention.wordpress.com/ and 

http://fireadapted.org/region/fac-learningnetwork.aspx

Wildland Fire Management 9-29
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The SFA program provides financial assistance through partnership agreements with State 

Foresters for fire management activities. The SFA funds are directed toward helping 

communities become fire adapted by conducting hazardous fuel mitigation projects, planning 

and preparing for wildland fire, creating defensible space in and around communities, and 

obtaining equipment to respond to and mitigate fire. This program maximizes crossjurisdictional partnerships to help homeowners and communities in fire-prone areas take 

responsibility for fire protection. The creation of Fire Adapted Communities is critical to 

reducing the risk and cost of large wildfires. Helping communities become more fire adapted is 

critical to reducing the risk and cost of large wildfires. More than 44 million homes in the 

United States, representing 32 percent of U.S. housing units, are located in fire-prone WUI areas, 

and this number is expected to continue to climb in coming years. The SFA’s focus on the Fire 

Adapted Communities approach helps communities take more responsibility for their wildfire 

risk and implement appropriate actions to address safety of residents, homes, neighborhoods, 

businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces, and other community assets. Creating 

communities that are more fire adapted reduces suppression and structural protection costs, while 

also increasing firefighter and civilian safety.

The SFA program funding helps Federal, State, and local agencies implement a pre-fire strategy 

and deliver a cohesive suppression response to wildfire. This program emphasizes pre-fire 

planning in the WUI and hazardous fuels mitigation near communities at risk of catastrophic 

wildfire in order to create communities more adapted to fire. Training funded by SFA, also part 

of the Fire Adapted Communities strategy, builds capacity to provide effective initial attack 

response to wildfire. The first responders on almost 75 percent of wildfires are local fire 

departments or State agencies.

The State Foresters report to the Forest Service the number of Communities at Risk (CAR), how 

many CAR are covered by a CWPP, and the number of communities which have reduced their 

risk. This was determined to be the best accomplishment measure for SFA given the variety of 

program needs and uses.

Allocation and Integration

SFA funding is distributed to the State Foresters to address critical fire adaptation, preparedness, 

and hazard mitigation needs, enhance initial attack capability, conduct firefighter training, and 

obtain needed equipment. A base level of funding is provided to the State Foresters to maintain 

and enhance coordination and communication with Federal agencies, as well as supply needed 

performance data. Funding allocations take into consideration acres of non-Federal land, 

population, level of fire protection, vegetative condition class, and communities at risk. State 

Foresters make determinations about how best to direct funding to target the highest priority 

needs in their State, as suggested in their State Forest Action Plans and through other strategic 

documents. A percentage of these funds are also used on a competitive basis for hazard 

mitigation projects. 

Wildland Fire Management 9-30
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

The SFA program is delivered through partnerships with States, local agencies, local 

communities, and other organizations such as Fire Safe Councils and funds are leveraged on at 

least a 1:1 basis. These groups can then participate actively in protecting their communities from 

wildland fire and ensuring adequate resources are available for wildland fire response. 

Wildland Fire Management 9-31
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Budget Line Item Volunteer Fire Assistance

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Annual Appropriations $6,035 $13,025 $13,000 -$25 -0%

Volunteer Fire Assistance Total 6,035 13,025 13,000 -25 -0%

Annual Appropriations FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Volunteer Fire Assistance

Number of Volunteer fire departments assisted - NFP 

(number) 5,605 6,120 5,268 6,427 8,120 8,500

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $13,000,000 for the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) 

program, a decrease of $25,000 from the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Funding of 

this program is a critical part of the Forest Service’s toolbox to reduce the risk to communities, 

residents, property and firefighters. The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act approved 

consolidating the VFA program into one budget line item under Wildland Fire Management 

(WFM). The table below illustrates a comparison of overall program funding from FY 2013 to 

FY 2015.

Volunteer Fire Assistance Consolidated Budget Line Items

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted Change

FY 2015 

Pres. Bud

WFM Volunteer Fire Assistance $6,035 $13,025 ($25) $13,000

S&PF Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,320 0 0 0

Total $12,355 $13,025 ($25) $13,000

The program will provide matching financial assistance to 8,500 rural communities of less than 

10,000 people to build and maintain fire suppression capacity by creating new, or strengthening 

existing volunteer fire departments. The Forest Service will work with States to help ensure 

funds are focused on the highest priorities and in areas with communities that are working to 

Wildland Fire Management 9-32
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

become fire adapted. States will also continue to report how program funds were utilized by 

eligible volunteer fire departments on an annual basis. Additionally, program reviews will be 

conducted on an annual rotating basis among Forest Service regions to determine program 

effectiveness.

Past Performance 

In FY 2013, the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program assisted volunteer fire departments in 

10,429 communities, with 6,427 assisted through the WFM appropriation and 4,172 assisted 

through the S&PF appropriation, exceeding the target of 8,780 volunteer fire departments 

assisted. The combined total exceeded the combined target by 1,649. 

Volunteer Fire Assistance Performance FY 2013 to FY 2015

Approp. Performance Measure

FY 2013 

Target

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014 

Target

FY 2015 

Target

WFM

Volunteer fire departments assisted –

NFP* 5,268 6,427 8,120 8,500

S&PF Volunteer fire departments assisted 3,512 4,172 0 0

Total 8,780 10,429 8,120 8,500

*National Fire Plan.

The VFA program supported training of 25,389 firefighters, the organization or expansion of 171 

fire departments, and the purchase, rehabilitation, and maintenance of $9,384,847 of equipment. 

The VFA program is managed by the States to provide funding to the areas of highest risk and 

greatest need. Therefore, the Forest Service can only estimate projected accomplishments based 

on previous years’ performance. The actual number of volunteer fire departments assisted tends 

to fluctuate from year to year depending on the types and cost of individual projects the States 

choose to implement. For example, if a State’s priority projects are relatively expensive then 

they accomplish fewer projects assist fewer overall communities. However, if the State spreads 

the funds across a larger number of communities to accomplish priority projects that were less 

expensive, then the total number of communities assisted is greater. 

The Forest Service strongly encourages the States to focus their efforts on the objectives of the 

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy): creation of fireadapted communities, landscape restoration, and wildfire response. 

Program Description

Program Overview

Through the VFA program, the Forest Service provides technical and financial assistance 

(through the States) to local volunteer fire departments serving communities with a population of 

10,000 or less to protect State and private forestlands threatened by wildfire. The VFA is 

delivered through the State Foresters and supports local fire preparedness and suppression efforts 

by providing grants for equipment, training programs, and technical assistance in organizing or 

Wildland Fire Management 9-33 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

expanding volunteer fire departments. Volunteer fire departments that protect communities of 

less than 10,000 inhabitants from wildfire are eligible, and the VFA program assists them in 

becoming better prepared to respond to wildfire. Local fire agencies are often the first to 

respond to wildfire, but often lack the financial and technical resources to obtain the equipment 

and training necessary to ensure safe and effective wildfire response. Volunteer fire departments 

also play a key role in educating their jurisdictions about fire adaptation and the need for 

mitigation, along with meeting expanded fire protection needs within the wildland-urban 

interface.

Grants are matched dollar-for-dollar by the recipients to maximize the value of Federal 

investment. Program funding helps Federal, State, and local agencies deliver a uniform and 

coordinated suppression response to wildfire by training, equipping, and organizing volunteer 

fire departments. Through this program, the Forest Service provides support that better enables 

local communities in rural areas to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to natural and humancaused fires prior to them spreading to lands managed by other jurisdictions. All of these 

initiatives work together to create more fire-adapted communities, an important Forest Service

effort that will reduce the risk, cost, and impact of wildfires.

Allocation and Integration

Allocation of funds takes into account the number of acres protected and the number of volunteer 

fire departments serving communities with a population of 10,000 or less. State Foresters 

determine which volunteer fire departments within their State should receive priority for VFA 

funding, utilizing their State Forest Action Plans and other strategic documents.

Partnerships

The VFA program directly supports local fire suppression initial attack efforts by providing 

technical assistance grants for training and fire department development. The program supports 

volunteer fire programs throughout the country in rural areas with populations of less than 

10,000 people. 

Wildland Fire Management 9-34
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

Appropriation FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve 

Fund

 (dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Percent of 

Program 

Changes

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund

Annual Appropriations $298,967 $315,000 0 -$315,000 -100%

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund Total 298,967 315,000 0 -315,000 -100%

Annual Appropriation FTEs 0 0 0 0 0%

Total Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0 0%

FY 2015 Program Changes

No funding is requested for the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act 

(FLAME) account in FY 2015. The Wildland Fire Management request provides Suppression 

funding equal to 70 percent of the ten year average, which reflects the level of spending 

associated with suppression of 99 percent of wildfires. In addition, the Budget includes up to 

$954 million to be available under a disaster funding cap adjustment to meet suppression needs 

above the base appropriation.

Past Performance

The Forest Service received authorization and funding in the FLAME account in FY 2013. The 

2013 fire season was severe and is comparable to those in FY 2011 and FY 2010 in terms of 

duration and intensity. A number of large and complex fires occurred, including historic fires in 

California. The Secretary of Agriculture signed two declarations, the first covering 31 fires that 

met the criteria required to be eligible for FLAME account funds in FY 2013. The second 

declaration did not declare any specific fires but requested the remainder of available funds due 

to the exhaustion of funds within the Suppression account. 

These “FLAME” fires were complex enough to warrant the assignment of a Type I or Type II 

Incident Management Team – those with the most training and experience in tactical decision 

making, resource assignment and staffing for large, complex wildland fires. These fires were 

declared eligible for a transfer of funds from the FLAME account to the Suppression account by 

the Secretary of Agriculture.

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 10-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The FY 2013 FLAME fires are listed below by State.

Fires Declared Eligible for FLAME Funding in FY2013

Name of Incident State Name of Incident State

145 Chisana River AK Wild CO

Doce AZ Wild Rose CO

Rock Creek AZ Windy Pass CO

Soldier Basin AZ Center Fire FL

Carstens CA Huckabee FL

Devore CA Sweats Complex MT

Grand CA Red Lake Buffalo Ranch 156 MN

Hathaway CA Red Lake River Road 157 MN

Powerhouse CA Midnight NM

White CA Silver NM

Big Meadow CO Tres Lagunas NM

East Fork CO Head NV

Fern Lake CO Crowley Creek OR

Royal Gorge CO Lackey Fan UT

Papoose Creek CO Skegg Again VA

West Fork Complex CO

The Forest Service will issue an annual report that describes the obligations and expenditures of 

amounts transferred from the FLAME Fund in FY2013, as required by the FLAME Act. 

Program Description

Background

The FLAME Act of 2009 was authorized in P.L. 111-88, as part of the Department of the 

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. 

Program Overview

The FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund is a separate treasury account and distinct 

appropriation providing funds to cover fires escaping initial attack (response) that are sufficiently 

large and complex or when the Suppression account is expected to be completely obligated. It is 

intended to address the impacts of increasing wildfire suppression costs and their effects on other 

agency programs. These funds are available to the Secretary of Agriculture to be transferred into 

the Suppression account.

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund 10-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Payments to Communities

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget assumes a five-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural 

Schools (SRS) Act starting in FY 2014 with $279 million from mandatory sources. This amount 

represents the proposal and is not the calculated amount under the FY 2014 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act. The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes funding through mandatory 

appropriations supplemented by funds from the Treasury. The FY 2015 payment proposed is for 

$251 million and includes payments for both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 

Management.

Payments to Communities Proposal – Funding Source

(dollars in thousands)

Funding 

Source FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Mandatory $279,000 $251,000 $158,000 $122,000 $101,000

This proposal titled “Payments to Communities” revises the allocation split between the three 

portions of the program from the previous authority emphasizing enhancement of forest 

ecosystems, restoration and improvement of land health, and water quality and the increase of 

economic activity. 

Title I: The School and Roads portion is reduced over the next five-year reauthorization. It 

would be reduced by 20 percent of the previous authority for the first year (2014), 10 percent in 

the second year (2015), and 25 percent each year thereafter. Starting in year three, (2016), any 

State that would receive less than $10 million in the Payments to Communities payment would 

no longer be eligible for this Title. Those States would revert to the 25 percent fund payments. 

Title II: The Economic Investment & Forest Restoration/Protection portion is doubled from the 

previous funding level. This funding is for projects that enhance forest ecosystems, restore and 

improve land health and water quality, and increase economic activity. This portion would be 

held constant through the five-year reauthorization.

Title III: The Fire Assistance portion is reduced by 50 percent from the previous funding level 

in year one (2014). This portion is eliminated starting in the second year (2015). Other existing 

Forest Service programs already fund some of these activities.

Past Performance

Six-hundred fifty counties from 41 States and Puerto Rico will receive approximately $300 

million for FY 2013 payments. Of these payments, approximately 85 percent are for Title I, 10 

percent are for Title II and 5 percent are for Title III. 

Payments to Communities 11-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (SRS Act), P.L. 106-

393, was enacted to provide for transitional assistance to rural counties affected by the decline in 

revenue from timber harvests on federal lands. The last payment authorized under P.L. 106-393 

was for 2006. Section 601 of Division C of P.L. 110-343 amended and reauthorized the SRS Act 

(P.L. 106-393) through 2011. P.L. 112-141 reauthorized the program through FY 2012, and P.L. 

113-40 reauthorized the program through FY 2013. The SRS Act, as amended, retains the 

original title. The amended SRS Act was similar to P.L. 106-393, although it is structured to 

phase out payments. The amended Act is no longer authorized at the end of FY 2013 with the 

last payment being issued in FY 2014.

If the SRS Act is not reauthorized, States will revert to the Payments to States Act of 1908, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 500). The Payments to States Act requires, with a few exceptions, that 25 

percent of all monies received from the national forests and deposited into the National Forest 

Fund during a fiscal year from timber, grazing, special-use permits, power and mineral leases, 

and admission and user fees be paid to the States in which the national forests are located, for 

public schools and public roads in the county or counties in which the national forests are 

situated.

The Budget reflects a five-year reauthorization, starting in 2014, of the Secure Rural Schools Act 

with funding through mandatory appropriations. This SRS proposal revises the allocation split 

between the three portions of the program from the current authority emphasizing enhancement 

of forest ecosystems, restoration, and improvement of land health and water quality and the 

increase of economic activity.

Refer to the Payment to States section under the Permanent Appropriations chapter for more 

detail on other payments. 

Payments to Communities 11-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Permanent Appropriations

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted*

FY 2015 

Pres.

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Brush Disposal

New Budget Authority $10,156 $8,445 $8,430 -$15

Program Level 6,589 8,502 8,502 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 53 60 60 0

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied 

Research

New Budget Authority 5 60 72 12

Program Level 44 42 46 4

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Timber Salvage Sales

New Budget Authority 27,654 19,698 19,618 -80

Program Level 23,236 20,443 19,898 -545

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 219 219 215 -4

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration

New Budget Authority 6,487 6,480 6,850 370

Program Level 4,105 7,530 7,390 -140

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 28 38 38 0

Forest Botanical Products

New Budget Authority 1,450 1,565 1,565 0

Program Level 1,661 2,096 2,046 -50

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 19 20 20 0

Stewardship Contracting

New Budget Authority 12,483 10,856 11,148 292

Program Level 10,073 13,182 13,182 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Recreation Fees, Forest Service

New Budget Authority 69,484 65,132 65,169 37

Program Level 67,097 79,941 78,898 -1,043

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 571 585 586 1

Permanent Appropriations 12-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted*

FY 2015 

Pres.

Budget

Program 

Changes

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction

New Budget Authority 2,000 2,000 2,000 0

Program Level 570 1,350 1,663 313

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service 

Quarters

New Budget Authority 8,411 8,000 8,000 0

Program Level 6,283 9,467 9,392 -75

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 28 28 0

Roads and Trails for States

New Budget Authority -19,675 18,000 18,000 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Land Between the Lakes Management

New Budget Authority 4,559 4,800 4,800 0

Program Level 4,444 4,800 4,800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 14 15 15 0

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fee

New Budget Authority 2,269 800 800 0

Program Level 570 800 800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Quinault Special Management Area

New Budget Authority 1 2 2 0

Program Level 9 10 10 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera Fund

New Budget Authority 790 800 800 0

Program Level 984 800 800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Restoration of Forest Lands & Improvements

New Budget Authority 80,599 10,874 14,432 3,558

Program Level 21,771 39,003 30,679 -8,324

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 73 80 80 0

Permanent Appropriations 12-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted*

FY 2015 

Pres.

Budget

Program 

Changes

Commercial Filming and Still Photography 

Land Use Fee Retention

New Budget Authority 673 613 533 -80

Program Level 302 871 744 -127

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 3 4 4 0

Organizational Camps Programs

New Budget Authority 585 389 361 -28

Program Level 340 707 683 -24

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 4 4 4 0

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-ofWay)

New Budget Authority 5,959 5,633 4,850 -783

Program Level 5,158 7,715 6,614 -1,101

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 48 56 55 -1

Licensee Program Smokey Bear

New Budget Authority 69 100 100 0

Program Level 2 140 120 -20

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

New Budget Authority 1 7 6 -1

Program Level 3 12 12 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Forest Service Go Green Program 

(Conservation) 

New Budget Authority 50 67 68 1

Program Level 20 59 68 9

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Conveyance of Administrative Sites 

New Budget Authority 3,849 19,522 18,000 -1,522

Program Level 5,882 25,337 15,000 -10,337

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 6 10 8 -2

Site-Specific Lands Acts

New Budget Authority 184 15,000 10,000 -5,000

Program Level 1,002 10,790 11,161 371

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 3 4 3 -1

Permanent Appropriations 12-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted*

FY 2015 

Pres.

Budget

Program 

Changes

Payment to States

New Budget Authority 283,004 332,634 316,000 -16,634

Program Level 347,486 332,634 316,000 -16,634

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 115 114 113 0

Permanent Funds New Budget Authority 501,047 531,477 511,604 -19,873

Permanent Funds Program Level 507,631 566,231 528,508 -37,723

Permanent Funds Full Time Equivalents 

(FTEs) 1,180 1,237 1,229 -8

*FY 2014 levels are updated Permanent Fund estimates from those published in the FY 2014 President’s Budget.

Permanent Appropriations 12-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Brush Disposal

Budget Line Item Brush Disposal

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Brush Disposal

New Budget Authority $10,156 $8,445 $8,430 -$15

Program Level 6,589 8,502 8,502 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 53 60 60 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Brush Disposal

Acres of harvest related woody fuels treated 64,488 51,852 75,000 73,813 73,000 70,000

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $8,502,000 for the Brush Disposal 

fund, the same level as the FY 2014 estimate. Funding will be used to treat an estimated 70,000 

acres of woody debris resulting from timber harvesting on the national forests. The FY 2015 

estimate of acres that will be treated is lower than FY 2014 due to increasing costs associated 

with brush disposal activities to meet environmental constraints and desired objectives as 

disclosed in National Environmental Policy Act documentation for projects. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, 73,813 acres were treated to remove woody debris associated with timber harvesting 

on national forests. This accomplishment represents 98 percent of the planned level of 75,000 

acres. The ability to dispose of unwanted slash and debris disposal generated by commercial 

timber sales depends on availability of the units for treatment, weather and fuel conditions, 

smoke management prescriptions, and geographical location. Brush disposal treatments where 

prescribed fire is the preferred alternative requires optimal environmental conditions to achieve 

desired objectives and must follow strict burning parameters and guidelines. The disposal of 

unmerchantable material upon completion of timber harvest not only reduces hazards fuel 

loading but it is necessary for maintaining and improving forest health conditions. In some 

instances this treatment facilitates site preparation for tree planting or seed dispersal.

Permanent Appropriations 12-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Authorities

The Brush Disposal Act of August 11, 1916, as amended (16 U.S.C. 490). This Act authorizes 

the Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of national forest timber to deposit the 

estimated cost to dispose of brush and other debris resulting from their cutting operations.

Program Description

Program Overview

This program provides for the disposal of unmerchantable brush and other debris resulting from 

timber harvest operations. Timber harvest activities create logging slash which, when left 

untreated, can increase the risk of fire, impair reforestation, and contribute to the buildup of 

insect populations. Depending upon the amount of logging debris generated, as well as the 

relative fire hazard created, logging slash can be mechanically treated by scattering, chipping, or 

crushing down with logging equipment and allowed to decay. Slash can also be subjected to 

broadcast burning or collected into piles and burned during non-hazardous weather conditions.

Timber sale operators can perform the required work, or they can request that the agency 

complete this work by depositing funds to cover these costs. Brush Disposal funding comes from 

deposits required of timber purchasers and is used only on timber sale areas. 

Allocation and Integration

The allocation of Brush Disposal funds responds to each region’s assessment of budget authority 

required to accomplish necessary treatments. These treatments are integrated with hazardous fuel 

reduction treatments outside timber sale areas to achieve optimal progress toward agency forest 

health and fire hazard reduction goals.

Permanent Appropriations 12-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research

Budget Line Item Hardwood Technology Transfer and 

Applied Research 

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research 

New Budget Authority $5 $60 $72 $12

Program Level 44 42 46 4

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $46,000 for the Hardwood 

Technology Transfer and Applied Research fund, an increase of $4,000 from the FY 2014 

estimate. A new permit holder is managing the mill operations at the Wood Education and 

Resource Center (WERC), which resulted in an increase in lessee rent payments. Funds will 

provide for the operation and maintenance of the WERC, which includes an office building, 

training annex, rough mill, and wood shop. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, $5,000 was collected from lessee rent. A new special use permit holder began 

operations at the rough mill and wood shop in August 2013. The mill and shop were vacant for 

over a year as the cleanup and search for a new renter moved forward. Annual collections for 

this fund vary for several reasons including escalating monthly payments built into the special 

use permit, fee adjustments due to market and business conditions, and collection challenges due 

to lessee/permit holder business shutdown. 

Authorities

P.L. 106–113, div. B, §1000(a)(3) [Title III, §332], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A–197. 

Title 16 – Conservation; Chapter 36 - Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning, 

Subchapter II – Research; Sec. 1650 - Hardwood technology transfer and applied research. This 

Act provides authority for the WERC to conduct technology transfer and development, training, 

dissemination of information, and applied research in the management, processing and utilization 

of the hardwood forest resource. The Act authorizes the generation of revenue and funds to be 

deposited into a special fund in the U.S. Treasury, known as the Hardwood Technology Transfer 

and Applied Research fund, which shall be available until expended, without further 

appropriation, in furtherance of the purposes stated in the Act including upkeep, management, 

and operation of the WERC and the payment of salaries and expenses.

Permanent Appropriations 12-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

• The Hardwood Technology Transfer and Applied Research fund allows for funds to be 

collected from leasing the wood shop and rough mill under a special use permit and are used to 

pay for utilities, salaries, repairs and maintenance expenses. While the majority of the funds are 

generated from lessee rent, a portion of the funds may be derived from machine/timeshare rentals 

for start-up wood businesses and workshop fees. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Timber Salvage Sales

Budget Line Item Timber Salvage Sales

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Salvage Sales

New Budget Authority $27,654 $19,698 $19,618 -$80

Program Level 23,236 20,443 19,898 -545

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 219 219 215 -4

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Timber Salvage Sales

Volume of salvage timber sold (million board 

feet (MMBF)) 322 284* 176 329 250 300

*FY 2012 actual corrected from previously published accomplishment.

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $19,898,000 for the Timber 

Salvage Sales fund, a decrease of $545,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. The funding will be 

used to analyze, prepare, and offer new salvage sales while administering salvage timber sales 

awarded in the recent past. Salvage sale treatments primarily follow recent fire and insect 

outbreaks. In FY 2015 the Forest Service expects to sell approximately 300 MMBF (million 

board feet). The volume outcome from this permanent fund is included in the unified volume 

sold target displayed under the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item for FY 2014 

and FY 2015.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the agency sold 329 MMBF from timber salvage sales. The Pacific Southwest and 

Pacific Northwest regions accounted for most of the salvage sale increase in FY 2013 following 

fires in FY 2012 and increased mortality from insects. 

Authorities

The National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a (h)). This Act authorizes the 

Secretary of Agriculture to require purchasers of salvage timber to make monetary deposits in a 

designated Treasury fund to cover the costs for sale preparation and administration, and the 

Permanent Appropriations 12-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

engineering design and administration of any needed roads necessary for the harvesting of 

salvage timber. Funds are available until expended.

Program Description

Program Overview

Salvage sales permit the timely removal of fire damage, insect damaged and diseased trees, and 

aiding in developing health and resilient forest stands. The Timber Salvage Sale program 

collects revenues from the sale of timber from dead and dying trees to prepare and administer 

future salvage timber sales, including the provision of engineering support. These revenues are 

deposited into the Timber Salvage Sale fund and are available to immediately respond to timber 

salvage opportunities. The removal of fire-damaged, diseased and insect-infested timber through 

timber sale contracts is a valuable tool to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildland fires and 

other hazards associated with dead or dying trees. Timely salvage sales also help maximize the 

recovery of timber product value that would otherwise be lost, and through the collection of 

Knutson-Vandenberg Act funds, can provide for restoration of an affected area.

Allocation and Integration

Timber Salvage Sale funds are allocated based upon the amount of cash available in regional 

salvage accounts and the relative need for treatment each fiscal year. In addition to the Timber 

Salvage Sale fund, timber sales are funded through regular appropriations and other special 

authorities, including the Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration fund, the Knutson-Vandenberg fund, 

and the Stewardship Contracting fund. All of these funds may receive a portion of the revenues 

received from timber sales. 

Partnerships

Effective implementation of this program requires partnership with local timber industries, since 

having timber processing infrastructure located close to the national forests facilitates salvage 

timber sales. Without this infrastructure, timber sales may not be economically viable, and no 

salvage timber volume would be harvested.

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Timber Sale Pipeline Restoration

Budget Line Item Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration 

New Budget Authority $6,487 $6,480 $6,850 $370

Program Level 4,105 7,530 7,390 -140

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 28 38 38 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund

Volume of pipeline timber prepared (million 

board feet (MMBF)) 290 221 210 242 225 242

*FY 2012 actual corrected from previously published accomplishment.

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $7,390,000 for the Timber Sales 

Pipeline Restoration fund, a decrease of $140,000 from FY 2014. Specific program funding 

within this request is as follows:

Timber Sale Pipeline Sale Preparation - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes funding for 

the timber sales pipeline preparation. About 242 MMBF of timber volume would be added to 

the pipeline of timber sales prepared as a result of this funding. 

Timber Sale Pipeline Recreation Backlog - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes funding for 

the backlog of recreation maintenance projects. Emphasis will be placed on repairs to correct 

health and safety deficiencies, reductions in the backlog of deferred maintenance at priority 

recreation sites as identified in forests’ Recreation Facility Analyses, and maintenance of system 

trails. Specific use of these funds include addressing the backlog of trail maintenance on three 

national forest in the Southern Region, asbestos removal and an electrical upgrade to the 

Sylvania day use facilities in the Eastern Region, and the replacement of a historical facility in 

the Pacific Northwest Region.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, 517,699 CCF (289 MMBF) of timber pipeline volume was prepared for offer in 

future fiscal years. Outputs associated with the recreation backlog projects are combined and 

reported under the Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Facilities and Trails programs. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Recreation projects included the decommissioning of recreation facilities on multiple national 

forests in the Southern Region and recreation facilities and trail improvements activities on 

several national forests in the Eastern Region.

Authorities

Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-134, Sec. 

101 (c), [title III Sec. 327], April 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 1321-206 and 207). The Secretary of 

Agriculture is authorized to collect and deposit revenues from a specific set of timber sales (i.e., 

sales released under P.L. 104-19, [title II, Sec. 2001(k)], July 27, 1995) for the purpose of 

preparing timber sales and addressing the backlog of recreation projects. Revenues from the sale 

of timber prepared using these funds are also deposited into this fund and are available for 

preparation of additional timber sales and recreation backlog projects.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration Fund accomplishes a multitude of land and resource 

management objectives, such as improving forest health, restoring wildlife habitat, and providing 

forest products to meet local and national needs. In addition, the Fund helps to address health 

and safety issues in recreation facilities and on system trails, benefiting the recreating public by 

addressing maintenance issues that may cause harm or otherwise detract from the outdoor 

experience. These activities are aligned with the agency’s water conservation goals and ensure 

forest and grasslands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change.

The following programs are included in the Fund:

Timber Sale Pipeline Sale Preparation - Seventy five percent of the Timber Sales Pipeline 

Restoration funds are used for the preparation of future non-salvage timber sales to 

restore the timber sales pipeline volume. This activity provides for the National 

Environmental Policy Act analysis to meet long-term forest health and desired condition 

objectives, determination of the volume and value of the trees to be removed, and timber 

sale layout and design leading to timber sales offered in future years. Expenditures may 

also include the necessary planning and design for the associated timber roads.

Recreation Backlog - Twenty-five percent of the Timber Sales Pipeline Restoration funds 

are expended on backlog recreation facility projects and system trails. This activity 

includes maintenance and improvement of recreation sites, system trails, bridges, and 

trailheads. 

Allocation and Integration

Funding is allocated to the field each year based upon the actual prior year collections from 

qualifying timber sales, with 75 percent of the net receipts collected in each region being 

Permanent Appropriations 12-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

returned to the region for additional timber sales pipeline preparation work, and the remaining 25 

percent for the recreation backlog.

In addition to this fund, timber sales are funded through the National Forest System, Integrated 

Resource Restoration (IRR) budget line item as well as the Salvage Sale Fund and the KnutsonVandenberg Trust Fund. Recreation facility and trail projects are also funded through the 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance, Facilities, Trails, and Deferred Maintenance and 

Infrastructure Improvement budget line items, the Legacy Roads and Trails activity in the IRR 

budget line item, and the Permanent Appropriation, Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund. 

Partnerships

Effective implementation of this program requires partnership with local timber industries, as 

having timber infrastructure located close to the national forests facilitates timber sales. Without 

this infrastructure, timber sales might not be economically viable, and no timber volume would 

be harvested, and the needed forest health improvement projects could not occur. 

The agency accomplishes valuable recreation facility and trails work by leveraging funds and inkind contributions through many partnerships. The Forest Service engages volunteers, 

concessionaires, and other partners to enhance recreation experiences and help maintain nearly 

70 percent of agency owned recreation sites. Trail crews are one of the primary means for the 

Forest Service to employ young adults and partner with local communities and interest groups.

Permanent Appropriations 12-13
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Botanical Products

Budget Line Item Forest Botanical Products

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Forest Botanical Products

New Budget Authority $1,450 $1,565 $1,565 0

Program Level 1,661 2,096 2,046 -$50

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 19 20 20 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Forest Botanical Products

Sold value of forest botanical products (based on FY 

2013 collections) $1,589,163 $1,633,714 $2,300,000 $1,450,419 $1,700,000 $2,046,000

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $2,046,000 for the Forest Botanical 

Products Program fund, a decrease of $50,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. The Forest Service 

will use these funds to accomplish and further develop important projects and activities designed 

to ensure the viability and sustainability of forest botanical products while responding to the 

significant demand for culturally important, medicinal, and the wide variety of other botanical 

products.

Past Performance

The total value of agency forest botanical products sold in FY 2013, based on collections, was 

$1,450,419. This is a decrease of $183,295, or 11 percent, compared to FY 2012. 

Of the total collections during FY 2013, mushrooms ($541,128), foliage ($439,296), and grasses 

($236,582) were the predominant contributors - totaling over $1.2 million dollars. Beyond 

collections, the sale of these products provided jobs and revenue sources for local gathers; thus, 

helping to maintain livelihoods and sustain local economies. 

Authorities

Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 528 note) 

(P.L. 106-113, div. B, Sec. 1000(a)(3), [Appendix C, title III, Sec. 339], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 

1535, 1501A-199, as amended by P.L. 108-108,[title III, Sec. 335], Nov. 10, 2003, 117 Stat. 

1312, and P.L. 111-88, [title IV, Sec. 420], Oct. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 2960). This Act authorizes 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

the Secretary of Agriculture to charge and collect fees from persons who harvest forest botanical 

products to cover at least a portion of the fair market value for the harvest of forest botanical 

products and a portion of the costs the agency incurs in administering the pilot program. Funds 

collected are deposited in a special fund in the Treasury. 

Extension of Forest Botanical Products Authorities; Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). This act extends until September 30, 2019, the original authorization 

enacted through Section 339(h)(1) of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000 (enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law 106–113; 16 

U.S.C. 528 note).

Program Description

Program Overview

This authority provides a mechanism for charging and collecting fees from persons who harvest 

forest botanical products. The term “forest botanical product” refers to any naturally occurring 

mushrooms, fungi, flowers, seeds, roots, bark, leaves, and other vegetation (or portion thereof) 

that grow on National Forest System lands. Fees collected are available to cover the costs 

associated with granting, modifying, or administering the authorization for harvesting, including 

the costs for environmental analyses. Work activities include inventory, analysis, sustainability 

determination for harvest levels, permit issuance and administration, and monitoring to facilitate 

the sale and harvest of forest botanical products. The objectives of this program are to maintain, 

enhance, or restore forest ecosystems to desired conditions, and to provide for the sale and 

harvest of forest botanical products in a sustainable manner that contributes to meeting the 

Nation’s demand for these goods and services. 

Allocation and Integration

Under this authority, funds collected through FY 2014 are authorized for expenditure through FY 

2015, on the unit where the funds were collected. The Forest Botanical Products fund 

supplements the National Forest System, Integrated Resource Restoration program for the sale 

and administration of forest botanical products.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Stewardship Contracting

Budget Line Item Stewardship Contracting 

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Stewardship Contracting 

New Budget Authority $12,483 $10,856 $11,148 $292

Program Level 10,073 13,182 13,182 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $13,182,000 for the Stewardship 

Contracting fund, the same as the FY 2014 estimate. The continued use of stewardship 

contracting supports the agency’s goal of creating jobs while restoring forest and watershed 

health. 

Stewardship contracting funds become available when the sale of forest products exceeds the 

cost of the service work obtained under an integrated resource contract. In FY 2015, the 

Stewardship Contracting fund will be used to complete resource work, including:

• improving, maintaining, and restoring forest and rangeland health;

• restoring and maintaining water quality;

• improving fish and wildlife habitat and reestablishing native plant species;

• reducing hazardous fuels that pose risks to communities and ecosystem values; and

• decommissioning roads.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 extends stewardship contracting as a permanent authority. This 

provides the agency flexibility to accomplish collaborative restoration work at a landscape scale. 

Past Performance

Key accomplishments in FY 2013 utilizing the Stewardship Contracting fund include: 

• 3,081 acres of forest vegetation established,

• 23,751 acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) hazardous fuels treated,

• 41,700 acres of non-WUI hazardous fuels treated, and

• 11,007 acres of terrestrial habitat enhanced.

Retained receipts deposited in the Stewardship Contracting fund may be used to accomplish a 

wide variety of activities through the stewardship contracting authority. The mix and level of 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

accomplishments vary annually. This is due in part to the variability both in the resource work 

needed in the region where the receipts are collected and the cost of those activities. The 

performance accomplishments described above are a subset of the total accomplishments 

associated with the stewardship contracting authority. Appropriated funds from a variety of 

program areas may also be used to implement projects utilizing stewardship contracting 

authority. 

Authorities

The stewardship contracting authority authorizes the Forest Service, via agreement or contract, to 

enter into stewardship projects to perform services to achieve land management goals and to 

meet local and rural community needs. Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations 

Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 2104 note) (P.L.105-277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), [title III, Sec. 347], Oct. 21, 

1998, Stat. 2681-231, amended by Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations Act, 

2003, P.L. 108-7, div. F, [title III, Sec. 323], Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 275). Section 323 of P.L. 

108-7 supersedes the original authority granted to the Forest Service in section 347 of P.L. 105-

277. This authority was made permanent by the Agricultural Act of 2014.

Program Description

Program Overview 

Stewardship Contracting permits the Forest Service to apply the value of timber or other forest 

products from stewardship contracts as an offset against the costs to accomplish additional land 

and resource management objectives. If the offset value exceeds the value of the resource 

improvement treatments, those receipts are retained and deposited in the Stewardship 

Contracting fund and are available until expended for other authorized stewardship projects. 

Stewardship Contracting funds may be used for: 

• road and trail maintenance or decommissioning to restore or maintain water quality,

• work to improve soil productivity, or other resource values,

• prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of forest 

stands or to improve wildlife habitat,

• removal of vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forests, reduce fire; hazards, 

or achieve other land management objectives,

• restoration and maintenance of watersheds,

• restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fish habitat, and

• control of noxious and invasive weeds, and re-establishment of native plant species.

Allocation and Integration

Stewardship contracting retained receipts remain on the unit where the receipts were collected 

for use on other authorized stewardship projects. Funds can be used on other units after approval 

by the regional forester in the region where the receipts were collected.

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

Stewardship contracting allows for national, regional, and local-level partnerships. Significant 

partnerships exist with national organizations, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and 

The Nature Conservancy. These partnerships range from collaboration during stewardship 

project development to entering into stewardship agreements with the Forest Service. These 

collaborative partnerships have resulted in community support for stewardship projects and have 

helped the agency to move forward with projects without litigation costs and delays that often 

confront traditional timber sales and some hazardous fuel reduction projects.

Permanent Appropriations 12-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Recreation Fees, Forest Service

Budget Line Item Recreation Fees, Forest Service

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Recreation Fees, Forest Service

New Budget Authority $69,484 $65,132 $65,169 $37

Program Level 67,097 79,941 78,898 -1,043

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 571 585 586 1

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $78,898,000 for the Recreation 

Fees, Forest Service fund, a decrease of $1,043,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. The President’s 

Budget proposes permanent authority for fee collections under the Federal Lands Recreation 

Enhancement Act while clarifying its provisions and providing more consistency among 

agencies. Short-term extension of FLREA is included in this President’s Budget Appropriations 

Language, with the full legislative proposal to be submitted to Congress following submittal of 

the President’s Budget.

Specific priorities within each program include:

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Site Specific - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes 

a program level of $56,821,000 to conduct annual maintenance and repairs to recreation 

facilities, enhance visitor services such as interpretation and education, and provide for 

the presence of law enforcement and other uniformed employees in recreation areas 

where fees are generated. The Forest Service will prioritize reducing deferred 

maintenance at high-priority fee sites and will improve the condition of the facilities used 

by the recreating public.

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Agency Specific - The FY 2015 President’s Budget 

includes a program level of $20,435,000 to continue providing guidance from regional 

offices, grant money for projects at the forest level, and continue to serve as the 

contracting agency for the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) for all 

Federal agencies. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Grey Towers National Historic Site Fees - The FY 2015 

President’s Budget includes a program level of $75,000. Specific priorities within each 

activity will use recreation fees to support visitor services at Grey Towers National 

Historic Site that include, but are not limited to, interpretive and education programs that 

perpetuate the conservation legacy of Gifford Pinchot and conference center programs 

and activities that foster leadership within the natural resource community.

Permanent Appropriations 12-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Shasta-Trinity Marina Fees - The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level 

of $1,567,000. Fees collected from the marina special use permits are used for the direct 

operating or capital costs associated with issuance of the permits and provide services, 

protect resources, and meet the needs of the estimated 2.1 million annual visitors to the 

Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. 

Past Performance

From 2005 to 2012, the Forest Service collected more than $480 million in fee revenue under 

this authority. This total includes fee revenue from outfitters and guides. Annually, the Forest 

Service collects an average of approximately $66 million in recreation fees. From 2005 to 2012, 

the Forest Service has expended over $465 million to maintain and improve recreation sites and 

services for the American public, across the Nation. Ninety-five percent of the recreation fees 

collected on a national forest stay at that national forest to be reinvested back into recreation sites 

and services.

The recreation fee program has been successful in providing quality recreation facilities and 

services to the American public that recreate on federal lands. National surveys show that most 

visitors (94 percent) are satisfied with their recreation experience and 84 percent are satisfied 

with the value received for the fee paid. The overall visitor satisfaction number has been steady 

to slightly increasing over the last several years.

Authorities

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6806 and 6807) (P.L. 108-447, div. J, 

[title VIII, Sec. 807 and Sec. 808] Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3388). This Act provides authority 

through December 8, 2014 to implement a fee program for certain recreation sites on Federal 

lands. Fees collected from users of recreation facilities are used to pay for on-the-ground 

operation, maintenance, and improvements of recreation sites and services to maintain and 

enhance recreation opportunities, visitor experiences, and related habitat. Funds are available 

until expended. The Act directs the creation of Recreation Resource Advisory Committees to 

allow for public involvement in recreation fee programs. This authority was extended through 

December 8, 2015 pursuant to P.L. 113-46, Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014.

Section 422, Div. F, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161; 121 Stat. 2159). 

This Act provides authority through September 30, 2014 for the Forest Service to retain permit 

fees collected for marinas on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest under the Term Permit Act and 

use the retained fees for the purposes in the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These 

purposes include repair, maintenance and facility enhancement, interpretation and visitor 

services, habitat restoration, and law enforcement. The fees may also be used for direct 

operating or capital costs associated with the issuance of a marina permit. This authority was 

was extended through September 30, 2019 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Replacing Toilets on the Huron-Manistee National Forest in 

Michigan

BEFORE AFTER

Porcupines severely damaged this toilet and fee funds were used to 

replace it with a serviceable toilet.

Program Description

Program Overview

When the recreation fees are collected by the Forest Service, 95 percent of the fees collected are 

deposited in the Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund and are spent on maintaining and 

improving the area, site, or projects that directly relate to visitor enjoyment, access, and health 

and safety. Work activities include: annual operation and maintenance, interpretation, signage, 

wildlife habitat restoration, resource preservation, and law enforcement. We execute a large 

amount of work in this program through contracts. 

There are four programs within the Recreation Fees, Forest Service fund:

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Site Specific - We collect approximately $50 million 

annually to maintain and improve facilities and services for which the fees are collected. 

At least 80 to 95 percent of the fees collected are deposited in the Recreation Fees, Forest 

Service fund and are spent on the area, site, or projects that directly relate to visitor 

enjoyment, access, and health and safety. Work activities include: annual operation and 

maintenance, interpretation, signage, wildlife habitat restoration, outfitter and guide 

enhancement, resource preservation, and law enforcement. Five percent goes to the 

regional offices to support strategic program oversight, financial management, training, 

and grants to forests for improvements/special projects on the ground. 

Recreation Fees, Forest 

Service Agency Specific - The 

Forest Service is the 

contracting agency for the 

National Recreation 

Reservation Service (NRRS), 

part of Recreation.gov, an egovernment initiative. The 

contract, valued at $120 

million to support reservations 

for all recreation facilities on 

public lands that allow 

reservations. One task of 

administering the contract is to 

manage the pass through 

account for the reservation fees for all agencies. Approximately $13,000,000 annually is 

included in this program, and as more sites come on to the reservation system throughout 

the entire federal public lands system, this account will continue to grow. 

Recreation Fees, Forest Service Grey Towers National Historic Site Fees - Recreation 

fees are used for annual operations and maintenance of the historic mansion and 102 acre 

landscape; interpretive and education programs and projects that perpetuate the legacy of 

Gifford Pinchot for general public and youth; public programs that foster stewardship of 

natural resources; safety of the visitor and security of the resource; and support for the 

Permanent Appropriations 12-21 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnering for Youth on the Prescott National Forest in 

Arizona

Fee funds supported a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew of 

ten members and two crew leaders who constructed a retaining 

wall to correct erosion problems and replaced a staircase at Hilltop 

Campground.

conference facility that provides conservation leadership development programs and 

enhances the dialogues taking place within the natural resource community. 

Shasta-Trinity Marina Fees - Fees received from the marina project provide funding 

needed in the Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area (NRA) to meet critical health and 

safety standards, address portions of the maintenance backlog, provide for many 

noteworthy, innovative projects including high quality interpretive and environmental 

education programs, installation and maintenance of over 300 underwater obstacle 

markers and 100 safety-related floating directional signs, establishment and maintenance 

of the NRA Boating Safety Program, implementation and administration of NRA Marina 

Standards, maintaining a floating toilet program, and the construction of accessible 

facilities to provide greater access for persons with disabilities. The goal of these 

projects is to meet the intent of NRA’s which is to showcase recreation opportunities in 

the agency.

Allocation and Integration 

Recreation fees supplement discretionary appropriations such as National Forest System – 

Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness; and Capital Improvement and Maintenance – Facilities and 

Trails budget line items. Outputs associated with this program are combined and reported under 

individual resource programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. A significant 

benefit from recreation fees is that these fees accumulate over multiple years and can be used to 

address significant capital improvement projects that benefit the public. Because 95 percent of 

the recreation fee dollars stay at the forest where they were collected, the forest has the authority 

to direct spending to their priorities.

Partnerships 

Recreation fees are used to fund 

volunteer projects and leverage grants 

and other challenge cost-share dollars. 

These fees provide for the health and 

safety of visitors to national forest 

recreation areas and restore ecosystem 

damage caused by recreation use.

The Forest Service has chartered five 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committees (RRACs), which include 

the Southern, Eastern, and Pacific 

Northwest Regions, and the States of 

California and Colorado. In cooperation 

with the Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM), the agency participates in 12 

additional RRACs. These committees 

meet several times a year to review proposed changes to the recreation fee program. Chartering 

Permanent Appropriations 12-22 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

and sustaining these RRACs, along with our other comprehensive public involvement efforts, 

demonstrates our continued commitment to improving our effectiveness and efficiency through 

increased public involvement and cooperation. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-23 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

Budget Line Item Timber Purchaser Election Road 

Construction 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

New Budget Authority $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 0

Program Level 570 1,350 1,663 $313

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $1,663,000 for the Timber 

Purchaser Election Road Construction, an increase of $313,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. 

Program level and accomplishments in FY 2015 will depend upon the number of qualifying 

small businesses purchasing timber sales and the number of those businesses that do not have the 

capability to perform the required road work under those sales. This program provides funding 

for construction or improvement of specified roads and bridges supporting timber harvest 

operations of small business operators. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, 5.4 miles of high clearance roads were reconstructed and 5 miles of high clearance 

roads were maintained under the Purchaser Election Road Construction fund in support of the 

Forest Products program. In addition 19 acres of vegetative fuels were treated in the non 

wildland-urban interface.

Authorities

National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a(i)). The act authorizes the Secretary 

of Agriculture to use any receipts from the sale of timber for the construction of roads required 

under the timber sale contract.

Department of the Interior and Related Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 535a (c)) (P.L. 105-

277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), [title III, Sec. 329], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-231, 2681-292). This 

act authorizes small business timber purchasers to elect to pay the Forest Service to construct or 

reconstruct any permanent roads or bridges required by the timber sale. The timber purchaser 

must be classified as a small business operator, and the total estimated reconstruction and 

construction cost in the timber sale contract must exceed $50,000. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-24 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161, 

Sec. 6., div. F, [title IV, Sec. 423], Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 2150). The Forest Service shall 

allocate to the regions of the Forest Service, $15,000,000 from the current balance in the ‘‘timber 

roads purchaser election fund,’’ to remain available until expended. 

Program Overview

Program Descriptions 

Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 

The Purchaser Election Road Construction program supports construction and reconstruction of 

any permanent road or bridge as required under the terms and conditions of a timber sale 

contract. When a small business timber purchaser is awarded a contract, the purchaser may elect 

to pay the Forest Service to construct or reconstruct specified roads in the timber sale contract to 

a standard necessary to harvest and remove timber and other forest products. The agency then 

uses the Purchaser Election funds to contract for the required road work and administer the 

contract. This program benefits small timber contractors who might otherwise be unable to bid 

on Forest Service timber sales, as well as provides for appropriate road improvements preventing 

soil degradation, stream sedimentation, or other damages resulting from poor road construction 

and maintenance.

Purchaser Election Vegetative Treatment

The Purchaser Election Vegetative Treatment funds support the following actives to improve 

forest health: vegetative treatments in timber stands at high risk of fire due to insect, disease, or 

drought; road work in support of vegetative treatments to support forest health objectives; and 

maintenance of infrastructure for the processing of woody fiber in regions where it is critical to 

sustaining local economies and fulfilling forest health objectives.

Permanent Appropriations 12-25 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters

Budget Line Item Operation and Maintenance of Forest 

Service Quarters

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters

New Budget Authority $8,411 $8,000 $8,000 0

Program Level 6,283 9,467 9,392 -$75

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 24 28 28 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $9,392,000 for the Operation and 

Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters program, a decrease of $75,000 from the FY 2014 

estimate. These funds maintain employee occupied living quarters in safe and healthy 

conditions. The program will emphasize improvements to water systems and health and safety 

issues.

Past Performance

Accomplishments under this program are recorded in the Capital Improvement and Maintenance 

- Facilities Section.

Authorities

Forest Service Quarters Operation and Maintenance (5 U.S.C. 5911, Other Provisions). This Act 

authorizes the collection of rental income from employees living in government owned or leased 

residences. Such rents and charges are deposited in a special Treasury fund and remain available 

for obligation for operation and maintenance of quarters until expended. 

Program Description

Program Overview

This program provides for operation, maintenance, and management of employee housing 

facilities, including associated utility systems. Funds may also be used to pay the rental costs for 

leased quarters, including utilities, due to extreme housing shortages in an area. In addition to 

maintaining safe and pleasant housing, work using this fund contributes to the reduction of the 

agency’s deferred maintenance backlog.

Permanent Appropriations 12-26 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

This fund covers all types of maintenance of a structure or building, including any governmentowned property and any appliances integral to the facility. The fund does not cover betterments, 

additions, replacement construction, or new construction. 

Allocation and Integration 

Rental deposits are pooled and remain on the forest where the deposits are collected. If Quarters 

Maintenance funds are not available, maintenance may be funded using Facilities Maintenance 

Assessment funds or the Capital Improvement and Maintenance - Facilities and Deferred 

Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items.

Permanent Appropriations 12-27 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Roads and Trails for States 

Budget Line Item Roads and Trails for States

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Roads and Trails for States

New Budget Authority -$19,675 $18,000 $18,000 0

Program Level 0 0 0 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget program level is zero. The Forest Service proposes to transfer 

$18 million (FY 2015) in unexpended collections under this authority to the General Fund of the 

Treasury. In the FY 2014 Omnibus appropriation, Congress directed that funds becoming 

available under the Act of March 4, 1913 be transferred to the Treasury. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the agency did not have any accomplishments from Road and Trails for States 

funds. No new funds were available in FY 2013. 

Authorities

The Act of March 4, 1913, as amended (16 U.S.C. 501). This act authorizes ten percent of all 

National Forest Fund receipts received by the national forests during each fiscal year to be 

expended for the construction and maintenance of roads and trails within the national forests in 

the States from which proceeds are derived.

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110–161, div F, title III, Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 

2129). Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 

111-88, div. A, title III, Oct. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 2940). Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 

(P.L. 112-74). Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). These Acts directed “That 

funds becoming available in fiscal year 2014 under the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) 

shall be transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or 

obligation for any other purpose unless the funds are appropriated.” 

Permanent Appropriations 12-28 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

Under this fund, ten percent of all National Forest Fund receipts, which is inclusive of both fees 

and other types of revenue, are used by the Forest Service without regard to the State in which 

the amounts were derived, to repair or reconstruct roads, bridges, and trails on National Forest 

System (NFS) lands. Funds are directed towards correcting road and trail deficiencies that 

adversely affect ecosystems.

Beginning in FY 1999 and continuing in subsequent appropriation acts, the authority was 

expanded to allow the use of funds for the purpose of improving forest health conditions and 

repairing or reconstructing roads and bridges on NFS lands in the wildland-urban interface where 

there is an abnormally high risk of fire. The program reduces risk to human safety and public 

health and property and enhances ecological functions, long-term forest productivity, and 

biological integrity.

FY 2007 was the last fiscal year that the Forest Service was authorized to obligate new 

collections from the Roads and Trails Fund. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-29 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Between the Lakes Management

Budget Line Item Land Between the Lakes Management

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Land Between the Lakes Management

New Budget Authority $4,559 $4,800 $4,800 0

Program Level 4,444 4,800 4,800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 14 15 15 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $4,800,000 for the Land Between 

the Lakes (LBL) Management fund, the same as the FY 2014 estimate. Funds will be used to 

support operational costs for customer-focused recreation and environmental education 

programs, as well as capital improvements at the facilities where funds are collected. The LBL 

Management funds will continue to be used to assess, analyze, and implement the highest 

priorities identified in the LBL Area Plan for integrated forest management. The LBL Area will 

continue to maintain recreation facilities to standard for public use, and small infrastructure 

replacement projects will be completed in several of the developed facilities.

Past Performance

In FY 2013 there were approximately 1.5 million visits to the LBL National Recreation Area, 

which is consistent with previous years. LBL has historically covered 30 percent of its costs by 

receipts through the LBL Management fund authority, supporting a diversity of recreation, fish 

and wildlife, and environmental education activities. Fee collections were up by over 3 percent 

in FY 2013. 

The LBL Management fund covers routine and inflationary increases to operational costs for the 

facilities that generate revenue.

Authority

Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 460lll-24) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, 

Sec. 101(e) [title V, Sec. 524], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-315). This Act establishes the Land 

Between the Lakes Management fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, responsibility for 

the LBL National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee transferred from the Tennessee 

Valley Authority to the Secretary of Agriculture.

Permanent Appropriations 12-30 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

The LBL National Recreation Area provides public recreational opportunities; conserves fish 

and wildlife and their habitat; provides for a diversity of plants and animals; and offers 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, and environmental education. LBL hosts an average of 1.5 

million visits annually from people all over the Nation and more than 30 foreign countries. LBL 

continues to demonstrate success with its camping reservation system, which allows visitors to 

register for camp sites before arrival.

Section 524 of the Land Between the Lakes Protection Act established a special fund known as 

the Land Between the Lakes Management fund. All amounts received from charges, user fees, 

and natural resource use, including timber and agricultural receipts, are deposited into the fund. 

Funds are available for management of LBL, including payment of salaries and expenses.

Partnerships 

LBL’s program of work provides the opportunity to partner with a number of regional and 

national conservation organizations, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited. Further, LBL’s volunteers, 

coordinated through the Friends of LBL partnership, log more than 116,000 hours of volunteer 

time on LBL projects annually. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-31 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees

Budget Line Item Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental 

Fees 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees 

New Budget Authority $2,269 $800 $800 0

Program Level 570 800 800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $800,000 for the Midewin National 

Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees fund, the same level as the FY 2014 estimate. Funds restore and 

manage prairie and wetland habitats on the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNTP). 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, proceeds from the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Rental Fees fund were used 

to conduct 564 acres of invasive plant/noxious weed control on the MNTP. 

Authorities

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 (16 U.S.C. 1609 note) (P.L. 104-106, div. B, [title 

XXIX, sec. 2915 (b), (c)], Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 601-602). The Secretary of Agriculture is 

authorized to issue agricultural special use authorizations or grazing permits for purposes 

primarily related to erosion control, provision for food and habitat for fish and wildlife, or other 

resource management activities consistent with the purposes of the MNTP. 

Program Description

Program Overview

The Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995 established MNTP to be managed as part of the 

National Forest System. The act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to issue agricultural 

special use authorizations and grazing permits. After appropriate payments to the State of 

Illinois and Will County, pursuant to the act of May 23, 1908, and section 13 of the act of March 

1, 1911 (16 U.S.C. 500), available receipts from rental fees may be used to cover the cost of 

ecosystem restoration, prairie improvements, and administrative activities directly related to 

those activities. These funds provide for maintenance of native plant communities and grassland 

bird habitat at the MNTP. The ability to collect funds from grazing and agricultural uses 

Permanent Appropriations 12-32 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

provides an essential financial resource to MNTP managers to continue to restore ecosystems 

and habitats in order to enhance biodiversity; promote scientific, environmental, and educational 

research; and develop best practices for land management.

Permanent Appropriations 12-33 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Quinault Special Management Area Fund

Budget Line Item Quinault Special Management Area 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Quinault Special Management Area 

New Budget Authority $1 $2 $2 0

Program Level 9 10 10 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $10,000 for the Quinault Special 

Management Area (QSMA) fund, the same as the FY 2014 estimate. The Olympic National 

Forest annually reviews the current deposits of the 10 percent of proceeds from the sale of forest 

products, and requests authority to use those funds for work performed on the QSMA. 

Authorities

The Act of November 8, 1988 (P.L 100-638) (102 Stat. 3327). This Act established the Quinault 

Special Management Area from part of the Olympic National Forest, and assigned responsibility 

to the Forest Service for managing its natural resources and distributing proceeds from the sale 

of forest products according to provisions of the Act.

The Act provides that 10 percent of the gross proceeds from the sale of forest products on the 

QSMA are transferred to this account and are available for administration of future timber sales. 

The Act also provides for the distribution of gross receipts from a special management area to 

compensate the Quinault Indian Tribe and the State of Washington for land that the Forest 

Service gave back to the Tribe. The distribution must be used for roads and schools. 

Past Performance 

The Forest annually reviews the current deposits to the 10 percent of proceeds fund, and requests 

authority to use those funds for work performed on the QSMA. Over the last few years we have 

requested funds generally in the range of $10,000 to $13,000. In FY 2013, expenses were 

$15,500 and we collected $924 for management of those lands. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-34 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description 

Program Overview

This program and budget line item is unique to the Forest Service for the QSMA. The QSMA is 

over 5,400 acres, as prescribed by law, which the Olympic National Forest manages for the 

Quinault Indian Nation. Specifically, the lands are defined under Section 2 of this law. All 

receipts from use of this land, including timber sales, firewood, botanicals, special use permits, 

and minerals, are divided into 45 percent for the State of Washington, 45 percent for the Quinault 

Tribe, and 10 percent for management of those lands by the Olympic National Forest. Quarterly, 

the Olympic National Forest processes the receipts and sends a letter to the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA) and the Tribal Chair, documenting the receipts that will be transferred to BIA for 

disbursement to the Tribe. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-35 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Valles Caldera

Budget Line Item Valles Caldera 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Valles Caldera 

New Budget Authority $790 $800 $800 0

Program Level 984 800 800 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $800,000 for the management and 

administration of the Valles Caldera National Preserve (Preserve) by the Valles Caldera Trust 

(Trust), a government corporation. This is the same program level funding as the FY 2014 

estimate. The FY 2015 program level is based on receipts taken in by the Trust and available for 

use in FY 2015. The retained receipt funds will be used to improve access, enhance recreational 

opportunities, upgrade infrastructure, purchase branded products for resale, and market programs 

and activities, along with assisting in the management of the Preserve’s facility rentals for the 

purpose of providing education programs. The benefits of these programs will be to facilitate the 

management of the Preserve and to further the statutory obligation of the Trust to become 

financially self-sufficient. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the Trust’s focus was on keeping the Preserve opened year round by offering 

additional recreation and education programs and activities, but because of the Thompson Ridge 

Fire, which began on May 31, 2013, and which kept the Preserve closed to the public for months, 

the Trust was faced with major challenges for most of the spring, summer, and fall. Limited 

public programs included hunting, fishing, hiking, van tours, and environmental education, along 

with special events. Total revenue generated from these recreation programs in FY 2013 was 

$790,229. Special Events, including commercial filming generated $85,600 of the total revenue. 

The Valles Caldera National Preserve Public Access and Use Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) Plan and Record of Decision were completed in FY 2013, along with the completion of the 

Draft EIS for the Valles Caldera National Preserve Landscape Restoration and Stewardship Plan. 

The Final EIS along with the Record of Decision for the latter plan is scheduled for the first 

quarter of FY 2015. Due to the Las Conchas Wildfire of 2011 and the Thompson Ridge Fire in 

2013, the analysis on both plans was delayed because of impacts to the resources of the Preserve 

and demands on staff time to manage the fires and emergency rehabilitation. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-36 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Authorities

Valles Caldera Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 698v-4, 698v-6). (P.L. 106-248, [title I, Sec. 106, 

Sec. 108], July 25, 2000, 114 Stat. 603 and 607; as amended by P.L. 109-132, [Sec. 2 (b) – (d)], 

119 Stat. 2570). This Act authorizes the Valles Caldera Trust to receive and collect funds in 

support of the management and administration of the Preserve. This includes the authority to 

assess fees for admission to, and the use and occupancy of the Preserve. In addition, the Trust 

may solicit and accept donations of funds, property, supplies, or services for the purpose of 

management of the Preserve.

Program Description 

Program Overview 

The Valles Caldera Preservation Act provided for the acquisition of the Baca Ranch located in 

the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, designated the acquired lands as the Valles Caldera 

National Preserve, and created the Valles Caldera Trust to manage the 88,900 acre tract. The 

Preserve protects scientific, scenic, geologic, watershed, wildlife, historic, heritage, and 

recreational values and provides for multiple uses and the sustained yield of renewable resources. 

The Preserve is managed by the Trust, a government corporation that prepares annual budgets 

with the goal of achieving a financially self-sustaining operation by 2015. 

The Act allows for a variety of approaches to generate revenue in support of management of the 

Preserve and to carry out the duties of the Trust. Various funding mechanisms exist from 

private, public, and non-profit organizations. Options include accepting donations from 

foundations or the private sector through charitable giving; charging fees for use (e.g., grazing, 

forest products, filming); and assessing admission fees. All monies received are deposited in the 

Valles Caldera fund, which is an interest bearing account. These receipts are available without 

further appropriation for the administration, preservation, restoration, operation, maintenance, 

and improvement of the Preserve and its properties. 

Partnerships 

The Act requires management of the Preserve by the Trust, a government corporation subject to 

the Government Corporation Control Act. A nine-member Board of Trustees is responsible for 

the protection and development of the Preserve. Seven of its members are appointed by the 

President of the United States. In addition, the current Superintendent of nearby Bandelier 

National Monument and the Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest also serve on the 

Board. The Board is required to meet in public at least three times per year; all Board decisions 

are made at public meetings. In August of 2002, management authority was transferred to the 

Trust. 

The Preserve benefits from monetary as well as non-monetary contributions. Non-monetary 

contributions include time and expertise contributed by our many volunteers. In 2012, the Trust 

increased volunteer hours from 2011. These volunteers assisted with many of the recreation 

programs, along with wetland restoration projects, throughout the year. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-37 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

External funding from outside agencies and organization are invested in projects; mostly 

research, inventory, and monitoring; and conducted on the Preserve. A continued objective for 

the Trust is to encourage scientific activities on the Preserve. Indicators for science community 

interest in studying the Valles Caldera National Preserve can be gleaned from the number of 

projects conducted, the amount of funding generated to support these projects, and the number of 

publications and presentations resulting from the research. Current (FY 2013) funding from 

outside (non-VCT) sources came from 38 different project sources, and exceeded $4.8 million. 

While these outside grant funds were not part of the VCT budget, they nonetheless contributed to 

the regional economy through personnel salaries, purchasing of equipment and supplies, travel, 

contracts, and educational stipends. All of these transactions generate tax revenues for the local, 

State, and Federal governments. More importantly, the information gleaned from these studies is 

being used to advise managers on how best to apply manipulative actions on the ground, 

including informing forest thinning prescriptions, use of fire, distributions of livestock, predator 

impacts on elk populations, fisheries management, and other land management tools. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-38 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 

Budget Line Item Restoration of Forest Lands and 

Improvements

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements

New Budget Authority $80,599 $10,874 $14,432 $3,558

Program Level 21,771 39,003 30,679 -8,324

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 73 80 80 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $30,679,000 for the Restoration of 

Forest Lands and Improvements fund, a decrease of $8,324,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. 

These funds will provide for the rehabilitation of forest resources or infrastructure that has been 

damaged due to negligence or contract non-performance of other parties. The Restoration of 

Forest Lands and Improvements fund provides a mechanism to quickly bill, collect, and obligate 

funds necessary to restore damages to critical ecosystems and facilities so that repairs are not 

deferred or foregone.

Past Performance

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvement funds are used to perform restoration and 

rehabilitation activities or infrastructure repair due to contractor damage, negligence, or nonperformance. FY 2013 accomplishments included: 

• 341 acres of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) high priority hazardous fuels treated,

• 785 acres of hazardous fuels treated outside the WUI to reduce the risk of catastrophic

wildland fire,

• 951 acres of forest vegetation established,

• 623 acres of forest vegetation improved,

• 422 acres of noxious weeds/invasive plant treatments,

• 200 acres of water or soil resources protected, maintained, or improved to achieve desired

watershed conditions, and

• 30 miles of system trail maintained to standard.

Many but not all of the accomplishments in the above activities were greater in FY 2013 than in 

FY 2012. These activities vary yearly according to the restoration and rehabilitation activities 

needed due to contractor damage or non-performance and resulting from forfeiture of their bond 

or deposit. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-39 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Authorities

The Act of June 20, 1958 (16 U.S.C. 579c) (P.L. 85-464, Sec. 7, June 20, 1958, 72 Stat. 217). 

This Act authorizes establishment of a fund for improvement, protection, or rehabilitation of 

lands under the administration of the Forest Service. This fund receives monies from: (a) 

forfeiture of a bond or deposit by a permittee or timber purchaser for failure to complete 

performance of improvement, protection, or rehabilitation work required under the permit or 

timber sale contract, or (b) the result of a judgment, compromise, or settlement of any claim, 

involving present or potential damage to lands or improvements. Funds are available until 

expended to cover the costs of performing the required work. 

Program Description 

Program Overview

This authority protects the interests of the Forest Service by allowing the agency to address a 

variety of situations. When work under a permit or timber sale contract is not completed by a 

permittee or timber purchaser, they forfeit their bond or deposit. These funds then transfer to the 

Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements fund, and the Forest Service performs the work 

itself. 

This authority also protects the interests of the American public from present or potential damage 

to national forest lands or improvements due to the actions of another party. This authority 

provides the Forest Service with the ability to use funds from a judgment, compromise, or claim 

settlement to address those damages. 

Based on a Comptroller General's Decision (67 Comp. Gen. 276), collections may be used to 

reimburse the Forest Service for any restoration costs paid from Forest Service appropriations 

before the collections were received. 

Allocation and Integration 

The proposed FY 2015 program funding level is based on field projections of anticipated work.

Permanent Appropriations 12-40 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention

Budget Line Item Commercial Filming and Still Photography 

Land Use Fee Retention

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Commercial Filming and Still Photography Land Use 

Fee Retention

New Budget Authority $673 $613 $533 -$80

Program Level 302 871 744 -127

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 3 4 4 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $744,000 for Commercial Filming 

and Still Photography Land Use Fee Retention, a decrease of $127,000 from the FY 2014 

estimate. 

Past Performance 

During FY 2013, the Forest Service collected $673,204 from commercial filming. These 

collections are retained at the national, regional and forest units. These fees are separate from 

the fees the agency collects associated with processing film/photo requests. Units use these 

collections to respond to film/photo requests in a timelier manner and to proactively manage the 

program. More recently, these fees have been used to coordinate inter-regional or inter-forest 

requests for filming as a means of streamlining the authorization process and reducing the 

number of authorizations necessary for large landscape filming requests. 

Authorities

The Act of May 26, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 460l-6d) (P. L. 106-206). This Act authorizes retention of 

fees collected for commercial filming and photography land use authorizations and obligation of 

the monies for maintenance of the filming site. Land use fees are based on a schedule to use and 

occupy National Forest System land for filming/photo activities. This fee is separate from the 

cost recovery fee to process applications and to monitor the authorization for compliance with 

the commercial filming permit. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-41 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

Fees retained by the Forest Service in this fund are used to respond to film/photo use requests 

and to initiate management activities that help respond to these requests in an expedited manner. 

For example, forest units use these funds to assess popular film/photo locations in advance of 

requests and to develop and post information on film/photo procedures specific to the unit. 

Regional and national units use these funds to provide management oversight, develop policy, 

and coordinate inter-regional or inter-forest film/photo requests prior to accepting a proposal as a 

formal application.

Allocation and Integration 

In accordance with the Act of May 26, 2000, 90 percent of the fees collected remain at the forest 

unit where the fee is collected. These funds are used for managing the film/photo program and 

to defer costs associated with collecting the fee. The remaining 10 percent is used to provide 

management oversight, to develop policies, and to coordinate inter-regional or inter-forest 

film/photo requests. Of this 10 percent, 5 percent is retained at the Washington Office and 5 

percent is retained at each Regional Office where the film/photo authorization is contained. 

Partnerships 

Many forest units work cooperatively with State Film commissions to inform these entities of 

Forest Service film/photo processing procedures. The Forest Service is also engaged in 

coordination with the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management, National Park 

Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) effort to develop a national fee schedule applicable 

to film and photo authorizations. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-42 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Organizational Camps Program 

Budget Line Item Organizational Camps Program

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Organizational Camps Program

New Budget Authority $585 $389 $361 -$28

Program Level 340 707 683 -24

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 4 4 4 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $683,000 for the administration of 

the Organizational Camps Program fund, a decrease of $24,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. 

Funds will be used to monitor organizational camp special use authorizations; conduct 

environmental analysis related to the organizational camp special uses program; maintain, 

recondition, renovate, or improve federally owned facilities covered by organizational camp 

special use authorizations; complete environmental restoration projects; administer the special 

uses program; provide interpretive programs; and conduct other programs and projects deemed 

appropriate by the authorized officer. 

Past Performance 

During FY 2013, we collected $585,478 through the organizational camps program, which units 

used for program administration, monitoring special use authorizations, interpretive programs, 

environmental analysis and restoration activities related to organizational camps throughout the 

National Forest System.

Authorities 

National Forest Organizational Camp Fee Improvement Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6231 et seq.) 

(P.L. 108-7). This Act defines an organizational camp as a public or semipublic camp developed 

by a nonprofit or government entity to introduce young people or people with disabilities to 

activities they might not otherwise experience and to educate them on natural resource issues. 

The Act establishes a land use fee system for organizational camps located on National Forest 

System lands and authorizes the Secretary to retain and spend these fees without further 

appropriation. The act also exempts certain ministerial actions from the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act.

Permanent Appropriations 12-43 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

Organizational camp fees are based on a percentage of the agricultural land value, adjusted 

downward for services provided to disabled individuals and at-risk youth. Fees collected are 

available until expended for program administration, monitoring special use authorizations, 

interpretive programs, environmental analysis and restoration activities, and similar purposes. 

The Forest Service administers approximately 285 permits for organizational camps. Work 

activities include performing oversight, inspection, and monitoring of existing authorizations to 

ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the authorization. 

Organizational camps have a three-part fee system: 

Land Use Fees - Fees are based on a percentage of the agricultural land value, adjusted 

downward for services provided to disabled individuals and at-risk youth. The land use 

fee may be offset by work performed pursuant to Section 3 of the Federal Timber 

Contract Payment Modification Act (16 U.S.C. 539f). 

Facility Use Fees - If an organizational camp utilizes a federally owned facility, a fee is 

assessed based on five percent of the value of the government owned improvements. 

Fees based on other revenue - If permit holders earn revenue from activities other than 

providing youth services, a fee is assessed based on five percent of revenue. 

Allocation and Integration 

Retained land use fees supplement discretionary 

appropriations from the National Forest System 

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program and 

from other budget line items. These revenues are an 

integral part of sustaining the agency’s special use 

programs. Outputs associated with these programs are 

reported as permits administered to standard. 

Partnerships 

Through the organizational camps program the Forest 

Service works with many partner organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, faith-based, 

and community-based groups to provide outdoor recreation programs and services for youth. 

Enjoying Camp 

Two boys sit by a campfire at an organizational 

camp on a national forest (Forest Service 

Permanent Appropriations 12-44 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-of-Way) 

Budget Line Item Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-ofWay)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Cost Recovery (Administration of Rights-of-Way)

New Budget Authority $5,959 $5,633 $4,850 -$783

Program Level 5,158 7,715 6,614 -1,101

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 48 56 55 -1

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $6,614,000 for the Cost Recovery 

program (also known as Administration of Rights-of-Way), a decrease of $1,101,000 from the 

FY 2014 estimate. Funds will be used to process lands special use proposals and applications in 

a timely manner, provide customer service, and administer authorizations for which we have no 

other statutory authority to recover or retain funds for the use and occupancy of National Forest 

System (NFS) lands. We will continue to implement the program to recover our costs for 

processing special use applications and monitoring for compliance with the authorizations. We 

will review progress to ensure consistent and cost-effective management, improve customer 

service, and reduce the backlog of permit applications.

This authority ensures timely customer service, reduces the potential liability to the government 

associated with uses on NFS lands under an expired authorization, and enables the agency to 

accept new applications thereby expanding our support for local and regional economies.

In FY 2015, the Forest Service expects to continue working in cooperation with the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) to update their interagency flat fee schedule relative to applicable 

special use applications and authorizations. Working cooperatively with the BLM ensures 

interagency consistency for similar uses and works to assess fees that are appropriate.

Past Performance

Our FY 2013 financial records indicate a total of nearly $6 million recorded in either advance 

collections or earned revenue on advances. However, some of the earned revenue was tied to 

agreements received in years prior to FY 2013. The above revenue was for the processing and 

monitoring of approximately 1,800 new land use authorizations. Cost recovery helps ensure that 

we continue to make progress in administering authorizations. We have used our current 

authority to respond to numerous requests for use of NFS land for the purposes of transmitting 

electricity, oil and gas, and broadband communication, as well as responding to requests for 

major modifications to resort operations and numerous smaller private or commercial requests.

Permanent Appropriations 12-45 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In FY 2006, when the cost recovery authority was first implemented, the Forest Service had a 

backlog of over 14,885 expired special use authorizations for uses on NFS land needing to be 

reissued. In FY 2013, we reduced the backlog of expired authorizations to approximately 9,700 

authorizations, representing a 35 percent reduction. 

Authorities

Numerous Federal statutes authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to assess and collect fees from 

applicants for, and holders of, special use authorizations. These fees pay for the agency’s 

administrative costs to process and monitor applications for such authorizations. These 

authorities include the Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952 (P.L. 82-137); Mineral 

Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (P.L. 66-146); and the Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-579). In addition, specific legislation authorizing the implementation of 

each program within this account is as follows: 

Special Use Application and Permit Monitoring Fees (Recovery of Costs). P.L. 106-113, Interior 

and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000, Section 331 (113 Stat. 1501A-196 - 197), as 

amended by P.L. 108-447, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Division E, Section 345 (118 

Stat. 3105), P.L. 109-54, Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, 

Section 425 (119 Stat. 555), P.L. 110-161 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 and P.L. 113-6 

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013. This Act provides authority 

through September 30, 2013, to implement a pilot program to improve customer service to 

applicants and holders of special land use authorizations and reduce the agency’s backlog of 

expired authorizations. This authority was extended through January 15, 2014, pursuant to P.L. 

113-46, Continuing Appropriations Act of 2014. 

Forest Service Administration of Rights-of-Way and Land uses; Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). This act provides permanent authority to retain and spend fees as 

originally authorized under Section 331 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted into law by section 1000(a)(3) of Public Law 106–113; 16 

U.S.C. 497 note). 

Program Description

Programs included in this fund are: 

Cost Recovery Lands Major Projects - All recreation and non-recreation (land) uses that 

require more than 50 hours of agency time to process or monitor. Uses involving 

construction/reconstruction are deemed to be Major Categories for which the agency 

collects all appropriate administrative costs.

Cost Recovery Lands Minor Projects - Excluding recreation uses, all non-recreation 

(land) uses not subject to exemption or waiver that require 50 hours or less of agency 

time to process or monitor are deemed Minor Categories. These categories use a flat fee 

schedule established in four different tiers, subject to annual indexing. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-46 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Overview

The Forest Service processes over 6,000 authorizations each year for the use and occupancy of 

NFS lands. In FY 2012, we administered nearly 82,000 authorizations for a wide variety of 

purposes, including energy-related uses, broadband and communication facilities, and 

campground management. Processing and authorizing these uses is an important component of 

facilitating the development and transmission of affordable and reliable energy and 

communication services, supporting national security, supporting economic development, and 

promoting the public health and safety of populations within or in proximity to national forests 

and grasslands throughout the nation. Work activities include: 

• Evaluating applications to use Federal land for other government use, commercial, and

private requests to assure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, land use

management plans, and the technical and financial capability of applicants to conduct use

on NFS land.

• Conducting appropriate environmental, social, and economic analyses on requests to use

NFS land pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

• Developing special use authorizations with appropriate terms and conditions that ensure

protection of public health and safety and resource protection measures.

• Performing oversight and inspection of certain authorization activities associated with

construction/reconstruction activities.

All determinations are subject to dispute, allowing the applicant or holder to confront the 

superior officer of the initial determination as to the validity of the estimated cost recovery fee. 

Disputes must provide written rationale and evidence as to why the estimated fee is in error, and 

suggest alternative fee estimations based in fact. Waivers of cost recovery fees are provided for 

local, State, or Federal governmental applicants and authorizations for recreation uses that 

require 50 hours or less to process. 

Allocation and Integration 

Major Categories - For uses not subject to exemption or waiver, the Forest Service 

estimates actual expenses and works with the applicant or holder to determine if the costs 

are reasonable in accordance with the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976 

as amended or are required actual expenses in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act 

of 1920 as amended. 

Minor Categories - Uses subject to Forest Service cost recovery regulations (not exempt 

or waived) that require 50 hours or less of agency time to process or monitor are assessed 

a fee in accordance with a fee schedule published in the Federal Register.

Partnerships 

We cooperate with many other Federal agencies, such as Department of the Interior agencies 

including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the Army Corp of Engineers; 

Permanent Appropriations 12-47 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

interagency working groups; State, local, and Tribal governments; and partners such as the 

Western Utility Group and the National Forest Recreation Association. Partnership opportunities 

lead to streamlined procedures in order to deliver consistent and clear direction. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-48 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Licensee Program Smokey Bear

Budget Line Item Licensee Program Smokey Bear

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Licensee Program Smokey Bear

New Budget Authority $69 $100 $100 0

Program Level 2 140 120 -$20

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $120,000 for the Licensee Program 

Smokey Bear fund, a decrease of $20,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. Funds will support 

special projects regarding Smokey Bear’s Birthday preparations, as well as the national fire 

prevention awards program, and licensing agent/contractor services. This program supports 

national initiatives, local programs, and products that help increase public awareness with regard 

to wildfire prevention. 

Authorities

Fees for the use of the Smokey Bear character by private enterprises are collected under 

regulations formulated by the Secretary of Agriculture. They are available to further the 

nationwide forest fire prevention campaign (16 U.S.C. 580 p-2) (18 U.S.C. 711). 

Program Description

The Smokey Bear program supports national initiatives, programs, and products that help 

increase public awareness in regard to wildfire prevention. The licensee contractor manages the 

marketing and administration of the commercial license program and receives 35 percent of the 

royalties collected for its services. The fire prevention specialist manages the licensing contract. 

Smokey Bear royalties also support the National Smokey Bear Award program and the national 

fire prevention public service campaign. The Chief of the Forest Service has discretionary 

authority to use money from royalties in special projects that support the Smokey Bear fire 

prevention message. In FY 2015, the special projects will include Smokey Bear’s 71st birthday 

and preparations for his 75th birthday activities. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-49 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

Budget Line Item Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Licensee Program Woodsy Owl

New Budget Authority $1 $7 $6 -$1

Program Level 3 12 12 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $12,000 for the Licensee Program 

Woodsy Owl fund, the same level as the FY 2014 estimate. Funds support the development of 

Woodsy Owl educational products and the licensing contract. This program supports national 

initiatives, local programs, and products that help increase public awareness about the 

importance of maintaining environmental quality. 

Authorities

Fees for the use of the Woodsy Owl character by private enterprises are collected under 

regulations formulated by the Secretary of Agriculture. They are available to promote wise use 

of the environment and programs that foster maintenance and improvement of environmental 

quality (16 U.S.C. 580 p-1) (formerly classified as 31 U.S.C. 488a, 488b-3, 488b-6) (18 U.S.C. 

711a).

Program Description

The Woodsy Owl program supports national initiatives, programs, and products that help 

increase public awareness of activities and issues related to improvement and maintenance of the 

environment. The Conservation Education program identifies funding for the Woodsy Owl 

conservation program initiative to develop products, to manage the licensing program, and to 

enhance partnerships. One of these activities includes the management of the licensing program. 

The licensing contractor receives 35 percent of the royalties reported. In addition, during FY15 a 

share of the licensing fund will be used to continue Woodsy’s participation in the government 

challenge (through Challenge.gov) to provide a public service advertising campaign to promote 

Woodsy Owl and his message to social media users. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-50
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation)

Budget Line Item Forest Service Go Green Program 

(Conservation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President’s 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Forest Service Go Green Program (Conservation)

New Budget Authority $50 $67 $68 $1

Program Level 20 59 68 9

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $68,000 for the Forest Service Go 

Green program, an increase of $1,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. 

Past Performance

The funding level in this program depends on the proceeds collected. As information on Go 

Green is more widely shared, funding levels are expected to increase. In only four years, total 

collections for this program have grown from $3,701 in the inaugural year of FY 2009 to 

$163,000 as of September 20, 2013. 

Authorities

Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2002. This Act authorizes Federal 

agencies to receive and use revenue resulting from waste prevention and recycling programs. 

Such revenue shall be available until expended for the purpose of waste reduction, prevention, 

and recycling programs. 

Accountable property is excluded from this program, which includes all capital leases and all 

owned personal property having an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more. Excess property, such as 

electronics and other personal property that is not considered accountable property, follows an 

initial screening by USDA agencies which determines if the property is eligible for donation, to 

be transferred to another government agency, or to be recycled. Other items excluded from the 

scope of this program are Forest Service and General Service Agency vehicles, which also have 

disposal/excess rules in place.

Permanent Appropriations 12-51 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview 

The Forest Service promoted the implementation of “Go Green” on Forests in FY 2009 to help 

meet the agency’s recycling and waste reduction goals. Go Green funds are collected not only 

from recycling simple items such as cans, but also from recycling abandoned vehicles and 

appliances. This funding enables field units to also accomplish clean-up activities they otherwise 

might not be able to accomplish due to limited budgets. 

Since FY 2009, the implementation of the authority to collect revenue resulting from waste 

prevention and recycling programs has increased significantly. The funding level in this 

program depends on the proceeds collected. As information on “Go Green” is more widely 

shared, funding levels are expected to increase. Every dollar collected under this authority 

offsets funding from other programs. 

In FY 2015, we anticipate our “Go Green” program will continue to grow given increasing 

awareness through our Sustainable Operations peer learning series and the agency’s Climate 

Change Scorecard Element 10. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-52 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Conveyance of Administrative Sites

Budget Line Item Conveyance of Administrative Sites

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Conveyance of Administrative Sites

New Budget Authority $3,849 $19,522 $18,000 -$1,522

Program Level 5,882 25,337 15,000 -10,337

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 6 10 8 -2

FY 2015 Program Changes

The 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $15,000,000 for the Conveyance of 

Administrative Sites, a decrease of $10,337,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. Retaining proceeds 

from these conveyances provides the Forest Service with funds for maintenance, rehabilitation, 

and construction for specified projects, while we continue to right-size the agency’s real property 

portfolio.

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the agency collected $3.85 million through the completion of land and facility 

conveyances. These conveyances reduced deferred maintenance by approximately $5.4 million, 

as displayed in Table A. Outputs associated with this program are combined with and reported 

under individual resource programs in the National Forest System, Land Acquisition, and Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance chapters.

Authorities

Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005, (FSFREA), Title V of the 

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (P.L. 

109-54). This Act provided authority through September 30, 2008 to convey unneeded 

administrative sites and retain the proceeds for building maintenance, rehabilitation, and 

construction provided certain criteria contained in Title V are met. . This authority was extended 

through September 30, 2011, pursuant to the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8). 

Permanent Appropriations 12-53
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74, Title IV, Sec. 421). This Act amends 

Section 503(f) of the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (Title V 

of the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, 

P.L. 109-54; 16 U.S.C. 580d note), as amended by section 422(1) of Public Law 111-8 (123 Stat. 

748), by extending authorization to September 30, 2016.

Revenues received from the sale of land or structures are deposited into the Sisk Act Fund and 

are available without further appropriation. 

Program Description

Program Overview 

The Administration has made it a priority for Federal agencies to dispose of unneeded properties 

and make more efficient use of the Government’s real estate. This effort builds upon the 

Administration’s ongoing work to sell unneeded Federal properties. 

The Administrative Site Conveyances Program provides for the realignment of the agency’s 

facility portfolio by providing an incentive for local managers to liquidate obsolete or 

underutilized assets and reinvest in assets that best support the agency’s mission. This authority 

provides the opportunity to efficiently address current and future needs, reduce annual lease 

costs, and reduce the deferred maintenance backlog. In addition to operational benefits, the 

program provides substantial economic and social benefits. These include providing local 

communities with an additional tax base and opportunities for redevelopment to align with 

community plans and economic stimulus strategies. 

The Forest Service currently owns approximately 17,000 administrative and research buildings. 

A large number of these facilities do not meet the agency’s needs and are either underutilized or 

in need of maintenance in order to meet current health and safety standards. More than 60 

percent of Forest Service facilities are more than 30 years old and more than half have exceeded 

Raco Work Center, Hiawatha National Forest, MI

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project replaced a 600 square feet (SF) building and consolidated several 

other buildings into a new 2,400 SF building using conveyances proceeds. This project 

resulted in a net reduction in SF and a new building with greatly improved energy 

efficiency.

Permanent Appropriations 12-54 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

their design life. Without major and often costly renovations, these structures frequently fail to 

meet administrative needs due to inadequate space, improper location, high maintenance costs, 

and failure to meet current health, safety, and accessibility codes. Improving asset management 

allows the agency to fully utilize mission critical and mission dependent assets and manage those 

assets in the right condition and at the right cost. 

Work functions for this program include: notification, analysis, valuation, and realty case 

processing services; facility repairs, preventive maintenance and replacement of parts and 

structural components; construction of new facilities; alteration of existing facilities to change 

function; and expansion of facilities to meet the needs of changing mission critical functions.

Allocation and Integration 

Proceeds from FSFREA projects compliment discretionary appropriations in the Landownership 

Management budget line item of the National Forest System appropriation and, Facilities and 

Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items of the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance appropriation. The revenues generated from the sale of land and 

facilities play an integral role in enhancing the agency’s land and facility program. Outputs 

associated with this program are combined with and reported under other individual resource 

programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. The authority for obligation and 

expenditure of these funds is allocated to the regions based on the amounts collected from sales 

within that region.

Partnerships 

The agency participates in partnerships with other Federal agencies through this program, 

including the General Services Administration who maintains a national memorandum of 

agreement with the Forest Service to fulfill the requirements of FSFREA, as well as Tribal 

governments, local communities, local governments, and many private landowners. The 

program is enhanced by partnership opportunities that eliminate or reduce redundant efforts. 

Examples include leveraging funds to secure high priority resource lands for public access and 

resource protection or co-locating facilities with other Federal agencies and nongovernmental 

organizations to lower operational costs.

Permanent Appropriations 12-55 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE A

FY 2013 Final Accomplishments Land and Facility Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS RegionStateCong DistrictForestProject NameYear Initiated* Sale ValueAcres ConveyedDeferred Maint. EliminatedGross Square Feet Reduced

2 CO 2 White River Minturn Equipment Yard 2006 $2,300 4.39 $2 412

4 WY At-large Ashley Green River Site 2011 $368 4.23 $20 5,724

4 UT 2 Ashley Roosevelt RD Office/Warehouse 2011 $277 2.63 $2 950

6 OR 2 Rogue River-Siskiyou Butte Falls Ranger House $80 3.30 $45 3,542

6 OR 4 Rogue River-Siskiyou Old Agnes $150 - $115 6,067

8 SC 1 Francis Marion Wambaw Office and Work Center 2006 $231 6.25 $2,673 9,980

8 KY 5 Daniel Boone Baldrock Work Center 2006 $126 10.74 $126 9,039

8 TN 1 Cherokee Watauga Work Center 2007 $151 2.62 $721 7,562

8 OK 2 Ouachita Talihina House 2008 $40 0.45 $19 1,392

8 GA 10 Chattahoochee-Oconee Chattooga Office/WC 2007 $210 2.38 $574 10,590

9 NH 2 White Mountain Ammonusuc Ranger Station $165 - $914 6,770

9 MI 4 Huron-Manistee Mio Administrative Site $80 - $178 7,905

10 AK At-large Tongass Wrangell Mission Lots $45 0.16 $0 0

Total, All Forest Service $4,223 37 $5,389 69,933

*Sale amounts may not equal actual collections by September 30.

Permanent Appropriations 12-56 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE B

Change in Land and Facility Planned Conveyance Projects for FY 2014

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region StateCong DistrictForestProect NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

The following 11 projects have been added for FY 2014. These are in addition to the projects listed in the FY 2014 Budget Justification.

1 MT 1 Lolo

Quartz Guard 

Station 5,010 31 $109 $75 $75 - $ 2014

5 CA 25 Inyo

Big Pine Admin 

Site - 1.3 5 200 200 - - 2015

6 OR 4

Rogue River 

Siskiyou "L" Street 25,054 3.3 275 275 - - 2015

6 OR 4 Siuslaw Mapleton 16,611 16 267 10 - - - 2014

10 AK At-large Chugach

Seward District 

Office 3,840 0.21 72 130 - - 105 2014

10 AK At-large Chugach

Seward House 

(700 4th Ave) 2,212 0.23 45 200 - - 175 2014

10 AK At-large Chugach

Seward House 

(701 5th Ave) 1,824 0.23 40 215 - - 200 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass

Petersburg Parking 

Lot - 0.93 76 - - 240 2014

10 AK At-large Tongass

Scow Bay 

Warehouse 1,901 0.57 98 250 - - 225 2014

Permanent Appropriations 12-57
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE B

Change in Land and Facility Planned Conveyance Projects for FY 2014 

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region StateCong DistrictForestProect NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

10 AK At-large Tongass

Scow Bay Upper 

Lot - 1.07 - 18 - - 17 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass

Wrangell Ranger 

House- 316 First 

Ave 1,594 0.39 36 125 - - 100 2014

Total 58,046 55 $672 $1,664 $550 $1,062

The two projects below, which were listed in the FY 2014 Budget Justification, are no longer available for conveyance.

1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Fernan Office 14,874 5 $89 $100 $0 $100 $0 2016

1 ID 1 Idaho Panhandle Dispatch 4,632 - 108 50 - 50 - 2016

Permanent Appropriations 12-58 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE C

FY 2015 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region / StationStateCong DistrictForestProject NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

1 MT 1 Lolo

Bonita Work 

Center 7,358 30 $1,220 $500 $0 $450 $50 2015

1 MT 1 Lolo

Thompson Falls 

Office site 1,692 3 33 125 - 115 10 2015

1 MT 1 Flathead

SO Shop

8,700 2.07 512 300 100 200 - 2018

1 MT 1 Helena

Helena Ranger 

Station 25,038 18 3,758 3,500 - 3,500 - 2016

1 MT 1 Helena

Townsend 

Admin Property - 25 250 - 250- 2016

1 MT 1 Kootenai

Eureka 

Residence 1059 2,841 <.1 113 155 155 NA NA 2016

1 ID 1

Idaho 

Panhandle Troll House 768 0.10 161 60 - 60- 2016

1 ID 1

Idaho 

Panhandle

Lone Mountain 

Seed Orchard 1 - 40 - 200 - 200- 2016

1 ID 1

Idaho 

Panhandle

Lone Mountain 

Seed Orchard 2 - 40 - 200 - 200- 2016

1 ID 1

Idaho 

Panhandle

Lone Mountain 

Seed Orchard 3 - 40 - 200 - 200- 2016

1 MT 1 Bitterroot Stevensville RS 17,036 5.01 75 1,000 - 1,000 - 2017

Permanent Appropriations 12-59 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE C

FY 2015 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region / StationStateCong DistrictForestProject NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

1 MT 1 Bitterroot Sula RS 25,408 36.25 355 1,500 1,500 - 2019

1 MT 1

Regional 

Office 14th and Catlin 80,000 14 1,995 1,360 680 - 680 2019

Subtotal, Region 1 168,841 253 $8,222 $9,350 $935 $7,675 $740

2 CO 3

Grand 

Mesa, 

Uncomp., 

Gunnison

Crested Butte 

Admin Site 5,528 0.36 $61 $1,000 $1,000 $0 $0 2015

2 CO 5

Pike - San 

Isabel

Woodland Park 

Work Center 

(West Sector) 3,774 29.5 206 250 50 200 - 2016

Subtotal, Region 2 9,302 30 $267 $1,250 $1,050 $200 $0

4 UT 2 Ashley

Manila Housing 

(Ashley Way) 7,483 1.25 $138 $350 $ $350 $0 TBD

4 UT 2 Ashley

Stockmore 

Admin Site - aka 

Old Stockmore 

Ranger Station 2,516 19 543 170 170 - - TBD

4 NV 2

HumboldtToiyabeAustin Work 

Center Main St. 3,325 0.81 264 40 40 2015

Subtotal, Region 4 13,324 21 $945 $560 $170 $390 $0

Permanent Appropriations 12-60
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE C

FY 2015 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region / StationStateCong DistrictForestProject NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

5 CA 4 Lassen

Chester 

Willhoite Road 

Parcel 0 0.16 $ $13 $ $13 $0 2018

5 CA 2 Lassen

Mineral Work 

Center 8,414 - 199 1,200 - 1,200 - 2018

5 CA 4 Lassen

Dyer Mountain 

Parcel - 0.96 - 350 - 350 - 2018

Subtotal, Region 5 8,414 1 $199 $1,563 $0 $1,563 $0

6 OR 3

Mt Hood 

NF

Troutdale Air 

Tanker Base 2,550 9 $200 $1,450 $1,000 $250 $200 2018

6 WA 4

OkanoganWen.Conconully 

Work Center 9,622 1 1,201 400 - 300100 2015

Subtotal, Region 6 12,172 10 $1,401 $1,850 $1,000 $550 $300

8 AR 1

Ozark-St. 

Francis

Sylamore - Asst 

Ranger Dwelling 1,300 0 $13 $30 $0 $0 $0 2016

8 AR 4 Ouachita

Glenwood 

Workcenter 2,880 8.5 7,525 TBD TBD TBD TBD 2015

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Highlands Work 

Center 7,013 4 18 1,013 - 1,013 - 2015

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Workcenter 

Wellhouse 49 - - 13 - 13 - 2015

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Oil/Paint 

Storage 576 - 2 156 - 156 - 2015

Permanent Appropriations 12-61
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE C

FY 2015 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region / StationStateCong DistrictForestProject NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Highlands Work 

Center Shop 2,500 - 11 388 - 388 - 2015

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Highlands Work 

Center Shed 3,696 - 5 404 - 404 - 2015

8 NC 11 Nantahala

Chemical 

Storage 192 - - 52 - 52 - 2015

Subtotal, Region 8 18,206 13 $7,574 $2,056 $0 $2,026 $0

10 AK At-large Chugach Whittier Lot 0 0.3 $0 $ 115 $0 $ 75 $0 2016

10 AK At-large Chugach

Kenai Lake 

Work Center, 

Lot 2, USS 7398 4,486 24.8 88 258 - 240 - 2016

10 AK At-large Chugach

Kenai Lake 

Work Center 

Lots, USS 3532 - 15.95 - 250 - 215 - 2015

10 AK At-large Tongass

Sitka Work 

Center Beach 

Lots - 1.29 - 300 - 250 - 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass

Sitka Work 

Center Upper 

Lot 1B - 1.2 35 129 - 100 - 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass

Sitka 

Whitehouse 2,872 0.52 72 250 - 225 - 2017

Permanent Appropriations 12-62
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

TABLE C

FY 2015 Planned Conveyance Projects

(dollars in thousands)

FS Region / StationStateCong DistrictForestProject NameGross Square Feet ReducedAcresDeferred Maintenance ReductionEstimated Sale ValueProceeds for MaintenanceProceeds for new ConstructionProceeds for Bldg. DisposalPlanned Conveyance Completion Date

10 AK At-large Tongass

Coffman Cove 

Heli Lot 6 0.74 - 70 - 50 - 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass Thorne Bay Lot - 15 - 100 - 75 - 2016

10 AK At-large Tongass Craig Lot - 0.16 - 18 - 10 - 2015

Subtotal, Region 10 7,364 60 $195 $1,490 $ 0 $1,240 $0

SRS NC 4

Southern 

Research 

Station

RTP Forestry 

Sciences 

Laboratory 5,928 26.1 $1,977 $12,000 $0 $12,000 $0 2015

Subtotal, Southern Research Station 5,928 26 $1,977 $12,000 $0 $12,000 $0

Total, All Forest Service 243,551 414 $20,780 $30,119 $3,155 $25,644 $1,040

Permanent Appropriations 12-63
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Site-Specific Lands Act

Budget Line Item Site-Specific Lands Acts

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Permanent Funds

Site-Specific Lands Acts

New Budget Authority $184 $15,000 $10,000 -$5,000

Program Level 1,002 10,790 11,161 371

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 3 4 3 -1

FY 2015 Program Changes

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $11,161,000 for the Site-Specific 

Lands Acts fund, an increase of $371,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. This program of work 

pertains to site specific acts passed by Congress pertaining to the sale of National Forest System 

(NFS) land and the use of retained receipts to make specific improvements. The proceeds from 

each of these transactions are used in strict accordance with the terms and provisions of the 

authorizing legislation. The collected receipts under these Acts are available without further 

appropriation. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, we collected $184,150 from the conveyance of NFS land. Funds were used towards 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance projects and to supplement the Conveyance of 

Administrative Sites program. 

Authorities

The Sisk Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 484a; P.L. 90-171). The Sisk Act is an exchange authority 

that allows certain parties to deposit cash, in lieu of land, to complete a land exchange. The 

funds are then utilized by the Secretary to acquire non-Federal properties. Subsequently, other 

authorities have specified that the Sisk Act account be utilized to hold other proceeds until 

expended, consistent with the legislation. Revenues received from the sale of land or structures 

are deposited into the Sisk Act Fund and are available without further appropriation for the 

purpose(s) specified in the statutes. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-64 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Description

Program Overview

This program enables the collection of receipts from the sale of NFS land pursuant to special acts 

passed by Congress. The proceeds are used for specific improvements to lands and facilities 

within the same national forest or State.

The legislated project may include work functions such as: notification, analysis, valuation, and 

realty case processing services; construction of new facilities; alteration of existing facilities to 

change function; and expansion of facilities to meet the needs of changing mission critical 

functions. Projects are identified annually through the legislative process. As a result, benefits 

and funds collected vary each year based on legislation. 

Allocation and Integration 

Conveyances under Special Legislation proceeds may compliment discretionary appropriations 

in the Landownership Management budget line item of the NFS appropriation and the Facilities 

and Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Improvement budget line items of the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance appropriation. The revenues generated from the sale of land and 

facilities may contribute to enhancing the agency’s land and facility program. Outputs 

associated with this program are combined with and reported under other individual resource 

programs throughout the Forest Service appropriated accounts. The authority for obligation and 

expenditure of these funds are available without further appropriation. 

Partnerships 

The level of collaboration and partnerships that occurs through this program depends on the 

direction provided in each site specific act passed by Congress.

Permanent Appropriations 12-65 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Payment to States

Budget Line Item Payment to States

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President'

s Budget

FY 2015 

vs FY 

2014

Payment to States Funds

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III

New Budget Authority $31,774 $83,678 $50,850 -$32,828

Program Level 76,512 83,678 50,850 -32,828

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to States Act of 1908 

New Budget Authority 0 11,240 10,000 -1,240

Program Level 11,240 11,240 10,000 -1,240

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to States Supplemental

New Budget Authority 207,500 180,000 164,000 -16,000

Program Level 196,918 180,000 164,000 -16,000

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to Minnesota Counties

New Budget Authority 6,150 6,150 6,150 0

Program Level 5,844 6,150 6,150 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Payments to Counties, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act

New Budget Authority 19,377 21,269 21,000 -269

Program Level 25,304 21,269 21,000 -269

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II

New Budget Authority 15,599 30,166 64,000 33,834

Program Level 29,364 30,166 64,000 33,834

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 113 113 113 0

Secure Payments for States/Repayment per DOT Reauthorization

New Budget Authority 2,604 131 0 -131

Program Level 2,304 131 0 -131

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 2 1 0 0

Payment to State Funds New Budget Authority $283,004 $332,634 $316,000 -$16,634

Payment Funds Program Level $347,486 $332,634 $316,000 -$16,634

Payment to States Funds Full-Time Equivalent (FTEs) 115 114 113 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget reflects a five-year reauthorization, starting in FY 2014, of the 

Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Secure Rural Schools Act).

Permanent Appropriations 12-66 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Under the (Secure Rural Schools Act), the Forest Service deposits all receipts to be used for Title 

I and Title III payments into an account from which payments are made. The FY 2015 

President’s Budget projects $50,850,000 in receipts, a decrease of $32,828,175 from the FY 

2014 estimate. 

Payment to States Act of 1908 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $10,000,000 for Payments to States under the Act of 

1908 (25 percent fund), a decrease of $1,240,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. This reflects 

payments under the 1908 Act with the proposed continuation of the Secure Rural Schools Act. 

Payments under the 25 percent fund are made one year in arrears based on receipts and credits 

specified in the authorizing legislation. 

Payments to States Supplemental

Under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service first uses all forest receipts from the 

National Forest Fund receipt account to fund payments. If those receipts are insufficient, a 

transfer from Treasury to supplement receipts is obtained for the amount required. The FY 2015 

President’s Budget proposes $164,000,000 for supplemental funding to continue the payments, a 

decrease of $16,000,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. 

Payments to Minnesota Counties 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget contains the mandatory Payments to Minnesota Counties of 

$6,150,000 as required by the authorizing legislation.

Payment to Counties Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes $21,000,000 in Payments to Counties BankheadJones Farm Tenant Act based on receipts from activities on the national grasslands and from land 

utilization projects, approximately the same level as the FY 2014 estimate. 

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II

The FY 2015 President’s Budget request is $64,000,000 for Secure Payments for States. This is 

an increase of $33,834,462 from what the Forest Service estimates it will pay in Title II funds in 

FY 2014 under current law. 

Secure Payments for States/Repayment per DOT Reauthorization

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act as reauthorized in Public Law 

110-343 required an eligible county that received a share of the State payment greater than 

$100,000 to submit its election to allocate its share among titles of the Act not later than 

September 30 each year. An eligible county that failed to make a timely election was considered 

to have elected to return 15 percent of its share of the State payment to the Treasury as required 

in 16 U.S.C. 7112(d)(3)(A)(ii) as in effect for fiscal year (FY) 2011 under Public Law 110-343. 

Permanent Appropriations 12-67 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

For FY 2011 approximately $2,500,000 was returned to the Treasury as required by this 

provision.

Section 100101(b) of Public Law 112-141 makes available to the Forest Service an amount equal 

to the shares of the State payment forfeited by counties that failed to meet the deadline for fiscal 

year 2011. These funds are referred to as recovered funds. The recovered funds must be used to 

carry out projects that further the purposes of Title II of the Act. Specifically, they are to be used 

to carry out projects that protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat; improve the 

maintenance of existing Forest Service infrastructure; enhance forest ecosystems; and restore and 

improve land health and water quality. Project objectives include maintenance or obliteration of 

roads, trails, and infrastructure; improvement of soil productivity; improvements in forest 

ecosystem health; restoration and maintenance of watersheds; control of noxious and exotic 

weeds; and reestablishment of native species. In FY 2013 recovered funds are $2,466,000.

Program Overview 

Secure Rural Schools Act

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 500 note) 

originally authorized through FY 2006 as P.L. 106-393, provides choices to counties to either 

receive a guaranteed level of annual payments for roads and schools and other authorized 

purposes, as well as funding for specific resource improvement projects on the national forest 

where the county is located, or to receive payments under the Act of May 23, 1908. The Act was 

reauthorized through FY 2011 on October 3, 2008 in P.L. 110-343, Division C, Title VI. The 

program was reauthorized through FY 2012 by P.L. 112-141 and reauthorized again through FY 

2013 by P.L. 113-40.

Counties that opt to not receive payments under this Act as reauthorized do receive, with few 

exceptions, 25 percent of all moneys collected from the national forests and grasslands in which 

the counties are located, under the Act of 1908.

Counties electing to receive their share of a State’s “full payment amount” under the Secure 

Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, as amended by P.L. 110-343, 

receive payments under a formula based on several factors, including acreage of Federal land, 

previous payments, and per capita personal income. 

National Forest Fund Payments to States Available, Title I & III 

The National Forest Fund Payment to States Available is an account where all receipts that are 

projected to be used for Title I and Title III payments under Secure Rural Schools are deposited. 

These funds, combined with Payments to States Treasury transfer, are the source of payments to 

states under the Secure Rural Schools Act.

Permanent Appropriations 12-68
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Payments to States Act of 1908

Payments to States Act of 1908 of May 23, 1908, as amended (16 U.S.C. 500 note), Payment for 

Receipts for Schools and Roads. This Act commonly known as “the 25 percent fund” or “the 

Act of 1908,” authorizes annual payments on a seven-year rolling average basis to States equal to 

25 percent of revenues from the sale of goods and services by the national forests. States shall 

use these payments to benefit public schools and roads in the county or counties containing 

national forests and grasslands. P.L. 110-343 amended the Act of 1908 which, among other 

things, changed the payment formula. Instead of being based on each year’s receipts, payments 

to the States are now based on a rolling seven-year average of receipts (16 U.S.C. 500 note).

Payments to States Supplemental

Under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service first uses all forest receipts from the 

National Forest Fund receipt account to fund SRS payments. If those receipts are insufficient, a 

request is made to Treasury to transfer the additional amount required.

Payments to Minnesota Counties

Thye-Blatnick Act of June 22, 1948, as amended (16 U.S.C. 577g), Payment for Additional 

Lands Acquired in Northern Minnesota. This Act directed the Secretary of Agriculture to 

acquire resorts, cabins, and private lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 

and permanent residents were prohibited after 1974. Additionally, in-lieu-of-tax payments were 

authorized to Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties for Federal wilderness land from any national 

forest receipts not otherwise appropriated. At the close of each fiscal year, the State of Minnesota 

is paid three-fourths of 1 percent of the appraised value of certain Superior National Forest lands 

in the counties of St. Louis, Cook, and Lake for distribution to those counties. The land value is 

reappraised every 10 years. New appraisals were done in 2008.

Payments to Counties, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act

Title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of July 22, 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1012). 

This Act pertains primarily to national grasslands and land utilization projects. Annual payments 

are authorized to counties which contain Forest Service lands that were acquired under the 

Bankhead-Jones Act. Twenty-five percent of the revenues received during the year (excluding 

receipts from the sale of land) from each national grassland or land utilization project are paid to 

the counties in which such lands are located. The funds are restricted to uses that benefit public 

schools and roads. 

Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II

The Secure Payments for States (SRS), Title II funds projects that enhance forest ecosystems, 

restore and improve land health and water quality, an increase economic activity. These are the 

funds that Resource Advisory Committees use for projects on their local national forest.

Permanent Appropriations 12-69
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Permanent Appropriations 12-70 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Trust Funds

Budget Line Item Trust Funds

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted*

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg

New Budget Authority $211,784 $45,936 $45,850 -$86

Program Level 233,704 85,798 85,842 44

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 518 500 500 0

Cooperative Work, Other

New Budget Authority 32,285 37,966 37,602 -364

Program Level 42,170 86,276 86,396 120

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 209 240 240 0

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level 0 25 250 225

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

Reforestation Trust Fund

New Budget Authority 30,000 30,000 30,000 0

Program Level 29,127 30,000 30,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 165 168 168 0

Trust Funds New Budget Authority 274,069 113,902 113,452 -450

Trust Funds Program Level 305,001 202,099 202,488 389

Trust Funds Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 892 908 908 0

*FY 2014 levels are updated Trust Fund estimates from those published in the FY 2014 President’s Budget.

Trust Funds 13-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg

Appropriation Cooperative Work - Knutson-Vandenberg

 (dollars in thousands)

 FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg

New Budget Authority $211,784 $45,936 $45,850 -$86

Program Level 233,704 85,798 85,842 44

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 518 500 500 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg

Acres of forest vegetation established 45,304 40,677 53,000 44,237 67,600 50,000

Acres of forest vegetation improved 24,932 29,161 27,000 18,643 42,000 39,000

Acres of lake habitat restored or enhanced with nonWildlife funds 6 206 300 97 206 100

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 2 7 20 4 350 10

Acres of hazardous fuels treated to reduce risk of 

catastrophic fire 85,316 67,079 36,000 91,073 30,310 27,500

Miles of high clearance system roads improved 10 2 0 1 7 6

Highest priority acres treated annually for noxious weeds 

and invasive plants on NFS lands 11,268 9,768 29,800 9,446 39,863 1,000

Acres of rangeland vegetation improved 1,077 581 1,000 491 800 321

Miles of roads decommissioned 10 29 0 12 5 10

Acres of watershed improvement 6,677 2,843 7,200 79 9,200 7,630

Acres of wildlife habitat (terrestrial) (TES and Non-TES) 

restored or improved with non-Wildlife dollars 67,103 93,929 200,000 72,774 184,600 60,000

Trust Funds 13-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenberg - Regional 

Work

Acres of forest vegetation established 20 61 2,500 124 200 150

Acres of forest vegetation improved 867 504 0 1,714 867 1,000

Forestlands treated to achieve healthier conditions 12,943 7,610 0 3,450 0

Miles of stream habitat restored or enhanced 0 3 0 0 5 5

Volume of timber sold (hundred cubic feet (CCF)) 178,824 123,784 240,000 54,731 240,000 55,000

Miles of landownership boundary line 

marked/maintained to standard 0 0 0 16 20 15

Volume of timber sold (million board feet (MMBF)) 89 64 120 27 120 27

Acres of hazardous fuels treated to reduce risk of 

catastrophic fire 924 116 0 4,318 200 700

Acres of wildland-urban interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 851 821 0 2,959 700 500

Highest priority acres treated annually for noxious weeds 

and invasive plants on NFS lands 841 72 0 15 100 50

Acres of wildlife habitat (terrestrial) (TES and Non-TES) 

restored or improved with non-Wildlife dollars 0 454 0 750 400 400

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $85,842,000 in the KnutsonVandenberg (K-V) program, an increase of $44,000 from the FY 2014 estimate. Funds will be 

used to conduct sale area improvement work on timber sale areas on national forests. Funds will 

also be used within timber sale areas to implement reforestation following timber harvest as well 

as other sale area improvements approved in the related environmental analyses. The request 

fully funds the required sale area improvement work planned for accomplishment in FY 2015. 

A total of $32,725,000 of the K-V program will be used for the K-V Regional Work program. 

This work will provide for vegetative treatments to meet forest health and resource restoration 

objectives. Activities include wildlife habitat improvement, control of insects, disease, and 

noxious weeds, community protection activities, and the maintenance of forest roads. An 

estimated outcome from these vegetation treatments is 240,000 CCF (120 MMBF) of timber 

volume sold. The timber volume sold from this fund is accounted for in the timber volume sold 

accomplishment displayed in the Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item in FY 2014 

and FY 2015. 

Past Performance

Completion of K-V timber sale area projects is dependent upon the rate at which timber is 

harvested. Factors that influence the rate of harvest include weather and decisions made by the 

timber sale purchaser regarding which units are harvested. In FY 2013, 3,450 high priority acres 

were treated to meet forest health objectives. Treatments include, but were not limited to, forest 

vegetation improved, reforestation, fuels reduction, plant invasive species and noxious weed 

control, terrestrial habitat enhancement, and water and soils improvement. 

Trust Funds 13-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Authorities

The Act of June 9, 1930, (16 USC 576b) (P.L. 71-319, Ch. 416, June 9, 1930, 46 Stat. 527, as 

amended by P.L. 94-588, 1976, and P.L. 109-54, [title IV, Sec. 412], Aug. 2, 2005, 119 Stat. 

551). The Act, known as the Knutson-Vandenberg Act, established a special fund to collect a 

portion of timber sale receipts to pay for reforesting the area from which the timber was cut. The 

Act was amended in 1976 to allow the Forest Service to use these funds for other sale area 

improvement activities. The FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Act amended this authority to 

allow for the expenditure of unused funds, not needed to accomplish work on the sale area, on 

other areas “...within the Forest Service region in which the timber sale occurred.” 

Program Description

Program Overview

The following programs are included in this fund:

Knutson-Vandenberg - This program uses funds derived from timber sale revenues which are 

used for sale area improvement work within the timber sale area. Planned resource project work 

is documented in the sale area improvement plans as determined by the project environmental 

analysis. The first priority for K-V program funds is reforestation of harvested areas. These 

funds can also be used to perform timber stand improvement and protection, and for the 

improvement of other resource values, including wildlife, soil, watershed, range, and recreation. 

Knutson-Vandenberg Regional Work - The FY 2006 Interior Appropriations Act 

expanded the authority to allow for the expenditure of unused funds, not needed to 

accomplish work on the timber sale area, on another area “...within the Forest Service 

region in which the timber sale occurred.” Unused collections are generated when actual 

costs are less than planned costs. This authority is used to accomplish watershed 

restoration; wildlife habitat improvement; control of insects, disease, and noxious weeds; 

community protection activities; and the maintenance of forest roads. The work can be 

performed through the use of contracts, forest product sales, and cooperative agreements. 

If forest product sales are used to accomplish these objectives, K-V Regional Work 

program funds may be utilized for timber sale planning, preparation, administration, 

engineering support, and land line location.

Allocation and Integration

The K-V program funding is allocated to the regions based upon cash collected on timber sale 

areas and the planned resource projects identified on approved sale area improvement plans. The 

K-V Regional Work program funds are allocated based upon cash availability, which includes 

unused collection when actual costs are less than planned cost. 

Trust Funds 13-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

The K-V program has contributed to partnerships and productive working relationships with 

State fish and game agencies and organizations such as the Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, and the Ruffed Grouse Society. These productive relationships and partnerships are 

critical in the identification and planning of some K-V funded projects. 

Trust Funds 13-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Conservation Corps Crews Install Multi-Purpose Trail Extension in 

Coconino NF

American Conservation Experience (ACE) crews install a new trail

outside of Dead Horse State Park in Coconino NF.

Cooperative Work, Other

Budget Line Item Cooperative Work, Other

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Cooperative Work, Other

New Budget Authority $32,285 $37,966 $37,602 -$364

Program Level 42,170 86,276 86,396 120

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 209 240 240 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $68,886,000 for the Cooperative 

Work, Agreement Based program, an increase of $467,000 from FY 2014 and $17,510,000 for 

the Cooperative Work, Non-Agreement Based program, a decrease of $347,000 from the FY 

2014 estimate, for a total of $86,396,000. This level is consistent with anticipated collections 

from partners and cooperators. The collections allow the agency to leverage appropriated funds 

in order to deliver a variety of treatments and services, which benefit Forest Service lands and 

other resource programs. 

Cooperative projects vary in size and scope each year depending on partner interest, objectives, 

and financial resources, and meet both agency and partner needs. Each agreement specifies the 

type of work to be done as well as the 

funds being donated. 

Past Performance

A variety of work activities is 

performed each year using funds 

deposited in advance by partners and 

cooperators, although no targets are set 

for these highly diverse activities. 

These activities include wildlife habitat 

enhancement; recreation program 

activities; research; fire prevention and 

education; construction, reconstruction, 

and maintenance of roads, trails, and 

other improvements; scaling services; 

fire protection; and other resource 

purposes as authorized by law. For 

example, American Conservation 

Experience (ACE) crews were hired under this authority to install new trail as an extension to the 

Trust Funds 13-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Lower Bones Trail outside Dead Horse State Park in the Coconino National Forest. Lower Bones 

is a multi-purpose trail for all non-motorized users and one favored by the bourgeoning mountain 

biker community. The extension was designed and installed with a focus on sustainability in 

order to reduce erosion and limit the need for future maintenance. Larger projects are also 

funded by this authority including the Stanislaus National Forest collection agreement with 

Pacific Gas and Electric to provide the cost of constructing, reconstructing, and rehabilitation of 

Forest Service-owned recreation facilities as described in the Recreation Implementation Plan 

(RIP) for the Spring Gap-Stanislaus project.

Authorities

The Act of June 30, 1914 (16 U.S.C. 498). This act authorizes the acceptance of contributions for 

cooperative work in forest investigations, protection, management, and improvement of the 

National Forest System.

The Granger-Thye Act of April 24, 1950 (16 U.S.C. 572). This act authorizes cooperation with 

other parties to perform work for permittees, agencies, organizations, and persons for the kinds 

of work that the Forest Service is authorized to do on lands of the United States. 

The Roads and Trails Act of October 13, 1964 (16 U.S.C. 532-537). This act authorizes the 

construction of roads using cooperative financing from other agencies. 

The Act of June 30, 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1643). This act authorizes the acceptance and use of 

donated funds for research activities. 

The Act of October 10, 1978 (7 U.S.C. 2269). This act authorizes agencies within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture to accept donations for non-research activities.

The Act of June 6, 1968 (16 U.S.C. 693d). This act authorizes cooperation in the operation of the 

Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum and Nature Center.

The Act of July 4, 1968 (16 U.S.C. 471h). This act authorizes cooperation in the operation of the 

Cradle of Forestry.

Title 31, United States Code, section 1321 (31 U.S.C. 1321). Section 1321 of Title 31 of the 

United States Code authorizes Trust Funds.

Program Description

Program Overview

The Cooperative Work, Other fund is used to collect deposits received from partners and 

cooperators for protecting and improving resources of the National Forest System (NFS) as 

authorized by cooperative agreements. The deposits are for a wide variety of activities that 

benefit and support programs in Forest and Rangeland Research, on NFS lands, and for other 

agency activities. 

Trust Funds 13-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cooperative Work, Agreement Based – This is a direct project-to-customer relationship, 

typically involving long-term liability on the part of the Forest Service to perform work 

for the contributor. As an example, special use permits with collection provisions under 

the Granger-Thye fee offset where the Forest Service has a liability to perform work for 

the permit holder specially tied to the permit, however, these should typically be 

accompanied by a collection agreement.

Cooperative Work, Non-Agreement Based – These deposits occur when the terms of the 

authorizing instrument, such as a permit or sale contract, allow for deposits from multiple 

contributors to be pooled and expended for the intended purpose. The majority of these 

pooled collections are not subject to refunds in accordance with the provisions of the 

respective authorizing instrument.

Cooperative deposits are received from a vast assortment of local, regional, and National 

organizations and individuals; State and other public agencies; industrial associations; and other 

private sources. The deposits are made under a variety of cooperative instruments that specify 

the mutual benefits of the work. Cooperative deposits leverage appropriated funds to increase 

effectiveness and complement the objectives of Forest Service appropriated resource 

management programs and cooperative research projects. These programs and projects may 

involve any aspect of forestry and vary widely in scope and duration. 

Cooperative road maintenance deposits can be made by commercial users of the National Forest 

Road System in lieu of actually performing their commensurate share of road maintenance. 

These deposits are used in conjunction with the other road maintenance appropriations to provide 

maintenance of system roads by the Forest Service. 

Deposits for administering and protecting non-Federal land within or near the national forests 

can be made by owners of non-Federal lands that are intermingled with, or adjacent to, NFS 

lands. These deposits help landowners manage their lands in accordance with good forest 

management practices and provide for wildfire protection on State and private lands intermingled 

with Federal ownership. 

Trust Funds 13-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Reforestation Trust Fund

Budget Line Item Reforestation Trust Fund

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Reforestation Trust Fund

New Budget Authority $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 0

Program Level 29,127 30,000 30,000 0

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 165 168 168 0

FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Target Actual Target Target

Reforestation Trust Fund

Acres of forest vegetation established 69,795 108,457 66,810 79,734 96,300 81,250

Acres of forest vegetation improved 28,893 28,078 32,322 33,727 27,300 35,450

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $30,000,000, the same as the FY 

2014 estimate. Funds are used to analyze, prepare, and implement reforestation and forest 

vegetation improvement projects outside of timber sale areas on National Forest System (NFS) 

lands. The request will fund an estimated 81,250 acres of reforestation work and 35,450 acres of 

forest vegetation improvement activities. The FY 2015 program continues to prioritize 

reforestation treatments arising from unplanned disturbance events such as wildfires, insects, and 

diseases. In such places, timely reforestation is required to meet specified land management 

objectives. 

The agency will give high priority to reforestation treatments and forest vegetation improvement 

activities on lands where appropriate or Cooperative Work Knutson-Vandenberg (CWKV) funds 

are not available. Financing reforestation and forest vegetation improvement treatments ensure 

that appropriate forest vegetation is established on NFS lands within acceptable timeframes. 

Improvement treatments help to maintain and improve forest health conditions. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, the agency accomplished 79,734 acres of reforestation and 33,727 acres of timber 

stand improvement. Field examination and certification of acres successfully regenerated to 

meet specified land management objectives accounted for 56,457 acres or approximately 59 

percent of the total establish vegetation accomplishment. This certification is completed the third 

year after plantation establishment, or five years after natural regeneration. The purpose is to 

Trust Funds 13-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

demonstrate that the area is satisfactorily stocked with acceptable levels of live seedlings at the 

time of examination survey, and also to determine that there is no additional work required other 

than protection. The field examination and certification procedures are accomplished at lower 

unit cost than any other reforestation or timber stand improvement activities. This allows for 

implementation of timber stand improvement treatments, such as pre-commercial thinning on 

high priority areas to meet forest health, future stand development, and critical hazardous fuel 

reductions, while exceeding reforestation objectives. 

Authorities

Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Act of 1980, Title III, as amended (16 U.S.C. 

1606a(d)) P.L. 96-451. 

Program Description

Program Overview

A maximum of $30,000,000 is transferred to the Reforestation Trust Fund by the U.S. Treasury 

each fiscal year to reduce the backlog in reforestation and timber stand improvement work. 

Reforestation activities include site preparation for planting or seeding of the appropriate tree 

species, site preparation to encourage natural regeneration, and certification of acres naturally 

regenerated without the need of site preparation. In addition, as part of the reforestation activity, 

various treatments are applied to improve initial seedling survival rates. Benefits of reforestation 

include restoration of forest vegetation on areas impacted by wildfire, floods, and hurricanes; 

increased carbon sequestration capacity; establishment of forest vegetation resilient to the effects 

of climate change; and improved habitat diversity for many wildlife species. More detailed 

information on related activities is presented in the Reforestation Special Exhibit. 

Timber stand improvement activities include release treatments through removal of competing 

vegetation; pre-commercial thinning to regulate stand density, composition and structure; 

pruning treatments that reduce ladder fuels, reducing the effects of pathogens (ex. white pine 

blister rust), and improving future wood product quality; and fertilization treatments to maintain 

and improve soil productivity and enhance rapid stand development to improve carbon storage 

capacity. Benefits of timber stand improvement include improved forest health and productivity; 

hazardous fuel reductions; improved forest resiliency to the impacts of drought, insects and 

disease; and diversified wildlife habitat. In addition, timber stand improvement generates woody 

biomass that is available to meet renewable energy needs.

Allocation and Integration 

Funds are allocated based on reported acres of reforestation or timber stand improvement need, 

which include reforestation needs created by wildfires and other natural events, during the 

previous three years, and prior year accomplishments. Allocation decisions consider the 

combined accomplishment from the Integrated Resource Restoration program and the 

Reforestation Trust Fund program. These funds are used in conjunction with other vegetation 

management funds to provide an integrated, effective means of accomplishing forest vegetation 

Trust Funds 13-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

establishment, maintenance, or improvement of forest health conditions under a variety of 

ecological and biological settings. 

Partnerships 

Partnerships in reforestation are critical for program accomplishments. Several key reforestation 

partners are American Forests, The National Forest Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation, the 

National Garden Clubs, Batesville Casket Company, and individual donations under the Plant-ATree program.

Trust Funds 13-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

Budget Line Item Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

President's 

Budget

Program 

Changes

Trust Funds

Land Between the Lakes Trust Fund

New Budget Authority 0 0 0 0

Program Level 0 $25 $250 $225

Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 0 0 0 0

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a program level of $250,000, an increase of $225,000 

from the FY 2014 estimate. This significant one-year increase is necessary to cover shortages 

created by a decrease in appropriations normally directed to support the Land Between the Lakes 

(LBL) environmental education program. The trust fund was specifically created to protect these 

important programs from unexpected budget shortfalls, ensuring environmental education 

activities are not negatively impacted during unpredictable budget cycles. The trust fund has 

generated approximately $1 million in interest earned since inception; this $250,000 request will 

still leave a substantial balance above the initial principal investment amount. The funds will be 

invested in public education and regional promotion in cooperation with development districts, 

chambers of commerce, and State and local governments. LBL will use these funds to cover 

additional program elements of the Respect the Resource environmental education program. The 

requested increase in funding will support additional environmental education and promotion 

endeavors that will enhance the long term sustainability of LBL. LBL will work to increase 

teacher recruitment, especially of new teachers, by including teachers in the programs offered 

and by helping teachers to cultivate skills that can be used in the classroom. 

Past Performance

In FY 2013, due to a transition in leadership midway through the fiscal year, the Trust Fund was 

not utilized in FY 2013. In the past, the LBL Trust fund has been used to support a successful 

school grant program, the 50th anniversary of LBL promotion, the recycling campaign tied to 

LBL’s Respect the Resource program, utilizing displays and interpretive signage to educate LBL 

staff and visitors, as well as other endeavors. The Trust Fund is controlled directly by the Area 

Supervisor through the LBL Budget Staff. 

Authority

Land Between the Lakes Protection Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 460lll-31) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, 

Sec. 101(e) [title V, Sec. 531], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-317). This Act establishes the LBL 

Trust fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, responsibility for the LBL National 

Trust Funds 13-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Recreation Area transferred from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to the Secretary of 

Agriculture. 

Program Description

Program Overview

The LBL Protection Act called for LBL, an area in western Kentucky and Tennessee, to be 

managed as a unit of the National Forest System. Section 531 of the Act established a special 

interest-bearing fund known as the LBL Trust fund, to be available for public education, grants, 

and internships related to recreation, conservation, and multiple-use land management as well as 

regional promotion in cooperation with development districts, chambers of commerce, and State 

and local governments. 

In accordance with the terms described in the Act, beginning September 30, 2000, TVA began 

depositing $1 million annually into the fund for five consecutive years, for a total of $5 million. 

The Forest Service allowed the principal balance to grow and much of the interest to compound, 

and LBL has now begun to use the interest earned on the fund for the purposes intended by 

Congress. This includes providing additional funding to further assist in the promotion and 

support of the successful school grant program for environmental education. 

Partnerships 

LBL’s program of work provides the opportunity to partner with a number of regional and 

national conservation organizations, such as the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail 

Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited. LBL’s volunteers, interns, 

and apprentices, coordinated through the Friends of LBL partnership, log more than 116,000 

hours of volunteer time on LBL projects annually. 

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FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Trust Funds 13-14
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Special Exhibits

Contents

Special Exhibits ............................................................................................................................. 1

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West ............................................................................................ 2

Biomass and Bioenergy .............................................................................................................. 5

Chief’s Reserve Fund ................................................................................................................ 11

Conservation Education ............................................................................................................ 13

Cost Pool (both Direct and Indirect) Totals .............................................................................. 17

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management ........................................................................ 25

Equal Access to Justice Act ...................................................................................................... 32

Facilities Maintenance Assessment .......................................................................................... 37

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs ............................................................................... 42

Fire Transfers ............................................................................................................................ 44

Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Financial Status ........................................................................... 46

National Scenic and Historic Trails .......................................................................................... 47

Office of the General Counsel Reimbursement ........................................................................ 56

Office of Tribal Relations ......................................................................................................... 57

Partnerships ............................................................................................................................... 59

Reforestation ............................................................................................................................. 70

Region, Station and Area Allocations ....................................................................................... 74

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers .......................................................... 86

Service First .............................................................................................................................. 94

Stewardship Contracting ........................................................................................................... 97

Sustainable Operations............................................................................................................ 104

Unobligated Balances ............................................................................................................. 107

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges ......................................................... 109

Wood Education and Resource Center ................................................................................... 125

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service .................................................................................. 128

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management ................................................... 129

Special Exhibits 14-1 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Bark Beetle Infestation in the West

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report accomplishments 

for the Bark Beetle Infestation in the West program.

Overview

Current information indicates that tree mortality caused by western bark beetles has declined 

significantly since 2011.

For the period of 2000 to 2010, over 43 million acres in the West had trees infested with bark 

beetles, of which nearly 32 million acres are National Forest System (NFS) lands. During the 

same period the infestation was growing at approximately 600,000 acres per year. In 2011, it 

was estimated that 100,000 beetle-killed trees fell daily in southern Wyoming and northern 

Colorado, posing a serious health and safety threat to forest visitors, residents, and employees18.

On July 11, 2011, the Forest Service released the five-year Western Bark Beetle Strategy19, 

which identified how the Forest Service was going to respond to the western bark beetle 

epidemic in Regions 1 through 6. The strategy focuses on the future and on the continued need 

to integrate and prioritize our response around three goals: human safety, forest recovery, and 

long-term forest resiliency.

Agency Priorities and Actions

Protecting human health and safety is the Forest Service priority when allocating funds to treat 

forests. The decision to remove trees to mitigate the effects of the western bark beetle takes into 

consideration both the health and safety of the public, as well as that of Forest Service 

employees. Priorities include: treatment near roads, trails, and campgrounds that experience 

high public use; treatment in areas adjacent to communities and homes for protection from fire; 

and coordination of larger-scale projects with other governmental agencies and partners that 

identify and communicate risks to public safety and leverage treatments across boundaries. 

Additional priorities include recovery and forest resiliency. Effective recovery improves 

watershed health, wildlife habitat, and water quality; creates more resilient forests following 

infestation; and provides benefits above and beyond what would be expected if nature were 

allowed to take its course. Active forest management can increase the resiliency of forests not 

yet infested by bark beetles. Thinning young stands to decrease basal area and creating a 

diversity of age classes over time can mitigate potential catastrophic beetle losses. Species and 

age diversity are key elements of a forest’s resiliency to insects, disease, and wildfire. Managing 

for resiliency can reduce the environmental, health, and safety impacts of beetle infestation.

18 USDA Forest Service 2011 Western Bark Beetle Strategy page 4, http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/bark-beetle/bark-beetlestrategy-appendices.pdf 19 USDA Forest Service 2011Western Bark Beetle Strategy, http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/bark-beetle/bark-beetle-strategyappendices.pdf

Special Exhibits 14-2

 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Research and Development

The Forest Service is investing in knowledge and management tools needed to guide the above 

priorities. Research efforts will provide better strategies for mitigating tree hazards to people 

and community infrastructure; improving the ability of fuel and fire behavior models to map fire 

hazards due to bark beetles; exploring pest management treatments for beetle control; and 

improving our understanding of the effects of increased vegetation diversity, thinning and, 

disturbance agents on the population dynamics of various bark beetle species. 

Tracking Performance 

The Forest Service is tracking activities related to bark beetle recovery using existing 

performance measures. These include hazardous fuels acres treated, road and trail hazard acres 

mitigated, and recreation site hazards mitigated.

In FY 2013, the Forest Service treated 259,712 acres. Of these, 17,582 acres were treated as a 

subset of the resiliency total with funding from State and Private Forestry. A total of 13,107 

acres were treated to improve human safety (safety goal), 23,126 acres were reforested (recovery 

goal), and 223,477 acres were thinned to improve resiliency (resiliency goal). The Forest 

Service removed hazard trees along 532 miles of roads and trails. 

These treatments resulted in 235 million board feet (MMBF) of timber sold and 50,544 green 

tons of biomass produced. The planned treated acres are in line with the Accelerated Restoration 

Initiative, which seeks a 20 percent increase in the number of acres being mechanically treated 

over the three years FY 2012 through FY 2014. 

Regions have invested additional resources in implementing the bark beetle strategy. Actual 

accomplishments exceed planned levels.

FY 2013 Funding and Accomplishments

In FY 2013, the Forest Service invested $101.4 million on bark beetle mitigation activities in 

Regions 1 through 6. Specific mitigation activities were funded under various programs 

including Recreation, Roads, Trails, Forest Health Management, Hazardous Fuels, Facilities 

Maintenance, Forest Products, Vegetation and Watershed Management, and Salvage Sale Fund. 

FY 2013 Accomplishments

Performance Safety Recovery Resilience TOTAL

Treated Area (acres) 13,108 23,127 223,477 259,712

Volume Sold (MMBF) 27 28 180 235

Bio-Energy Production (green tons) 1,169 52 49,323 50,544

Road and Trail Maintenance (miles) 517 0 15 532

In FY 2013, Forest Service Research and Development performed critical research leading to the 

development and delivery of tools needed to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the impact of bark 

beetles across all landscapes and ownerships. These include: 

Special Exhibits 14-3 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• A highly effective biochemical lure for the control of mountain pine beetles in lodgepole 

pine forests. SPLAT® Verb is a new formulation of a pheromone produced by male 

mountain pine beetles that warns other beetles away from an individual tree. This control 

mechanism is preferable to either removing whole infested trees or spraying insecticides. 

SPLAT® Verb was registered as a biopesticide by U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency for use on pines in August 2013.

• Preemptive management strategies for the Eastern United States developed out of studies 

of the mountain pine beetle expanding its range into jack pine, which examined the 

interaction with dwarf mistletoe, a native pest that may increase susceptibility to 

mountain pine beetle.

• A trap lure for the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae, which could be useful 

in an integrated pest management program to minimize mortality of Douglas-fir, 

particularly in conjunction with anti-aggregation pheromones.

FY 2014 and FY 2015 Funding

The Forest Service plans to invest $101.5 million in FY 2014 and $101.5 million in FY 2015 to 

implement the Western Bark Beetle Strategy. In both FY 2014 and FY 2015, the target is to treat 

293,000 acres per year. This target increase reflects greater capacities derived from expanded 

collaborative restoration partnerships and increased efficiency in the agency’s National 

Environmental Policy Act analyses. In FY 2015, specific mitigation activities will be funded by 

the national Integrated Resource Restoration program proposed for FY 2015. The table below 

represents bark beetle related investments proposed by each region.

Bark Beetle Proposed Investments by Regions

(dollars in thousands)

Region

FY 2014 & FY 2015

Estimate

Northern Region (R1) $24,000

Rocky Mountain Region (R2) 33,000

Southwestern Region (R3) 2,800

Intermountain Region (R4) 9,000

Pacific Southwest Region (R5) 18,400

Pacific Northwest Region (R6) 11,900

Research and Development 2,400

Total $101,500

Priority beetle-related work in FY 2014 and FY 2015 will continue to promote human safety, 

forest recovery, and ecological resilience as well as research and development. We will 

coordinate work with our partners and continue to maximize appropriated dollars to mitigate 

negative impacts from these unprecedented outbreaks.

Special Exhibits 14-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Biomass and Bioenergy

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report Forest Service 

accomplishments related to agency work in biomass and bioenergy.

Overview

Our Nation’s forests are a strategic asset that can help achieve and enhance U.S. energy security, 

economic opportunity, environmental quality, and global competitiveness by providing raw 

material for the renewable bioenergy and biobased products sector. This sector is a growing 

source of jobs in the U.S. economy that contributes to a sustainable future. Woody biomass is a 

critical renewable resource, and through commercially available technology, can produce 

thermal and electrical energy. With additional research, it could also provide liquid/gaseous 

bioenergy and bioproducts, enabling cost-effective renewable substitutes for fossil fuel-intensive 

products. Biomass removals for energy and biobased products provide numerous benefits 

including improved forest health and productivity as well as economic growth opportunities. 

Sustainable development of a healthy bioenergy/biobased products sector is dependent on rapid 

and robust research and development.

Creating demand for forest biomass results in new revenue opportunities and also reduces fire 

risk to communities, restores healthy forested landscapes, and can provide new income streams 

for forest landowners. The following table shows Forest Service funding for biomass and 

bioenergy work by budget line item.

Forest Service Funding for Biomass and Bioenergy

(dollars in thousands)

Budget Line Item

FY 2013

Actual

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Pres. Bud

Biomass Production

Forest Products $5,000 $5,000 -

Integrated Resource Restoration - - 5,000*

Bioenergy & Biobased Products Research Research and Development 11,926 12,476 11,511

State Wood to Energy Teams Hazardous Fuels 1,100 1,000 3,000

Integrated Resource Restoration - 800 800

Woody Biomass UtilizationGrants Hazardous Fuels 2,500 5,000 6,500**

Biomass Air Quality Improvement*** Hazardous Fuels - - 1,000

Geographically Target Wood Utilization*** Hazardous Fuels - - 2,500

Expanded Use of Wood in Green Building*** Hazardous Fuels - 1,000 2,000

Total $20,526

$24,276 to 

$25,276

$26,811 to 

$32,311 *

This includes funding for the national target of 3.1MM green tons of biomass and funding for wood supply assessments.

**Administered by Regions/Area with support from the Forest Products Laboratory. 

*** Funding for these items will be dependent on specific needs identified and dollar amounts may vary. 

Special Exhibits 14-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The shaded portion identifies facets of the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative. The other 

participating USDA agencies provide the bulk of the funding for the USDA Wood to Energy 

Initiative. The Forest Service provides primarily subject matter expertise and technical 

assistance as well as some financial assistance.

FY 2015 

Forest Service biomass and bioenergy work encourages market development for woody biomass 

and also provides high quality data to inform business decisions. In FY 2015, the planned work 

is primarily structured around the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative. We will work to develop 

sustainable management and utilization options, systems, and practices to effectively integrate 

biomass production into forest management activities. The following describes the work to be 

accomplished in each of the items listed in the table above.

Biomass Production

By expanding our capacity to provide a reliable and predictable source of woody biomass 

from National Forest System (NFS) lands we help provide the supply of wood to 

bioenergy projects, together with private lands, other Federal and State agencies, and 

Tribes.

An example of connecting wood supply from national forests to energy projects is the 

wood fired power plant in Gypsum, Colorado, which uses dead trees from the bark beetle 

infestation. The $8.66 million 10 year stewardship contract awarded to West Range 

Reclamation will remove bark beetle infested material from the White River National 

Forest to decrease wildfire risk. West Range Reclamation is also the contract supplier for 

the Eagle Valley Clean Energy power plant. Eagle Valley Clean Energy financed this 

11.5 megawatt plant in part through a USDA Rural Utilities Service $40 million 

guaranteed loan. 

Bioenergy and Biobased Products Research 

We continuously strive to provide more accurate national and regional feedstock 

availability projections; models to assist in bioenergy facility site selection; sustainable 

management systems, options, and practices for forest bioenergy feedstocks; logistics and 

decision support tools to improve treatment, harvest, and transport efficiency; integrated 

models of land use patterns and bioenergy markets; and life cycle analysis and 

assessment tools for forest bioenergy and bioproducts supply chains. 

We will continue the development of wood-based biofuels, chemicals, and products that 

can substitute for petroleum-based materials, including developing biomass 

deconstruction science and technology, conversion technologies for wood-based liquid 

fuels including drop-in fuels20 and science and technology for manufacturing chemicals 

and other co-products from biomass-to-energy conversion. 

20. Drop-in biofuels are hydrocarbon fuels substantially similar to gasoline, diesel, or jet fuels. These fuels can be made from a

variety of biomass feedstocks including woody biomass. (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/emerging_dropin_biofuels.html)

Special Exhibits 14-6 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

USDA Wood to Energy Initiative

The USDA Wood to Energy Initiative is an interagency effort with the Rural Utilities 

Service, Rural Housing Service, and Rural Business Cooperative Service within USDA 

Rural Development and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This cooperative effort 

synergistically facilitates achievement of all the cooperating agencies’ goals. It 

accomplishes the Rural Development’s goals of creating new renewable energy while 

creating a market for what was previously “waste wood,” which reduces the cost of forest 

management. The Forest Service leverages its small amount of grant funds with the 

Rural Development’s grant and loan programs by providing subject matter expertise and 

technical assistance in the early stages of project development, so the proponents can 

successfully compete for Rural Development’s loans and grants. The Forest Service 

works in a variety of areas that support the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative, including:

• State Wood to Energy Teams

The USDA Wood to Energy Initiative identified State level teams comprised of 

Federal and State agencies, nonprofits, and private sector experts providing 

technical, financial, and communication assistance as a critical element in support 

of expanded project development. Communities and businesses often need 

support to reach the decision to convert to wood energy. The combination of $3 

million from the Hazardous Fuels program and $800,000 from the Integrated 

Resource Restoration program proposed in FY 2015 will target this type of energy 

development. Cooperative Agreements will provide State, Tribal, and local 

governments with support to develop wood energy projects through a variety of 

techniques such as preliminary engineering assessments and workshops on 

financing, air quality, wood sourcing.

• Woody Biomass Utilization Grants

Grants encourage the use of woody biomass removed from forest restoration 

activities such as hazardous fuels treatments, insect and disease mitigation, forest 

management pursuant to catastrophic weather events, or thinning overstocked 

stands. Woody biomass shall be used in a facility that uses commercially proven 

technologies to produce thermal, electrical, or liquid/gaseous bioenergy. Grant 

funds will further the planning of such facilities by funding the engineering 

services necessary for final design, permitting, and cost analysis. Grant amounts 

are up to $250,000. They have been effective in leveraging other private and 

public sector financing for the development of wood energy projects, up to 100:1. 

The increase is proposed in anticipation of the increased demand as the State 

Wood to Energy teams are expanded.

• Biomass Air Quality Improvement

Wood Energy development is often hampered by existing poor air quality 

conditions resulting from old woodstove technology. Improving air quality with 

better combustion technology creates opportunities to expand advanced wood 

combustion energy use, which can then result in more acres of forest thinning

Special Exhibits 14-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The EPA has recently reduced the ambient air quality standard for particulate 

matter, which will result in more communities being classified at nonattainment 

through the continued use of old woodstove technology. This funding will be 

used to carry out wood stove replacements in partnership with the EPA through a 

competitive grant process, if specific needs are identified.

• Geographically Target Wood Utilization

This will focus support on wood utilization in conjunction with geographically

focused hazardous fuels work with the purpose of reducing the treatment costs,

through technical assistance, grants, and cooperative agreements, if specific needs

are identified.

• Expand the use of Wood in the Commercial Building Sector

Engineered wood products and building designs for commercial high rise

buildings opens extensive new markets for relatively lower value small

dimensional lumber to become higher value structural materials. This new market

has significant benefits for climate change, energy conservation and lowers the

cost hazardous fuels reduction, forest restoration and other forest treatments. It

accomplishes this by storing carbon in long-lived building materials by making

“big wood out of small wood”; reducing the energy needed to construct the

building which reduces the fossil carbon emissions; the higher value allows for

more acres to be treated which makes the forest more resilient to fire, insects and

diseases. Funding will be used to work with architects, engineers, developers and

others to facilitate increased use and have demonstration projects.

Funding will be used to work with architects, engineers, developers and others to

facilitate increased use, conduct Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental

Product Declaration work, if specific needs to do so are identified.

Past Performance

The Forest Service has a long history of success in encouraging biomass utilization and research 

on bioenergy and biobased products. Since the 1970s significant accomplishments have been 

made in harvesting, genetics, silviculture, and conversion processes related to energy. Selected 

accomplishments include the following. 

• Since 2010, Forest Service Research and Development (Forest Service R&D) scientists

have produced in excess of 150 publications advancing science and technology in

biomass production and management systems, biofuels and bioproducts, and decision

support and policy analysis.

• Forest Service R&D scientists estimated county-level forest-based biomass supply

curves. These curves were used in combination with estimates of agricultural biomass

supply curves to determine the mix and cost of forest and agricultural biomass supply that

would be needed to meet cellulosic biofuels production targets for 2022 set by the 2007

Energy Independence and Security Act.

Special Exhibits 14-8 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• Forest Service R&D led a study to develop methods to map sites for poplar tree energy

crops to enhance productivity and ecosystem services. These methods were used to

assess the biomass potential of poplar energy crops in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

• Forest Service R&D scientists provided knowledge to help understand the effects of

bioenergy harvesting in southern forests. Forest Service researchers examined the

collection efficiency of biomass harvesting operations.

• In FY 2013, State and Private Forestry awarded ten biomass grant awards totaling almost

$2.5 million to small businesses and community groups through Woody Biomass

Utilization Grants. There were five State-wide Wood Energy Team grants totaling $1.1

million. These grants are a component of the Forest Service’s focus on bioenergy that

will result in secure, sustainable, renewable energy sources, and strong rural economies.

Grant funding will help build capacity for woody biomass utilization in support of forest

restoration activities. Woody biomass shall be used in a bioenergy facility that uses

commercially proven technologies to produce thermal, electrical, or liquid/gaseous

bioenergy. Grant funding will further the planning of such facilities by funding the

preliminary analysis and decision-making process for communities and businesses and

provide engineering services necessary for final design and cost analysis that are critical

to obtaining and leveraging funding.

• The Forest Service continues to work with the USDA, Rural Development, and FSA on

the USDA Wood to Energy Initiative. In FY 2013, we worked with USDA to host the

Western Utility and Forest Health Summit. CEO’s from 15 major Investor Owned

Utilities as well as the Chairs of ten State Public Utility Commissions and five State

Energy Departments met to address wildfire risk and liabilities related to utility

infrastructure. Partnerships are being developed to jointly address this issue and conduct

analyses to quantify the associated economic values. This work will occur in 2014.

• The Wood to Energy Initiative also includes work with the Western Utilities Group

(WUG). Wildfire has impacted electric transmission both at the local community level

and on a national scale. Increasingly volatile fires have also resulted in significant

impacts on NFS lands, including loss of resources. The Forest Service and WUG are

working together in this new partnership to increase vegetation management efforts

outside of transmission right-of-ways. Through cooperation, these two organizations are

developing a partnership and a means to reduce the shared threats and expenses of severe

wildfire while mitigating resource, service, and land-access losses for the people they

both serve.

• In FY 2013, the Rocky Mountain Region entered into a five-year Memorandum of

Understanding and Collection Agreement with the Public Service Company of Colorado

(Xcel Energy). The Forest Service and Xcel Energy have a shared understanding of the

need for strategic vegetation treatments at the landscape scale. This work is being

informed by the joint fire science program and will occur in focus areas determined to

meet mutual objectives. The purpose of the partnership is to improve forest condition

through vegetation treatments that produce biomass to help maintain reliable energy

Special Exhibits 14-9 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

supplies. A five-year action plan is currently being developed to guide future vegetation 

treatments.

Special Exhibits 14-10 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Chief’s Reserve Fund

Background 

This exhibit is required by P.L. 109-54, House Report 109-80, page 151, Administrative 

Provisions, which directed: 

The Committee also requests that future budget justification displays on this fund include a 

complete presentation of spending from the fund during the most recent complete fiscal year, 

with a brief explanation why the uses were indeed important, unanticipated, and appropriate. 

Overview

The Chief’s Reserve Fund (CRF) is managed by the Chief’s Office to fund emergencies or 

unforeseen events that occur throughout the fiscal year. This reserve fund allows units to 

respond quickly to unplanned urgent work without impacting the planned program of work. 

FY 2015 Program 

At the Chief’s discretion, funds from this reserve are available for unplanned and/or emergency 

circumstances. Requests are evaluated against criteria including the urgent nature of the event, 

relevance of proposed use to priorities, other funding source considerations, and risks from being 

unfunded. Requests must be for work or projects exceeding $25,000. Initial fund mixes are 

determined at the beginning of the fiscal year, but may be remixed during the year to meet 

unanticipated needs. Funds are only spent in accordance with the purposes for which they were 

appropriated. Unused funds are distributed to the Regions, Stations, and Northeastern Area as 

carryover in the following year.

FY 2013 to FY 2015 Funding

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013

Actual

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Pres Bud

$6,650 $6,318 $6,318

Past Performance

In FY 2013, CRF funds were approved for some unplanned projects and provided additional 

funding for others. Total program amounts assessed and obligated in FY 2013 are illustrated in 

the table below.

Special Exhibits 14-11 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 Program Amounts

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 Program Approved

Forest & Rangeland Research $295

Forest Health Management-Cooperative Lands 133

Forest Health Management-Federal Lands 199

State Fire Assistance 150

Forest Stewardship 83

Urban & Community Forestry 67

Land Management Planning 266

Inventory & Monitoring 532

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness 598

Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management 332

Grazing Management 133

Forest Products 598

Minerals & Geology Management 166

Vegetation & Watershed Management 599

Landownership Management 266

Law Enforcement Operations 138

Hazardous Fuels 266

Preparedness 503

Suppression 428

Facilites 399

Roads 266

Trails 166

Infrastructure Improvement 67

Total $6,650

Examples of projects funded by the Chief’s Reserve Fund in FY 2013 include: 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Projects (CFLRP) ($1,721,239) 

The CRF provided additional funding for three CFLRPs. These projects included the Colorado 

Front Range and Uncompahgre projects in Region 2, and the Dinkey project in Region 5. The 

additional funding will assist the regions in accelerating restoration activities and sustaining 

forest product inventory. 

21st Century Service Corps ($500,000) 

The CRF provided additional funding to assist with the increase of program participation in the 

Conservation Corps, the personnel component of this program. In FY 2013, expected increase in 

participation was 22 percent. These funds will be leveraged with Bureau of Land Management 

funds, grantee matching funds, and corporate sponsor funds. 

Region 2 Flooding ($374,000) 

Funds were provided to Region 2 to support Rapid Assessment Costs associated with flooding. 

Special Exhibits 14-12 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Conservation Education 

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction, but is included to provide information 

about this program, which is funded by multiple budget line items. 

Overview

Since 1905, the Forest Service has recognized a role and responsibility to educate people about 

management and conservation of our Nation’s forests and grasslands. Increasingly, citizen 

knowledge of forests and natural and cultural resources continue to be critical to the 

accomplishment of the Forest Service mission. The Forest Service provides expertise in science, 

land management, and outdoor experiences as the foundation of environmental literacy efforts. 

Private landowners, local community leaders, elected officials, forest visitors, homeowners, 

students, and educators are among the audiences reached by Forest Service Conservation 

Education (CE) programs. Through these opportunities, the Forest Service plays an effective 

role in developing an environmentally literate citizenry to sustain our Nation’s forests and 

grasslands, public and private, for future generations, and to develop future generations of 

conservation leaders by connecting people to our Nation’s forests and grasslands. 

The Forest Service connects an average of more than five million people each year with nature 

and public lands through its CE programs. CE teaches people about natural resource 

management and gives them the tools to make informed decisions and take action to sustain 

natural and cultural resources. CE efforts provide a full range of educational experiences, 

including awareness and knowledge-building, engagement and action-based programs for youth 

(pre-kindergarten through 12th grade), and their educators in classroom and non-formal settings. 

CE programs are delivered by a network of land managers, scientists, educators, and interpreters 

representing all branches of the agency, and are supported by extensive partnerships with 

nongovernmental organizations, State, Tribal, and local agencies, and educational institutions. 

Learning experiences include outdoor recreation and interpretive activities, formal school-based 

programs that adhere to national and local standards of learning, capacity building for educators, 

and service-learning projects. Some of the CE program focus areas include education about 

climate change, reconnecting children with nature, and preparing youth for jobs in the green 

economy. 

FY 2015 Program 

In FY 2015, CE will continue to use the National Guidelines for Excellence as a guide to develop 

new programs and materials, and to evaluate existing agency programs and materials. We will 

continue working through trusted professionals to connect children to nature and provide 

experiential learning opportunities. CE will continue to: 

Special Exhibits 14-13 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• Expand the Discover the Forest Campaign to include targeted outreach to American girls.

Forest Service research has shown that girls spend less time in natural settings than boys,

and that their time spent outdoors might be trending downwards. The campaign will also

focus on celebrating American cultural diversity. Activities currently in development

include television, radio, outdoor, and Web public service advertisements.

• Support the agency’s climate change emphasis area, specifically through climate change

educational materials, distance learning programs, and “Green Schools!” activities.

• Contribute to the general body of knowledge regarding the field of environmental

education by continuing distribution of an updated Environmental Literacy in America

report.

• Foster first hand experiences in nature through innovative uses of technology.

• Continue to build outreach to underserved populations into our programs.

• Continue to expand programming directed at early childhood populations.

• Develop a social media-based water conservation campaign featuring Woodsy Owl.

• Continue the Forest Service Conservation Education distance learning programing with a

unit on Fresh Water.

CE will support teacher training through the Forest for Every Classroom program and continue 

distribution of an invasive species information guide to 4th and 5th grade teachers to generate 

awareness and initiate a dialog among children about invasive species and their impacts on 

nature and the economy. The program will continue to produce and distribute Natural Inquirer

and Investigator science journals for students, encourage the expanded adoption of the new 

revised Junior Snow Ranger program, support the participation of underserved populations in 

environmental education events such as Environmentors and the Envirothon, and continue our 

support for large event days such as National Public Lands Day. 

CE will outreach to Head Start to reach the early learner and underserved populations through 

Woodsy Owl themed materials. Studies show that outdoor play promotes young children’s 

physical and emotional health and enhances their learning capabilities and brain function. 

In addition, CE will continue our strong partnership with the National Garden Clubs, Inc. for the 

Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl poster contest. Over 25,000 children nationwide participate in 

this contest every year.

Past Performance 

In FY 2013, a “Discover the Forest” campaign specifically targeting the African American 

population was launched to encourage that segment of the population to reconnect to nature and 

our Nation’s forests. A new set of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) featuring characters 

from the Smurfs 2 movie was launched as a result of a private-public partnership with NBC 

Universal and the Ad Council. All of these assets encourage parents and their children to 

reconnect with nature. From FY 2008 through FY 2013, the combined English-Spanish 

campaign websites have received over 5.2 million visits. 

Special Exhibits 14-14 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In FY 2013, over 4.5 million people participated in environmental education, recreation, and 

related literacy programs on public lands and waters to increase understanding of the natural 

world and its benefits to society. This includes the “More Kids in the Woods” cost share 

program, which leveraged $1,500,000 partner funds from $772,820 of Forest Service investment. 

Projects included: 

• The Richmond Edible Forest project in conjunction with the Pacific Southwest Research

Station, which will engage some 700 young people through field trips, camping, and

shadow opportunities to install five edible forests or gardens in Richmond, California,

parks and school areas;

• Explorations in an Urban Wild in conjunction with the Eastern Region’s Urban

Connections, which will bring urban youth from low-income and underserved

communities in metro Boston to the Allendale Woods for a summer program to learn

about the outdoors while participating in nature-based activities; and

• The Bitterroot Culture Camp in conjunction with the Bitterroot National Forest, which

will increase middle-school students understanding of and respect for each other and the

land while camping on the forest. Tribal and non-Tribal youth from the Bitterroot

Valley, the traditional home of the Salish American Indians, will participate.

CE and its partners also fund many other new and ongoing projects, including: 

• “A Forest for Every Classroom” Teacher Training Initiative, an intensive teacher training

model that emphasizes place-based education and service-learning;

• The Natural Inquirer journals where scientists share their research with students;

• Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, America’s conservation icons whose messages continue

to resonate with youth;

• The GreenSchools! program, designed to raise environmental literacy;

• The Envirothon, which develops an understanding of the principles and practices of

natural resource management and ecology in young people through practice dealing with

complex resource management decisions; and

• Hands on the Land, a national network of field classrooms that connects students,

teachers, and parents to their public lands and waterways.

Allocation and Integration 

CE is one of the most broadly integrated programs in the Forest Service and operates with an alllands approach. The CE program in the national office supports field offices in the 

implementation of agency and Department priorities related to conservation education. At the 

national forest and Region/Station/Area levels, conservation education efforts are funded through 

leveraged investments of over a dozen agency programs including: Recreation, Heritage, and 

Wilderness; Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and Rare Plants; Forest and Rangeland Research; 

Forest Health Management; Urban and Community Forestry; Hazardous Fuels; and Wildfire 

Prevention. 

Special Exhibits 14-15 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships 

Partnerships are critical to the success of CE in the Forest Service. More than 2,500 individual 

organizations at the national, State, Tribal, and local levels help to ensure that our Conservation 

Education efforts meet local needs through both financial and in-kind contributions that leverage 

the agency’s investment of resources each year. The Forest Service creates and nurtures 

partnerships nationwide that provide technical assistance to our vast network of providers across 

the agency and improve our outreach to diverse, underserved, and urban populations. The 

Discover the Forest Campaign, developed in partnership with the Ad Council, has leveraged a 

Forest Service $6.92 million investment over the past 5 years to provide $152.3 million in 

donated media exposure for this outreach campaign. 

Special Exhibits 14-16 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Cost Pool (both Direct and Indirect) Totals

Background 

This exhibit is required by P.L. 107-63, 115 Stat. 452, as follows: 

The Forest Service shall fund indirect expenses, that is expenses not directly related to 

specific programs or to the accomplishment of specific work on-the-ground, from any 

funds available to the Forest Service: Provided, that the Forest Service shall implement 

and adhere to the definitions of indirect expenditures established pursuant to Public Law 

105–277 on a nationwide basis without flexibility for modification by any organizational 

level except the Washington Office, and when changed by the Washington Office, such 

changes in definition shall be reported in budget requests submitted by the Forest 

Service: Provided further, that the Forest Service shall provide in all future budget 

justifications, planned indirect expenditures in accordance with the definitions, 

summarized and displayed to the Regional, Station, Area, and detached unit office level. 

The justification shall display the estimated source and amount of indirect expenditures, 

by expanded budget line item, of funds in the agency’s annual budget justification. The 

display shall include appropriated funds and the Knutson-Vandenberg, Brush Disposal, 

Cooperative Work-Other, and Salvage Sale funds. Changes between estimated and 

actual indirect expenditures shall be reported in subsequent budget justifications. 

Overview

Cost pool expenses support every Forest Service employee at every level of the agency. Cost 

pools are a financial management tool. The purpose is to allocate funding for items directly 

related to delivery of Forest Service programs that are not directly related to a specific program. 

Cost pools fund line officers’ salaries (e.g. District Rangers) and expenses, administrative 

support, information technology, human resources, computers, telephones, rent, utilities, and 

other common services. 

The Forest Service receives appropriations by program and does not receive a general 

administration or management appropriation. Cost pools are not a source for funding, but are a 

mechanism to charge expenses that cannot reasonably be charged directly to a single program. 

The cost pools are designed to maintain accurate reporting of the true costs by program, by 

having each program contribute into the cost pools an amount based on its share of indirect, 

support, and common services charges. 

Appropriate application of cost pools allows the Forest Service to accurately reflect the cost of 

doing business in compliance with the federal financial reporting standards articulated by the 

Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). Accurately reflecting the true cost of 

doing business improves the government's ability to account for public funds, provides 

information for evaluating agency costs, accomplishments, and impacts of accomplishments, and 

provides a basis to assess agency financial systems and controls. 

Special Exhibits 14-17 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Direct and Indirect Costs

Forest Service definitions of direct and indirect costs are consistent with FASAB Statement #4. 

The agency published the definitions in the FY 2000 Budget Justification. The Department of 

Agriculture Chief Financial Officer and the Office of Management and Budget cleared, and the 

Government Accountability Office, United States Department of Commerce’s Office of 

Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, and the Department of Justice reviewed the 

definitions prior to publishing. 

Direct Costs

Direct costs are specifically identified with the delivery of a program or a program’s 

accomplishments. Direct costs include expenses associated with employees working directly on 

the production of an output. Program management is an integral cost of the production of an 

output and therefore is included as a direct cost. Direct costs might also include costs not 

associated with employees involved in the production of output(s), such as office and other 

facility space, computer equipment, and utilities, as well as materials, supplies, and equipment. 

Direct costs are generally charged directly to a single primary purpose budget line item.

Indirect Costs 

Indirect costs are costs that are necessary for the operation of the Forest Service as an 

organization but are not traceable to any specific outputs. These include Legislative and Public 

Communication, Ongoing Business Services, and Common Services (cost pools 3, 4, and the 

indirect portion of cost pool 5). 

Cost Pools 

For management and tracking purposes, categories of similar expenses are combined into five 

cost pools. Cost pools 1 and 2 track those expenses defined as direct costs, cost pools 3 and 4 

include those expenses classified as indirect costs, and cost pool 5 includes both indirect and 

direct components. 

The terms cost pool 6 and cost pool 7 have been previously used to describe the pooled costs for 

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and Unemployment Compensation 

Insurance (UCI) respectively. Please see the section on Other Pooled Costs below for more 

details.

There is no cost pool 8. 

Cost pool 9 collects facilities maintenance assessment funds and assesses Forest Service 

programs separately from pools 1 through 5. 

In addition to being a cost allocation mechanism, cost pools also serve as an accounting tool, 

providing the Forest Service with financial data on categories of similar expenses. This permits

the Forest Service to plan for and manage support, indirect and direct pool costs at different 

Special Exhibits 14-18 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

levels of the organization. A description of these pools and their associated costs are listed 

below. 

Cost Pool 1 - General Management

This cost pool includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for general line 

managers and officers (including secretarial staff) at the Washington Office (WO), 

Regions/Stations/Area (R/S/A), national forest, and ranger district levels. In addition, union 

officials, civil rights positions, and safety officers are included in Cost Pool 1 to show their direct 

connection and link to line management. Related costs include uniforms, travel, transfer of 

station, vehicles, cell phones for the positions that charge to this cost pool, specialized supplies 

and equipment, and discretionary expenses associated with these positions. Cost Pool 1 consists 

entirely of direct costs. It is based on direct FTE within the cost pool. 

Cost Pool 2 - Direct Project Approved Activities

This cost pool includes salaries, benefits, and related costs for a limited set of nationally 

designated cross-cutting projects, currently limited to Conservation Education, Tribal Relations, 

Freedom of Information Act, Resource Advisory Council administration, and Grey Towers. 

Cost Pool 2 consists entirely of direct costs. It is based on total FTE within the cost pool. 

Cost Pool 3 - Legislative and Public Communications 

This cost pool includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for general 

receptionists, public affairs, and legislative liaisons at the WO, R/S/A, national forest, and ranger 

district levels. Related costs include uniforms, travel, transfer of station, vehicles, cell phones 

for the positions that charge to this cost pool, specialized supplies and equipment, and 

discretionary expenses associated with these positions. Cost Pool 3 consists entirely of indirect 

costs. It is based on FTEs of total employees within the cost pool. 

Cost Pool 4 - Ongoing Business Services

Cost Pool 4 includes salaries, associated employee benefits, and related costs for business 

operations at the WO, R/S/A, national forest, and ranger district levels. Business operations 

include budget, finance, acquisition, human capital management, some grants and agreements, 

and information resource management. Cost Pool 4 consists entirely of indirect costs. It is based 

on total FTE within the cost pool. 

Cost Pool 5 - Common Services 

This cost pool generally includes rent, utilities, corporate communications, equipment, supplies, 

radios, and corporate computer and phone related expenses for all employees. Cost Pool 5 

consists of both indirect and direct pool costs. The distribution of costs in pool 5 is based on 

FTEs for permanent employees only; the division between direct and indirect costs is based on 

the ratio of direct to indirect employees. For example, if the common services for a unit with 

100 employees, consisting of 80 direct and 20 indirect, is $500,000, then $400,000 of these costs 

would be direct and $100,000 would be indirect. 

Cost Pool 9 - Facilities Maintenance Assessment Fund

This cost pool contains the Facilities Maintenance Assessment Fund. This is a direct cost pool 

used to allocate facilities maintenance work funded by assessing each R/S/A a charge based on 

Special Exhibits 14-19 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

gross square foot of facilities. These charges are then allocated by BLI using the same basis as 

Cost Pool 5 in compliance with the FY 2006 Appropriations Act and accompanying conference 

report language. Refer to the Facilities Maintenance Assessment Special Exhibit for more 

information. 

Other Pooled Costs

The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and Unemployment Compensation 

Insurance (UCI) do not assess Forest Service programs. These are for required payments and 

unlike cost pools 1-5 and 9, are charged directly to a program and then pooled to make required 

payments out of a single BLI. These pooled costs are used as methods of payment, and are not 

mechanisms to allocate costs.

Both OWCP and UCI costs are charged directly to the program in which they were incurred. 

OWCP costs are distributed based on the work being performed at the time of the injury and UCI 

costs are distributed based on the work performed while employed. 

Cost Allocations 

The Forest Service allocates indirect and direct pool costs among programs through the cost 

allocation process, which assesses each Forest Service budget line item a certain percentage of 

total cost pool expenses. Cost pools are generally allocated using direct labor hours (DLH). 

DLH are converted to FTEs; 1 FTE = 2,096 DLHs (the DLH number varies depending on the 

year). For cost pools 1 to 4, DLHs are used for all employees charging to direct costs (all 

employees includes those holding permanent, temporary, intermittent, and other types of 

positions). 

This approach for Cost Pools 1 to 4 is used because these costs generally reflect the entire 

organization. For Cost Pools 5 and 9, only permanent employees DLHs are used, because these 

costs (rent, communication, utilities, etc.) are driven primarily by the need to support the 

permanent workforce. Planning estimates for OWCP and UCI are based on actual past cases. 

Because of their nature, the FTEs associated with supplemental, transfer, and emergency funds 

are dropped from the cost pools and are not used in calculating indirect costs. 

The Forest Service uses cost allocation to charge expenses back to a single budget line item. 

Cost allocation is used for expenses that: 

• Are indirect (e.g., Cost Pools 3 and 4),

• Simultaneously support multiple programs in a way that cannot be efficiently charged

directly to a budget line item (BLI) (e.g., Cost Pools 1 and 2),

• Involve multiple transactions that need to be summarized for payment purposes (e.g.,

OWCP and UCI), and

• Are otherwise directed by congressional or administrative action (e.g., Cost Pool 9).

Cost allocation compliance review is performed to determine the consistency in which the field 

organization and the WO headquarters implement cost pool policy and to identify areas for 

Special Exhibits 14-20 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

improvement. The agency uses the information gathered from the reviews to improve the cost 

allocation process and update cost allocation directions for the following fiscal year. 

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget proposes a ceiling of $957 million for cost pool expenses, a 

decrease of $10 million from the FY 2014 cost pool ceiling. This level of cost pool funding 

represents a $100 million decrease from FY 2012 levels. This reduction has been achieved 

through a variety of measures such as reduced management contracts, utilities, travel and 

training. Rent savings were realized through building consolidations. The Forest Service will 

continue to strive for efficiency and to keep cost pool expenses low. 

FY 2013 to FY 2015 Cost Pool (1-5) Assessments

(dollars in thousands) 

Budget Line Item

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Pres Bud

Cost Pool Assessment $997,000 $967,000 $957,000

Percent of Total Forest Service 

Budget 18.6% 17.0% 16.5%

Forest Service Cost Pool Exhibits

In FY 2015, the Forest Service is estimating that cost pools will be $957,000,000, representing 

16.5 percent of the FY 2015 President’s Budget. For an estimate of FY 2015 Total Cost Pool 1-5 

Assessments by Budget Line Item, see Exhibit 1.

In FY 2013, the Forest Service estimated that $997,000,000 would be charged to the cost pools, 

representing 18.6 percent of the Enacted Budget. Due to efficiency measures, savings were 

achieved and actual cost pools were $972,682,000. In FY 2014, cost pools are estimated to 

decrease to 17 percent of the Enacted Budget. For a comparison of FY 2013 Planned and Actual 

Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments and FY 2014 Estimated Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line 

Item, see Exhibit 2.

Actual cost pool expenditures decreased from $1,028,728,000 in FY 2012 to $972,682,000 in FY 

2013. For a display of Cost Pool Actuals for FY 2012 and FY 2013 by Pool and Region, see 

Exhibit 3. 

Special Exhibits 14-21 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Exhibit 1

 Estimate of FY 2015 Total Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line Item 

 (dollars in thousands) 

Budget Line Item Amount

 Fund Prog FY 2015 President's 

Budget

Estimated Total 

Cost Pool 

Assessments by 

BLI

Cost Pool 

Assessments as 

Percent of BLI

Assessed as 

Percent of 

Total Cost 

Pools

Forest and Rangeland Research FRRE $275,315 $42,108 15.3% 4.4%

Total Research $275,315 $42,108 15.3% 4.4%

Forest Health Fed Lands SPFH $58,922 $13,398 22.7% 1.4%

Forest Health Coop Lands SPCH 45,655 3,828 8.4% 0.4%

Forest Stewardship SPST 23,036 1,914 8.3% 0.2%

Forest Legacy LGCY 53,000 957 1.8% 0.1%

Urban and Community Forestry SPUF 23,676 1,914 8.1% 0.2%

Total State and Private Forestry $204,289 $22,011 10.8% 2.3%

Integrated Resource Restoration NFRR $820,000 $173,217 21.1% 18.1%

Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration CFLN 60,000 6,699 11.2% 0.7%

Land Management Planning, Assessment, 

and Monitoring NFPN/ NFIM 183,928 44,979 24.5% 4.7%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness NFRW 259,090 91,872 35.5% 9.6%

Grazing Management NFRG 49,600 17,226 34.7% 1.8%

Minerals and Geology Management NFMG 70,566 19,140 27.1% 2.0%

Landownership Management NFLM 71,440 22,968 32.2% 2.4%

Law Enforcement Operations NFLE 125,860 18,183 14.4% 1.9%

Total National Forest System $1,640,484 $394,284 24.0% 41.2%

Preparedness WFPR $1,080,840 $232,551 21.5% 24.3%

Suppression WFSU 708,000 86,130 12.2% 9.0%

Hazardous Fuels WFHF 358,564 65,076 18.1% 6.8%

State Fire Assistance WFCF 78,000 1,914 2.5% 0.2%

Total Wildland Fire $2,225,404 $385,671 17.3% 40.3%

Facilities CMFC $71,600 $18,183 25.4% 1.9%

Roads CMRD 154,000 40,194 26.1% 4.2%

Trails CMTL 77,530 23,925 30.9% 2.5%

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $303,130 $82,302 27.2% 8.6%

Land Acquisition LALW $51,000 $2,871 5.6% 0.3%

Total Land Acquisition $51,000 $2,871 5.6% 0.3%

Brush Disposal BDBD $8,502 $1,914 22.5% 0.2%

Timber Salvage Sales SSSS 19,898 7,656 38.5% 0.8%

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenburg 

Trust Fund CWKV 53,117 12,441 23.4% 1.3%

Reforestation Trust Fund RTRT 30,000 5,742 19.1% 0.6%

Total Permanent and Trust Funds $111,517 $27,753 24.9% 2.9%

Total Assessed BLI's $4,811,139 $957,000 19.9% 100.0%

TOTAL FOREST SERVICE $5,805,204 $957,000 16.5% 100.0%

Only includes appropriations (BLIs) which will be assessed for cost pools 1-5 in FY 2015. 

Supplemental, emergency, transfer, or Payments to States funds are not assessed for cost pools 1-5.

Special Exhibits 14-22 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Exhibit 2 

 Comparison of FY 2013 Planned and Actual Total Cost Pool Assessments 1-5 and 

FY 2014 Estimated Cost Pool 1-5 Assessments by Budget Line Item 

 (dollars in thousands) 

Budget Line Item

 Fund 

FY 2013 

Enacted 

Budget

FY 2013 

Estimated 

Cost Pools

1-5

 Estimated 

Cost Pools 

as Percent 

of BLI

FY 2013 

Actual 

Cost Pools 

1-5

Actual 

Cost Pools 

as a 

Percent of 

BLI

Percent of 

Total FS 

Cost Pools

1-5

FY 2014 

Enacted 

Budget

FY 2014 

Estimated 

Cost Pools

1-5

Cost Pools 

as a 

Percent of 

BLI

Percent of 

Total FS 

Cost Pools

1-5

Forest & Rangeland Research $279,853 $46,812 16.7% $45,716 16.3% 4.7% $292,805 $42,547 14.5% 4.4%

Total Forest & Rangeland Research $279,853 $46,812 16.7% $45,716 16.3% 4.7% $292,805 $42,547 14.5% 4.4%

Forest Health Fed Lands $44,944 $15,936 35.5% $15,563 34.6% 1.6% $58,922 $12,571 21.3% 1.3%

Forest Health Coop Lands 36,895 2,988 8.1% 2,918 7.9% 0.3% 45,655 3,868 8.5% 0.4%

Forest Stewardship 30,441 1,992 6.5% 1,945 6.4% 0.2% 22,398 1,934 8.6% 0.2%

Forest Legacy 50,515 996 2.0% 973 1.9% 0.1% 50,965 967 1.9% 0.1%

Urban and Community Forestry 30,701 1,992 6.5% 1,945 6.3% 0.2% 28,040 1,934 6.9% 0.2%

State Fire Assistance 25,759 1,992 7.7% 1,945 7.6% 0.2% 0 0 0.0% 0.0%

Forest Resources Information& Analysis 4,660 996 21.4% 973 20.9% 0.1% 0 0 0.0% 0.0%

International Forestry 7,569 996 13.2% 973 12.9% 0.1% 8,000 967 12.1% 0.1%

Total State & Private Forestry $231,484 $27,888 12.0% $27,235 11.8% 2.8% $213,980 $22,241 10.4% 2.3%

Integrated Resource Restoration $138,041 $0 0.0% $0 0.0% 0.0% $170,000 $25,142 14.8% 2.6%

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 37,885 5,976 15.8% 5,836 15.4% 0.6% 40,000 6,769 16.9% 0.7%

Land Management Planning, Assessment, & 

Monitoring

187,855 47,808 25.4% 46,689 24.9% 4.8% 188,773 45,449 24.1% 4.7%

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 261,932 91,633 35.0% 89,487 34.2% 9.2% 261,719 92,832 35.5% 9.6%

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 106,689 34,668 32.5% 34,044 31.9% 3.5% 109,466 28,043 25.6% 2.9%

Grazing Management 51,568 14,940 29.0% 14,590 28.3% 1.5% 55,356 17,406 31.4% 1.8%

Forest Products 276,051 106,318 38.5% 104,077 37.7% 10.7% 286,130 86,064 30.1% 8.9%

Vegetation and Watershed Management 131,967 39,292 29.8% 37,935 28.7% 3.9% 134,716 30,945 23.0% 3.2%

Minerals and Geology Management 77,716 19,920 25.6% 19,454 25.0% 2.0% 76,423 19,340 25.3% 2.0%

Landownership Management 79,869 25,896 32.4% 25,290 31.7% 2.6% 77,730 23,208 29.9% 2.4%

Law Enforcement Operations 133,984 21,912 16.4% 21,399 16.0% 2.2% 126,653 18,373 14.5% 1.9%

Total Nat. Forest System $1,483,557 $408,363 27.5% $398,801 26.9% 41.0% $1,526,966 $393,571 25.8% 40.7%

Preparedness $948,651 $244,021 25.7% $237,334 25.0% 24.4% $1,057,580 $234,980 22.2% 24.3%

Suppression 509,812 60,756 11.9% 59,334 11.6% 6.1% 680,488 87,030 12.8% 9.0%

Hazardous Fuels Management 281,149 75,696 26.9% 73,924 26.3% 7.6% 282,500 65,756 23.3% 6.8%

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0% 78,000 1,934 2.5% 0.2%

Total Wildland Fire $1,739,612 $380,473 21.9% $370,592 21.3% 38.1% $2,098,568 $389,700 18.6% 40.3%

Facilities $70,572 $26,892 38.1% $26,262 37.2% 2.7% $71,000 $18,373 25.9% 1.9%

Roads 165,959 42,828 25.8% 41,825 25.2% 4.3% 166,000 40,614 24.5% 4.2%

Trails 74,999 26,892 35.9% 26,262 35.0% 2.7% 75,000 24,175 32.2% 2.5%

Legacy Roads and Trails 28,312 3,984 14.1% 3,891 13.7% 0.4% 23,000 3,868 16.8% 0.4%

Total Capital Improve & Maint $339,842 $100,596 29.6% $98,240 28.9% 10.1% $335,000 $87,030 26.0% 9.0%

Land Acquisition $49,762 $2,988 6.0% $2,918 5.9% 0.3% $43,525 $2,901 6.7% 0.3%

Total Land Acquisition $49,762 $2,988 6.0% $2,918 5.9% 0.3% $43,525 $2,901 6.7% 0.3%

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence 

Uses

$2,438 $996 40.9% $973 39.9% 0.1% 2,500 967 6.7% 0.1%

Total Other Appropriations $2,438 $996 40.9% $973 39.9% 0.1% $2,500 $967 6.7% 0.1%

Brush Disposal $6,589 $1,992 30.2% $1,945 29.5% 0.2% $8,502 $1,934 22.7% 0.2%

Timber Salvage Sales 23,236 7,968 34.3% 7,781 33.5% 0.8% 20,443 7,736 37.8% 0.8%

Cooperative Work, Knutson-Vandenburg 

Trust Fund

219,098 11,952 5.5% 11,672 5.3% 1.2% 52,796 12,571 23.8% 1.3%

Reforestation Trust Fund 29,127 5,976 20.5% 5,836 20.0% 0.6% 30,000 5,802 19.3% 0.6%

Recreation Fees, Forest Service 48,124 996 2.1% 973 2.0% 0.1% 57,501 0 0.0% 0.0%

Total Permanent and Trust Funds $326,174 $28,884 8.9% $28,207 8.6% 2.9% $169,242 $28,043 16.6% 2.9%

Total Assessed BLI's $4,452,722 $997,000 22.4% $972,682 21.8% 100.0% $4,682,586 $967,000 20.7% 100.0%

TOTAL FOREST SERVICE $5,369,277 $997,000 18.6% $972,682 18.1% 100.0% $5,689,916 $967,000 17.0% 100.0%

Only includes appropriations (BLIs) which were assessed for cost pools 1-5. 

Supplemental, emergency, transfer, or Payments to States funds are not assessed for cost pools 1-5.

Displays BLI's after transfers for the Integrated Resource Restoration pilot.

FY 2013 Planned FY 2013 Actual FY 2014 Estimated

Special Exhibits 14-23 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Exhibit 3

Cost Pool Expenditures for FY 2012 and FY 2013 by Pool and Region 

(dollars in thousands)

Cost Pool FY 2012 FY 2013

Cost Pool 1 General Management $157,819 $159,665

Cost Pool 2 Direct Project Approved Activities 13,819 13,618

Cost Pool 3 Legislative and Public Communications 36,455 35,165

Cost Pool 4 Ongoing Business Services 369,149 350,625

Cost Pool 5 Common Services 451,486 413,609

TOTAL COST POOL EXPENDITURES $1,028,728 $972,682

Region/Station/Area FY 2012 FY 2013

Region 1 Northern $41,720 $41,126

Region 2 Rocky Mountain 37,859 39,394 

Region 3 Southwestern 42,169 42,392 

Region 4 Intermountain 41,174 41,448 

Region 5 Pacific Southwest 64,067 63,250 

Region 6 Pacific Northwest 76,715 71,914 

Region 8 Southern 47,580 46,395 

Region 9 Eastern 36,325 37,076 

Region 10 Alaska 18,322 17,536 

Region 12 International Institute of Tropical Forestry 1,440 1,495 

Region 13 Washington Office-HQ 117,205 84,090 

Region 14 Chief's Reserve 0 0 

Region 15 National Operations 107,571 104,781 

Region 17 Accounting Adjustments 2,778 0 

Region 25 Central Business Services 392,110 379,911 

Region 26 Pacific Northwest Research Station 227 185 

Region 42 Northeastern Area 1,466 1,689 

TOTAL COST POOL EXPENDITURES $1,028,728 $972,682

Region 13 Washington Office –HQ funds support staff, programs, operations, and facilities of the National Headquarters office 

located in Washington, D.C. and units considered attached to the National Headquarters and includes the National Interagency 

Fire Center (NIFC); NIFC Aircraft Working Capital Fund; Geospatial- Salt Lake City; the National Advisory Resource 

Technical Center; the Chief’s Office; Washington Office Operations and Common Services; Washington Office National Forest 

System, State and Private Forestry, and Research; International Forestry; Chief Financial Officer; Law Enforcement and 

Investigations; San Dimas Technology and Development Center; Missoula Technology and Development Center; and Working 

Capital Fund.

Region 15 National Operations funds are held and allocated at the national level and support work and programs nationwide 

such as FLAME, Law Enforcement, and portions of other funds including USDA Working Capital Fund National Services, 

National Operations, Budget and Finance Service Wide Cost Pools, Grey Towers, Facilities Maintenance Cost Pool, Valles 

Caldera National Preserve, and other Service Wide Cost Pools..

Region 25 Central Business Services include Albuquerque Service Center (ASC) Budget & Finance, ASC Human Resources, 

Chief Information Officer, IT – Information Solutions Organization, Acquisition Management Support for IT & Fire, and 

Competitive Sourcing and Business Process Reengineering Implementation Unit.

Special Exhibits 14-24 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Deferred Maintenance and Asset Management

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 111-88 House Report 111-80 

page 132, which directed: 

The Committee notes that the budget justification indicates a deferred maintenance backlog. The 

Service should continue to update this information in its future budget requests. 

Overview

Deferred maintenance is maintenance scheduled to be performed on an asset that was delayed 

due to a backlog of priority work, funding availability, or other reasons. Repairs, replacements, 

and rehabilitation to restore functionality are actions that can be taken to preserve an asset so that 

it continues to provide acceptable service and achieve its expected lifespan. Maintenance 

excludes activities aimed at expanding the capacity of an asset or otherwise upgrading it to 

service needs different from those originally intended. 

Over the past decade, the Forest Service has implemented a national effort to collect detailed 

data on infrastructure condition and maintenance and improvement needs. This effort was 

initiated in response to both financial reporting requirements and direction from Congress, but 

has also shown significant value in support of additional agency priorities. 

The Forest Service uses condition surveys to estimate deferred maintenance on all major classes 

of its property, plant, and equipment. No deferred maintenance exists for fleet vehicles and 

computers. Deferred maintenance estimates for most assets are based on condition surveys 

performed on a 5-year maximum revolving schedule, with the exception of the Bridges Asset 

Class which is on a 2-year maximum revolving schedule. To date, surveys of all administrative 

buildings, dams, bridges, roads open to passenger cars, and recreation sites have been 

accomplished. The agency’s deferred maintenance for the national forest passenger car road 

system (Maintenance Levels 3 through 5) is determined annually from random sample surveys 

providing a 90 percent level of confidence. In FY 2013, the sample included 340 roads. 

Specific programmatic tools in support of asset management include: 

Asset Management Planning

Executive Order 13327 - “Federal Real Property Asset Management” established a framework 

for improved use and management of real property owned, leased, or managed by the Federal 

Government. The agency recognizes the importance of real property resources and has increased 

management attention and established clear goals, objectives, policies, and levels of 

accountability. We expect to implement active management of our infrastructure portfolio based 

upon asset management principles established by the Office of Management and Budget. 

Special Exhibits 14-25 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

All facility projects exceeding the General Services Administration prospectus level ($2.79 

million) and up to $10 million are reviewed by a Forest Service Asset Management Review 

Board (FS-AMRB). Similarly, projects exceeding $10 million are reviewed by both the FSAMRB and USDA-AMRB. All projects proposed for Deferred Maintenance funding are 

reviewed and prioritized by the FS-AMRB.

We continue to evaluate the road management objective levels for each road in our system 

through site specific project analysis utilizing the Travel Analysis Process. Our goals are to 

operate and maintain a road system that is financially sustainable and consistent with forest land 

management plan objectives, and to align funds to address critical deferred maintenance. 

Facility Master Planning

Forest Service field units continue to complete or update their facility master plans which 

identify fire, administrative, research, visitor center, and recreation facilities for 

decommissioning, retention, alternate use, or acquisition. These plans will be used to actively 

manage the facility inventory and decommission unneeded facilities.

For recreation sites, such as campgrounds, the agency is implementing both the results of the 

Recreation Facility Analysis (RFA) and Recreation Site Improvement processes as a means to 

reposition the recreation sites program to better meet the current and future needs of recreation 

visitors. One of the primary goals was to reduce the deferred maintenance of recreation sites on 

each national forest by 20 percent over the five years covered by the RFA program of work for 

each national forest. As of December 31, 2008, all national forests completed an RFA and 

produced a five-year program of work that prioritized recreation site investments based on public 

needs. At the end of FY 2013, two regions had met this goal with a national five-year average 

reduction of five percent.

Bitterroot National Forest, MT

BEFORE AFTER

This FY 2013 project demolished two unsafe structures.

Special Exhibits 14-26 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act

In FY 2006, the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act (Title V, 

Appropriations Act, P.L. 109-54) was enacted. This legislation authorizes the sale of unneeded 

administrative sites and the use of receipts for acquisition, maintenance, reconstruction, and 

construction of administrative infrastructure, creating incentives to dispose of these unneeded 

facilities. To date, activities under this authority, including pilot projects authorized under P.L. 

107-63, Section 329 as amended, have generated approximately $57 million in revenues and 

reduced facilities deferred maintenance by almost $21 million.

In FY 2013, we collected approximately $3.8 

million in receipts through the conveyance of 

real property sale authorities. We reduced 

the deferred maintenance backlog by $5.4 

million, and disposed of 13 properties. The 

agency plans to initiate the conveyance of an 

estimated $30 million in land and excess 

administrative facilities, reducing deferred 

maintenance by an additional $21 million in 

FY 2015. 

Facilities Maintenance Assessment

Beginning in FY 2006, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act of 2006 authorized the agency to assess all funds available to the agency for 

the purpose of performing facilities maintenance on fire, administrative, and other facilities and 

major visitor centers (Title III, Administrative Provisions, P.L. 109-54). Using a program 

assessment to fund facility maintenance provides an incentive to identify and invest in only those 

facilities that are needed to accomplish the agency’s mission, dispose of unneeded buildings, and 

exercise restraint on starting new construction because the cost of facilities maintenance is borne 

by an assessment of program funds. In FY 2015, we plan to assess up to $55 million for 

maintenance, which is equal to the maximum assessment allowed. Refer to the Facility 

Assessment Special Exhibit for additional information.

The table below displays facilities maintenance - Cost Pool 09 (CP09) by Budget Line Item 

(BLI) for FY 2013. 

The Forest Service Facility Realignment 

Enhancement Act Outcomes

(dollars in thousands)

Fiscal Year Receipts

Deferred 

Maintenance 

Reduction

2004-2012 $53,018 $15,418

2013 3,849 5,389

Total $56,867 $20,807 

Special Exhibits 14-27 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment

Forest & Rangeland Research

Total Forest & Rangeland Research FRRE $4,117 

State & Private Forestry 

Forest Stewardship SPST 68

State Fire Assistance SPCF 64

Forest Health Mgmt - Cooperative Lands SPCH 124

Forest Health Mgmt - Federal Lands SPFH 735

Urban and Community Forestry SPUF 54

Total State & Private Forestry 1,045

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration CFLN $773

Land Management Planning NFPN 506

Grazing Management NFRG 895

Forest Products NFTM 5,866

Inventory & Monitoring NFIM 1,998

Landownership Management NFLM 1,553

Minerals and Geology Management NFMG 1,124

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness NFRW 5,128

Integrated Resource Restoration NFRR 3,587

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management NFWF 1,801

Vegetation and Watershed Management NFVW 1,994

Subsistence Management - Alaska SMSM 52

Unit Recreation Enhancement FDDS 48

Total National Forest System 25,325

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Facilities CMFC 1,468

Roads CMRD 2,666

Trails CMTL 1,377

Legacy Road Remediation CMLG 188

Total Capital Improvement and Maintenance 5,699

Land Acquisition

Total Land Acquisition LALW $184

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness WFPR 12,780

Hazardous Fuels Reduction WFHF 4,218

National Fire Plan - State Fire Assistance SPS2 3

Total Wildland Fire Management 17,001

Permanent Appropriations

Brush Disposal BDBD $92

Timber Salvage Sales SSSS 500

Special Exhibits 14-28 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment

Total Permanent Appropriations 592

Trust Fund Appropriations

Cooperative Work – Knutson-Vandenberg CWKV 659

Reforestation Trust Fund RTRT 377

Total Trust Fund Appropriations 1,036

TOTAL $54,999

The table below displays deferred maintenance by asset class as reflected in the agency’s 

financial statement. 

Deferred Maintenance by Asset Class as of September 30, 2013

(dollars in thousands)

Asset Class Critical1 Non-critical2 Total

Bridge $38,189 $171,927 $210,116

Building 80,336 1,144,307 1,224,643

Dam 10,909 14,776 25,685

Fence 267,983 388 268,371

Handling Facility 21,813 22 21,835

Heritage 3,482 17,620 21,102

Minor Constructed Features 0 94,397 94,397

Roads3 633,448 2,633,668 3,267,116

Trail 5,010 274,284 279,294

Trail Bridge 3,430 5,902 9,332

Wastewater System 15,879 16,248 32,127

Water System 50,694 46,785 97,479

Wildlife, Fish, and TES 4,537 1,969 6,506

Grand Total $1,135,710 $4,422,293 $5,558,003 1 Critical Deferred Maintenance: Deferred maintenance that results in a serious threat to public 

health or safety, a natural resource, or the ability to carry out the agency mission.

2 Non-critical Deferred Maintenance: Deferred maintenance that results in a potential risk to 

public or employee safety or health, compliance with codes, standards, regulations, and so forth; 

or needs that address potential adverse consequences to natural resources or mission 

accomplishment.

3 The roads deferred maintenance amount is for passenger-car roads (Levels 3 through 5). 

Maintenance Level 1 and 2 roads have been classified as stewardship assets.

The overall condition of major asset classes range from poor to good depending on the location, 

age, and type of property. The standards for various classes of general property, plant, and 

equipment, stewardship, and heritage assets are as follows: 

Special Exhibits 14-29 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Roads and Bridges - Conditions within the National Forest System (NFS) road system are 

measured by various standards, including: Federal Highway Administration regulations for the 

Federal Highway Safety Act, best management practices for the non-point source provisions of 

the Clean Water Act from the Environmental Protection Agency and States, road management 

objectives developed through the National Forest Management Act forest planning process, and 

Forest Service directives.

Administrative Buildings - Administrative facilities are Forest Service buildings on designated 

administrative sites. The condition of administrative facilities ranges from poor to good based 

on the facilities condition index (FCI). The FCI is one minus the ratio of repair needs to the 

facility current replacement value. Good or Fair facilities have an FCI of greater than 90 percent. 

Dams - The condition of a dam is acceptable when the dam meets current design standards and 

does not have any deficiencies that threaten the safety of the structure or the public. For dams to 

be rated in acceptable condition, the agency needs to restore the dams to the original functional 

purpose, correct unsightly conditions, or do work to prevent more costly repairs in the future. 

Range Structures - The condition assessment for range structures (fences and stock handling 

facilities) is based on a determination by knowledgeable range specialists or other district 

personnel of whether the structure would perform the originally intended function, and a 

determination through the use of a protocol system to assess conditions based on age. A longstanding range methodology is used to gather this data. 

Heritage Assets - Condition surveys are performed annually on a minimum of 20 percent of the 

agency’s priority heritage assets. Deferred maintenance is considered critical if there is a 

potential health or safety risk, or an imminent threat of loss of significant resource value. 

Heritage assets include archaeological sites that require determination of status by the National 

Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks, and significant historic properties.

Recreation Sites - Quality standards for operating and maintaining recreation sites are established 

as measurable outputs for health and cleanliness, setting, safety and security, responsiveness, and 

Sierra National Forest, CA

This FY 2013 project reduced the amount of sediment entering Big Creek and re-established access on high 

clearance roads. The work also provided access to complete the Soaproot Ecological Restoration Project.

Special Exhibits 14-30 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

the condition of the facility. Recreation sites include developed recreation sites, recreation areas 

within general forest areas, campgrounds, trailheads, trails, water and wastewater systems, 

interpretive facilities, and visitor centers. These components are included in several asset classes 

of the deferred maintenance exhibit.

Trails and Trail Bridges - Conditions within the NFS trail system are measured by various 

standards including: trail national quality standards, trail management objectives, and Forest 

Service directives. Condition surveys are conducted to provide up to date information about the 

condition of all physical features and to provide data to identify deficiencies and any corrective 

measures that need to be taken. Deferred maintenance is identified for trails and trail bridges 

that are in disrepair due to lack of scheduled maintenance and are in violation of applicable 

safety codes or other regulatory requirements such as applicable accessibility guidelines, or 

which are beyond their designed service life.

Wildlife, Fish, and Threatened and Endangered Species Structures - Conditions are determined 

by field biologists using their professional judgment. The deferred maintenance is considered 

critical if resource damage or species endangerment would likely occur if maintenance were 

deferred much longer. 

WERC’s Woody Biomass 

Technical Support Team 

WERC, in cooperation with several engineering firms, has developed a team approach to provide preliminary 

assessments and technical assistance to facility owners and managers considering the use of woody biomass as 

an energy and power source. 

Since 2009, benefits have included over $4.5 million in annual operating savings, over $5.2 million in capital 

cost savings, and annual net CO2 offset of over 35.5 metric tons. Additional details about the program can be 

viewed at http://na.fs.fed.us/werc/biomass/index.shtm. 

 DURING CONSTRUCTION AFTER

This FY 2013 project improved the safety of the trail tread and 1 mile of 14 tightly stacked switchbacks.

Special Exhibits 14-31 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Equal Access to Justice Act

Background

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of House Report 112-151, page 8; 

Conference Report 112-331, page 1046, which directed: 

Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) Fee Payments - The Committee has learned that the 

Forest Service does not comprehensively track EAJA fee payments, identify the funds 

used to pay EAJA fees, nor routinely make this information publicly available. 

Accordingly, the Committee directs the Forest Service to provide to the House and 

Senate Committees on Appropriations and make publicly available, and with each 

Agency’s annual budget submission thereafter, the following information: detailed 

reports on the amount of program funds used; the names of the fee recipients; the names 

of the Federal judges; the disposition of the applications (including any appeals of action 

taken on the applications); and the hourly rates of attorneys ad expert witnesses states in 

the applications that was awarded, for all EAJA fee payments awarded as a result of 

litigation against the Forest Service, or their respective employees. The report shall also 

include the information listed above for litigation relating to the Endangered Species Act 

and the amounts, outside of EAJA awards, paid in settlement for all litigation, regardless 

of the statute litigated.

Overview

The Equal Access to Justice Act was enacted in 1980 to provide individuals, small businesses 

and non-profit organizations with the means to ensure federal agencies make their decisions 

transparent and in accordance with law. Since 2009, the Forest Service has tracked the payment 

of both EAJA and other attorney’s fees. 

FY 2011, FY 2012, and FY 2013 Funding and Reporting 

In FY 2012 the Forest Service provided EAJA information to Government Accountability Office 

(GAO), in response to a request, on EAJA case names and docket/court number, the name of the 

award recipient, the amount of program funds used and dates paid. The final EAJA report to 

Congress is available on the internet at the following world-wide web address:

http://www.fs.fed.us/aboutus/budget/requests/7105962_Equal%20Access%20to%20Justice%20

Act_Letters%20and%20Report.pdf 

Subsequent FY 2013 EAJA information is reported in Table 1 of this Special Exhibit. 

The Forest Service does not track and therefore cannot report on the following information: 

• the Federal judges making the awards,

• the disposition of the applications for EAJA fees (including any appeals of action

taken on the applications), and

Special Exhibits 14-32 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• the hourly rates of the attorneys and expert witnesses stated in the applications for

which an award was made.

Table 1. Forest Service Equal Access to Justice Act Statistics for FY 2011, FY 2012, and FY 2013 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

12/21/2010

CV 1:09-

cv-00003-

JWS, D. 

AK

Tongass 

Conservation 

Society, Sierra 

Club... v. Forrest 

Cole Tongass NF, 

USFS, USDA

Orion North 

Reoffer timber 

sale, Tongass NF

Earthjustice 12/28/2010 Forest Products $53,000

1/13/2011

08-01185-

MHP, D. N 

Cal

California 

Resources Agency 

v. USDA

Inventoried 

Roadless Areas, 

CA NFs

Earthjustice 2/9/2011

Land 

Management 

Planning

250,000

3/10/2011

CV-04-127-

M-DWM, 

D. Mont

Native Ecosystems 

Inc v. Tidwell

Grazing Permits, 

BeaverheadDeerlodge NF

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies 3/11/2011 Grazing 

Management 85,000

3/11/2011

08-01927 

CW, D. N 

Cal

Citizens for Better 

Forestry v. USDA

National Forest 

Management Act 

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center

3/17/2011

Land 

Management 

Planning

170,047

3/11/2011

08-01927 

CW, D. N 

Cal

Citizens for Better

Forestry v. USDA

National Forest 

Management Act Earthjustice 3/17/2011

Land 

Management 

Planning

251,312

4/6/2011 10-cv01514-JDB

Public Employees 

for Environmental 

Responsibility v. 

USDA, USFS

Public 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Responsibility

4/8/2011 Cost Pools 1,848

4/25/2011 CV 08-43-

M-DWM

Forest Service 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Ethics v. USFS and 

National Marine 

Fisheries Service

Bechtold Law 

Firm PLLC 4/25/2011 Wildland Fire 

Supression 95,000

5/2/2011

CV 07-

1043-JBACT, D. 

NM

Wildearth 

Guardians v. USFS, 

New Mexico Cattle 

Growers 

Association

Livestock 

grazing, Gila NF

Wildearth 

Guardians 5/12/2011 Grazing 

Management 27,500

5/25/2011

CV 09-164-

N-EJL, D. 

ID 

The Lands Council 

v. Leslie Weldon

Region 1, Ranotta 

MaNair Idaho 

Panhandle NF, 

USFS

Bussel 484, 

Idaho Panhandle 

NF

Public Interest 

Defense 6/9/2011 Forest Products 50,064

5/26/2011 5:08-CV00091-TBR

Forest Service 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Ethics v. USFS

Continued 

Maintenance of 

Open Lands, 

Land Between 

the Lakes

Bechtold Law 

Firm PLLC 5/26/2011

Land Between 

the Lakes 

Management 

Fund

29,400

6/13/2011

09-cv00160-

DWM

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies v. 

Paul Bradford 

Kootenai NF

Grizzly 

Vegetation and 

Transportation 

Management 

Project

Public Interest 

Defense 6/16/2011 Timber Salvage 

Sales 28,000

6/20/2011 05-107M 

(DWM)

Rock Creek 

Alliance v. USFS 2001 EIS

Western 

Mining Action 

Proj

6/22/2011

Minerals & 

Geology 

Management

186,500

Special Exhibits 14-33 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

7/25/2011 08-1067-

JCC

Conservation 

Northwest v. Harris 

Sherman and D.R. 

Johnson Lumber 

Co. 

EIS Survey and

Manage 

Mititgation 

Measure 

Standards and 

Guidelines, 2007 

Supplement

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center

7/27/2011 Forest Products 155,555

9/8/2011 CV F 09-

392 LJO

Sequoia 

Forestkeeper v. 

USFS

Special Use 

Permit to Robert 

Sellers and 

Quarter Circle 

Five Ranch

Paul Hastings 

LLP 9/13/2011 Landownership 

Management 74,640

9/8/2011 CV F 09-

392 LJO

Sequoia 

Forestkeeper v. 

USFS

Special Use 

Permit to Robert 

Sellers and 

Quarter Circle 

Five Ranch

Rene Voss 9/13/2011 Landownership 

Management 13,800

Subtotal FY 2011 $1,471,666 

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

10/6/2011 10-cv01514-JDB

Public Employees 

for Environmental 

Responsibility v. 

USDA, USFS

Public 

Employees for 

Environmental 

Responsibility

10/11/2011 Cost Pools $1,848 

1/23/2012 09-cv-1500-

SU

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council v. USFS

Sled Springs Off 

Highway Vehicle 

Trail System and 

Road 

Management Plan

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council

1/27/2012

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

79,874 

1/27/2012 10-cv-6337-

TC

Cascadia 

Wildlands v. USFS Daniel Kruse 1/30/2012 Forest 

Products 56,500 

2/15/2012 2:10-cv02830-WBS

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity v. Mike 

Crawley, USFS

Motor vehicle use 

on Bridgeport 

Ranger District

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity

2/16/2012 Roads 9,000 

3/6/2012 CV 09-107-

M 

Alliance for the 

Wild Rockies v. 

Leslie Weldon, 

USFS

Rat Creek Salvage

Western 

Environmental 

Law Center

3/6/2012

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration

53,000 

5/29/2012 CV 07-39-

M-DWM

Montana 

Wilderness 

Association v. 

Vicki Christiansen, 

USFS

Earthjustice 6/4/2012

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

137,000 

6/14/2012 CV 08-92-

DWM Smith Creek Bechtold Law Firm 6/19/2012

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration

48,489 

7/5/2012 3:09-CV03048

Wilderness Society 

v. US DOI

West-Wide 

Energy Corridors Earthjustice 7/5/2012 Landownership Management 10,000 

Special Exhibits 14-34 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

8/8/2012 10-CV00026

Idaho 

Conservation 

League and The 

Wilderness Society 

v. Frank Guzman

and USFS

Travel 

Management Plan 

for the SalmoChallis NF

Earthjustice 8/10/2012

Integrated 

Resource 

Restoration

90,000 

8/22/2012 11-VC-830-

RCC 

Defenders of 

Wildlife v. USFS Hardshell Project Defenders of 

Wildlife 8/28/2012

Minerals and 

Geology 

Management

10,500 

9/18/2012 09-CV-131 

CW 

Sierra Club v. 

USFS

Ogden Ranger 

District's 

Motorized Travel 

Plan

Western 

Wildlife 

Conservancy

9/18/2012

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

69,027 

Subtotal FY 2012 $565,237

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

10/11/2012 No.10-2039-

WHA CV-10-2039

Orleans 

Community Fuels 

Reduction (OCFR) 

& Forest Health

MARIANNE 

DUGAN 10/11/2012 Hazardous 

Fuels $30,000 

1/7/2013 CV-11-125-

M-DWM

Friends of the 

Wild SWAN

Colt Summit 

NEPA Litigation

Western 

Environmental 

Law

1/18/2013

Land 

Management 

Planning 40,000 

2/12/2013 12-CV-286-

BLW 

Advocates for the 

West Inc

Advocates for 

the West Inc 2/12/2013

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 52,000 

2/28/2013 CV-01477-

GEB-CMK 

Californians for 

Alternatives to 

Toxics

Paiute Cutthroat 

Trout Restoration

Western 

Environmental 

Law

3/1/2013

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 8,000 

2/28/2013 CV 11-99-

M-DWM

NATIVE 

ECOSYSTEMS Rebecca Smith 3/1/2013

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 33,279 

2/28/2013 CV 11-99-

M-DWM

NATIVE 

ECOSYSTEMS Tim Berchtold 3/1/2013

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 13,598 

3/1/2013 CV-1212-CL Oregon Natural 

Desert Assoc.

Environment & 

Natural Resources

Advocates for 

the West Inc 3/1/2013

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management 137,000 

5/9/2013 CV-00048-

WJM

National Ski 

Areas Assn. Inc.

Natural Resources 

& Environment

Ducker 

Montgomery 

Lewis /Bess, 

Williams & 

Weese, P.C.

5/9/2013

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

125,000 

5/23/2013 10-CV01797-JCC

Wilderness 

Watch 

Glacier Peak 

Wilderness Are. 

Green Mountain 

Lookout.

WILDERNESS 

WATCH 5/24/2013 Facilities 70,804 

5/23/2013 12-CV01757-TC

Central Oregon 

LandWatch

Bend Waterpipe 

Deschutes NF

Central Oregon 

LandWatch 5/24/2013

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management, 

Wildlife &

Fish 

Management

66,350 

Special Exhibits 14-35 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Date Rec Docket, 

Court Case Project Name Vendor Name

Date 

Certified Program Amount

6/18/2013 08-CV-1460 

PJH

Watersheds 

Project

Western 

Watersheds Project

Advocates for 

the West Inc 6/19/2013 Grazing 

Management 264,358 

6/18/2013 08-CV-1460 

PJH

Watersheds 

Project

Western 

Watersheds Project

Keher and Van 

Nest LLP 6/19/2013 Grazing 

Management 172,703 

9/10/2013 09-cv01272-WJM

WildEarth 

Guardians

Email sent 

09/18/13 

requesting FS6500-224

WildEarth 

Guardians 9/18/2013

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management 141,886 

9/11/2013 11-CV-95-

BLW 

Idaho Rivers 

United

Idaho Rivers 

United

Advocates for 

the West Inc 9/14/2013

Roads, 

Wildlife & 

Fish 

Management

45,500 

09//19/2013 11-CV-23-

PK

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council

Grazing CE's Hells 

Canyon

Hells Canyon 

Preservation 

Council

9/17/2013

Recreation, 

Wilderness, & 

Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

136,500 

9/24/2013 09-cv-2523-

LKK-JFM

Center for Sierra 

Nevada 

Conservation

National Forest 

Management 

Act/Endangered 

Species Act

Bahr Law 

Offices, P.C. 9/25/2013 Trails 110,000 

9/25/2013

10-cv00612-EJLREB Western 

Watersheds 

Project

FC #7600034286 

created & posted 

09/25/13 - Waiting 

for final settlement 

approval amount 

to pay

Advocates for 

the West Inc 11/14/2013 Hazardous Fuels 125,000 

9/5/2013

11-cv02921-MCEDAD

Snowlands 

Network, Winter 

Wildlands 

Alliance & 

Center for 

Biological 

Diversity

Over snow vehicle 

(OSV) recreation

Advocates for 

the West Inc 9/6/2013

Vegetation & 

Watershed 

Management 15,000 

 Subtotal FY 2013 $1,586,978

Special Exhibits 14-36 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Meadow Dam, 

Grey Towers National Historic Site, PA

Facilities Maintenance Assessment

Background 

This exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 109-54 Conference Report 109-188 page 

125, which directed: 

There should also be a display which indicates, by national forest, research station and area, the 

funding being allocated for facilities maintenance. The budget justification displays shall 

indicate, for every budget line item, the funding amount being assessed for facilities 

maintenance. This information should be readily visible along with each program description. 

Overview

In FY 2006, Congress authorized a multiprogram assessment for maintenance of 

agency-owned buildings in the categories of 

fire, administrative, and other (FA&O) 

facilities, including recreation visitor centers 

(Title III, Administrative Provisions, P.L. 109-

54). Appropriated funds from Forest and 

Rangeland Research, State and Private 

Forestry, National Forest System, Wildland 

Fire Management, Capital Improvement and 

Maintenance, Land Acquisition, Other 

Appropriations, and eligible Permanent and 

Trust Fund accounts were assessed up to $35 million. 

In FY 2013, the assessment was increased to $55 million as detailed in the table Facilities 

Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI FY 2013 and FY 2014. FA&O facilities include: fire 

facilities, such as air tanker bases, lookouts, airports, heliports, and fire management centers; 

administrative facilities, such as administrative offices (ranger district offices, forest supervisor 

offices, regional offices, research stations, and laboratories), service centers, storage buildings, 

and nurseries; and other facilities, such as telecommunication facilities, towers, dams, and major 

recreation visitor centers. Generally, routine maintenance costs for these facilities come from 

funds collected by this assessment, while more expensive maintenance needs are funded through 

the Capital Improvement and Maintenance Facilities or Deferred Maintenance budget line items 

(BLIs).

The Forest Service currently maintains approximately 16,500 administrative buildings. The 

agency also maintains an inventory of approximately 1,750 Forest Service owned, special use 

permitted, and other dams as well as numerous other facilities including approximately 4,820 

water and 4,880 wastewater systems and numerous communication facilities. The current 

inventory is a legacy of former management needs and practices with many facilities in disrepair 

as evidenced by a significant deferred maintenance backlog.

Special Exhibits 14-37 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Ely National Air Tanker Base

Superior National Forest, MN

Solar Heating System

Grand Mesa- Uncompahgre - 

Gunnison National Forest

Montrose, CO

Using program assessments to fund facility maintenance provides an incentive to identify and 

invest in only those facilities that are needed to accomplish the agency’s mission, to dispose of 

surplus buildings, and to exercise restraint on starting new construction because the programs 

bear the cost of maintaining these facilities. This provides financial accountability to represent 

the cost of conducting business operations for land 

management purposes. 

Federal mandates such as the Energy Independence and 

Security Act of 2007 and Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 

2005 in combination with Executive Orders (EO) 

13514 and 13423 require energy, water, and other 

environmental impact reductions. Facilities 

Maintenance Assessment funds are also used to 

accomplish the following: 

• Conduct energy and water efficiency

evaluations to identify energy and water conservation 

measures per the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to reduce building 

energy intensity to meet greenhouse gas emission targets per EO 13514. 

• Conduct assessments of existing buildings and incorporate necessary improvements to

existing buildings to meet the guiding principles per EO 13514 including increasing

energy efficiency; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; protecting water resources

through efficiency, reuse, and stormwater management; eliminating waste, recycling, and

preventing pollution; and designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating sustainable

buildings.

• Install renewable energy sources where economically feasible per the EPAct of 2005.

• Install advanced metering systems to measure,

verify, and improve utility consumption per the

EPAct of 2005.

• Decommission or dispose of surplus facilities

thereby reducing deferred maintenance and amount

of square footage requiring maintenance.

Assessments and Allocations 

The FY 2014 initial facilities maintenance assessment was 

based on the final FY 2012 square footage of 

approximately 21.4 million square feet. The facility 

maintenance assessment applies only to owned 

administrative space and does not include leased space or 

recreation space. Assessments are distributed across 

eligible budget line items based on each program’s prior 

year direct labor hour charges. In FY 2014, units (Region, 

Station, or other units) requested assessments totaling $55 

million. The initial assessment varies from a minimum of 

Special Exhibits 14-38 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

$1.34 per square foot up to $4.27 per square foot, which falls within the limits of four percent of 

the facility replacement value and seven dollars per square foot.

In FY 2015, the Forest Service proposes to assess programs $55 million which equals the 

agency’s maximum assessment allowed. The assessment by region and program will be based 

on the final FY 2014 square footage corrected for salary charges by BLI. Consistent with FY 

2013, the assessed amount is limited to 4 percent of the facility replacement value and seven 

dollars per square foot. We will base allocations on each unit’s requested assessment amounts. 

The following tables display the FY 2014 initial allocations by unit as well as the distribution of 

the assessment by program for FY 2013 and FY 2014. 

Past Performance

Accomplishments related to buildings and similar structures are included under the Capital 

Improvement and Maintenance Facilities Section. 

Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI

FY 2013 and FY 2014 

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment

FY 2014 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Initial Assessment

Forest & Rangeland Research

Total Forest & Rangeland Research FRRE $4,117 $3,960

State & Private Forestry 

Forest Stewardship SPST 68 55

State Fire Assistance SPCF 64 55

Forest Health Mgmt. – Coop. Lands SPCH 124 220

Forest Health Mgmt. - Federal Lands SPFH 735 550

Urban and Community Forestry SPUF 54 55

Total State & Private Forestry 1,045 935

Keeler Mountain Lookout, Kootenai National Forest, MT

 BEFORE AFTER

In FY 2013 the agency used facility maintenance assessment to correct safety deficiencies in this fire lookout.

Special Exhibits 14-39 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Facilities Maintenance (CP09) Assessment by BLI

FY 2013 and FY 2014

(dollars in thousands)

BLI Description BLI

FY 2013 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Assessment

FY 2014 Facilities 

Maintenance 

Initial Assessment

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Rest. CFLN 773 330

Land Management Planning NFPN 506 550

Grazing Management NFRG 895 1,100

Forest Products NFTM 5,866 5,555

Landownership Management NFLM 1,553 1,485

Inventory & Monitoring NFIM 1,998 1,925

Minerals and Geology Mgmt. NFMG 1,124 1,210

Integrated Resource Restoration NFRR 3,587 4,235

Recreation, Heritage, & Wilderness NFRW 5,128 5,445

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Mgmt. NFWF 1,801 1,760

Vegetation and Watershed Mgmt. NFVW 1,994 1,870

Subsistence Management - Alaska SMSM 52 55

Unit Recreation Enhancement FDDS 48 55

Total National Forest System 25,325 25,575

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities CMFC 1,468 1,100

Roads CMRD 2,666 2,695

Trails CMTL 1,377 1,320

Legacy Road Remediation CMLG 188 220

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance 5,699 5,335

Land Acquisition

Total Land Acquisition LALW 184 165

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness WFPR 12,780 13,365

Hazardous Fuels Reduction WFHF 4,218 3,850

National Fire Plan – State Fire Assist. SPS2 3

Total Wildland Fire Management 17,001 17,215

Permanent Appropriations

Brush Disposal BDBD 92 110

Timber Salvage Sales SSSS 500 550

Total Permanent Appropriations 592 660

Trust Fund Appropriations

Cooperative Work - KV CWKV 659 770

Reforestation Trust Fund RTRT 377 385

Total Trust Fund Appropriations 1,036 1,155

TOTAL $54,999 $55,000

Special Exhibits 14-40
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2014 Facilities Maintenance Initial Assessment and Allocation by Unit

Based on FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act

Unit Name

Total Gross 

Square Feet 

(GSF)

as of 11/30/12

Dollars per 

GSF

Total Initial 

Assessment & 

Allocation 

(dollars in thousands)

Northern Region 2,165,192 2.52 $5,453

Rocky Mountain Region 1,261,144 2.68 3,381

Southwestern Region 1,515,175 4.09 6,200

Intermountain Region 1,968,471 2.36 4,637

Pacific Southwest Region 3,633,160 2.37 8,600

Pacific Northwest Region 3,437,891 2.65 9,113

Southern Region 1,845,765 2.71 5,000

Eastern Region 2,566,087 2.34 6,000

Alaska Region 521,726 4.27 2,229

Region Subtotal 18,914,611 2.68 50,613

Forest Products Lab 346,937 1.69 588

Int’l Inst. of Tropical Forestry 27,012 2.33 63

Rocky Mountain Station 429,649 1.92 824

Northern Station 484,133 1.45 700

Pacific Northwest Station 268,096 2.12 568

Pacific Southwest Station 240,106 1.47 353

Southern Research Station 445,189 1.99 888

Research Station Subtotal 2,241,122 1.78 3,984

San Dimas Tech. Dev. Center 32,495 2.31 75

Missoula Tech. Dev. Center 71,715 1.34 96

Grey Towers 34,375 3.93 135

Wood Education 66,691 1.45 97

Other Units Subtotal 205,276 1.96 403

TOTAL 21,361,009 2.57 $55,000

FY 2015 Facilities Assessment allocations by BLI will be based on FY 2014 salary charges by 

BLI. The facility maintenance assessment applies only to owned administrative space and does 

not include leased space or recreation space.

Special Exhibits 14-41 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Fire, Preparedness, and Suppression Costs

Background

This exhibit is required by P.L. 113-76, Committee Report 113-32, Joint Explanatory Statement 

Division G, page 44, Wildland Fire Management, which directed:

In FY 2015 and all future budget submissions, the Committees direct the Forest Service to 

include a detailed table of actual and proposed spending on fire operations, which should also 

include a breakout of spending on aviation resources, for both preparedness and suppression 

appropriations. 

Overview

The following table shows a breakdown of spending for fire operations, including aviation 

resources, from FY 2013 to FY 2015 for both Preparedness and Suppression programs. 

In FY 2013, suppression and preparedness expenditures reflect the amount of funding that was 

appropriated as well as the amount of funding that was transferred from other programs into 

Suppression and Preparedness to continue fire operations during the 2013 fire season. In FY 

2014, planned preparedness and suppression expenditures align with the amounts appropriated 

for these programs in the FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Because the FY 2013 

expenditures include expenditures against the fire transfer, the planned expenses in FY 2014 are 

not comparable to actual expenses in FY 2013. 

In FY 2015, estimated preparedness and suppression expenditures reflect the amounts proposed 

for each program in this budget request. The estimated suppression expenditures are shown as a 

range from the 10-year average to the amount of funding requested in the cap adjustment. 

Preparedness and Suppression Costs

(dollars in millions)

Preparedness FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Planned

FY 2015 

Estimate

Firefighters $362 $367 $365

Firefighting Equipment and 

Support

215 209 200

Aviation Contracts 184 246 284

Agency Cost Pools 266 235 232

Total Preparedness Spending $1,027 $1,057 $1,081

Special Exhibits 14-42
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Suppression1 FY 2013 

Actual2

FY 2014 

Planned

FY 2015 

Estimate

Firefighters $444 $314 $320 - 512

Fire Suppression Operations 

and Logistics 658 435 444 - 753

Aviation Operations 100 71 72 - 125

Interagency Fire Support3 116 72 73 - 143

Burned Area Emergency 

Response

19 16 16 - 43

Agency Cost Pools 76 87 86

Total Suppression Spending $1,4134 $995 $1,011 – 1,662 1/Includes both Suppression and FLAME funding.

2/Includes $505 million of fire transfer.

3/Includes costs incurred by the Forest Service while providing support to DOI and State fire operations. See paragraph below 

for more detail.

4/Total FY 2013 Suppression obligations include $56 million of prior year funds not included in the 10-year average calculation.

The budget formulation process is informed by the Fire Program Analysis strategic management 

tool as well as predicted fire activity and anticipated wildfire workloads to help determine 

specific resources and geographic placement to ensure timely and effective responses to wildfire 

incidents. Aviation assets and associated costs are managed nationally to gain maximum 

efficiencies and provide for strategic placement of resources. 

Suppression costs are dependent on the severity of the fire season and other variables that are 

difficult to forecast including weather conditions and the location of fires. These factors play a 

critical role in determining the appropriate mix and numbers of firefighting resources required to 

safely and effectively manage wildfire incidents. As such, the FY 2014 and FY 2015 estimates 

for suppression costs are based on cost centers that tend to remain fairly proportional from year 

to year. However, fires will continue to be managed in accordance with risk management 

protocols that emphasize firefighter and public safety and determine the most effective response 

to protect values at risk and manage national forest system lands. 

Interagency fire support includes support for fires on both the Department of the Interior (DOI) 

and State lands. Per agreement with DOI, Federal agencies do not reimburse each other for costs 

incurred during fire operations. Thus, the Forest Service does not recover any costs incurred 

while providing support to DOI fire operations and the same is true for DOI when providing 

support to Forest Service fire operations. However, costs incurred while supporting State fire 

operations are reimbursable and States are billed for these costs. 

Additional information on Agency Administrative Cost Pools can be found in the Cost Pool 

Special Exhibit.

Special Exhibits 14-43 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Fire Transfers

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to provide an update on 

the status of funds borrowed from other budget line item accounts and transferred to the 

Wildland Fire Management Suppression account for the purpose of emergency fire suppression.

Overview

Transfers for fire suppression occur when the agency has exhausted all available fire resources 

from the Suppression and FLAME accounts. Congressional appropriations currently fund the 

agency at around the 10-year average for wildland fire suppression costs. If wildland fire 

suppression costs exceed the 10-year average and any available suppression balances, the Forest 

Service must receive a supplemental appropriation or execute fire transfer(s) from other program 

accounts for fire suppression expenditures. 

In FY 2013, the Forest Service developed a $600 million fire transfer strategy which identified 

specific accounts and amounts that would be transferred to the Suppression account for 

emergency fire suppression due to severe burning conditions and increased fire suppression 

costs. Through careful monitoring of expenditures, the agency only executed $505 million of the 

$600 million in transfers from other funds. In P.L. 113-46, Continuing Appropriations 

Resolution, 2014, $600 million was appropriated for urgent wildland fire suppression activities. 

These funds are also available for transfer to other appropriations accounts to repay amounts 

previously transferred for wildfire suppression. The table below represents accounts from which 

funds were transferred in FY 2013 and which were repaid in FY 2014.

Funds Withdrawn for Transfer for Wildland Fire Suppression in FY 2013

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item

Amount 

Borrowed 

FY 2013

Amount 

Repaid

FY 2014

FRFR Forest Research $5,000 $5,000

SPSP State and Private Forestry 5,200 5,200 

LCGY Legacy 4,800 4,800

NFNF National Forest System 40,000 40,000

CMCM Capital Improvements and Maintenance 30,000 30,000

LALW Land Acquisition 12,000 12,000

BDBD Brush Disposal 30,000 30,000

PEPE Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction 20,000 20,000

RIRI Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 183,000 183,000

SFSF Timber Salvage Sales 5,000 5,000

CWKV Knutson-Vandenberg Trust Fund 170,000 170,000

Total $505,000 $505,000 

Special Exhibits 14-44
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

In addition, $33 million was repaid to CWKV for funds that had not been repaid for FY 2009 

transfers. Total repayment in FY 2014 is $538 million. The table below represents accounts 

from which funds were transferred from FY 2002 through FY 2014 and for which funds have not 

been repaid. From FY 2002 to FY 2013, the Forest Service made fire transfers from 

discretionary, mandatory, and permanent accounts to pay for fire suppression costs seven times, 

ranging from $100,000,000 in FY 2007 to $999,000,000 in FY 2002, totaling approximately $3.2 

billion. Of that total, $2.8 billion has been repaid. Projects at all levels of the organization were 

deferred or canceled as a result of the transfers. 

Funds Withdrawn for Transfer for Wildland Fire Suppression

and Not Repaid from FY 2002 to FY 2013

(dollars in thousands)

Approp. Budget Line Item Amount

FRFR Forest & Rangeland Research

Funds: Strategic program areas of Forest & Rangeland 

Research

$32 

SPSP State and Private Forestry

Funds: Cooperating with and providing assistance to States 

for forest health, cooperative forestry, and education. Also 

funds international programs 

3,099 

NFNF National Forest System

Funds: Management, protection, improvement, and 

utilization of the National Forest System

106,167 

CMCM Capital Improvements and Maintenance

Funds: Construction or improvement of roads, trails, and 

facilities

35,305 

LALW Land Acquisitions

Funds: Acquisition of land or waters

9,308 

BDBD Brush Disposal

Receipts collected fund: Fuel reduction after timber harvest

64 

FDFD Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Fund

Fees collected fund: Recreation operation, interpretation, and 

law enforcement

45 

PEPE Timber Purchaser Election Road Construction

Funds: Construction or improvement of roads in support of 

timber harvest by small business operators

30,090 

SFSF Timber Salvage Sales

Funds: Analysis, preparation, and offer of salvage sales

112 

RIRI Restoration of Forest Lands and Improvements 20,000 

WCWC Working Capital Fund

Funds: Replacement and repair of motor vehicles, nursery 

services, enterprise services.

86,029 

WFPR Wildland Fire Preparedness 93,786 

FLEP Forest Land Enhancement Program 40,032 

Total $424,069 

Special Exhibits 14-45 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Financial Status

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to provide an update on 

repayment status of the Knutson-Vandenberg Fund from previous fire suppression transfers.

Overview

The fund provides money from timber purchasers to reforest and perform other natural resource 

improvements on their timber sale areas. As provided by section 412 of P.L. 109-54, K-V 

receipts are also used for forest restoration work in the region in which the receipts were 

collected.

The Forest Service has used authority provided in the annual Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Acts to transfer from any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service 

necessary amounts to support emergency fire suppression requirements. The agency has 

historically transferred funds available to us through the Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Fund (a 

fund authorized in P.L. 71-319).

The K-V Act provides that any deposit found to be in excess of the cost of doing the work shall 

be returned to the Treasury, provided there are no outstanding unreimbursed fire suppression 

transfers. 

In FY 2013, $170 million was withdrawn to fund transfers for Wildland Fire Suppression and 

was repaid in FY 2014 along with an additional $33 million repaid from prior year borrowing 

(total of $203 million). These monies were collected from timber sales to perform specific 

resource work identified in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation. If these 

funds were not restored, the agency would need to remove projects from the approved plans, 

amend the NEPA documents, and request additional appropriations to perform the work. Refer 

to the Special Exhibit on Fire Transfers for more detail. The table below displays the repayment 

status of the K-V Fund.

Repayments to the Knutson-Vandenberg Fund

(dollars in thousands)

Repayment Status FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Amount Owed to KV Fund from Prior 

Year

159,000* 163,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 193,000 203,000 0

Transfers from

K-V Fund (+)

30,000 0 0 0 160,000 170,000 0 0

K-V Fund

Repayment (-)

26,000 130,000 0 0 0 160,000 203,000 0

Balance 

Outstanding 163,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 193,000 203,000 0 0

* Transferred from K-V Fund in FY 2006.

Special Exhibits 14-46
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

National Scenic and Historic Trails

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 111-88 House Report 111-180 

page 132, which directed: 

The Committee recommendation retains previous base funding for maintenance, construction, 

and operation of the network of national scenic and historic trails but encourages additional 

funding for required work of the newly authorized national trails. Future budget justifications 

should continue to provide specific trail operation, maintenance and construction funding and 

accomplishment data for the national scenic and historic trails. The Forest Service should 

provide full time administrators and prepare the required comprehensive management plans for 

the newly authorized national trails. 

Overview

Since the enactment of the National Trails System Act in 1968, the Forest Service has designated 

trail coordinators or administrators for six National Scenic and Historic Trails (NS&HT): 

Arizona, Continental Divide, Florida, Nez Perce (Nee Mee Poo), Pacific Crest, and Pacific 

Northwest. The Forest Service manages portions of 15 additional NS&HTs on National Forest 

System (NFS) lands, in cooperation with the Department of the Interior (DOI), State and county 

governments, and private entities. Funding for administration and management of these trails is 

included within the Capital Improvement and Maintenance - Trails budget line item. Acquisition 

of trail segments is included within the Land Acquisition budget line item. In previous years, the 

Forest Service has had full administrative responsibility for the Appalachian Trail. Currently, the 

Appalachian Trail is managed in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). The Forest 

Service Southern Region (Region 8) provides a liaison for trail management and activities, so 

accomplishments are a result of collaboration between the NPS and the Forest Service. 

Trail Work on the Continental Divide Trail – Teton Wilderness, Wyoming

Special Exhibits 14-47 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT)*

This 2,176-mile footpath crosses along the ridgecrests and across the major valleys of the 

Appalachian Mountains from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. 

The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, 

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and 

Georgia. The trail is used by day, weekend, and other short-term hikers, section-hikers, and 

through-hikers who hike the entire length of the trail in one season. The trail is currently 

protected along more than 99 percent of its course by Federal or State ownership or rights-ofway. *Administratively managed by the National Park Service.

Arizona National Scenic Trail (ANST)

Designated on March 30, 2009, through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (P.L. 111-

11), the ANST extends 807 miles across the State of Arizona from the United States-Mexico 

border to the Arizona-Utah border. The national forests through which the trail runs have been 

working closely with the Arizona Trails Association (ATA) in addressing construction needs to 

fill in gaps on the trail. The agency has established a trail Administrator position for the trail and 

is starting development of a comprehensive resource management plan.

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT)

Designated on November 10, 1978, the CDT is a nationally significant resource providing long 

distance trail opportunities primarily for hiking and horseback riding recreationists. The trail’s 

corridor links Federal, State, and private lands from Mexico to Canada, passing through 25 

national forests, three national parks, one national monument, and eight Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) field office areas. When completed, the trail will be approximately 3,100 

miles in length. 

Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST)

Added to the national trails system in 1983, the FNST consists of a 1,300 mile planning corridor 

stretching from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades to Gulf Islands National 

Seashore in the panhandle of Florida. A FY 2012 inventory shows 1,074 miles of certified 

FNST on the ground, leaving just under 300 miles in gaps. The majority of use on the trail 

consists of day use and weekend backpacking, with a small thru-hiking community that utilizes 

blazed road walks between gaps to hike the FNST from end-to-end. The FNST is the only 

national scenic trail that gives the public the opportunity to experience a wide range of 

subtropical environments, karst spring and riverine systems, and a beach walk on a national 

seashore. Planning efforts are proposed to connect the FNST to the Florida Keys Overseas 

Heritage Trail and the Appalachian Trail allowing passage from the Florida Keys to Canada on 

foot.

Special Exhibits 14-48
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Nez Perce National Historic Trail (NPNHT)

In 1986, Congress acknowledged the significance of the Nez Perce Conflict of 1877 by 

establishing the 1,170 mile NPNHT. The route winds through remote, rugged, and scenic 

terrain. With the cooperation of State Highway Department and County Commissioners in the 

states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, over 1,500 miles of Federal, 

State, and county roads are designated as the NPNHT Auto Tour Route. The route roughly 

parallels the course travelled by the five Nez Perce bands during their historic 1877 odyssey, 

beginning near Wallowa Lake, Oregon, and ending at Bear Paw Mountains south of Chinook, 

Montana. The route consists of three-season, all-weather roadways ranging from high-standard 

gravel segments to portions of Interstates 15 & 90. Motorcyclists have found the excitement of 

riding along a historic route enjoying the scenic beauty of the area. National designation protects 

the actual historic trail to foot and equestrian travel only. The diversity of this trail lies in the 

details, where low level roads overlay the historic trail, and opportunities for off-highway 

vehicles as well as biking exist. Snowmobile use is allowed along the trail when the snow 

protects our historic resource. 

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT)

The PCT is a 2,650-mile congressionally designated trail that follows the crest of the Sierra 

Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges from the Mexican to Canadian borders through California, 

Oregon, and Washington. Established in 1968, the trail was completed in 1993 and lies within 

publicly owned lands except for approximately 300 miles where it crosses private lands 

(easements have been acquired for the trail tread). Over the past decade the PCT has become a 

favorite of thru-hikers and thru-riders (horseback) with over 850 permits for thru-travel being 

issued in 2012. 

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNNST)

Designated on March 30, 2009, through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (P.L. 111-

11) the PNNST consists of approximately 1,200 miles, extending from the Continental Divide in

Glacier National Park, Montana, to the Pacific Ocean Coast in Olympic National Park, 

Washington. The PNNST travels through three national parks, seven national forests, six 

Washington State parks, three regions of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, land 

managed by the Idaho Department of Lands, and across land managed by a variety of other 

public and private land owners. The Trail Coordinator is working to assemble an interagency 

planning team to develop a Comprehensive Management Plan to guide future management and 

development of the PNNST. 

Other National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHT)

There are an additional 15 national scenic and historic trails totaling over 6,700 miles for which 

the Forest Service coordinates management with other Federal public land agencies. These trails 

are: California, Camino Real Tejas, Camino Tierra Adentro, De Anza, Ice Age, Iditarod, Lewis 

and Clark, Mormon Pioneer, North Country, Old Spanish, Oregon, Overmountain Victory, Pony 

Express, Santa Fe, and Trail of Tears. 

Special Exhibits 14-49 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013-FY 2015 Allocation by Trail

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

President’s Budget

Name Trails

Land

*Partner FS Total Trails

Land

Total Trails

**Land

Acq. Acq. Acq. Total

Appalachian $163 0 $2,138 $163 $183 0 $183 $183 $700 $883 

Arizona 148 0 564 148 348 0 348 348 0 348 

Continental 

Divide 1,688 0 59 1,688 1,688 200 1,888 1,688 0 1,688 

Florida 1,266 373 1,266 1,266 0 1,266 1,266 0 1,266 

Nez Perce 540 0 0 540 620 0 620 620 1,050 1,670

Pacific Crest 1,688 846 1,519 2,534 1,688 367 2,055 1,688 7,685 8,873

Pacific 

Northwest 148 0 716 148 148 0 148 148 2,700 2,848

All-others** 693 0 0 693 693 0 693 693 330 1,023

TOTAL $6,334 $846 $5,369 $7,180 $6,634 $567 $7,201 $6,634 $12,465 $19,099

* Partner includes value of volunteer hours using the Independent Sector value of volunteer hours.

** Land Acquisition Funding for FY 2015 includes both discretionary and mandatory funding.

We will continue to foster and expand partnerships, especially with those partners that involve 

volunteers and youth organizations. We will maintain and operate most trails, trailheads, and 

campgrounds through these efforts. We will also continue to deliver interpretative and 

educational programs and products. 

FY 2013 Innovative Actions and Accomplishments (by specific Trail)

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) 

Partners: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Appalachian Mountain Club, National Park Service, 

and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations

• Volunteers, USFS staff, and Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff continued annual rare and 

endangered plant as well as exotic species inventory and monitoring along the entire AT 

corridor. Invasive species plant removal projects are ongoing throughout the trail corridor. 

Specific emphasis on non-native invasive species monitoring and mapping on the AT was 

placed in and near the wilderness areas of Eastern Divide Ranger District. 

• Open areas management efforts continued across all southern forests. The George 

Washington and Jefferson National Forest mowed more than 40 acres on Tarjacket Ridge 

and Cole Mountain and 3 acres in Davis Valley and Bland County. 

• Work continued on the revision of the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 

(FLRMP) for the George Washington National Forest. Completion of the plan revision, 

which includes Management Prescription Area 4A for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail 

Corridor on the Pedlar portion of the Glenwood/Pedlar Ranger District, is expected in FY 

2014. Work on the FLRMP for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests began in North 

Special Exhibits 14-50
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Carolina in FY2013. This plan will also have a management prescription area specific for 

the AT.

• The Forest Service continued its collaborative work with Appalachian Trail Conservancy and

National Park Service to support the AT Communities and Trail to Every Classroom

programs. Additionally, the Forest Service is working in collaboration with NPS to support

the nomination of the AT to the National Register of Historic Places.

Arizona National Scenic Trail

Partners: Arizona Trail Association (ATA), Tribal governments, and other Federal, State, and 

nongovernmental organizations. 

• With funding from a voter approved Open Space bond and a Growing Smarter Grant, the

City of Flagstaff, in cooperation with Coconino County, successfully acquired a 477.8 acre

parcel of land for $4.8 million. The acquisition of Picture Canyon provides a natural place

for members of the Flagstaff community to learn about ecology, geology, and archaeology,

while participating in outdoor recreation. Acquisition of this parcel also protects 0.5 miles of

the Arizona Trail and its corridor.

• With a $33,000 NPS Connect Trails to Parks Grant, Walnut Canyon National Monument, in

coordination with the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County, funded American Conservation

Experience crews to upgrade the Arizona Trail in the Picture Canyon area to acceptable

specifications. A highly-eroded equestrian section was realigned to a sustainable location.

We began the obliteration of three miles of adjoining or parallel social trails and roads

directly adjoining the Arizona Trail and will continue into FY 2014, along with trailhead and

junction signage and continued trail improvement work.

• A BLM assistance agreement has been put in place that will enable the Tucson Field Office

to aid the Arizona Trail Association in their Seeds of Stewardship Program. The ATA is

committed to protecting the Arizona National Scenic Trail in perpetuity and engaging youth

is a critical component. Two grants from Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) and FreeportMcMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation kicked off this project to encourage youth

participation in the Arizona Trail through a three-tiered approach: experience, education, and

stewardship. The partnership’s intention is to empower the next generation to take an active

role in the enjoyment, development, and protection of the Arizona National Scenic Trail as

well as other parks, trails, and public lands. In FY 2014, the Tonto National Forest will also

have an agreement in place to facilitate funding this program.

• The Four Peaks Passage, a remote, severely eroded and brushed over 13 mile section of the

Arizona Trail on the Tonto National Forest was reconstructed during a monumental effort

partially funded by Arizona State Parks who provided $42,000 in Recreational Trails

Program (RTP) funds, Coconino Rural Environment Corps, who provided 8 hitches

(overnight stays for field work) of donated crew time (5,120 hours) in addition to paid time,

American Conservation Experience who provided two hitches donated crew time (1,840

hours) plus paid time, also Southwest Conservation Corps who donated time, Arizona Trail

Association (ATA) volunteers, and the local hotshot crew who transported water to the trail

crew along with packers paid for by ATA.

• On Saguaro National Park, 11 miles of overgrown trail was cleared of brush and down trees.

Half a mile of severely trenched tread was relocated and the abandoned tread rehabilitated.

Special Exhibits 14-51 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

New trail signs were installed. Volunteers contributed 363 hours to successfully complete 

the project.

• American Conservation Experience crews reconstructed 3.5 miles of the Highline National 

Recreation Trail, which is also part of the Arizona Trail. The work included a reroute of over 

half a mile, as well as addressing severe erosion issues by armoring drainages and expanding 

water diversions. 

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST)

Partners: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Montana Wilderness Association, National Park 

Service, and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations.

• The Forest Service operated the trail under cost-share agreements with the Volunteers for 

Outdoor Colorado, The Colorado Trail Foundation, and Montana Wilderness Association. 

• At least 783 miles of the CDNST travel route were maintained through the partnership.

• We planned for development of approximately 50 miles following NEPA environmental 

assessment processes.

• We constructed approximately 18 miles of trails and reconstructed 35 miles (deferred 

maintenance). In addition, we constructed three minor trailheads and signed 30 miles.

• We spent a minimum of $2.5 million of Federal funds on operations, planning, construction, 

reconstruction (deferred maintenance), trailhead projects, and cost-share programs. This 

exceeds the $1.7 million dedicated allocation, principally due to support of regular Trails 

funds. The available funds were distributed for both specific project work and partnership 

programs.

• Three principal nonprofit groups contributed to CDNST volunteer programs in FY 2013: the 

Montana Wilderness Association, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, and the Colorado Trail 

Foundation. In total, volunteer groups reported providing a total of 2,710 volunteer-days for 

direct project work. These volunteer contributions are valued at $480,000.

• Easement and acquisition work continued primarily in Catron and Sandoval Counties, New 

Mexico.

Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST)

 

Partners: Florida Trail Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other Federal, State, 

and nongovernmental organizations.

• The Florida National Scenic Trail celebrated its 30th anniversary as part of the National Trail 

System in 2013. The year was commemorated with a series of trail events beginning January 

3rd in Big Cypress National Preserve with the unveiling of a new Southern Terminus 

monument and ended with a reunion of former Trail Administrators and current land 

managers and volunteer stewards at the FNST Symposium in Sanford, Florida in September. 

• The newly updated Florida National Scenic Trail inventory is available for free online and on 

smartphones through ESRI and ArcGIS applications. Users are now able to navigate the 

FNST and see their position relative to the map, locate designated trailheads and campsites 

and determine what the trail class and trail type are. In FY 2014, additional interactive 

applications will allow users to navigate trail resources online for educational and trip 

Special Exhibits 14-52
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

planning purposes, including the significant scenic, natural, cultural and historical resource 

sites on the Florida National Scenic Trail and current trail conditions. 

• In FY 2013, the FNST program undertook a statewide inventory of existing bridges, with the

goal of providing replacement, maintenance and recommendation plans for each structure to

the underlying land manager and primary volunteer stewards. Approximately 1/3 of the

FNST infrastructure inventory has been completed to date with the remainder to be

completed in FY 2014. Inspections are being treated as on-the-job training opportunities for

partners and volunteers to refresh their knowledge of bridge construction, maintenance and

inspection standards.

• The Florida Trail Association, in partnership with the Forest Service, unveiled a new on-line

volunteer reporting system which allows for volunteers to create individual profiles, link with

other volunteers in an online community and allows land managers of the FNST to access a

central database of volunteer maintenance and accomplishment reporting for their units. The

system was unveiled mid-year with great participation and is expected to become a

centralized hub for all maintenance reporting on the FNST in the future.

Nez Perce National Historic Trail (Nee-Mee-Poo) 

Partners: Nez Perce Trail Foundation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 

Bureau of Land Management, Backcountry Horsemen of America, Tribal governments, and 

other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations. 

• Continued interagency efforts for the revision of the Trail’s 1990 Comprehensive

Management Plan (CMP). Finalized public comments and prepared to implement the NEPA

process.

• Led coordination with four regions of the Forest Service including eight national forests; two

National Park Service units; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Bureau of Land Management;

Army Corp of Engineers; State Parks in

Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana, 

Oklahoma; multiple chapters of

Backcountry Horsemen of America; Tribal

Governments; State and County

Governments; and non-governmental

organizations for all activities along the

Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic

Trail (NPNHT).

• Enhanced, refined and updated NPNHT

website including webcams, current CMP

information, and additional uses of social

media: FLICKR, Twitter, and YouTube.

• Revised Auto Tours numbered: 1, 7 & 8,

and General Brochure. Worked closely with

staff from Forest Service enterprise team

and approximately 80 reviewers during past

year on Auto Tours 1 (Wallowa, OR to

Trail Work on Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Abraham Yearout, with the Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse 

Club, sawing windfalls from the NPNHT on the Nez 

Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Central Idaho.

Special Exhibits 14-53 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Kooskia, ID) and Auto Tour 7 (Yellowstone NP). Update and reprint of Auto Tour 8 

(Canyon Creek to Bear Paw). Also replaced photos with public domain images. 

• NPNHT Trail work on the Lolo National Forest (NF) replaced 37 damaged NPNHT markers

and new trail markers were installed along the trail.

• Members of the Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse Club (NPApHC) spent many hours and miles

riding and working along the NPNHT and giving presentations to the public about the Trail.

In August, an NPApHC work crew spent three days along the 500 Road, in the Nez PerceClearwater National Forest of central Idaho, clearing thick brush and logs to open a portion

of the NPNHT between Moon Saddle and Indian Post Office.

• A partnership produced the play, Tim’ne’epe “Heart of the Monster,” Nimiipuum Titwaatit

(The Peoples Story) based on the Nez Perce creation story. The play was produced entirely

in the Nez Perce Language with English translations and utilizing a Nez Perce cast and

support staff. Presentations were held in Moscow and Lewiston, ID. DVDs were produced

and given to the NPNHT Administration for our Education Trunks and to use for

presentations.

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT)

Partners: Pacific Crest Trail Association, California Conservation Corps, Student Conservation 

Association, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Backcountry Horsemen of California, Oregon, 

Washington, and other Federal, State, and nongovernmental organizations. 

• Initiated a Master Title Plat review with the BLM and a pilot project for the PCT beginning

at the Mexican border and going north.

• Initiated a Memorandum of Agreement between the BLM and Forest Service on management

and maintenance of the PCT, which will define responsibilities and replace existing MOUs.

• Participated in planning efforts for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, OkanoganWenatchee, Inyo, Sierra, and Sequoia National Forests, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness,

and Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plans to ensure that the trail corridor is defined

and trail resource values are protected.

• Hosted seven Trails Skills College training sessions for volunteers and agency partners (one

in Southern California, two in Northern Sierras, one in Big Bend, three in Columbia

Cascades).

• Collaborative partnership between Backcountry Horseman of California, Oregon, and

Washington, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Pacific Crest Trail Association, BLM, and the Forest

Service continued to grow in strength and depth. Two Centers of Excellence were created in

the Pacific Southwest Region (R5) to support traditional skills including packing.

• Continued development of the PCTA’s volunteer saw training and certification program in

Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest Regions of the Forest Service.

• Held multiple meetings with regional saw program leads to ensure compliance with policy

and to strengthen the program.

• Continued planning and discussions with Tejon Ranch and Tejon Ranch Conservancy to

relocate 37 miles of the PCT from the desert floor and onto the Sierra Crest.

Special Exhibits 14-54 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail 

Partners: Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA), Tribal governments, and other Federal, 

State, and nongovernmental organizations. 

• The agencies are working together and with PNTA, and using the Interagency Trail Data

Standards and GIS, to document the status of the PNNST and to estimate the cost to

complete the Trail.

• The State of Washington, through Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grants, has contributed

a total of over $1,113,445.00 since FY 2004 towards maintenance projects on the PNNST.

• The PNTA started a very successful new youth program, for students 8 -12 years old, with

over 70 students taking part in the three week environmental education program.

• The agencies, PNTA, and other partners continue to increase the involvement of volunteers

and our Service Knowledge Youth (SKY) Programs in the development and maintenance of

the Trail.

FY 2013 Program Accomplishments 

(dollars in thousands)

Location

Volunteers

Hours

In-kind 

Contributions

Non-Cash 

Contributions

Miles of 

Trail 

Maintained

Miles of 

Trail 

Improved

Acres 

Acquired

Major 

Structures 

Constructed 1

Appalachian 104,709 $0 $0 2,176 5 0 1

Arizona 25,480 0 0 107 24 478 3

Continental 

Divide 21,680 480 0 783 53 0 3

Florida 16,848 0 0 1,036 20 2

Nez Perce 1,117 30 44 388 3 0 0

Pacific Crest 68,626 1,519 276 1,153 42 652 41

Pacific 

Northwest 32,370 0 0 400 67 0 12

Total 270,830 $2,029 $320 6,043 214 1,130 62 1 Major structures include bridges, kiosks, boardwalks, campgrounds, etc.

* This table does not include “Other” trails, as in previous years, due to insufficient data.

Special Exhibits 14-55 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Office of the General Counsel Reimbursement

Background 

This special exhibit is required by P.L. 110-161, page 121, Administrative Provisions, which 

directed:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any appropriations or funds available to the Forest 

Service not to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office of the General Counsel 

(OGC), Department of Agriculture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a result of OGC 

assistance or participation requested by the Forest Service at meetings, training sessions, 

management reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar non-litigation related matters. 

Future budget justifications for both the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture should 

clearly display the sums previously transferred and the requested funding transfers. 

Overview

The USDA Office of the General Counsel bills the Forest Service quarterly for non-litigation 

travel and related costs. The FY 2013 actual reimbursement in the table below reflects billings 

received to date. Final billing for FY 2013 has not been received from the department. 

FY 2013 to FY 2014 OGC Reimbursements 

(dollars in thousands) 

FY 2013 Actual

Reimbursement

FY 2014 Estimated

Reimbursement

FY 2015

Pres. Budget

$15 $30 $30

Special Exhibits 14-56 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Office of Tribal Relations

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction, but is included to provide information 

about this program. 

Overview

The Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) provides policy advice and direction in implementing 

agency programs and activities in a manner that honors Indian Tribes’ treaty rights and 

recognizes the inherent sovereignty of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. In addition, 

the OTR helps the agency fulfill its trust responsibility while building, maintaining, and 

enhancing government-to-government relationships with federally recognized Indian Tribal 

governments and government-to-corporation relationships with Alaska Native Corporations. 

The OTR supports the mission of all agency programs and disciplines through both general and 

issue-specific efforts. 

The OTR has responsibilities that span all of the Deputy areas within the Forest Service. The 

Forest Service manages National Forest System (NFS) lands and resources for the benefit of the 

general public, while respecting the special trust responsibility of the United States to the 566 

federally recognized Indian Tribes. Many NFS lands are adjacent to American Indian or Alaska 

Native lands. In some cases, Tribal governments retained rights on what are present-day national 

forests or grasslands when the Tribes relinquished lands to the United States Government. 

Additionally, State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs provide assistance to non-federal 

landowners, including Tribal governments and American Indians and Alaska Natives; Research 

and Development (R&D) programs include a variety of programs and projects that incorporate 

tribal perspectives and include Indian Tribes in development of research projects; and Forest 

Service Business Operations (BusOps) authorities include responsibilities and processes to work 

with Indian Tribes. 

The OTR supports and integrates Tribal Relations components of policy analysis and 

development, technical, and administrative assistance, training, and oversight. The program also 

advises national Forest Service leadership in matters pertaining to interactions with Indian Tribes 

and tribal representatives. The OTR also helps develop regulations for and tracks 

implementation of the Tribal Relations components of specific legislation, for example, the Farm

Bill and the Tribal Forest Protection Act. 

Allocation and Integration 

The OTR is funded by a direct cost pool (Cost Pool 2), using all of the funds available to the 

Forest Service. Specific projects are funded by the primary purpose of the projects. 

Special Exhibits 14-57 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

The OTR collaborates closely with internal staff areas and in 2012, the Forest Service OTR 

Liaison group convened at the Washington Office. The OTR Liaisons represent 20 different 

staff areas from NFS, S&PF, R&D, and BusOps. The OTR convenes quarterly meetings with 

these representatives to coordinate and collaborate on Tribal Relations components. The OTR 

also convenes an internal monthly teleconference with regional Tribal Relations staff to 

coordinate outreach efforts and collaborate on National policies and projects. 

Additionally, the OTR maintains external partnerships with Tribal governments, intertribal 

organizations, other Federal and State agencies, and other organizations. The Strategic Plan for 

the National Tribal Relations program includes three goals and guides OTR’s interactions both 

internally and externally. These goals are: 

• ensure the agency redeems its trust responsibility and protects American Indian and

Alaska Native reserved rights as they pertain to Forest Service programs, projects, and

policies;

• leverage partnerships to maximize mutual success; and

• promote integration and utility of the Tribal Relations Program throughout the agency.

Special Exhibits 14-58 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Partnerships

Background 

This exhibit is included to provide information requested in P.L. 110-5 House Report 109-465 

page 151, P.L. 108-108 House Report 108-195 page 99, and P.L. 108-7 House Report 107-564 

page 107. 

Overview

Since its inception, the Forest Service has maintained a commitment to working with a variety of 

organizations and interests while fulfilling our motto of “caring for the land and serving people.” 

As such, we accomplish much of our work through collaboration with a diversity of partners - 

leveraging significant energy and support to meet critical Forest Service mission activities. 

Strategic investments in partner-focused efforts represent a growing percentage of the Forest 

Service budget and, with community support, it allows the Forest Service to accomplish more 

work across broad landscapes and even broader constituencies.

In FY 2013, the Forest Service entered into more than 8,200 grants and agreements with 

partners, who contributed $540 million; when leveraged by the agency’s nearly $730 million, the 

total value of these partnerships was over $1.27 billion. The growing value of grants and 

agreements transactions demonstrates the increasing importance of partnerships to the Forest 

Service. In FY 2013, more than 101,000 volunteers and service participants contributed 

3,855,000 service hours valued at $85 million; representing an eight percent decrease below FY 

2012 levels. Their hourly contributions were equal to 2,141 fulltime equivalents. 

These partnerships are more than just money and resources brought to bear. Partnerships enhance 

“on-the-ground” accomplishments and create immense value through relationships with public, 

private and civic entities. These relationships also help build and support communities of 

interest, place, and culture. At its core, the Forest Service fulfills its mission by creating and 

sustaining healthy, vibrant relationships across constituencies, communities, and generations. 

The Forest Service could not realize its mission without these relationships, including strategic 

alliances with its congressionally chartered nonprofit partners: the National Forest Foundation 

and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. 

The Forest Service employs many creative and innovative partnership approaches to accomplish 

its high-priority goals in the areas of youth, restoration, recreation, water, and urban 

environments. Opportunities for partner engagement in these arenas include not only funding 

support, but significant volunteerism and in-kind contributions across the country in areas where 

partner and Forest Service interests intersect. Through our comprehensive partnership program, 

we strive to:

Special Exhibits 14-59 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• Strengthen connections with communities through restoration of ecosystems and sharing

resources and expertise to achieve sustainable solutions to current and future resource

challenges.

• Empower employees and partners by improving the art of collaboration with others,

leveraging and sharing information and skills, fostering continued learning, which

ultimately deepen connections between people and the land.

• Create a more effective and efficient organization through working together and securing

or leveraging new and existing sources of support.

Public-Private Partnerships 

The Forest Service continues to achieve success within its Public-Private Partnership Strategy. 

This Strategy, established in 2011, is a bold plan that invites partners and beneficiaries to share 

in the care of our Nation’s forests and grasslands. Such partnerships and alliances are essential 

to carry out today’s conservation mission, and are designed to capitalize on the mutually 

beneficial interests of both the Forest Service and its partners. 

The Forest Service and its partners are inextricably linked through a mutual dependence on 

healthy forests, waterways, and other natural environments. In recognition of this, we continue 

to actively cultivate collaboration between our more traditional partners (e.g., ski areas, 

recreation service providers, and non-governmental organizations) and contemporary and nontraditional partners (e.g., water and power utilities, municipal governments and regulatory 

authorities), in order to share in the stewardship of our natural resources. The congressionally 

established foundations, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation (NFWF) play critical roles in facilitating on-the-ground work and further expanding 

our partner base. These new public-private ventures are concentrated in five key focal areas for 

the Forest Service: youth, restoration, recreation, water, and urban environments. 

Examples of some of these innovative, effective, and mutually-beneficial partnership initiatives 

include: 

National Water Replenishment Initiative. Since 2012, the Forest Service and our Foundation 

partners (NFF and NFWF) have been working with the Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) to 

restore watersheds and forested lands. In FY 2013, four restoration sites were added to the 

restoration portfolio, including sites in California, New Mexico, Illinois, and Michigan. In total, 

Coca-Cola has invested $597,000 in six different restoration projects across the country. In 

addition, our Foundation partners have matched Coca-Cola’s investment with additional private

funding towards the effort. These restoration projects are implemented by locally based partners, 

Coca-Cola employees, community volunteers, Forest Service staff, and include the construction 

of sediment detention basins, rehabilitation of alluvial fans, improvement of meadow habitat, and 

more. All associated organizations have a mutual interest in watershed health: Coca-Cola is 

pursuing its water use sustainability goals, while the Forest Service and our Foundations 

continue to ensure an ample, clean drinking water supply for the American public. This 

partnership initiative and its benefits will likely continue to expand over the next several years.

Special Exhibits 14-60 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Western Utilities Group. Wildfire has impacted the transmission of electricity at both the local 

community and national scales through direct damage to established transmission lines and 

surrounding National Forest System lands. These fires have also included impacts on natural 

resources critical to human and fish/wildlife populations. The Forest Service and Western 

Utilities Group (WUG) have begun working together to increase vegetation management efforts 

outside of transmission right-of-ways to reduce the risk of wildfire, while mitigating resource, 

service, and land-access losses. The Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Region recently signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding with Xcel Energy (Colorado) to support forest restoration 

projects as part of this partnership initiative.

Baltimore Restoration Partnership. For over 15 years, the Forest Service has been working with 

the city of Baltimore and a host of partners to improve the city’s natural environment and the 

well-being of its residents. The Baltimore Restoration Partnership is a new commitment between 

the Forest Service and the city of Baltimore to foster partnered attention on the sustainability and 

social and ecological restoration of inner city neighborhoods. This partnership brings together a 

number of Forest Service projects and initiatives in Baltimore, including the Baltimore 

Ecosystem Study, the Baltimore Wood Project, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, and a new 

wildlife habitat initiative with the National Wildlife Federation. 

Congressionally Authorized Foundations 

National Forest Foundation 

Founded by Congressional charter in 1991, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) engages 

America in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public 

enjoyment of all 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The NFF accepts and 

administers gifts of funds and lands, and provides financial and technical support to facilitate 

community-based conservation benefiting the National Forest System (NFS). 

Working through a combination of direct restoration initiatives, award programs, and technical 

assistance, the National Forest Foundation empowers communities in caring for their local 

forests and watersheds. 

Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences

Four years ago, the NFF and the Forest Service embarked on a $100 million national 

conservation campaign known as “Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences.” 

Recognizing the tremendous forest restoration needs and increasingly urbanized constituency of 

the Forest Service, the NFF aims to revitalize our forests and strengthen Americans’ connection 

to their public lands through this targeted campaign. Working in special landscapes from Alaska 

to New Hampshire, this campaign unites diverse partners and communities to promote the health 

of their public lands and their own enjoyment of them. 

In 2012, the NFF entered the public phase of the campaign by launching a substantial media 

campaign. Much of this effort is focused on 14 keystone sites, carefully selected based on 

conservation need, ecological values, and citizen interest. In the fall of 2013, the NFF crossed 

the $86 million mark in its fundraising effort. 

Special Exhibits 14-61 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Tree-Planting and the Carbon Capital Fund

The Carbon Capital Fund was developed to educate the public about carbon sequestration, while 

providing a way to contribute to a program that ameliorates impacts of climate change. Through 

this pilot program, the NFF invests in reforestation projects on national forests that have suffered 

a natural degradation of forest cover. These reforestation projects provide third-party validated 

and verified carbon offsets for the voluntary market, currently solely offered by the NFF. The 

contributor can choose either non-registered offsets or, through the American Carbon Registry, 

registered and retired offsets that cannot be traded, sold, or used for statutory or regulatory 

obligations. To date, the NFF has established a total of three registered and five unregistered 

carbon demonstration projects on five national forests throughout the western United States. 

Over the life of these projects 1,329,500 trees will be planted and 5,239 acres will be reforested, 

which will sequester an estimated 706,889 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

In recent years, severe wildfire, insect outbreaks, and other impacts have damaged millions of 

acres of national forests. Through the Trees for US and Tree for Me programs, the NFF is 

helping to revitalize these landscapes through large-scale tree-planting supported primarily 

through corporate partnerships and individual donations. 

The NFF has also recently built out its Restoring America’s Headwaters program, which focuses 

on restoring high priority National Forest watersheds with support from corporations and 

foundations. By engaging high profile partners like the Coca-Cola Company and Green 

Mountain Coffee Roasters, the NFF is addressing the most pressing watershed restoration needs 

across the National Forest System. 

Granting Programs

Through its granting programs, NFF has provided conservation awards to more than 500 

nonprofit organizations to complete more than 1,500 projects since 2001. The NFF and its 

partners have invested $135 million of Federal and non-Federal funds in these projects, 

leveraging Federal award funds at a ratio of 4:1. These granting programs include:

Matching Awards Program - This is the NFF’s flagship awards program, offering 

challenge grants to nonprofits to complete on-the-ground conservation and citizen-based 

monitoring projects that benefit national forests and grasslands. 

Wilderness Stewardship Challenge - This program provides matching grants to nonprofit 

partners to implement wilderness stewardship in National Forest Wilderness Areas. The 

USFS is responsible for 35 million acres of wilderness areas, which is 20 percent of all 

Forest Service land.

Ski Conservation Fund & Forest Stewardship Fund - This program supports unique 

partnerships with ski areas, lodges, outfitters, and campground operators. Visitors to 

these businesses on or near NFS lands can make voluntary contributions to support 

conservation and restoration projects on that forest. Then NFF awards the collected 

funds to local nonprofit organizations who implement the projects. 

Special Exhibits 14-62 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Community Capacity and Land Stewardship Program - Building upon previous NFF 

capacity-building efforts, this program provides support for local collaborative efforts 

that work toward achieving watershed restoration objectives within the geographic focus 

areas of California, Oregon, Washington, and Southeast Alaska. The NFF has worked 

with Forest Service and nonprofit partners to create and implement this innovative 

capacity-building grant program in support of collaboratives and community-based 

organizations. 

Conservation Connect

In addition to its grant programs, the NFF supports community-based collaborative groups 

through technical assistance and peer learning to meet the needs of collaborative efforts at 

various stages of growth and capacity, from start-up to sustainable organizations. As a learning 

network for collaboration, the program seeks to broaden and connect the community of people 

working to collaboratively steward NFS lands, prevent repetition of common mistakes and 

promote successful strategies. It strives to assist groups of diverse interests in working more 

efficiently and effectively to achieve long-lasting, on-the-ground results for the benefit of our 

national forests and grasslands. The program fosters community-to-agency connections, and 

helps groups identify common challenges and move to team problem-solving. 

Conservation Connect provides access to peer learning sessions, networking opportunities, and 

an extensive online library of tools, best practices and lessons learned regarding collaboration, 

partnerships, landscape restoration, multiparty monitoring, and stewardship authorities. 

Public Engagement and Constituency Building 

To help build a growing constituency of supporters, the National Forest Foundation conducts 

public outreach, education, and volunteer activities. The NFF helps people learn about the issues 

and values surrounding our national forests through publications, the NFF website 

(www.nationalforests.org), social media, a monthly electronic newsletter (tree-mailTM), and 

hands-on stewardship events. The NFF’s social media presence has grown to more than 160,000 

Friends of the Forest, and an additional 110,000 Friends receive its semi-annual magazine or 

electronic newsletter. In 2013, the NFF conducted a bi-partisan national poll regarding 

Americans’ attitudes towards the National Forest System. The results will be used to help the 

Forest Service better understand public attitudes regarding national forests, improve Forest 

Service and NFF messaging to the public about the National Forest System and its resources, and 

will help guide NFF priorities and strategic direction. 

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

The Forest Service’s partnership with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is of high 

value and one of our largest and longest-standing partnerships. Since the beginning of the 

partnership in 1988, NFWF has undertaken more than 1,229 projects in partnership with the 

Forest Service and has leveraged more than $44.3 million in Forest Service funds with more than 

$207.2 million in partnership funding for targeted, on-the-ground conservation. Foundation 

grants have been made to more than 125 national forests and Research Stations in all nine 

regions of the Forest Service. 

Special Exhibits 14-63 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Congress’s FY 2013 appropriation to NFWF, through the Forest Service, was $3 million. These 

funds will be matched at least 1:1 with non-Federal funds, and will be allocated to on-theground, high-priority conservation projects over the next five years. 

Strategic Keystone Initiatives

Starting in 2008, NFWF realigned its grant-making to be more targeted and outcome-based. 

“Keystone Initiatives” were designed to achieve a measurable conservation outcome in a five-toten year timeframe. Specific goals and strategies are identified for each initiative through the 

development of business plans that serve as guides for the types of projects that will be 

considered for funding by NFWF ($1.60 million in FY 2013). 

Wildlife and Landscape Scale Habitat Keystone

This project addresses conservation needs for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and 

native plants. The Foundation is currently working with the Forest Service on Sierra Nevada Wet 

Meadow restoration and Northern Rockies Wildlife Corridors (eastern Idaho and western 

Montana). 

Freshwater Fish and Habitat Keystone

This project focuses on high-priority species and habitat for freshwater fish and associated 

aquatic life such as mussels, crayfish, and invertebrates. The Foundation is currently working 

with the Forest Service on Eastern Brook Trout (Virginia and West Virginia) and Apache Trout 

(Arizona).

Bird and Habitat Keystone

This project focuses on migratory and resident bird species and their habitat. The Foundation is 

currently working with the Forest Service to promote the conservation of Gunnison Sage Grouse 

(Colorado and Utah) and a wide variety of Southeastern grassland birds such as bobwhite quail 

and Bachman’s sparrow. 

Charter Grant Programs

In FY 2013, $1.25 million in funds were also awarded through targeted Charter Grant Programs 

that include: 

Bring Back the Natives - Seeks to implement the National Fish Habitat Initiative Action 

Plan by supporting on-the-ground watershed restoration and native fish projects 

($600,000 in FY 2013). 

Pulling Together Initiative - A unified effort by NFWF, DOI, and USDA to fund and 

implement effective, long-term invasive plant management at the local level ($200,000 in 

FY 2013). 

The Great Lakes Watershed Restoration Program - Funds organizations working to 

protect, restore, or enhance the habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants of the Great Lakes 

watershed ($300,000 in FY 2013). 

Special Exhibits 14-64 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant Program - Provides grants to organizations and 

local governments working on a community level to protect and improve watersheds in 

the Chesapeake Bay basin ($100,000 in FY 2013). 

Alaska Fund - A partnership with FWS, BLM, and corporate entities to support wildlife 

focused projects in Alaska ($50,000 in FY 2013). 

New Initiatives with NFWF

In the last three years, in addition to the congressionally appropriated funds, we have 

collaborated on a number of new initiatives that address strategic Forest Service priorities:

Longleaf Stewardship Fund - Developed in partnership with Forest Service Southeast 

Region, this initiative brings together Federal and corporate partners (Forest Service, 

NRCS, DoD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Southern Company) to 

accelerate the restoration and conservation of the historic longleaf pine ecosystem and 

the implementation of the Range-Wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine. In 2013, 

NFWF awarded $3.1 million to 15 projects in 7 states for longleaf restoration. Forest 

Service funds have been committed to this successful collaboration for a third year of 

competitive funding in FY 2014. 

Youth Engagement in Conservation Initiative - As part of America’s Great Outdoors 

(AGO), NFWF, Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) and FWS have 

collaborated on the launch of the third year (FY 2014) of the successful Youth 

Engagement in Conservation Initiative. This collaboration supports innovative 

partnerships that provide meaningful employment opportunities for youth in service to 

their public lands. Launched in FY 2012, the initiative has provided more than $1 

million, matched at least 1:1 by non-federal funds, to youth employment projects that 

benefit NFS lands and Forest Service programs. In FY 2014, more than $1.75 million 

in federal funds will be granted to youth employment projects. 

Re-Wetting of Indian Valley High Meadow in California - NFWF has played a key role 

in a new Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) to 

restore the degraded high-meadow Indian Valley on the Eldorado NF. The project 

objectives are to restore floodplain connectivity, groundwater recharge, and flood 

attenuation; restore wet meadow habitat; and provide a clean and consistent water 

supply for human use. Through this new partnership, more than 80.5 million gallons of 

water will be replenished each year; a key consideration for Coca-Cola’s engagement. 

Although facilitated at the Forest Service Washington Office, project implementation is 

led by the Forest Service Southwest Region. This pilot program establishes an 

important new public-private partnership for the Forest Service and may lead to other 

partnership projects in the future. 

Special Exhibits 14-65 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 National Grants and Agreements (G&A) 

Summary by Instrument Type1

(dollars in thousands) 

Instrument 

Type Instrument Description G&A Count

Forest Service 

Contribution

Partner 

Contribution

Total 

Value

Challenge Cost 

Share Agreement

A mutual interest/mutual benefit 

agreement citing one of multiple 

partnership authorities. 1,149 $53,302 $48,605 $101,907 

Collection 

Agreement

Partnership instrument used for the 

acceptance of money by the Forest Service 

from a non-Federal source to carry out a 

mutually beneficial project on NFS lands. 1200 27,003 71,865 98,868 

Cooperative 

Agreement

A legal financial assistance instrument 

utilized by the Forest Service to document 

a transaction for the public good where the 

Forest Service is substantially involved in 

the performance of the project. 217 44,664 11,139 55,803 

Cooperative 

Research and 

Development 

Agreement

A partnership agreement in which the 

Forest Service and other public and private 

entities pool resources in support of 

scientific research and development for 

mutual interest and benefit of the parties to 

the agreement. 12 0 489 489 

Cost 

Reimbursable 

Agreement

An agreement used when the primary 

purpose of the agreement is to procure 

goods and/or services to carry out research 

and teaching activities from authorized 

partners. 121 10,160 345 10,505 

Domestic Grant

A legal financial assistance instrument 

utilized by the Forest Service to document 

a transaction for the public good where the 

Forest Service is not substantially involved 

with the project. 748 266,473 165,427 431,900 

Special Exhibits 14-66 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Instrument 

Type Instrument Description G&A Count

Forest Service 

Contribution

Partner 

Contribution

Total 

Value

Cooperative Fire 

Agreement

An agreement in which the Forest Service 

works with other Federal and State 

agencies to provide wildland fire 

protection, to perform approved severity 

activities and to respond to states of 

emergency or disaster under FEMA 

authorities. 294 7,256 5,116 12,372 

Interagency 

Agreement

Interagency agreements are used when one 

Federal agency is in a position to provide 

materials, supplies, equipment, work or 

services of any kind that another agency 

needs to accomplish its mission. 1761 193,204 149,418 342,622 

International 

Cooperative 

Agreement

Federal Financial Assistance instruments 

entered into between the Forest Service 

and a foreign recipient located, chartered 

to do business, and operating outside of 

the United States and its territories, 

regardless of whether it is performed 

domestically or internationally. An 

International Cooperative Agreement 

would include substantial involvement on 

the part of the Forest Service in carrying 

out the project. 12 856 688 1,544 

Special Exhibits 14-67 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Instrument 

Type Instrument Description G&A Count

Forest Service 

Contribution

Partner 

Contribution

Total 

Value

International 

Grant

Federal Financial Assistance instruments 

entered into between the Forest Service 

and a foreign recipient located, chartered 

to do business, and operating outside of 

the United States and its territories, 

regardless of whether it is performed 

domestically or internationally. An 

International Grant would not include 

substantial involvement on the part of the 

Forest Service in carrying out the project. 16 2,839 234 3,073 

International 

Joint-venture 

A mutual interest/mutual benefit 

agreement entered into with a foreign 

partner for the purposes of conducting 

agricultural research activities and 

agricultural teaching activities. 11 933 345 1,278

Joint Venture 

Agreement

A mutual interest/mutual benefit 

agreement entered into for the purposes of 

conducting agricultural research activities 

and agricultural teaching activities. 441 37,294 14,168 51,462 

Cooperative Law 

Enforcement 

Agreement

An agreement in which the Forest Service 

works cooperatively with State and local 

law enforcement agencies to enhance 

enforcement and/or supervision of their 

laws and ordinances on lands within or 

part of any unit of the National Forest 

System. 458 6,016 0 6,016 

Special Exhibits 14-68 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Instrument 

Type Instrument Description G&A Count

Forest Service 

Contribution

Partner 

Contribution

Total 

Value

Memorandum of 

Understanding 

An MOU is a non-obligating document 

entered into by interested parties to 

document a framework for cooperation. 

Each party carries out separate activities in 

a mutually beneficial manner and nothing 

of financial value transfers between 

parties. 278 0 0 0 

Participating 

Agreement

A mutual interest/mutual benefit 

agreement citing one of multiple 

partnership authorities. 1,248 65,524 67,904 133,428 

Cooperative 

Road Agreements

An agreement in which the Forest Service 

works cooperatively with State, county or 

local public road authorities for the 

cooperative planning, survey, design, 

construction, reconstruction, improvement 

and maintenance of forest roads. 238 12,237 3,089 15,326 

Stewardship 

Agreement

A partnership agreement with the purpose 

of achieving land management goals on 

NFS lands that will accomplish landscape 

restoration objectives. 32 4,693 1,057 5,750 

Grand Total 8,236 $732,454 $539,889 $1,272,343

1. Data are compiled from the Forest Service G&A database. These are either new G&A’s for FY 2013 or G&A’s that had new funding added in FY 2012 via

modifications. All of these items represent new investments in partnerships that occurred in FY 2013.

Special Exhibits 14-69 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Reforestation

Background 

This exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 109-54 House Report 109-80 page 138, 

which directed:

The Committee expects the Forest Service to provide clear presentations of reforestation needs 

and accomplishments in future budget justification, including the specific use and distribution of 

the mandatory funding from the Reforestation Fund, as well as partner efforts, such as the 

American Forest initiative.

Overview

The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (RPA) (P.L. 93-378), as 

amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) Section 3(d) 1, directs that

all forested lands in the National Forest System (NFS) be maintained in appropriate forest cover 

with species of trees, degree of stocking, rate of growth, and conditions of stand designated to 

secure the maximum benefits of multiple use sustained yield management in accordance to land 

management plans. It further requires the Secretary of Agriculture to identify and report to the 

Congress, at the time of submission of the President’s Budget together with the annual report 

provided under section 8(c) of the Act, the amount and location, by national forest and State and 

by productivity class, where applicable, of needs to reforest areas that have been cut-over or 

otherwise denuded or deforested. 

The Forest Service reforestation program has four major goals:

• maintain all forest lands within the National Forest System in appropriate forest cover;

• improve the quality and yield of new timber stands;

• promptly achieve desired stocking levels in a cost-efficient manner; and

• develop and demonstrate successful reforestation methods and techniques and encourage

their use by private landowners.

Prompt reforestation is desirable to prevent soil erosion and protect water quality in streams and 

lakes. Through species and seed source selection, reforestation may increase the resilience of 

forest vegetation communities to the effects of global climate change and provide effective longterm carbon sequestration. Reforestation benefits wildlife and fish species and improves scenic 

quality and recreational experience. 

There are a variety of activities associated with the reforestation program, including planting, 

seeding and site preparation. Site preparation may be done to prepare the site for planting, for 

seeding, or to facilitate natural regeneration. Forest and stand level management objectives may 

be jeopardized without appropriate reforestation treatments. 

Special Exhibits 14-70 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Reforestation work is time-sensitive. Without timely reforestation efforts, undesirable species 

may dominate forest vegetation communities, making establishment of desired tree species 

difficult. Once undesirable species become established, decades may pass before sufficient 

numbers of desired tree seedlings occupy the site and the opportunity to facilitate adaptation to 

the effects of climate variability or other stressors may be lost. Delays increase the cost of 

reforestation work by necessitating expensive site preparation, reduce timber yields, and may 

adversely affect meeting other resource objectives. In addition, these areas may be less resilient 

to wildfire and increase risk to adjacent communities. 

Program Plans and Accomplishments 

The agency’s reforestation capacity is dependent on several program areas, as well as numerous 

partnerships and cooperative agreements. Reforestation needs generated through timber harvest 

activities are generally met through funds collected under the Knutson-Vandenberg (K-V) Act 

authority. Reforestation needs for areas outside of timber sale areas would be primarily funded 

by the proposed Integrated Resource Restoration budget line item (BLI) and the Reforestation 

Trust Fund. Non-profit partners and civic groups also contribute to the agency’s capacity for 

reforestation through partnerships and matching fund agreements. 

In FY 2013, the agency reforested a total of 182,812 acres. Of this total, the agency 

accomplished 83,529 acres through certification of natural regeneration of sites not requiring 

preparation. At the start of FY 2014, the agency has identified 1,100,459 acres of NFS lands that 

can benefit from reforestation. The identified acres are the result of completed silviculture 

diagnosis and prescriptions. The on-going assessment of areas impacted by wildfire in prior 

years significantly added to this figure.

The agency’s total reforestation target for FY 2014 is 204,000 acres, which will be funded from 

multiple sources. This includes approximately 68,000 acres of reforestation funded from the 

proposed Integrated Resource Restoration BLI, a target similar to what we have previously 

accomplished through Emergency Supplemental Funds for fire restoration and the Rehabilitation 

and Restoration program. The agency will reforest an additional 124,000 acres utilizing the 

Reforestation Trust Fund and K-V Trust funds, and 12,000 acres will be accomplished through 

partnerships. Actual accomplishments may vary significantly, depending on the type of 

treatment necessary to meet restoration objectives and the cost of that treatment.

The agency has developed and is implementing a strategy to increase nursery production to meet 

projected reforestation needs generated by past wildfire activity. As increased seedling 

production comes on line, additional reforestation through planting of seedlings will be feasible. 

It takes one to two years and sometimes longer for the nurseries to produce the planting stock 

necessary to meet the demands of the regional programs. 

The graph below shows reforestation needs and accomplishments for FY 2000 through FY 2013. 

Since FY 2000, reforestation needs have accumulated largely due to large wildfires affecting 

NFS lands in the West and insect epidemics in the East. From FY 2000 through FY 2013, the 

agency addressed about 24 percent of the reforestation needs nationally. However, since FY 

2008 the agency has been building nursery stock production and reforestation capability. 

Special Exhibits 14-71 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Reforestation capacity and the projected accomplishments for FY 2014 will continue to reflect 

the agency’s restoration objectives. 

Trends in Reforestation to FY 2000 – 2013 

1/This graph displays the current reforestation needs as of the end of FY 2013. The increase from FY 2012 to FY 

2013 is a result of additions to needs resulting from field analysis of wildfire events during FY 2012 and 2013. 

2/The percent accomplishment is calculated by dividing the current year’s accomplishment by the prior fiscal year 

need. 

The graph of reforestation needs below shows the relative significance of various contributing 

factors on reforestion needs. The majority of the new reforestation areas are the result of 

wildfires, particularly in the western regions. These areas are identified based on the opportunity 

for re-establishing desired vegetation through sequenced silviculture prescriptions. This includes 

artificial regeneration either by planting or seeding as well as certification of natural regeneration 

when there are sufficient seed producing trees on the site. In order to assure that successful 

regeneration is taking place, reforestation areas are scheduled for periodic stocking surveys. The 

increase in reforestation need created by wildfires reported in FY 2012, compared with the 

number of acres affected by fires, is the result of continued assessments of fires in prior years 

and the development of detailed silviculture prescriptions and the planned treatments needed to 

re-establish forest vegetation.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

P

e

r

c

e

n

t

Acres

Fiscal Year

Current Reforestation Needs Reforestation Treatments Percent of Needs Treated

Special Exhibits 14-72 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Causal Agent for Reforestation Needs

FY 2000 - 2013 

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Acres 

Fiscal Year

Fires Regeneration Harvest Insects or Diseases Reforestation Failures

Special Exhibits 14-73 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station and Area Allocations

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to provide historical 

information on allocations of appropriations at the Fund and Budget Line Item levels to Forest 

Service Regions, Stations and Areas.

Overview

The Office of Management and Budget apportions all funds available to the Forest Service prior 

to obligation or disbursement. Once funds are apportioned to the Forest Service at the fund level, 

they are allocated throughout the agency to Budget Line Items in the Regions, Stations, and 

Areas.

The Forest Service operates through nine geographical regions, seven research stations, the 

Northeastern Area - State and Private Forestry, the Albuquerque Service Center in Albuquerque, 

New Mexico, and the national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Allocations are determined by 

balancing the priorities of Congress, the Administration, agency leadership, and 

Region/Station/Area capabilities. They act as agency administrative divisions of apportionments 

and are used to monitor financial status and prevent deficiency.

Special Exhibits 14-74
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12.

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $0 $0 $58 $63 $48

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $3,136 $2,015 $1,350 $2,614 $1,331 $1,217

State Fire Assistance 1,702 1,297 1,354 2,416 1,954 2,056

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 835 435 1,637 1,123 1,623 2,091

Volunteer Fire Assistance 425 425 403 741 740 701

Forest Stewardship 1,165 700 896 2,388 1,240 1,308

Forest Legacy Program 9,873 9,709 4,298 4,291 1,789 9,502

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 367 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 778 748 1,205 2,093 1,745 2,341

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 47

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $17,913 $15,329 $11,511 $15,666 $10,423 $19,263

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $45 $6,503 $5,961 $4,438 $4,149 $3,744

Land Management Planning 2,725 2,314 3,002 3,447 2,518 2,564

Inventory and Monitoring 11,044 11,278 10,387 9,763 9,076 8,382

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 16,232 15,578 14,853 25,721 25,757 23,754

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 10,441 0 0 8,683 9,289 8,629

Grazing Management 5,210 6,216 5,887 7,735 8,946 8,405

Forest Products 30,875 0 0 24,777 25,707 23,842

Vegetation and Watershed Management 18,765 0 0 13,577 13,494 12,913

Minerals and Geology Management 9,219 9,232 9,922 8,741 8,539 7,594

Landownership Management 6,435 6,167 5,659 7,220 6,705 6,406

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 58,698 68,221 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $110,990 $115,986 $123,892 $114,102 $114,180 $106,234

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $56,173 $58,941 $58,786 $29,237 $30,919 $30,753

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 22,510 17,325 15,723 30,354 27,327 25,991

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 1,679 0 0 491 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 2,913 1,993 2,142 3,333 1,919 1,879

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 2,082 1,590 1,013 1,560 1,164 955

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 4,946 722 3,259 6,331 1,422 6,089

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 706 500 474 839 593 563

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 7,059 0 0 114 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $98,067 $81,070 $81,397 $72,258 $63,345 $66,230

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $6,541 $3,324 $2,432 $13,568 $6,238 $6,209

Roads 16,098 15,289 14,855 22,841 19,081 17,897

Trails 12,555 11,415 10,187 9,668 8,734 7,814

Infrastructure Improvement 219 1,869 969 652 1,337 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 5,158 0 0 3,699 3,644 3,437

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $40,572 $31,897 $28,444 $50,428 $39,035 $35,356

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $1,359 $831 $854 $699 $541 $450

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $1,359 $831 $854 $699 $541 $450

Range Betterment Fund $270 $0 $239 $505 $0 $448

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $269,172 $245,113 $246,336 $253,717 $227,587 $228,030

Permanent Working Funds $14,918 $14,383 $14,492 $15,019 $16,432 $11,279

Trust Funds $10,960 $13,377 $12,073 $13,197 $13,689 $10,103

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $295,050 $272,872 $272,901 $281,933 $257,708 $249,412

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Region 1 - Northern Region Region 2 - Rocky Mountain Region

Special Exhibits 14-75 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $7 $0 $3 $7 $0 $5

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $1,574 $1,384 $422 $2,241 $1,410 942

State Fire Assistance 692 589 606 1,110 602 620

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 450 272 819 1,171 1,309 1,161

Volunteer Fire Assistance 178 177 168 138 137 130

Forest Stewardship 672 719 709 385 454 814

Forest Legacy Program 134 147 143 96 4,092 175

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 975 692 722 677 642 1,330

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $4,676 $3,980 $3,589 $5,818 $8,646 $5,171

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $5,913 $6,243 $5,989 $0 $190 $2,592

Land Management Planning 4,472 4,100 3,865 2,016 1,395 1,411

Inventory and Monitoring 9,603 9,248 8,805 12,506 12,021 10,946

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 23,301 23,820 23,356 26,375 26,554 25,549

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 9,222 0 0 10,293 0 0

Grazing Management 8,669 10,016 9,568 9,233 10,493 10,047

Forest Products 11,117 0 0 12,826 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 12,945 0 0 16,889 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 6,922 7,019 6,848 11,433 10,908 10,307

Landownership Management 5,215 4,975 4,906 7,731 7,036 6,689

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 37,818 44,022 0 41,127 48,999

Total National Forest System $97,379 $103,239 $107,359 $109,301 $109,724 $116,539

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $59,755 $62,949 $62,410 $56,475 $61,144 $60,753

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 38,707 30,066 26,951 25,335 21,059 20,210

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 948 0 0 2,915 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 982 719 1,257 2,466 1,829 1,627

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 600 324 194 901 218 938

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 3,365 342 1,077 1,980 355 3,037

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 574 406 386 309 219 208

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 81 0 0 94 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $105,011 $94,806 $92,274 $90,476 $84,825 $86,773

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $9,479 $5,093 $4,214 $12,183 $4,995 $4,559

Roads 16,463 14,623 14,304 15,705 15,722 15,374

Trails 4,291 4,037 3,730 9,108 8,236 7,623

Infrastructure Improvement 697 919 767 917 1,456 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 3,446 0 0 4,168 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $34,377 $24,672 $23,016 $42,081 $30,408 $27,557

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $488 $298 $246 $771 $747 $706

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $488 $298 $246 $771 $747 $706

Range Betterment Fund $639 $0 $617 $759 $0 $692

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $242,578 $226,996 $227,104 $249,213 $234,350 $237,444

Permanent Working Funds $13,419 $12,114 $13,760 $37,817 $39,462 $32,538

Trust Funds $2,751 $3,636 $4,569 $5,393 $5,307 $4,717

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $258,747 $242,747 $245,433 $292,422 $279,118 $274,699

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Region 3 - Southwestern Region Region 4 - Intermountain Region

Special Exhibits 14-76
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $0 $0 $0 $108 $151 $3

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $2,259 $1,178 $565 $3,400 $2,358 $2,307

State Fire Assistance 1,844 1,487 1,539 4,704 4,181 1,794

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 2,559 2,562 1,979 2,118 2,413 1,640

Volunteer Fire Assistance 357 356 338 220 219 208

Forest Stewardship 1,626 1,053 1,176 1,313 820 832

Forest Legacy Program 378 9,854 3,543 116 165 4,748

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 1,110

Urban and Community Forestry 2,576 2,379 2,699 1,086 791 836

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 2 0 0 478

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $11,598 $18,869 $11,841 $12,957 $10,947 $13,953

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $416 $1,639 $2,249 $2,880 $3,395 $9,148

Land Management Planning 3,142 2,625 3,214 4,904 4,476 3,871

Inventory and Monitoring 12,860 13,459 11,297 13,676 12,708 12,054

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29,173 29,238 26,560 26,592 27,634 26,081

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 13,492 14,325 13,372 17,553 17,671 17,741

Grazing Management 3,103 3,779 3,510 3,741 4,578 4,047

Forest Products 34,544 35,516 32,924 58,717 59,421 60,575

Vegetation and Watershed Management 17,217 17,725 16,961 22,324 23,501 24,302

Minerals and Geology Management 6,422 6,891 5,943 5,102 4,929 4,223

Landownership Management 9,732 8,677 8,069 8,558 7,702 7,104

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $130,101 $133,874 $124,098 $164,049 $166,015 $169,147

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $207,244 $234,499 $234,969 $78,385 $85,291 $78,832

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 57,114 50,099 49,348 33,365 32,551 30,689

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 2,745 0 0 1,109 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 34

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 2,057 1,430 2,587 3,675 2,787 3,519

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 2,056 1,330 1,585 1,862 1,386 2,077

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 9,055 6,280 6,384 5,402 972 7,141

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 971 687 653 706 500 474

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 108 0 0 326 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $281,350 $294,326 $295,525 $124,830 $123,488 $122,766

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $13,796 $5,724 $5,606 $11,841 $9,121 $7,330

Roads 18,791 16,482 15,984 25,803 22,832 20,957

Trails 8,439 7,336 6,258 8,856 7,839 6,884

Infrastructure Improvement 2,126 1,224 0 935 1,011 601

Legacy Roads and Trails 7,063 6,780 6,372 8,728 8,740 7,732

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $50,216 $37,547 $34,220 $56,163 $49,543 $43,504

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $1,177 $1,168 $631 $843 $767 $626

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $1,177 $1,168 $631 $843 $767 $626

Range Betterment Fund $156 $0 $141 $221 $0 $199

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $474,599 $485,784 $466,457 $359,171 $350,910 $350,197

Permanent Working Funds $36,088 $42,539 $45,001 $42,546 $36,402 $42,302

Trust Funds $24,432 $22,126 $60,006 $32,946 $28,406 $29,133

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $535,119 $550,449 $571,464 $434,663 $415,719 $421,632

(dollars in thousands)

Region 5 - Pacific Southwest Region Region 6 - Pacific Northwest Region

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-77 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $136 $123 $104 $9 $1 $3

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $10,973 $8,487 $8,957 $16 $18 $86

State Fire Assistance 7,423 5,982 6,228 76 75 75

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 16,784 7,127 7,593 0 0 110

Volunteer Fire Assistance 1,839 1,837 1,740 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 8,325 6,221 7,780 0 0 3

Forest Legacy Program 10,699 12,834 7,121 0 0 21

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 25 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 7,422 5,542 6,336 0 0 18

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 34

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $63,466 $48,030 $45,779 $92 $93 $346

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $1,279 $1,529 $6,878 $0 $392 $1,293

Land Management Planning 3,880 3,413 3,111 2,111 1,689 1,640

Inventory and Monitoring 10,653 10,014 10,642 10,881 10,218 9,237

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29,605 29,716 27,740 24,064 23,769 22,320

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 17,658 17,985 16,729 14,757 15,452 14,375

Grazing Management 574 603 551 570 600 545

Forest Products 31,464 32,002 29,999 35,954 36,997 34,750

Vegetation and Watershed Management 14,478 14,286 14,504 15,986 16,571 16,320

Minerals and Geology Management 4,291 4,649 4,713 6,659 6,543 5,554

Landownership Management 9,489 8,410 7,721 9,137 8,517 7,681

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $123,370 $122,606 $122,588 $120,119 $120,747 $113,715

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $34,267 $36,316 $36,163 $22,416 $23,333 $23,025

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 41,868 41,967 40,979 12,933 13,430 12,988

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 497 0 0 496 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 7 134 41 0 2 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 868 191 51 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 15,394 10,731 12,668 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 2,245 1,589 1,509 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 176 0 0 175 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $95,323 $90,928 $91,411 $36,020 $36,765 $36,013

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $16,908 $10,183 $9,234 $13,149 $5,780 $5,441

Roads 19,809 17,997 17,415 16,088 14,569 14,007

Trails 8,747 8,377 7,351 7,337 7,043 6,350

Infrastructure Improvement 1,754 32 293 104 918 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 5,311 4,803 4,542 4,115 3,787 3,428

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $52,529 $41,392 $38,834 $40,793 $32,097 $29,225

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $1,439 $1,227 $998 $1,680 $1,575 $1,041

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $1,439 $1,227 $998 $1,680 $1,575 $1,041

Range Betterment Fund $1 $0 $1 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $336,265 $304,305 $299,715 $198,713 $191,279 $180,345

Permanent Working Funds $25,350 $26,097 $24,798 $19,551 $20,820 $20,561

Trust Funds $38,756 $38,653 $40,494 $19,845 $17,730 $20,729

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $400,370 $369,056 $365,007 $238,109 $229,829 $221,635

(dollars in thousands)

Region 8 - Southern Regions Region 9 - Eastern Region

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-78
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

Region 10 - Alaska Region

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $50 $33 $0 $24,231 $21,001 $17,816

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $1,085 $962 $745 $0 $0 $0

State Fire Assistance 744 644 667 0 0 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 700 334 1,060 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance 147 147 139 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 914 666 639 0 0 0

Forest Legacy Program 69 67 57 0 0 0

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 248 245 250 0 0 0

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $3,907 $3,065 $3,557 $0 $0 $0

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $188 $31 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 926 580 663 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 7,017 6,665 6,372 0 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 10,518 10,349 9,568 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 9,688 10,051 9,445 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 17,333 17,542 16,459 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 4,598 4,908 4,835 0 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 3,423 3,417 3,301 0 0 0

Landownership Management 4,450 4,314 4,049 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $57,953 $58,015 $54,722 $0 $0 $0

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $2,910 $2,859 $2,873 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 1,089 1,051 985 3,826 3,826 800

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 4 0 0 0 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 703 616 651

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 1,722 1,467 1,048 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 331 474 598 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 1,460 407 1,683 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 308 218 207 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 90 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $7,914 $6,476 $7,394 $4,529 $4,442 $1,451

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $10,002 $5,100 $4,952 $50 $351 $0

Roads 8,019 7,609 7,424 0 0 0

Trails 4,759 4,690 4,173 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 475 11 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 680 668 613 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $23,936 $18,078 $17,162 $50 $351 $0

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $106 $292 $304 $0 $0 $0

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $106 $292 $304 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $2,212 $2,252 $1,968 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $96,078 $88,212 $85,107 $28,810 $25,794 $19,267

Permanent Working Funds $7,225 $7,198 $6,806 $0 $0 $0

Trust Funds $2,119 $6,722 $6,509 $351 $418 $450

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $105,422 $102,132 $98,422 $29,161 $26,212 $19,717

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Products Lab

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-79 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $43,075 $40,500 $37,799 $57,188 $54,484 $51,538

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $285 $140 $160 $206 $1,049 $169

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 251 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 131 115 105 152 217 212

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 204 188 197 0 341 0

Forest Legacy Program 0 0 10 95 136 65

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 0 0 0 175 201 25

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 1,035 1,026 828 1,235 1,145 1,021

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $1,655 $1,469 $1,300 $1,863 $3,340 $1,492

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 0 3 0 190 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 29 29 29 456 26 26

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 2 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 0 1 0 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 0 45 0 460 0 0

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $29 $80 $29 $1,106 $26 $26

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $1,245 $1,240 $1,140 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 1,505 1,118 1,118 60 48 48

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 7,545 7,161 7,278 3,452 2,895 3,120

Joint Fire Sciences 263 0 762 0 0 75

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 150 173 16 0 1 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 0 2 0 65 36 46

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $10,708 $9,694 $10,314 $3,577 $2,980 $3,289

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $3,596 $1,239 $2,781 $579 $0 $470

Roads 0 0 0 0 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 4 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $3,596 $1,243 $2,781 $579 $0 $470

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $59,063 $52,986 $52,223 $64,313 $60,830 $56,815

Permanent Working Funds $100 $100 $100 $15 $10 $5

Trust Funds $184 $800 $800 $367 $300 $650

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $59,347 $53,886 $53,123 $64,695 $61,140 $57,470

(dollars in thousands)

Rocky Mountain Research Station Northern Research Station

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-80
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $42,249 $40,258 $38,152 $20,830 $19,674 $18,579

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $0 $24 $15 $161 $121 $10

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 400 404 380 0 1 60

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Legacy Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 1,005 975 827 0 0 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $1,405 $1,403 $1,222 $161 $122 $70

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 0 0 0

Inventory and Monitoring 600 609 564 0 600 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 28 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 0 1 0 0 0 0

Vegetation and Watershed Management 200 2 188 480 7 0

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $800 $612 $752 $508 $607 $0

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 340 268 346 60 48 198

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 4,061 3,699 4,242 2,985 2,591 2,824

Joint Fire Sciences 1,111 0 316 469 0 4

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 400 401 380 75 2 21

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 20 1 0 0 77 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $5,932 $4,369 $5,284 $3,589 $2,718 $3,047

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $5,469 $1 $0 $580 $501 $500

Roads 0 1 0 200 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 850 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $5,469 $2 $0 $1,630 $501 $500

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $55,855 $46,644 $45,410 $26,718 $23,622 $22,196

Permanent Working Funds $35 $35 $1,435 $2,705 $1,670 $347

Trust Funds $288 $300 $350 $618 $1,053 $1,006

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $56,178 $46,979 $47,195 $30,041 $26,345 $23,549

(dollars in thousands)

Pacific Northwest Research Station Pacific Southwest Research Station

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-81 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $52,354 $48,242 $45,097 $3,878 $3,457 $3,586

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $80 $0 $125 $39 $29 $36

State Fire Assistance 0 0 0 338 300 353

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 570 586 530 196 182 144

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 57 57 54

Forest Stewardship 423 6 0 347 463 327

Forest Legacy Program 10 40 10 87 87 85

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 58 0 0 477 404 389

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 1,372 1,217 988 0 6 0

International Forestry 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total State & Private Forestry $2,513 $1,849 $1,653 $1,541 $1,529 $1,388

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $1 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 48 13 0

Inventory and Monitoring 600 10 564 0 0 0

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 2 0 0 0 0

Grazing Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Products 0 0 0 0 0 3

Vegetation and Watershed Management 200 7 188 25 32 0

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Landownership Management 0 0 0 0 0 0

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 0 0 0

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $800 $19 $752 $73 $46 $3

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 0 0 0

Hazardous Fuels 240 198 0 0 0 0

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 2,527 2,195 2,397 0 0 50

Joint Fire Sciences 422 0 42 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 400 405 380 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 60 61 0 0 0 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 145 106 108

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 78 55 52

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $3,649 $2,859 $2,819 $224 $161 $210

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $2,414 $2,071 $0 $50 $22 $0

Roads 0 0 0 0 0 0

Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 0 0 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $2,414 $2,071 $0 $50 $22 $0

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $61,730 $55,040 $50,321 $5,765 $5,215 $5,187

Permanent Working Funds $8 $8 $5 $0 $0 $0

Trust Funds $1,503 $1,515 $1,005 $73 $0 $0

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $63,241 $56,563 $51,331 $5,838 $5,215 $5,187

(dollars in thousands)

Southern Research Station International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Special Exhibits 14-82
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $31 $0 $0 $30,285 $30,427 $32,448

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $12,513 $10,015 $11,008 $4,378 $4,800 $5,947

State Fire Assistance 6,707 5,535 5,967 754 756 827

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 17,964 13,178 13,245 1,069 571 1,269

Volunteer Fire Assistance 2,578 2,574 2,439 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 9,803 8,101 10,391 1,011 863 896

Forest Legacy Program 24,967 12,248 18,748 396 455 473

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 390 0 0 0

Urban and Community Forestry 10,395 8,440 9,452 713 757 852

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 0 0 0 266 385 294

International Forestry 0 0 0 511 509 647

Total State & Private Forestry $84,927 $60,091 $71,639 $9,097 $9,094 $11,207

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,519 $0

Land Management Planning 0 0 0 4,989 4,801 4,021

Inventory and Monitoring 0 0 0 16,102 15,520 14,608

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 1 0 0 41,251 38,618 36,145

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 0 0 0 15,821 16,495 10,437

Grazing Management 0 0 0 6,998 6,232 5,413

Forest Products 0 0 0 46,452 45,835 35,033

Vegetation and Watershed Management 0 0 0 20,795 22,446 13,188

Minerals and Geology Management 0 0 0 8,661 8,931 7,571

Landownership Management 0 0 0 11,251 11,351 9,633

Law Enforcement Operations 0 0 0 14,518 14,661 14,606

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 0 0 0

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total National Forest System $1 $0 $0 $186,840 $187,409 $150,656

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $15 $0 $21 $35,735 $112,482 $104,300

Fire Operations -- Suppression 0 0 0 103,164 11,176 41,522

Hazardous Fuels 105 105 105 39,754 36,066 27,657

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 0 0 0 416 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 0 0 0 1,809 1,795 0

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 4 4 4 1,593 1,861 0

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 81 81 367 391 357 0

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 11,144 7,484 7,573 47 0 0

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 2,246 1,589 1,509 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 0 0 0 1,226 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $13,595 $9,263 $9,579 $184,134 $163,737 $173,479

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $0 $0 $1 $8,464 $9,894 $9,496

Roads 0 0 0 22,144 21,569 16,635

Trails 0 0 0 9,452 9,569 9,327

Infrastructure Improvement 0 0 0 253 186 0

Legacy Roads and Trails 0 0 0 1,778 3,953 1,395

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $0 $0 $1 $42,090 $45,171 $36,853

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $0 $0 $0 $548 $623 $1,088

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

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

Total Land Acquisition $0 $0 $0 $548 $623 $1,088

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $0 $0 $0 $255 $236 $313

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $98,553 $69,354 $81,219 $453,249 $436,697 $406,043

Permanent Working Funds $1 $11 $100 $4,625 $4,651 $3,815

Trust Funds $0 $0 $0 $8,769 $8,580 $6,381

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $98,554 $69,365 $81,319 $466,643 $449,928 $416,239

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

Northeastern Area - State & Private Forestry Albuquerque Service Center 

Special Exhibits 14-83 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13 FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $23,568 $24,474 $25,516 $8,573 $12,412 $9,156

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $6,861 $6,876 $6,979 $4,917 $5,228 $3,902

State Fire Assistance 3,037 3,060 3,062 811 3,775 611

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 1,483 2,193 2,269 1,116 6,477 592

Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Stewardship 2,767 3,200 3,376 1,206 3,780 1,100

Forest Legacy Program 1,385 1,401 1,348 297 281 169

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 0 0 0 1,000 1,997 0

Urban and Community Forestry 1,930 1,943 2,258 2,436 6,798 1,987

Economic Action Program 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 50 70 73 62 93 68

International Forestry 8,501 7,354 6,612 480 124 309

Total State & Private Forestry $26,013 $26,096 $25,976 $12,325 $28,552 $8,738

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $0 $496 $0 $0 $12,692 $0

Land Management Planning 11,066 10,259 8,758 1,308 1,753 1,083

Inventory and Monitoring 47,942 46,625 43,288 3,781 3,668 3,506

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 19,459 19,763 18,299 8,851 10,324 7,652

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 8,520 9,149 8,182 4,104 4,663 7,779

Grazing Management 2,245 2,090 2,267 1,658 1,804 1,327

Forest Products 21,274 24,790 19,894 10,715 15,258 22,570

Vegetation and Watershed Management 18,601 23,526 19,845 6,802 8,199 8,723

Minerals and Geology Management 10,595 10,603 9,834 2,093 1,764 1,906

Landownership Management 9,805 9,681 9,547 2,740 2,203 2,405

Law Enforcement Operations 8,270 8,223 9,020 121,465 120,945 110,358

Valles Caldera National Preserve 0 0 0 3,432 3,427 3,192

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 289 0 0 -24,900

Total National Forest System $157,778 $165,206 $149,224 $166,949 $186,700 $145,600

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $83,328 $260,070 $202,624 $6,466 $34,398 $52,002

Fire Operations -- Suppression 206,733 15,746 152,224 685,614 271,319 316,066

Hazardous Fuels 19,192 15,997 15,640 11,247 8,673 12,783

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 93 0 0 85 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 303 293 0 484 454 41

Joint Fire Sciences 0 0 0 5,719 7,250 5,651

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 374 440 0 558 389 250

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 82 78 50 447 982 57

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 116 152 130 5,486 26,502 3,523

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 239 0 0 290 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $310,461 $292,777 $370,669 $716,396 $349,967 $390,373

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $0 $0 $0 $290,418 $315,381 $298,967

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $4,454 $4,388 $4,883 $1,879 $1,638 $2,465

Roads 8,183 7,765 7,264 5,050 8,987 3,844

Trails 3,231 3,209 3,357 1,937 1,366 1,946

Infrastructure Improvement 118 105 67 57 51 289

Legacy Roads and Trails 386 882 494 375 801 298

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $16,373 $16,349 $16,065 $9,299 $12,843 $8,842

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $102 $223 $265 $23,723 $44,228 $42,553

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 0 0 0 1,048 953 903

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 0 0 0 227 0

Total Land Acquisition $102 $223 $265 $24,771 $45,408 $43,456

Range Betterment Fund $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,569 $0

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $0 $0 $0 $50 $45 $45

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $47 $42 $78 $63 $43 $79

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $534,341 $525,168 $587,793 $1,228,843 $953,920 $905,256

Permanent Working Funds $2,063 $2,049 $16,193 $4,594 $25,683 $5,136

Trust Funds $2,437 $1,783 $2,166 $2,018 $7,760 $1,489

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $538,841 $529,000 $606,152 $1,235,455 $987,363 $911,881

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

National Headquarters in Washington, DC (WO) National

Special Exhibits 14-84
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Region, Station, and Area Allocations FY 2011 to FY 2013 

1/ Totals do not include payment to states. 2/ Permanent & Trust funds amounts = allocations for current year operations, not 

total receipts. 3/ FLAME, Law Enforcement, and Land Acquisition Funds managed at the National level. 4/ Wildland Fire 

Management, Fire Operations - Suppression includes $240 million in carryover emergency fire suppression funds in FY12. 

5/ Integration Resource Restoration was not assessed for cost pools in FY13 so allocations were adjusted

FY11 FY12 FY13

Forest and Rangeland Research $306,637 $295,300 $279,853

State & Private Forestry

Forest Health Management - Federal Lands $56,737 $47,425 $44,944

State Fire Assistance 32,358 30,488 25,759

Forest Health Management - Cooperative Lands 48,821 39,999 36,894

Volunteer Fire Assistance 6,680 6,669 6,320

Forest Stewardship 32,548 28,814 30,441

Forest Legacy Program 52,894 53,303 50,515

Community Forest & Open Space Conservation 1,000 1,997 1,892

Urban and Community Forestry 32,040 31,327 30,701

Economic Action Program 0 0 0

Forest Resources Information and Analysis 5,025 4,918 4,660

International Forestry 9,492 7,987 7,569

Total State & Private Forestry $277,596 $252,926 $239,695

National Forest System

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration $14,970 $39,936 $37,885

Land Management Planning 45,033 39,936 37,203

Inventory and Monitoring 167,219 161,721 150,652

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 281,627 281,176 261,932

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 140,260 140,036 106,689

Grazing Management 49,738 55,356 51,568

Forest Products 336,049 335,511 276,051

Vegetation and Watershed Management 184,341 184,046 131,967

Minerals and Geology Management 83,560 83,426 77,716

Landownership Management 91,765 85,738 79,869

Law Enforcement Operations 144,254 143,829 133,984

Valles Caldera National Preserve 3,432 3,426 3,192

Integrated Resource Restoration 0 0 136,631

Total National Forest System $1,542,248 $1,554,137 $1,485,338

Wildland Fire Management

Fire Preparedness $673,650 $1,004,442 $948,651

Fire Operations -- Suppression 995,511 537,858 509,812

Hazardous Fuels 339,604 317,076 282,558

Rehabilitation and Restoration (NFP) 11,477 0 0

Fire Research and Development (NFP) 23,869 21,699 20,603

Joint Fire Sciences 7,984 7,250 6,884

Forest Health Management -- Federal Lands (NFP) 20,710 15,958 15,151

Forest Health Management -- Cooperative Lands (NFP) 11,405 8,353 7,931

State Fire Assistance (NFP) 64,870 55,475 52,672

Volunteer Fire Assistance (NFP) 8,982 6,356 6,035

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 9,980 0 0

Total Wildland Fire Management $2,168,042 $1,974,467 $1,850,298

Use of Prior Year Funds $0 $0 $0

FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund $290,418 $315,381 $298,967

Capital Improvement & Maintenance

Facilities $135,000 $75,664 $70,572

Roads 195,196 182,525 165,959

Trails 88,381 81,851 74,999

Infrastructure Improvement 9,158 9,121 2,986

Legacy Roads and Trails 44,910 44,928 28,312

Total Capital Improvement & Maintenance $472,644 $394,089 $342,829

Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition -- Land and Water Conservation Fund $32,934 $52,521 $49,762

Acquisition of Lands for National Forests, Special Acts 1,048 953 903

Acquisition of Lands to Complete Land Exchanges 0 227 0

Total Land Acquisition $33,982 $53,701 $50,665

Range Betterment Fund $2,551 $2,569 $2,337

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research $50 $45 $45

Management of NF Lands for Subsistence Uses $2,577 $2,573 $2,438

TOTAL Forest Service (DISCRETIONARY) $5,096,745 $4,845,189 $4,552,465

Permanent Working Funds $226,080 $249,665 $238,673

Trust Funds $167,007 $172,155 $202,630

TOTAL ALL FUNDS $5,489,833 $5,267,008 $4,993,768

(dollars in thousands)

Includes direct program + cost pool funding allocated to 

Regions, Stations, Areas, ASC and the 

National Headquarters in Washington, DC

FY 2011 to FY 2013

FOREST SERVICE TOTAL

Special Exhibits 14-85 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Research and Development Threat Assessment Centers

Background

This exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 109-80, H.R. 2361 House Report 109-80, 

page 129 which directed:

The Committee expects to see detailed work plans, including costs and staffing, for the new 

Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center in Oregon and the Eastern Forest 

Environmental Threat Assessment Center in North Carolina, before funding from any 

appropriation for these new centers is distributed in FY 2006. The Committee also directs the 

Forest Service to include explicit funding amounts for these two centers in future budget 

requests, regardless of the accounts involved. The Committee notes that these centers should, as 

provided in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, focus primarily on hardwood forests and the 

threats from insects and disease which could destroy thousands of valuable acres of timberland 

and alter landscapes throughout surrounding areas. The centers should rely on emerging remote 

sensing technology and geospatial modeling.

Overview

The Eastern Forest and Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Centers (EFETAC 

and WWETAC or Centers) are national leaders in developing knowledge and tools to protect and 

sustain the Nation’s forests and rangelands. The Centers partner with government agencies, 

universities, and nongovernmental organizations to improve the collective national capacity to 

predict, detect, and assess threats to forests and wildlands. The mission of the Centers requires 

them to be responsive to emerging issues and high-priority policy initiatives such as invasive 

species, climate change, carbon sequestration, fuels management, and wildland fire risk. The 

work of the Centers is essential to ensuring that resource managers and stakeholders are 

equipped with the latest information and state-of-the-art technology.

The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center

The EFETAC is engaged in multiple projects at the forefront of technology development, 

application, and transfer in forest threat detection and assessment. The EFETAC uses satellite 

imagery to monitor forest conditions across the United States and characterize changes across 

broad landscapes. Researchers are developing indicators of landscape change and providing land 

managers and policy makers with new tools and information for strategic planning. 

Additionally, Center scientists and partners are addressing emerging issues and collaborating to 

create tools and resources related to forest ecosystems, water quality, biodiversity, and wildfires -

all within the context of assessing effects of changing climate, increasing human populations, 

and dynamic socioeconomic constraints.

Special Exhibits 14-86
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 to FY 2015 EFETAC Allocation 

(dollars in thousands) 

Expenditures

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted 

FY 2015 

Pres. Budget

Personnel $2,859 $2,651 $2,626

Partnerships, Technology 

Acquisitions, and Grants & 

Agreements

1,358 699 439

Equipment & Supplies 92 81 81

Communications 58 68 68

Travel 108 85 85

Rent & Utilities 275 277 279

Indirect Costs 455 432 411

Other 9 3 3

Total $5,214 $4,296 $3,992

FY 2013 EFETAC Accomplishments 

The EFETAC focused on synthesizing forest threats research, collaborating with multiple 

internal and external partners, and developing and sharing useful tools and technology in a 

timely and user-friendly manner. Public and private land managers used Center products to 

detect, assess, and respond to current and emerging threats throughout the Eastern United States. 

The Center’s cost-effective products and tools are web-based and accessed, at no charge, by 

public and private individuals, organizations, and agencies. On-site, virtual, and on-demand 

training is available to help users benefit from tool features. Several FY 2013 products expanded 

networks within and outside the Forest Service, broadened awareness of the Center’s role in 

threat assessment, and provided land managers and decision makers useful tools to streamline 

detection of and response to forest health issues. 

• National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy - Major investments are being

made throughout the United States to reduce or mitigate the negative effects of wildland

fire on ecological and social values. EFETAC led the science and analysis team

commissioned to provide analytical support to the development of the National Cohesive

Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy). The team worked with

partners to explore alternative courses of action and completed a national analysis of

potential policy options, their opportunities for success, and use in prioritizing strategic

action.

• Water Supply Stress Index Model - Natural resource managers are evaluating future

water resources using the EFETAC Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) ecosystem

services model. WaSSI simulates water availability in the United States, Mexico, and

Africa, with a focus on the role the National Forest System and other forested lands play

in providing clean, reliable water supplies.

• ForWarn Forest Disturbance Monitoring Tool - Land managers are using the Center’s

collaboratively developed ForWarn, a state-of-the-art forest disturbance detection and

Special Exhibits 14-87 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

tracking tool, to rapidly detect, identify, and respond to unexpected changes in the 

Nation’s forests. ForWarn captures recent disturbances almost immediately and offers 

flexibility in monitoring disturbance and forest recovery that provides a richer national 

overview of forest health to better focus and prioritize management efforts.

• Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options - The 

Center’s Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options 

(TACCIMO) helped tribal communities initiate understanding of climate change impacts 

on tribal conditions and cultural practices. Early adopters of the 2012 Planning Rule in 

the Southern and Pacific Southwest Regions used TACCIMO to meet climate change 

science needs and support a collaborative planning process.

Additional EFETAC efforts created opportunities for diverse audiences to integrate and benefit 

from cutting-edge science. Following are some examples.

• “Risk-averse” decision-makers incorporated new EFETAC techniques to account for

uncertainty in forest pest risk assessment maps.

• EFETAC collaborative research allowed forest managers and Federal, State, and private 

agencies and organizations to monitor forest health trends and make informed decisions 

regarding short- and long-term management of critical forest resources.

• A national network of ecological monitoring stations selected EFETAC research sites to 

examine the effects of climate variability and forest management practices on forest 

ecosystem health, water supply, and carbon sequestration.

• Natural resource managers, land use planners, and conservation organizations used 

EFETAC research to identify tree species vulnerable to climate change for targeting of 

additional management consideration.

FY 2014 EFETAC Program

In FY 2014 the EFETAC program will:

• continue to lead the interagency National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy science 

team and facilitate understanding, support, and implementation of national recommendations,

• refine ForWarn’s ability to monitor all lands, including agricultural, and expand use of its webbased tools, resources, and training among customers internal and external to the Forest Service,

• expand the TACCIMO web-based science resources and collaborative application opportunities 

throughout Forest Service regions and Tribal communities,

• advance the Water Supply Stress Index (WSSI) model in the United States and developing 

countries, to assess future climate scenarios for managed forests and to highlight the important 

role forests play in water supply,

• prepare a comprehensive database that aids in the prediction, prevention, and proactive 

management of invasive plants for public release,

• further collaborative research that slows the spread of invasive forest pest species, especially 

through human-assisted pathways in the United States and Canada,

• examine the effects of climate variability and forest management practices on forest ecosystem 

health, water supply, and carbon sequestration,

• lead a region-wide assessment of alternative management approaches and their impacts on forest 

productivity, carbon sequestration, and water availability,

Special Exhibits 14-88
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• cooperatively lead Project CAPTURE, a three-year effort that determines forest tree species to

target for monitoring, management, and conservation,

• work with tribal communities and organizations to provide science tools and information to aid

management on tribal lands,

• enhance and increase training, workshops, informational sessions, and other awareness

opportunities that introduce forest managers, partners, and diverse audiences to Center tools and

technologies,

• actively engage the EFETAC Technical User Group to expand the Center’s audiences and

strengthen timely research and technology transfer activities,

• continue partnering with the Forest Service collaborative web-based Climate Change Resource

Center to provide credible, science-based, and relevant information and tools to help land

managers understand climate change impacts and ecosystem management options,

• collaborate with the USDA Climate Change Hubs to expand and facilitate understanding

of climate change impacts on eastern forests, and

• continue communication with WWETAC, increase collaborative tool development, and

explore ways to jointly share information to regional and national audiences.

FY 2015 EFETAC Work Plan 

The EFETAC work plan for FY 2015 includes: 

• advance ForWarn’s application on all lands and to multiple user groups and expand web-based

tools, products, and training opportunities,

• establish a prioritization framework that enables resource managers and scientists to

evaluate genetic resources of forest tree species regionally and nationally,

• expand the Center’s role in increasing strategic options developed within the National Cohesive

Wildland Fire Management Strategy and promote use of advanced tools and information across

all lands and within all jurisdictions,

• publish a new version of the Forecasts of Climate-Associated Shifts in Tree Species

(ForeCASTS) project report, used to predict and map the location and quality of habitat

for several hundred North American forest tree species,

• collaboratively build the joint capacity of university researchers and extension specialists to

deliver climate science information to the public using TACCIMO,

• explore additional domestic and international applications for the WSSI model to evaluate effects

of climate change on water resources, carbon sequestration, and changes in biodiversity,

• increase communications, science delivery, and partnerships to broaden the Center’s audience

and research influence,

• continue to lead efforts and support national Forest Health Monitoring activities and related

programs and assessments,

• initiate and advance research in areas including wildland fire modeling, threat interaction

mapping, hazardous fuels treatment decision support systems, broad-scale vegetation monitoring,

hydrologic modeling, pest risk assessment, and climate and land use change, and

• increase collaborative opportunities with the Forest Service Climate Change Resource

Center and the USDA Climate Change Hubs to continue expanding climate change

understanding.

Special Exhibits 14-89 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

The Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center

The WWETAC provides early detection and prediction of the potential effects of multiple 

interacting threats and stresses. The Center hosts workshops and conferences to identify and 

synthesize current knowledge regarding threat assessment and improve predictive modeling. 

The WWETAC has collaborative agreements with universities, local and federal government 

partners, and non-governmental organizations to advance the application of remote sensing and 

geospatial technologies, develop assessment tools, and make scientific knowledge more 

accessible to analysts and managers.

FY 2013 – FY 2015 WWETAC Allocation

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 WWETAC Accomplishments

In FY 2013 the WWETAC had the following achievements.

•

• The WWETAC continued to parameterize TACCIMO. Region 5 parameterization was 

completed in FY 2012. In FY 2013, four of the remaining six regions were partially 

parameterized, with all seven western regions to be completed in FY 2014. Over 200 

data layers of projected change in vegetation and carbon content were added to 

TACCIMO.

• BioMap, a dynamic vegetation model designed to map potential and future vegetation 

and carbon content (above and below ground, CO2 fluxes) continues to be developed, 

and an online version has been posted.

• The migration potential of three species of spruce, two associated with interior Alaska 

and one associated with the coastal rainforest, was assessed. Additional studies of 

climate envelopes include tall tree bristlecone stands in the Intermountain West, 

sagebrush grouse within the sagebrush habitat, and Armillaria root disease.

• The WWETAC co-organized the International Union of Forest Research Organizations 

Working Party 7.01 and an air pollution meeting in FY 2013. The topics of these 

meetings focused on the fact that although CO2 concentration in the earth’s atmosphere 

Expenditures

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres. Budget

Personnel $670 $698 $650

Partnerships, Technology 

Acquisitions, and Grants & 

Agreements

1,020 903 865 

Equipment & Supplies 20 13 13

Communications 160 43 40

Travel 32 32 32

Rent & Utilities 78 56 56

Indirect Costs 420 332 316

Total Budget $2,400 $2,077 $1,972

Special Exhibits 14-90
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

has previously been high on a geologic time-scale, the current atmospheric chemistry 

with anthropogenic inputs is novel. Also discussed were the facts that elevated CO2 is 

also accompanied by O3, NOx, and high nitrogen deposition and strong oxides (O3, 

NOx) negate the stimulatory fertilization and increased water use efficiency of elevated 

CO2. 

• WWETAC researchers continued to revise the Wildlands Threat Mapper, a web-based

tool to map high value resources and provide a platform for wildfire risk assessments,

locales of high tree mortality, current and future vegetation and carbon content products

from dynamic vegetation models, as well as other assessments. Scientists continued to

work with NASA-Stennis to identify sources of disturbances and tree mortality as

detected by MODIS in the Western United States.

• The WWETAC completed a report that describes, inventories, and maps land type

associations for the Inyo National Forest in Region 5, using the National Hierarchical

Framework of Ecological Units. The approach relates biological and abiotic resources

across the landscape and provides validation of current vegetation for dynamic vegetation

model output for an area east of the southern Sierra Nevada.

• The WWETAC developed a candidate list of invasive species in western Washington

State and Oregon, including 112 traits to help understand their invasive capabilities. A

similar approach was initiated for the list of 500 invasive species on Forest Service lands.

A web-based tool, developed and published online, maps weed species location, shows

where other invasives are found in the immediate area, and highlights land ownership.

• The Center evaluated the combined effect of fuel management, bark beetles, and

wildfires on carbon stocks. Pine density was correlated to and explained 75 to 98 percent

of cumulative mountain pine beetle caused mortality, and included the effect of bark

beetles on significantly altered forest carbon dynamics as modeled in central Oregon.

The effect of bark beetle outbreak on both biophysical and socioeconomic ecosystem

services was evaluated for six case studies in the Western United States.

• Proceedings of a meeting reported the state of knowledge on genetic resistance to forest

insects and diseases. Topics included resistance mechanisms, evolutionary mechanism of

resistance and tolerance, pathogen evolution, tools for developing resistance and

tolerances, and tools for screening.

• The logistic regressions used to predict post-fire tree mortality were reviewed for 19

conifers. Crown scorch and bole char injury combined were the best predictors of

probability of mortality. An ongoing modeling effort to predict medium- and long-term

weather conditions conducive to large wildfires in southern California was supported.

An economic evaluation of fuel treatment effectiveness on wildfire suppression costs was

conducted in central Oregon. Planned treatments resulted in substantial reductions in

wildfire size and suppression cost (per fire). Fewer large fires resulted from ignitions and

a lower total area burned.

FY 2014 WWETAC Program 

In FY 2014 the WWETAC program will: 

•

• cooperatively develop landscape-level assessment tools with EFETAC, NASA, and the

Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team for resource specialists and land managers

Special Exhibits 14-91 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

that will aid in identifying source and level of environmental disturbances using modeling

and both satellite and fixed wing platforms,

• work with EFETAC on populating TACCIMO with summaries and publications for the 

western Regions and develop new online tools to facilitate Forest Plan revisions,

• work with the Rocky Mountain Research Station to develop a nationalized approach to 

socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change assessments at the regional level,

• continue developing assessment tools to quantify wildfire risk, fuel accumulation, and 

fuel treatment effectiveness and longevity and develop a better understanding of and tools 

to link fuel treatment with restoration objectives,

• improve understanding of vegetation succession after bark beetle and wildfires (within 

the context of climate change) and probabilities for subsequent re-burn after these 

disturbances and investigate the potential for using remote sensing to better predict shortand long-term effects on successional sequences and rates,

• develop an approach to prioritize treatment of invasive plants in the West,

• in cooperation with Region 6 and the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Research 

Stations, develop an approach to efficiently model effects of pathogens and insect 

outbreaks at the landscape level, and

• develop a new dynamic vegetation model responsive to climate change scenarios that has 

the capability to predict current and future potential vegetation, carbon, and water pools 

and communicate expected changes in climate and vegetation to land managers and 

resource specialists.

FY 2015 WWETAC Work Plan

In FY 2015 the WWETAC will:

• develop approaches to landscape-level assessments of environmental threats with 

EFETAC, NASA, the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, and Region 6 Forest 

Health Protection for the purpose of identifying source and level of environmental 

disturbances using modeling and both satellite and fixed wing platforms,

• complete parameterization of TACCIMO for the western regions and shift to weekly 

maintenance activities for this tool and cooperatively work with EFETAC to develop a 

new online tool to archive forest plans as they are revised,

• cooperatively work with the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest Research Station 

scientists to develop socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change assessments for 

Regions 6 and 10,

• apply a landscape-level fuels treatment prioritization tool for the Blue Mountains in 

Region 6 and to additional forests in Regions 1, 5, and 6 in the order of required forest 

plan revision; improve understanding of vegetation succession after bark beetle and 

wildfires; investigate the potential for using remote sensing to better predict short- and 

long-term effects on successional sequences and rates; and continue to document and 

demonstrate assessment tools with case studies for wildfire risk and fuels treatment 

effectiveness,

• continue to develop an online tool to prioritize treatment of invasive plants in the 

Intermountain West and work with Region 6 botanists to nationalize an approach for 

identifying vulnerabilities of invasive species to treatments,

Special Exhibits 14-92
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• in cooperation with Region 6 and the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Research

Stations, develop an approach to efficiently model the effects of pathogens and insect

outbreaks at the landscape level, and

• continue to develop the next phase of MAPPS (BioMap), a dynamic vegetation model

responsive to climate change scenarios that has the capability to predict current and

future potential vegetation, carbon, and water pools, validate models in three to five

locations and publish these validations, provide talking points for expected environmental

changes and vegetation response for each eco-region, and share these outputs with each

region in the West.

Special Exhibits 14-93 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Service First

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report accomplishments 

for the Service First program.

Overview

Service First (SF) is a partnership authority for the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), the National Park Service (NPS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(FWS), (P.L. 106-291 as amended in 109-54, Title IV, Section 428). The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74, Section 422) extended Service First authority 

indefinitely changing the authority from a pilot program to a permanent authority. The FY 2014 

Consolidated Appropriations Act expanded the Service First authority to all USDA and DOI 

bureaus and offices. 

The Forest Service continues to strengthen partnerships with the BLM, NPS, and FWS to attain 

the three Service First goals of improving natural and cultural resource stewardship, enhancing 

customer service, and increasing operational efficiency. The four agencies provide national 

leadership, direction, and counsel on implementing the authorities and promoting the principles 

of Service First through the Service First Leadership Team (SFLT). The SFLT’s goals include 

enhancing each agency’s ability to meet its mission, increasing collective capacity to manage 

Federal resources on a landscape basis, overcoming institutional barriers that hinder interagency 

programs and initiatives, and improving constituent and customer service and resource 

management through streamlined processes, increased efficiencies, and use of emerging 

technologies.

Service First does not have a budget line item in the Forest Service but instead is funded from the 

program most appropriate, based on activity, within the National Forest System appropriation. 

FY 2015 Service First Goals 

For FY 2015, the Service First Field Advisory Board will continue determining field-based needs 

for Service First. This group was developed in 2013 and is comprised of two field 

representatives from each of the four agencies. The group will continue to develop tools to make 

SF easier for field staff to use, including the development of an intranet website to share 

information and common practices.

Service First will continue to focus on opportunities for co-location of agency facilities where 

feasible and appropriate. Co-location facilitates interagency communication and results in 

integration of natural resource management across the landscape. Co-location is one method for 

increasing coordination across resource programs that include conserving water, hazardous fuels

reduction, landscape scale species conservation, sustaining our rural communities, nurturing 

Special Exhibits 14-94
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

youth through education and connections to the outdoors, and recreation management including 

off-highway vehicle (OHV) and trail management. 

Service First will also continue to make advances in finding and creating solutions to information 

technology functionality between the four agencies while maintaining the appropriate levels of 

network security. Recent advances in technology will allow certain web enabled programs to be 

shared between agencies, and will enable access to each other’s intranet sites and general sharing 

of information to facilitate accomplishment of each agency’s mission. Joint access to more 

complex databases including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), invasive weed inventories, 

and other natural resource data will result in more seamless customer service and improved 

operational efficiency for shared employees and co-located offices. 

Service First will continue to strengthen the network of practitioners in the field. We will 

continue development of standard operating procedures, tools for routine uses of Service First, 

and outreach and education about how to best use the Service First authority. 

FY 2013 Accomplishments 

We accomplished numerous successes in FY 2013 in addition to the continued support of 

Service First implementation in the field, including:

Service First Memorandum of Understanding – The National Service First MOU was 

updated in 2013. It provides a framework for cooperation to improve the Agencies’ 

effectiveness and efficiency in implementing Service First by clarifying the use of the 

Service First authority so that agency use of the authority increases and facilitates use of 

best practices in implementing the Service First authority.

Service First Field Advisory Board - The SFFAB was created to explore both 

opportunities and challenges with Service First and provide tangible results so that 

Service First ideas and tools are more readily accessible to local management units.

Master Interagency Agreement (7600B) - The National Service First Master Interagency 

Agreement serves as the terms and conditions for all Service First Agreements and

replaces separate forms that each agency previously used.

Service First Congressional Report - This report, as requested by Congress, reflects the 

known status of Service First as of the spring of 2012. Key sections include uses of, 

success stories, and recommendations for Service First. 

Service First – File Sharing & Storage (Max.gov) – Max.gov provides an interface for 

government-wide advanced collaborations, information sharing, data collection, 

publishing and analytical capabilities for Federal agencies and partners. The SF Max.gov 

site will serve as the internal network for SF agencies. 

Special Exhibits 14-95 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Service First Success Tracker - The intention of this form is to gather information about 

the successes with Service First and acknowledge the individual contributions of public 

service officials and organizations across the nation by sharing those successes.

Service First Examples Library - The Service First Examples Library is a collection of 

Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), Memorandums of Agreement (MOA), 

Interagency Agreements (IA), and Letters of Delegated Authority between the four 

agencies in various combinations, which can be used as a reference for compiling future 

agreements. The goal of the Service First Library is to provide users with well-written 

and clear examples of Service First materials on particular topics that can be easily 

located in one central location, such as Max.gov. The Library will provide useful 

examples and language for creating interagency MOUs, MOAs, IAs, etc.

Service First Strategy Document - This strategy document outlines several focal areas 

that will help move Service First into the mainstream of our business.

Special Exhibits 14-96
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Stewardship Contracting

Background 

This special exhibit is included to address requirements of P.L. 105-277 Appropriation Act 1999, 

General Provision Section 347 (g) which directed:

The Forest Service shall report annually to the Committee on Appropriations of the 

House of Representatives and Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on— 

• the status of development, execution, and administration of contracts under

subsection (a);

• the specific accomplishments that have resulted; and

• the role of local communities in development of contract plans.

Overview

Stewardship contracts and agreements are used to manage natural resources by implementing 

ecosystem restoration projects. Stewardship contracts support new and emerging markets for 

utilization of wood removed through restoration activities, including use of woody biomass for 

energy, in addition to sustaining markets that are more traditional. Requests for proposals use 

best value criteria that emphasize criteria other than price, including use of local workforce and 

creation of jobs. This focus is intended to create green jobs and promote a diverse forest 

products industry to support sustainable communities and the forest contractor infrastructure 

needed to perform critical restoration work. Stewardship contracting helps the Forest Service 

achieve land and natural resource management goals while promoting closer public-private 

working relationships by using the value of forest products to offset the cost of services. 

Improved economic conditions and expanded markets for products have contributed to the 

expanded use of this tool. Overall, over the past six fiscal years, stewardship contracting acreage 

has nearly tripled. In addition to improved economic conditions, a better understanding of how 

to best use the tool has led to the increased the size of projects. 

The Stewardship Authority 

The stewardship contracting authority authorizes the Forest Service, via agreement or contract, to 

enter into stewardship projects to perform services to achieve land management goals and meet 

local and rural community needs. The authority is found under the Department of the Interior and 

Related Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 USC 2104 note) (P.L. 105-277, div. A, Sec. 101(e), [title 

III, Sec. 347], Oct. 21, 1998, Stat. 2681-231, amended by Department of the Interior and Related 

Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 108-7, div. F, [title III, Sec. 323], Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 275). 

Section 323 of P.L. 108-7 supersedes the original authority granted to the Forest Service in 

section 347 of P.L. 105-277. The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) permanently 

extended stewardship contracting authority. 

Special Exhibits 14-97 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Stewardship contracting permits the Forest Service to apply the value of timber or other forest 

products from stewardship sales as an offset against the costs to accomplish additional land and 

resource management objectives. If the offset value exceeds the value of the resource 

improvement treatments, those receipts are retained and deposited in the Stewardship 

Contracting fund and are available, until expended, for other authorized stewardship projects. 

Stewardship contracts are awarded on a best-value basis and may be up to 10 years in duration. 

The Stewardship Contracting fund may be used for: 

• road and trail maintenance or obliteration to restore or maintain water quality;

• work to improve soil productivity, habitat for wildlife and fisheries, or other resource 

values; 

• prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of timber 

stands or improve wildlife habitat; 

• removal of vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forests, reduce fire hazards, 

or achieve other land management objectives;

• watershed restoration and maintenance;

• restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fisheries habitat; and

• control of noxious and invasive weeds, and re-establishment of native plant species.

In FY 2013, the agency continued to inform employees, partner organizations, and contractors 

about the use of stewardship contracting through informational brochures, local field trips, and 

on-line training opportunities. This ensures a common understanding of stewardship contracting 

and facilitates its use in attaining land management goals while meeting local and rural 

community needs. 

Introductory Brochure

This brochure, developed during FY 2009 to provide a basic understanding of stewardship 

contracting, describes stewardship contracting concepts and benefits, how stewardship contracts 

are used, what is unique about them, and more. This color tri-fold brochure is available at Forest 

Service offices and the following Web site: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/documents/stewardship/stewardship_brochure.pdf 

Training

The Forest Service worked with the National Forest Foundation to host a peer-learning webinar 

titled “Stewardship Agreements and Contracts - Important Tools for Accelerated Restoration” in 

December 2012. This webinar included the differences between stewardship agreements and 

stewardship contracts, highlights of recent improvements, and sharing of lessons by several 

community-based partner groups who have worked with stewardship agreements and 

contracts. Over 115 participants from partner organizations, the Forest Service, and the Bureau 

of Land Management attended the webinar.

Various self-paced computer-based tutorials and recordings of webinar trainings are available at 

the following Stewardship Contracting Program Web site: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/stewardship/training/index.shtml

Special Exhibits 14-98
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP)

Ten projects across the country were selected for CFLRP funding beginning in FY 2010. Ten 

additional projects were selected in FY 2012 and three additional high priority projects were 

funded in FY 2013. Stewardship contracting is expected to be the primary instrument for 

implementing these projects. Please refer to the National Forest System section for more details 

on CFLRP. 

Specific Accomplishments 

The total use of stewardship contracting increased in FY 2013 as compared to FY 2012. In FY 

2013, there was an increase in the amount of biomass made available for energy production, 

noxious and invasive plant treatments, and the acres of hazardous fuels treated to reduce the risk 

of catastrophic fires through stewardship contracts and agreements. Through the increased use 

of stewardship contracting, the agency accomplishes a wide variety of forest restoration work, 

including hazardous fuels reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, forest health improvement, 

and nonnative invasive plant species control. 

FY 2013 also saw continuing interest and expansion in the use of stewardship agreements, which 

allows the agency to leverage resources through working with partner organizations, and the 

addition of acres to large-term, large scale stewardship contracts, including the Four Forests 

Restoration Initiative in Arizona. Stewardship contracting has proved to be a valuable tool in 

many locations to implement restoration activities and meet multiple land management 

objectives. Table 1 below shows specific actual accomplishments during FYs 2011-2013. Table 

2 below shows the acres awarded, number of contract or agreements awarded, and volume 

awarded during the FYs 2003-2013.

Table 1. Actual Stewardship Contracting

Accomplishments (FY 2011 – 2013) 

Accomplishment

FY 

2011 

Actual

FY 2012 

Actual FY 

201321

Acres of forest vegetation 4,374 4,321 3,391

Acres of forest vegetation 32,694 25,763 36,925

Acres of noxious 

weeds/invasive plant 1,604 2.356 2,746

Acres of wildlife habitat 

restored or improved 135,816 142,648 72,578

Miles of stream habitat 

restored or enhanced 91 203 44

Miles of roads 

decommissioned 44 48 43

21 The accomplishments listed here reflect the agency’s unified accomplishments under the stewardship contracting authority. 

Unified accomplishments may credit (count) multiple activities on a given acre. In contrast, the “acres of stewardship 

contracts/agreements awarded” performance measure represents an actual “footprint.” 

Special Exhibits 14-99 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Accomplishment

FY 

2011

Actual

FY 2012

Actual FY 

201321

Miles of high clearance 

system roads improved 85 52 28

Miles of passenger car 

system roads improved 47 43 10

Volume of timber sold 

(million board feet (MMBF)) 481 672 709

Green tons of biomass made 

available for energy 477,921 577,590 865,560

Acres of stewardship 

contracts/agreements 

awarded 100,577 134,257 171,767

Acres of hazardous fuels 

treated to reduce the risk of 

catastrophic fires 103,522 93,804 130,190

Acres of wildland-urban 

interface (WUI) high-priority 

hazardous fuels treated 61,608 58,394 69,150

Number of stewardship 

contracts/agreements 

contributing to watersheds in 

fully functioning condition 13 9 17

Special Exhibits 14-100
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Table 2. Acres Awarded, Number of Contract or Agreements 

Awarded, and Volume Awarded FYs 2003-2013 

FY Acres 

Awarded

# of Contracts 

& Agreements

Volume Awarded 

(hundred cubic feet - 

ccf)

2003 11,696 35 69,547

2004 43,187 53 102,143

2005 34,491 43 196,079

2006 60,344 91 471,996

2007 77,676 110 655,072

2008 65,890 130 678,328

2009 88,304 141 743,417

2010 152,834 232 1,133,837

2011 100,577 208 962,486

2012 134,257 226 1,314,118 

2013 171,767 195 1,346,470

In many cases, multiple land management objectives are met through a single treatment activity. 

For example, a hazardous fuel reduction treatment can also improve wildlife habitat. These 

accomplishments not only result in ecosystem benefits, but also forest products for 

manufacturing and energy production, and the creation of jobs contributing to sustainable 

communities.

Local Communities 

Collaboration with local communities is a key component of successful stewardship contracting. 

Collaborative efforts start early and continue throughout project planning, implementation, and 

monitoring. Collaboration during the development of stewardship contracting projects results in 

a sense of ownership in the project by the community, a better understanding by communities of 

natural resource issues, and increased public support. Collaboration also means the Forest 

Service can tailor stewardship offerings that address local issues, needs, and capabilities. 

We have contracted with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation to conduct a programmatic 

multiparty monitoring process for FY 2013. In prior years, the Pinchot Institute found that 

stewardship contracting was maturing, and support has grown significantly. One of the major 

benefits identified is that stewardship contracting offers increased opportunities to frame a set of 

collaboratively defined desired future conditions. Participants increasingly welcome the use of 

stewardship agreements as a way to involve more stakeholders, increase learning opportunities, 

and positively influence forest management planning. The results of the FY 2013 programmatic 

monitoring efforts by the Pinchot Institute will be available in late winter or early spring 2014. 

When available, the entire report will be online at: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/stewardship/reports/index.shtml 

Special Exhibits 14-101 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Stewardship Contracting Success Stories

Here are a few examples of successful implementation of stewardship contracts and agreements. 

Oregon

In September of 2013, the Malheur National Forest awarded a 10-year stewardship contract to 

Iron Triangle LLC of John Day, OR. Shortly after the Forest awarded the first task order under 

that contract, which includes over 8,000 acres of restoration work. The goal of this stewardship 

contract is to accomplish ecological restoration at a landscape scale, eventually treating between 

180,000 and 500,000 acres.

In addition to providing opportunities for restoration work, the contract will provide jobs and 

material for forest product processing in local communities. This is significant to local 

communities surrounding the Malheur National Forest as the stewardship contract will include 

various types of work such as pre-commercial thinning, mechanical fuels reduction, road 

maintenance, and timber product removal. Approximately 500 million board feet of timber could 

be harvested over 10 years; however, annual harvest amounts are subject to negotiation.

Colorado

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, & Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests have been using 

stewardship contracting to implement forest restoration work associated with the Uncompahgre 

Plateau CFLRP Project. Stewardship contracting has been an important tool that has enabled the 

forest to trade the value of the timber for fuels reduction and other forest restoration service 

work.

The forest has awarded four stewardship contracts over the past four years (FY 2010 – 2013) to 

accomplish approximately 3,000 acres of mechanical treatment and prepare approximately 

10,000 acres for up-coming prescribed burning. The forest plans to award another stewardship 

contract in FY 2014 to accomplish another 1,250 acres of forest restoration and road-side hazard 

tree mitigation; and plans to pursue a stewardship agreement to help accelerate wildlife habitat 

improvement. The Forest plans to use stewardship contracts and agreements as the key tools for 

implementing the Uncompahgre Plateau CFLRP Project. Stewardship authority has enabled the 

GMUG National Forests to successfully provide valuable forest products to local industry, while 

accomplishing a wide variety of important forest restoration work.

Colorado and Wyoming 

The Medicine Bow – Routt National Forest Long Term Stewardship Contract is a 10-year 

stewardship contract that will treat a minimum of 1,000 acres per year for a total of 10,000 acres. 

The contract was awarded in November of 2012.

The intent of this contract is to support traditional timber industry and emerging biomass 

industries and:

Special Exhibits 14-102
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• Continue mitigation of undesirable effects of a multi-million acre, mountain pine beetle

infestation and to augment establishment of the future forest.

• Mitigate unacceptable fuel loading associated with the bark beetle infestation within the

Wildland-Urban Interface.

• Treat safety hazards associated with falling dead trees along public travel corridors and

around public infrastructure.

• Begin rehabilitating subalpine and mountain forest types to a condition more resistant to

insects, and other disturbance mechanisms. The overall objective for these treatments is

to increase age class and species diversity to promote forest resilience to disturbance,

watershed health, and improve habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

Seven task orders were awarded in the first year for a total of 1,051 acres. These task orders 

included removal of existing biomass, fuels reduction and hazard tree removal. Implementation 

of the project is in the initial stages and material removed is currently hauled to a local sawmill 

and pellet plant. 

Texas

The National Forests in Texas and the National Wild Turkey Federation have been working 

together through stewardship agreements since 2008. Currently, the forest is using a stewardship 

agreement with the National Wild Turkey Federation to thin forests on the Sam Houston 

National Forest in an area impacted in the 1980s by Southern Pine Beetle. The agreement is 

allowing for the removal of timber via thinning that the Forest was unable to sell commercially; 

this thinning will improve Red-Cockaded Woodpecker habitat. This stewardship agreement has 

a number of goals, including thinning and preparing for prescribed burning, all of which will 

lead to restoration of open-pine habitat suitable for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Wild 

Turkey, among other native plant and animal species. 

Special Exhibits 14-103 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Chevy Volt on the

Arapaho National Forest

Bike Fleet on the

Inyo National Forest

Sustainable Operations

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report on progress and 

plans for Sustainable Operations initiatives.

The Forest Service has refocused its efforts in alignment with sustainability and efficiency 

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

2007, and a series of Executive Orders (EO) including EO 13423 (Strengthening Federal 

Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management) and EO 13514 (Federal Leadership In 

Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance), as well as additional presidential mandates 

issues on renewable energy and climate action plans. Sustainable business operations also 

directly support agency cost pool reduction goals for FY 2013 and FY 2014.

Overview

In order to fulfill the Forest Service obligation to present and future generations, the agency is 

reducing its environmental footprint by making its own operations more sustainable. Our land 

stewardship mission is being strategically integrated with practices that reduce our consumption 

and overall resource use. The direct relationship between healthy forests and our faucet water, 

our heating systems, our clean air, our modes of transportation, and many other goods and 

services has never been more apparent. Several laws, regulations, and executive orders have 

established targets for reducing our agency environmental footprint. We also have a growing 

number of initiatives in place to integrate best practices, build capacity in the agency and 

community, and save money and resources by implementing efficiencies in the areas of energy, 

water, fleet and transportation, waste prevention and recycling, green purchasing and sustainable 

leadership.

Success Stories and Current Initiatives

The Forest Service continues to focus on integrating efforts in 

Business Operations, the Climate Change Advisor’s Office, Forest 

Service Research and Development, and the National Forest System 

to provide training for sustainable operations and prioritize actions 

to reduce the agency’s environmental footprint. A few examples of 

progress in the areas of energy conservation, fleet and 

transportation, water conservation, green purchasing and sustainable 

leadership are detailed below.

• Support a chartered group of sustainability champions

across the nation - the Sustainable Operations Collective -

that uses the latest technology and ideas to reduce the

agency’s environmental footprint. The Collective host’s

peer-to-peer learning sessions, maintains a national

Special Exhibits 14-104 
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

sustainable operations website with tools and information, conducted a Ranger Exchange 

program to promote District-level awareness and actions, and continues to pilot multiple 

field-level projects. The Collective was recognized with a Chief’s Award in FY 2012. 

The Collective has now shifted to become an agency-wide Collective (not just the West) 

in FY 2014.

• Strengthen a partnership with the Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy 

Lab to provide technical assistance for energy conservation and renewable energy 

analysis. The funding for this partnership has been matched by the Department of 

Energy because they want to provide a whole-agency, systematic approach to energy 

support. 

• Grow a partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA) to increase the 

momentum for greening fleet and facilities. One innovative component of this 

partnership is an analysis of our supply chain and support from GSA to partner with 

vendors to reduce waste and supply green products. 

• Continue to build momentum for collectively implementing cost and consumption 

reducing activities such as those outlined in the Top Ten Actions for Cost and 

Consumption Reduction letter, where an estimated $11 to $33 million savings could be 

achieved.

• Develop national plans to reduce energy and water consumption and costs that reach 

across Staff Areas to integrate efforts and eliminate duplication. These plans focus on 

coordinating specific national and field-level actions with policy updates, and will 

include a continuous improvement framework.

• Develop a bottom up approach to inventory greenhouse gases for operations. Provide a 

transition strategy to institutionalize sustainable operations efforts throughout all staffs 

and areas of responsibility within the agency.

• Identify better methodologies for estimating and tracking water consumption for both onsite and agricultural based activities on sites and facilities.

• Develop a database available to field-based employees and managers that contains 

reliable utility consumption data.

• Expand pilot projects for propane-based fueling stations, fleet life cycle tool analysis, and 

renewable energy projects.

FY 2014 Sustainable Operations Program Plans

In FY 2014 the agency will focus on the following priorities for sustainable operations:

• Implement the organizational framework for a Nationwide Sustainable Operations 

Collective established under an agreement signed in September of 2013 by every 

National Leadership Council member. This involves transitioning to a new core staff 

structure connected with coordinators and Points of Contacts at each Regions, Stations, 

Areas and the Washington Office. A continuous improvement framework will be 

coordinated under this agreement. Other agency partners and USDA are part of the 

Board of Directors. 

• Support agency-wide participation and performance of two corporate priority action 

items: Power IT Down, and Utility Bill Clean-up. 

Special Exhibits 14-105
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

• Continue to implement the national energy cost and consumption plan and develop 

similar plans for other footprint areas. 

• Further partnerships with other agencies such as Department of Energy (DOE), 

Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) and General Services Administration (GSA).

• Further field based centers of innovation including: greening fire, net zero fellows, 

sustainable acquisition, greenhouse gas tracking, peer learning series, eco-fleet and 

driving team.

• Continue to support making reliable utility consumption data available to field-level 

employees and managers.

FY 2015 Sustainable Operations Program Plans

In FY 2015 the agency will focus on the following priorities for sustainable operations:

• Further the implementation of the continuous improvement framework established in FY 

2014 as part of the Nationwide Collective.

• Identify and implement two additional corporate level action items to be adopted on an 

agency-wide basis.

• Continue to support making reliable utility consumption data and other Sustainable 

Operations data available to field-level employees and managers.

• Continue partnerships with other agencies such as DOE, EPA, GSA.

• Identify systems to reinvest cost savings back into Sustainable Operations activities – at 

multiple scales. 

Special Exhibits 14-106
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Unobligated Balances

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to provide an update on 

the status of Forest Service unobligated balances.

Overview

The following table contains the Forest Service unobligated balances from all prior year 

appropriated funds (regular and emergency) carried forward into FY 2014. The table does not 

include the unobligated balances from offsetting collections such as reimbursable or advanced 

collections. The appropriation totals lines are actual amounts and program distributions are 

estimates. 

FY 2013 Forest Service - Unobligated Balances, End of Year

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Service Appropriation FY 2013

Budget Line Item/Programs Unobligated Balances

Forest and Rangeland Research

Research and Development $7,445 

National Fire Plan (NFP) Research Activities 770 

Joint Fire Science 2,505 

Total Forest and Rangeland Research $10,720 

State and Private Forestry (S&PF)

Forest Health - Federal Lands $5,358 

Forest Health - Coop Lands 441 

State Fire Assistance 1,845 

 Volunteer Fire Assistance 0 

Forest Stewardship 2,379 

Urban and Community Forestry 1,136 

Economic Action Programs 0 

Forest Res Info & Analysis 101 

Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program 613

International Forestry 0 

 NFP Forest Health - Federal Lands 682 

 NFP Forest Health - Coop Lands 437 

 NFP State Fire Assistance 0

 NFP Volunteer Fire Assistance 244 

Total State and Private Forestry $13,236 

S&PF Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

S&PF LWCF (Forest Legacy) $7,505 

Total S&PF LWCF $7,505 

National Forest System

Land Management Planning $712 

Inventory & Monitoring 1,140 

Special Exhibits 14-107
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 Forest Service - Unobligated Balances, End of Year

(dollars in thousands)

Forest Service Appropriation FY 2013

Budget Line Item/Programs Unobligated Balances

Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness 1,044

Wildlife and Fisheries Habitat Management 529 

Grazing Management 622 

Rehabilitation and Restoration 0 

Forest Products 565 

Vegetation and Watershed Management 541 

Minerals and Geology Management 1,632 

Landownership Management 712 

Law Enforcement Operations 0 

Valles Caldera National Preserve 260 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 11,768 

Total National Forest System $19,525 

Wildland Fire Management

Preparedness $6,167 

Suppression 18,498 

Hazardous Fuels Management 11,867 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration 119 

Total Wildland Fire Management $36,651 

FLAME Fund

Total FLAME Fund $0 

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

Facilities Capital Improvement/Maintenance $3,455 

Roads Capital Improvement/Maintenance 1,270 

Trails Capital Improvement/Maintenance 3,359 

Legacy Roads 2,170 

Deferred Maintenance 636 

Construction Disaster Supplemental 2,174

Total Capital Improvement and Maintenance $13,064

Land Acquisition - LWCF

Land Acquisition $2,743 

Total Land Acquisition LWCF $2,743 

Other Appropriations

Range Betterment Fund $854 

Gifts, Donations, and Bequests for Research 128 

Subsistence Management (Region 10) 362 

Total Other Appropriations $1,344 

GRAND TOTAL $104,788

Special Exhibits 14-108
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

USDA Working Capital Fund and Greenbook Charges

Background

This exhibit is included to provide a three-year display of total costs paid by the Forest Service 

for these centrally administered programs.

Overview

The Forest Service, as an organizational entity of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is 

provided administrative services managed centrally on behalf of the Department. These 

centrally administered programs are broken into two activities, the Working Capital Fund and 

Greenbook. 

It is important to note that cost estimates for actual program usage have changed in the last three 

fiscal years in response to demand for services on the part of the Forest Service. The Forest 

Service estimates for the activities assessed on a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) or standard 

methodology are likely to better reflect Forest Service shares of total costs, but these may vary 

during execution.

USDA Working Capital Fund

The Working Capital Fund (WCF) includes financial and administrative services provided with 

funding under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 2235. The WCF is a financing mechanism currently 

supporting 17 activity centers across five department level organizations. These centers provide 

services to all USDA agencies, including the Forest Service, and a large number of non-USDA 

entities. Customers reimburse activity centers for the cost of services provided.

The WCF supported activities do not receive appropriated funds and are not subsidized from 

other funding sources. All costs are recovered through reimbursements from serviced customers. 

The estimated reimbursement from customers represents their projected share of costs to deliver 

service. Under terms of the general provisions in annual appropriations to USDA, agency 

administrators must authorize the billing of their agency for services they receive. The Chief of 

the Forest Service, or his duly appointed representative, must sign an agreement at the beginning 

of the fiscal year authorizing billing for services provided and supplying the appropriate 

accounting data.

The Forest Service acts as one of the overseers in the review of cost estimates for the National 

Finance Center through its participation in the WCF Executive Committee, a body comprised of 

representatives from various USDA agencies. The Executive Committee is charged with making 

budget recommendations and advising the Department’s Chief Financial Officer as to the 

financial effectiveness of the WCF. The Forest Service actively works with the Department’s 

Chief Financial Officer to review activities included in the Greenbook and the basis for any costs 

attributed to the Forest Service. 

Special Exhibits 14-109
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

On the following page is a table displaying Forest Service assessments for USDA WCF services. 

On subsequent pages is a table describing WCF services provided by the USDA.

FY 2013 to FY 2015 Working Capital Fund Assessments for the Forest Service

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Enacted

FY 2014 

Planned

FY 2015 

Pres. 

Budget

Core Service

Central Excess Property Operation $112 $106 $110 

Central Mail Unit 230 240 221

Computer Services Unit 61 102 58 

Consolidated Forms and Publications Dist. Center 621 511 533 

Comptroller Operation Division 11,830 10,596 10,547 

Creative Media and Broadcast Center 92 108 97 

Credit Card Service Center 0 1,002 1,189

Enterprise Network Services 5,052 5,232 2,373

Financial Systems 38,170 37,394 37,613 

Integrated Procurement System 8,607 7,587 7,809 

Internal Control Support Services 258 325 309 

Network Services 47 53 55 

Office of the Executive Secretariat 732 642 762 

Telecommunication Customer Services Center 138 145 148 

Total Core Services $65,950 $64,043 $61,824 

USDA Agency Specific Services

Central Mail Unit $24 $35 $27 

Consolidated Forms and Publication Dist. Center 192 225 220

Copier and Duplicating Services 476 388 487 

Creative Media and Broadcast Center 395 400 524 

International Technology Services 5,414 5,400 5,400

National Finance Center 9,253 9,325 9,659 

National Information Technology Center (NITC) 18,267 20,000 27,915 

Total USDA Agency Specific Services $34,021 $35,773 $44,232 

TOTAL WCF ASSESSMENTS $90,971 $99,816 $106,056 

The legislative cap for WCF activities, excluding NITC, for FY 2015 is $82.0 million.

FY 2014 and FY 2015 NITC/ITS costs are estimates and subject to change based on agency execution year needs. 

Special Exhibits 14-110
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

WCF ACTIVITIES

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution

National Finance 

Center Agency 

Specific

Provides: 

• Payroll/personnel services to 

USDA/non-USDA agencies

• Applications support to Office of 

Personnel Management

• Record keeper/other services to support 

the Thrift Savings Plan

• Support services for USDA accounting 

applications 

• PKI licenses/support

Beginning in FY 2005, 

services provided by NFC 

have been negotiated 

between NFC and serviced 

agencies. The nature, 

volume, and cost of services 

serve as the basis for 

Memoranda of 

Understanding between the 

parties.

National Finance 

Center Government 

Employee Services

Provides:

• Payroll/personnel services to 

USDA/non-USDA agencies 

• Applications support to Office of 

Personnel Management 

• Record keeper/other services to support 

the Thrift Savings Plan 

• Support services for USDA accounting 

applications 

• PKI licenses/support

Beginning in FY 2005, 

services provided by NFC 

have been negotiated 

between NFC and serviced 

agencies. The nature, 

volume, and cost of services 

serve as the basis for 

Memoranda of 

Understanding between the 

parties.

Financial Systems Operates/maintains the following systems:

• Financial Management Modernization 

Initiative (FMMI - core accounting) 

• Real property 

• Corporate integrated administrative 

payments 

• Other systems as necessary to support 

program agency missions and fulfill 

USDA’s fiduciary responsibilities to 

taxpayers

Financial/Adm. Pmts: Costs 

recovered based on agency 

share of FMMI workload 

(measured in general journal 

records) 

Real Property: Costs 

recovered basis on agency 

shares of USDA-owned and 

GSA/commercially-leased 

property

Comptroller 

Operations Services

Provides

• Core accounting/reporting services 

• Agency-specific services 

• Operates a corporate controller 

organization that integrates 

accountability and systems across 

USDA

Agencies are billed monthly 

at 1/12th their estimated 

annual charges

Special Exhibits 14-111
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

WCF ACTIVITIES

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Internal Control 

Support Services

Internal Control Support Services (ICSS) 

promotes and supports the USDA's internal 

control program by assisting USDA 

agencies in their internal control compliance 

efforts. As part of its services, ICSS plans 

and manages the Department's annual 

assessment of internal control over financial 

reporting, promotes best practices across the 

Department to gain consistencies related to 

internal control for financial processes, 

administrative processes and information 

technology. ICSS also provides training 

programs, group presentations and other 

support services in order to improve the 

Department's internal control program and 

to increase the Department's awareness of 

emerging events and current trends related 

to internal control.

Cost is distributed based on 

agency’s FTE percentages.

Creative Media and 

Broadcast Center

The Broadcast Media and Technology 

Center (BMTC) provides a wide array of 

video production and teleconferencing (both 

audio and video) services. The Visual 

Communication Center offers a variety of 

planning, fabrication, and development 

services for graphic productions, exhibits, 

and visitor center needs. The Center also 

provides web page graphic design services.

Agency percentage shares 

are based on the most 

recently completed fiscal 

year billings for services. 

Actual costs reflect use of 

the service and are based on 

needed labor hours, 

contractual costs, and/or 

direct materials needed for 

the delivery of a product to 

the requesting agency

NITC - IT Services Provides mainframe computer operations 

and application development and support 

services to support agency programs. NITC 

also provides IT consulting services and 

training, and data warehouse support for 

FMMI.

Agency percentages are 

based on estimates of 

services to be provided to 

users during the current 

fiscal year. Actual costs are 

based on the cost of services 

provided to requesting 

agencies under terms of 

interagency agreements.

Special Exhibits 14-112
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

WCF ACTIVITIES

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution

National Telecom 

Services

Provides centralized telecommunications 

support services nationwide for the USDA; 

manages and provide internet access to 

USDA agencies and data connections 

between agencies (USDA Intranet); assists 

agencies in using telecommunication 

services in a cost-effective manner.

Agencies’ percentage shares 

are based on prior year 

agencies’ utilization of voice 

and data telecommunication 

services. Actual costs for 

technical and data services 

are recovered via distribution 

through the WCF.

Telecom Customer 

Services Center 

(TSCS)

Manages and maintains the USDA’s voice 

telephone services in the Washington, DC 

metropolitan area that serves as the single 

point of contact for all local requests for 

telephone services and purchases; manages 

and administers the nationwide voice mail 

system; provides maintenance services for 

telephone equipment in the Washington, DC 

metropolitan area and voice mail services.

Agency percentage shares 

are based on the number of 

telephone lines in the WMA 

and the number of voice 

mailboxes on the primary 

node.

Network Services Provides technical/operational assistance on 

data networking telecommunications 

systems; designs, installs, operates, and 

manages shared services provided on 

departmental networks and platforms; 

participates in the design, engineering, and 

operations management of the Enterprise 

Network.

Agency percentage share is 

based on FY 2003 FTEs for 

the USDA facilities serviced 

by the Departmental LAN 

and e-mail usage.

Computer Services 

Network Support

Provides LAN, desktop, application, and 

web development support and maintenance 

to the Office of the Secretary (OSEC).

Basic services for OSEC are 

paid by the Office of the

Chief Information Officer 

(appropriate). The cost for 

the support services to the 

Under and Assistant 

Secretaries are distributed 

among agencies based on 

estimated fiscal year 

nationwide FTEs.

Special Exhibits 14-113
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

WCF ACTIVITIES

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Central Supply Stores Provides required office supplies to the 

Office of the Secretary and USDA agencies 

in the Washington, DC metropolitan area; 

provides nation-wide supply support to the 

meat and poultry inspectors for the Food 

Safety Inspection Service.

Agency percentage shares 

are based on actual use of 

store services in the most 

recently completed fiscal 

year. Actual costs are 

recovered on the basis of the 

acquisition cost of supplies 

procured by agencies, plus 

an overhead charge.

Central Forms and 

Pubs - Transport 

Costs

Provides acquisition (printing), warehouse, 

and worldwide distribution of 

administrative forms and publications for all 

USDA agencies and non-USDA agencies; 

provides warehouse distribution of agency 

programs and publications for all USDA 

agencies and for other participating 

government agencies.

Based on the most recently 

completed fiscal year.

Copier and 

Duplicating Services

Provides centralized copier facilities and 

equipment for employees in Washington 

DC, buildings complex and nearby satellite 

locations (Riverdale Carver Center). A large 

inventory of pool/convenience copiers is 

placed within USDA agencies throughout 

DC area.

Agency shares are based on 

prior year billings.

Mail Prep and 

Courier Services

Provides custom mailing services to USDA 

agencies.

0.0399 cents/piece for each 

piece of mail stuffed. 

Miscellaneous Services: Flat 

fee of $10.00 for courier 

deliveries in the local metro 

area. $0.30/mile for 

chauffeur services (plus 

overtime for drivers)

Procurement Systems 

Operations

Develops, implements, and maintains a 

suite of corporate acquisition software tools, 

streamlining processes, and providing 

procurement support to USDA agencies; 

develops, implements, and maintains an 

interface with the USDA corporate financial 

system.

Cost is distributed based on 

actual agency use of the IAS 

and SmartPay systems. 

Customers are billed 

monthly 1/12 of their 

estimated annual share of 

costs.

Special Exhibits 14-114
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

WCF ACTIVITIES

Cost Recovery Methodologies

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Mail Distribution 

Services

Central Mail: Central processing of 

incoming, outgoing, and interoffice mail; 

special handling services for priority items 

in the DC area; door-to-door pickup and 

delivery service of routine and special 

mailings in the DC downtown buildings 

complex.

Central Mail/Door-to-Door: 

Agency shares are based on 

mail count samples taken by 

the Mail Unit.

Consolidated Forms 

and Public 

Distribution Center

Provides acquisition (printing), warehouse, 

and worldwide distribution of 

administrative forms and publications for all 

USDA agencies; provides warehouse 

distribution of agency programs and 

publications for all USDA agencies and for 

other participating government agencies.

Agency shares are based on 

costs of requisitions 

processed for AD and SF 

forms during the most 

recently completed fiscal 

year. 

Agency shares for agency 

forms are based on square 

footage of space for storage 

of agency forms at the 

warehouse. 

Central Excess 

Property Operations

Provides customer service and disposition 

for all excess property for USDA and other 

Federal agencies in the Washington, DC 

metropolitan area under the concept of a 

Cooperative Administrative Support Unit 

(CASU); provides property rehabilitation 

services in an effort to promote utilization 

of serviceable excess and rehabilitated 

property in lieu of purchasing new property.

Agency shares are based on 

FY 2005 FTEs for the 

Washington, DC 

metropolitan area.

Executive Secretariat Provides referral and correspondence 

control services to the Department for mail 

addressed to the Department, the Secretary, 

and the immediate office of the Secretary.

User percentages are based 

on a moving average of 

correspondence processed by 

the unit.

Greenbook

Central Cost Distribution Programs

USDA agencies pay a share of costs for external programs through “Greenbook” assessments. 

The Forest Service share is determined in a manner consistent with that for every other agency in 

the Department. Assessments are broken down into two categories:

Special Exhibits 14-115
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Actual Usage - Costs are collected for programs such as GSA space, transit subsidy, 

postage, unemployment, and workers compensation based on actual costs incurred by 

individual agencies.

Outside Assessments - Costs such as OPM Federal employment, FirstGov, and GSA blue 

pages are distributed to executive departments for reimbursement. The Department has 

no discretion as to the cost of the program. 

Departmental Reimbursable Programs

These costs provide funding for department-wide initiatives authorized by the Office of the 

Secretary. Costs for these programs cannot be recovered on a usage basis and are generally 

distributed using an FTE methodology.

FY 2013 to FY 2015 Forest Service Greenbook Costs

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014

Planned

FY 2015 

Estimated

Central Cost Distribution Programs

GSA Space - Agency $39,794 $39,794 $40,192 

DHS GSA Building Security - Agency specific 3,022 3,022 3,052 

U.S. Postal Service Mail - Agency specific 290 290 293

Unemployment Compensation 46,762 46,762 47,230

Workers Compensation 30,695 30,695 31,002

National Archives Records System 485 485 490

Flexible Spending Accounts FSAFEDS - Agency 

Specific

112 112 113

OPM Federal Employee Svcs and Admin Law 

Judges

183 183 185

Government-wide Council Activities 172 172 174

E-GOV Initiatives 2,661 2,661 2,688

Total Central Cost Programs $124,176 $124,176 $125,419 

Departmental Reimbursable Programs

Intertribal Technical Assistance Network $978 $978 $988 

Faith-Based Initiatives & Neighborhood 

Partnerships 124 124 125 

Advisory Committee Liaison Services 92 92 93

Hispanic Serving Institutions National Program 

(Formerly HACU)

631 631 637

1890 USDA Initiative 930 930 939

USDA 1994 Program (Formerly AIHEC) 248 248 250

USDA Human Resources Transformation 

(Includes Diversity Council) (Renamed in FY 

2012)

516 516 521

Virtual University 653 653 660

Peoples Garden & Visitors Center 283 283 286 

Special Exhibits 14-116
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

FY 2013 to FY 2015 Forest Service Greenbook Costs

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2013 

Actual

FY 2014

Planned

FY 2015 

Estimated

Honor Awards 16 16 16

TARGET Center 290 290 293

Sign Language Interpreter Services 134 134 135

Emergency Operations Center 734 734 741

Continuity of Operations Planning 664 664 671

Medical Services 21 21 21

Personnel and Document Security 384 384 388

Federal Biobased Products Preferred 

Procurement Program (Formerly Biobased 

Markets Program)

109 109 110

Facility Infrastructure Review and Assessment 

(New in FY 2012)

142 142 143

Retirement Processor Web Application 180 180 182

Preauthorized Funding 1,180 1,180 1,192

E-GOV Initiatives HSPD12 2,136 2,136 2,157

FEMA Emergency Preparedness 109 109 110

Consolidated Federal Funds Report 16 16 16

GSA HSPD12 Lincpass Maintenance 1,045 1,045 1,055

Transit Subsidy 1,072 1,072 1,083

Total Reimbursable Programs $12,687 $12,687 $12,812 

TOTAL GREENBOOK $136,863 $136,863 $138,231 

FY 2015 estimate is unavailable at this time. The FY 2015 numbers reflect the FY 2014 planned increased by 1% non-pay 

inflation factor.

The legislative cap for the Departmental reimbursable program activities is $14.5 million.

Special Exhibits 14-117
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

General Service 

Administration 

(GSA) Space -

Agency

Provides for the payment of rental to GSA 

for agency space, which is paid from agency 

funds. 

User percentages are based 

on occupied agency space 

which is not covered by the 

departmental SLUC 

Appropriation.

DHS GSA Building 

Security - Agency

Provides for the payment of security to 

DHS for non-appropriated funded agency 

security, which is paid from agency funds.

User Cost Estimates are 

based on security not 

covered in the central 

(departmental) appropriation 

for security.

U.S. Postal Service 

Mail

Provides reimbursement to the U.S. Postal 

Service (USPS) for mailing services 

provided to USDA agencies. 

User percentages are based 

on prior year usage. 

Adjustments are made prior 

to the end of the fiscal year 

based on direct 

accountability, i.e., metered 

costs, sampling, and 

anticipated increases in 

postal rates.

Unemployment 

Compensation

Provides reimbursement to the Department 

of Labor (DOL) unemployment trust fund 

for payment made to unemployed former 

USDA employees.

User percentages are based 

on reconciled agency charges 

for the previous fiscal year.

Worker’s 

Compensation 

Program

Provides reimbursement to DOL 

unemployment trust fund for payment made 

to unemployed former USDA employees.

Distribution is based on 

reconciled agency cases and 

dollars.

National Archives 

Records System

Effective in FY 2001, the National Archives 

became a fee-for-service records center. 

Each agency is assessed for costs associated 

with records in storage plus an additional 

amount for those departmental staff offices 

that store agency records as a part of their 

function.

Distribution is based on each 

agency’s volume of records 

stored, plus a percentage of 

department-wide records 

stored based on nation-wide 

FTEs.

Flexible Spending 

Accounts FSAFEDS 

- Agency

The National Defense Authorization ACT, 

Public Law 108-136, signed November 24, 

2003, requires all Executive Branch 

agencies that participate in the Flexible 

Spending Accounts for Federal Employees 

Program (FSAFEDS) to cover 

administrative fees on behalf of their 

employees.

The agency cost shares are 

based on the participation 

level of their employees. 

Agencies are billed for the 

operating costs by OPM and 

contract administration by a 

commercial vendor.

Special Exhibits 14-118
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

OPM Federal 

Employment and 

Administrative Law 

Judges Service

This program reimburses OPM for Federal 

Employment Services and information 

provided to USDA agencies.

Distribution is based on FY 

2003 nation-wide FTEs of 

each agency.

Government-wide 

Council Activities

Reimburses GSA for projects of the Chief 

Financial Officers Council, Chief 

Information Officers Council, and 

Procurement Executive Council.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Intertribal Technical 

Assistance Network

Program addresses the unique challenges 

faced by American Indian and Alaskan 

Native tribal governments, communities and 

individuals in effectively utilizing USDA 

programs and services. These 

challenges require intensive technical 

assistance and program access improvement 

through in an intertribal coordinated 

network and coordination with the 

Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, which also has jurisdiction and 

authority over Indian lands. Information on 

all USDA programs will be covered by the 

technical assistance efforts of staff within 

the Network. Program efforts will also 

focus on promoting the Department’s 

strategic goals within Indian Country, 

including Tribal consultation 

responsibilities, in accordance with 

government-to-government and trust 

responsibilities of USDA.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency.

Faith Based 

Initiatives and 

Neighborhood 

Partnerships

Provides for department level oversight of 

the USDA implementation efforts in the 

faith-based and neighborhood outreach 

areas and to support the White House Office 

of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives 

regional outreach conferences. This office 

was established at the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture by executive order on 

December 12, 2002.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency.

Special Exhibits 14-119
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Advisory Committee 

Liaison Services

The Office of the Secretary provides 

guidance and direction to USDA agencies 

on Advisory Committees and Boards. Costs 

to support this function and 

screening/selection of members are 

reimbursed from agencies to the Office of 

the Secretary.

Costs are distributed on the 

basis of the number of 

advisory committees in each 

agency.

Hispanic Serving 

Institutions National 

Program 

Fosters educational excellence in the 

Hispanic community and promotes 

Hispanic participation in fulfilling the 

USDA mission.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

1890 USDA Initiative Supports initiatives on Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities and the USDA 

1890 institutions (Land Grant colleges and 

universities). USDA maintains an 

agricultural liaison office at each of the 17 

1890 campuses, including Tuskegee 

University.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency.

USDA 1994 Program Promotes, fosters, and encourages 

implementing programs for improving postsecondary and higher education 

opportunities for American Indians, and 

establishing information centers for postsecondary and higher education institutions.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

USDA Human 

Resources 

Transformation 

Program (Includes 

Diversity Council)

Establishes policy, coordinates and 

evaluates the USDA agencies’ efforts to 

carryout diversity programs. Creates a 

culture of change within the USDA’s 

agencies that ensures its place as a model 

employer within the Federal government in 

terms of equal opportunity without barriers 

to achievement of diversity and inclusivity. 

Builds diversity awareness through formal 

training, participation in diversity programs, 

special observance events, participation in 

employee forums at listening sessions, and 

national employment conferences. Tracks 

progress of USDA agencies towards 

diversity goals, awareness, and best 

practices.

Distribution is based on the 

current year’s nationwide 

FTE employment ceilings for 

each USDA agency.

Special Exhibits 14-120
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Virtual University The Virtual University program will 

provide Department employees with a 

central educational facility. The facility will 

focus on providing employees with training 

for today’s workplace responsibilities and 

developmental programs to ensure a cadre 

of highly-skilled future leaders. 

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

in each agency.

Peoples Garden and 

Visitors Center

Supports the People’s Garden and serves as 

a showcase for USDA programs and 

initiatives.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

in each agency.

TARGET Center Supports the Department's workforce 

diversity and Federal Workforce 2001 

policies. Provides information on 

technologies to ensure equal access to 

electronic equipment and automated 

systems essential to today's jobs for people 

with visual, hearing, speech, mobility, or 

dexterity impairments.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency.

Drug Testing 

Program - Agency 

Specific

This program is mandated by Executive 

Order 12564 and PL 102-143. Its purpose is 

to help ensure a drug free work place with 

programs such as random, reasonable 

suspicion, post-accident, volunteer, and 

applicant testing.

Distribution is based on 

agency actual expenses.

Sign Language 

Interpreter Services

Provides interpretive services for 

Departmental programs and USDA 

agencies. During fiscal years 2010 and 

prior, the DC Metro Area Sign Language 

Services were handled through agency level 

agreements. Beginning in fiscal year 2011, 

DC Metro Area Sign Language Services 

will be included in the Departmental 

Reimbursable Program and a Metro Area 

FTE cost recovery basis will be used. The 

intent of this change is to ensure that all 

employees have access to services.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency. Agency-specific 

services will be billed 

directly to serviced agencies.

Emergency 

Operations Center

Operates a secure emergency operations 

center on a 24/7 basis. The center provides 

critical communications and coordination 

systems.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

in each agency.

Special Exhibits 14-121
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Continuity of 

Operations Planning 

(COOP)

Provides for USDA COOP activities 

including awareness training, exercises, and 

COOP plan reviews.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Medical Services Provides preventative health measures such 

as flu shots, health screening, nutritional 

principles, and fitness awareness that lead to 

a higher quality workforce environment for 

employees and contractors in the National 

Capital Region (Headquarters complex, the 

George Washington Carver Center, and the 

Patriot Plaza offices.)

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency

Personnel and 

Document Security

Responsible for ensuring the proper 

protection of classified national security 

information through the adjudicative 

process of personnel clearances and the 

proper handling, storage, and transmission 

of classified information.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Federal Biobased 

Products Preferred 

Procurement Program 

(Formerly Biobased 

Markets Program)

Supports the USDA-wide implementation 

of Bio-PreferredSM procurement 

requirements as additional biobased items 

are designated for preferred procurement. 

Supports the development of USDA 

procurement reporting tools and provides 

information resources and training to the 

USDA procurement community, as well as 

to other Federal agencies, for the purchase 

of biobased products and the inclusion of 

biobased components in contracts.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Radiation Safety The Radiation Safety is responsible for 

administering the USDA radiation safety 

program including ensuring compliance 

with the licenses issued by the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC) for use of 

radioactive materials in research and other 

programs. Six agencies use radioactive 

materials that require radiation safety 

oversight.

Distribution is based on 

usage of radioactive 

materials by agency 

personnel.

Facility and 

Infrastructure Review 

and Assessment

Provides risk-based security assessments 

with countermeasure recommendations for 

all critical infrastructure within USDA 

agencies.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Special Exhibits 14-122
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Retirement Processor 

Web Application 

(Formerly Self 

Service Dashboard 

(SSD) and 

Retirement Processor 

Web Application)

Serves as an e-authenticated single sign-on 

portal for several USDA human resources 

systems and contains a historical database 

that together with the Retirement Processor 

Web application enables employees to run 

various retirement calculation scenarios.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Preauthorized 

Funding

Provides a funding mechanism for 

reimbursable activities involving other 

Federal Departments and the USDA that 

arise during the current fiscal year.

Distribution is based on the 

current year nationwide FTE 

employment ceilings for 

each USDA agency.

E-Gov Initiatives To Improve IT planning through the 

expansion of electronic government to 

deliver significant productivity and 

performance gains across all Federal 

departments.

Distribution is based on 50 

percent of agency FTEs and 

50 percent of the agency IT 

development, modernization, 

and enhancement (DME) 

spending.

E-Gov Initiatives 

HSPD12

Supports the implementation of the 

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 

12 (the Common Identification Standard for 

Federal Employees and Contractors).

Distribution is based on 100 

percent of agency FTEs. In 

FY 2006 the cost 

Distribution was based on a 

50/50 blend of nationwide 

FTEs and agency IT DME 

investment budgets 

submitted as part of the 

Exhibit 53 submission to 

OCIO.

E-Gov Initiatives -

Content Management 

Services

Content Management Services comprise a 

suite of three related modules that utilize 

and rely upon the core components of the 

USDA’s corporate document management 

infrastructure: Stellent, Oracle, and 

WebSphere. The Content Analysis Module 

(CAM) is designed to analyze and display 

content such as public comments regarding 

an issue or proposal.

Distribution is based on 50 

percent of agency FTEs and 

50 percent of the agency IT 

DME spending.

FEMA Emergency 

Preparedness

Supports actions for procurement of an 

emergency relocation site, 

telecommunications, and miscellaneous 

support in the event of an emergency. 

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings for each USDA 

agency.

Special Exhibits 14-123
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Greenbook Activities

Central Cost Distribution Programs

Activity Description Cost Distribution

Consolidated Federal 

Funds Report

Supports the Federal Assistance Awards 

Data System (FAADS) and the 

Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) 

and the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. The 

Census Bureau collects the information and 

prepares the report as executive agent for 

the Office of Management and Budget.

User percentages are based 

on each agency’s share of 

Federal fund grants for the 

Department and Federal 

Audit Clearinghouse records.

USDA HSPD12 

LincPass 

Maintenance

Mandates the establishment of a new 

standard for credentialing Federal 

government employees and contractors.

Distribution is based on 

current fiscal year 

nationwide FTE employment 

ceilings in each agency.

Transit Subsidy In accordance with Executive Order 13150, 

the USDA is providing all qualifying 

employees nationwide a direct transit 

subsidy in order to reduce Federal 

employees’ contribution to traffic 

congestion and air pollution and to expand 

their commuting alternative.

Distribution is based on each 

agency’s percentage of the 

actual costs for each quarter.

Special Exhibits 14-124
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Wood Education and Resource Center

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional Direction, but is included to provide information 

about this program.

Overview

The Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) was started in 1999 when legislation was 

enacted authorizing the Forest Service to assume operation of the former Robert C. Byrd 

Hardwood Technology Center (RCBHTC) in Princeton, West Virginia. Under Forest Service 

management, WERC focuses on primary and secondary wood processing, woody biomass 

utilization using multidisciplinary approaches, efficient utilization of urban tree removals, 

partnerships to solve forest products related issues, as well as the following activities: 

• maintaining and expanding a competitive hardwood industry that provides jobs and 

markets for local community needs;

• increasing communication, cooperation, and collaborative problem solving within the 

forest products industry;

• supporting woody biomass utilization for energy;

• advancing market development and utilization of trees affected by insects, diseases, and 

weather events; and

• supporting appropriate green building initiatives and carbon storage in wood products.

WERC programs help maintain and improve wood industry productivity and competitiveness in 

a sustainable manner within the 35 states of the eastern hardwood region. Viable wood products 

markets enable sustainable forest management on private, State, and Federal lands. WERC staff 

includes a Biomass Coordinator position to provide leadership for woody biomass-to-energy 

efforts across the State & Private Forestry’s Northeastern Area. WERC’s biomass coordination 

efforts have resulted in a partnership with several engineering consultants that provide 

preliminary assessments of energy system conversions. These are completed for schools, 

hospitals, office, and business facilities.

The primary authority used in carrying out WERC activities is the Cooperative Forestry 

Assistance Act. WERC is funded from a number of budget line items including Forest Health 

Management-Cooperative Lands, State Fire Assistance, Forest Stewardship, Urban and 

Community Forestry, and Hazardous Fuels. 

FY 2015 Program Changes 

The FY 2015 budget request includes $960,000 for WERC, the same as the FY 2013 and FY 

2014 requests. Funds will provide priority services and support to the eastern hardwood forest 

region, particularly the wood industry. At this level of funding, WERC anticipates that few new 

competitive grants will be issued. Salaries for support activities will be approximately $730,000, 

Special Exhibits 14-125
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

leaving $230,000 for operating and other expenses. WERC staff will continue to work and 

expand partnerships to complete priority projects. Partners include State Foresters and their 

staffs, wood products industry, non-profits, local governments and agencies, other Northeastern 

Area staff members to meet its mission and goals. Key aspects of WERC’s staff time is to 

ensure appropriate grant monitoring and provide technical assistance, training, and information 

transfer specifically focused on meeting the market and utilization needs identified in the State 

Forest Action Plans from the northeastern and southern states and the new Northeastern Area 

strategic plan.

FY 2012 – FY 2015 WERC Allocations

(dollars in thousands)

Program

FY 2012

Allocation

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015 

Pres Bud

WERC $960 $960 $960 $960

In FY 2015, WERC will continue to work with partners to host or sponsor workshops and 

training for owners and managers of wood products businesses. In addition, WERC will provide 

technical assistance to the lessee of the WERC mill and shop in order to maintain a successful 

business operation that more fully utilizes the facilities and enhances employment opportunities 

to local residents. 

The Forest Service will provide technical expertise to industry, States, and other partners on 

market development; wood processing; utilization of damaged trees from insects, diseases, and 

weather events; green building; and implementation of a woody biomass strategy. 

FY 2013 Accomplishments

In FY 2013, WERC cooperated with the WO 

Cooperative Forestry office to successfully 

conduct a Statewide Wood Energy Team 

competitive grants program which enabled 

the funding of five statewide wood energy 

teams in the states of Arkansas, California, 

Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire. WERC 

continued its outreach efforts to industry and 

communities by providing over 25 industryrelated workshop/training 

sessions/webinars/webcasts. Topics 

included: wood energy, urban wood utilization, firewood, and small sawmilling techniques. 

Three webcasts were conducted to specifically address needs of the urban forestry community 

pertaining to market development and utilization of trees affected by insect and disease issues. 

WERC allocated $167,000 to four new or existing grants and agreements that focus on wood 

energy preliminary assessments, industry training, and green building products. These 

agreements focused on maintaining or expanding the economic competitiveness and 

sustainability of wood products manufacturing businesses, ultimately leading to job creation as 

WERC’s Woody Biomass 

Technical Support Team 

WERC, in cooperation with several engineering 

firms, has developed a team approach to provide 

preliminary assessments and technical assistance to 

facility owners and managers considering the use of 

woody biomass as an energy and power source. 

Since 2009, benefits have included over $4.5 million 

in annual operating savings, over $5.2 million in 

capital cost savings, and annual net CO2 offset of 

over 35.5 metric tons. Additional details about the 

program can be viewed at 

http://na.fs.fed.us/werc/biomass/index.shtm.

Special Exhibits 14-126
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

well as improved forest health and stewardship. Several of these projects focused on sustainable 

uses of woody biomass. WERC’s Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team has prepared more 

than 120 prefeasibility studies for facility owners throughout its service territory, generating 

significant project savings for facilities that converted to wood energy. These projects have 

resulted in a more productive and sustainable wood products industry in the Eastern U.S.

In addition, numerous preliminary assessments pertaining to the potential conversion of boiler 

systems to woody biomass systems have been completed through WERC’s Woody Biomass 

Technical Assistance Team. 

Allocation and Partnerships

WERC accomplishes its mission through 

several venues including:

• Workshops and trainings held at 

WERC, on the web, and at remote 

locations 

• Biomass energy technical support 

through energy engineer consultants 

conducting prefeasibility evaluations 

of facilities considering conversion to 

woody biomass for heat and power 

• A website clearing house for 

information 

• Technical assistance and support 

regarding utilization and market 

development for trees damaged from 

insects, diseases, and weather events; 

and regional operations in a cluster 

model at the Princeton WERC 

(research, technical transfer, and 

private industry partnerships on-site) 

Training programs focus on industry 

competitiveness, survivability, and 

sustainability issues. This focused effort will 

assist the wood industry in facing today’s 

critical challenges especially in the areas of 

job preservation and creation.

WERC maintains and fosters partnerships with organizations, universities, non-profits, and forprofit organizations. WERC has invested over $12 million in over 200 projects in 26 states since 

2005, in cooperation with the wood and forest industries. Project details and results can be 

viewed by visiting http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/werc/p_search.cfm.

Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood Utilization Team

2013 Governor’s Sustainability Award

The Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood Utilization Team 

(http://illinoisurbanwood.org/) champions the 

reclamation of valuable wood products from felled 

landscape trees. The introduction of traditional forest 

products industry technology into the management of 

urban forests is the innovation that allows the capture of 

wood material from the waste stream. Urban trees, 

maintained over decades for their contributions of shade, 

beauty, and air quality, energy conservation, and other 

benefits, come to an inelegant end at the conclusion of 

their useful life. Trees are felled and logs and limbs are 

usually processed into wood chips for mulch, or 

sometimes firewood. Yet, the market demands

sustainable lumber products. The Team’s new approach 

harvests logs that are considered waste, processes them 

into lumber, manufactures them into products and uses 

them locally. The Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood 

Utilization Team (WUT) promotes this new sustainable 

model by linking segments along the supply chain –

from managers of urban landscapes to sawyers to 

woodworkers to end users of wood products. The initial 

efforts and success of the team was contributable to a 

grant from the Wood Education and Resource Center. 

The team convened to address the anticipated large 

volume of ash wood that would result from the state’s 

emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation and has broadened 

to promote reclamation of all useable urban wood 

material. Through advocacy, education and training, 

demonstration projects and technical support, the Team 

has built a network of 55 sawyers; trained 130 arborists; 

assessed the timber resources in the Chicago 

metropolitan region; promoted reclaimed baseball bats 

on national television; and transferred technology and 

know-how to help other states create similar regional 

urban wood efforts.

Special Exhibits 14-127
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service

Background

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report expenses 

necessary for the Working Capital Fund.

Overview

The Forest Service Working Capital Fund (WCF) provides orderly and efficient supply and 

equipment service in support of Forest Service programs. The Department of Agriculture 

Organic Act of August 3, 1956, as amended by the Act of October 23, 1962 (15 U.S.C. 579b), 

established the WCF. The WCF is a self-sustaining revolving fund that provides services to 

national forests, research stations, other Federal agencies, and as provided by law, to State and 

private cooperators. 

The WCF requires no appropriation. Initially, regular Forest Service appropriations purchased 

assets and donated the assets to WCF. The WCF rates are determined so that WCF recovers 

operating and replacement costs. The WCF provides the following services:

• equipment leasing services, which owns and rents vehicles and aircraft, and

• enterprise services, which are reinvention teams accomplishing project work that 

improves customer service and reduces costs.

The table below displays the volume of business for major WCF activities. 

Volume of Business for Major WCF Activities

(dollars in thousands)

Type FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Enacted Enacted Pres. Budget

Equipment - Fleet $172,461 $176,433 $192,234 

Equipment - Aircraft 5,340 8,109 8,536 

Nursery 11,656 11,890 12,187 

Enterprise Services 43,600 44,500 45,000 

Total $233,057 $240,932 $257,957

Special Exhibits 14-128
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Working Capital Fund - Forest Service Fleet Management

Background 

This exhibit is not required by Congressional direction but is included to report expenses 

necessary for the Working Capital Fund - Fleet Management.

Overview

The Forest Service uses a working capital fund (WCF) to procure and operate motor vehicles and 

other fleet equipment in support of Forest Service programs. The WCF does not receive direct 

appropriations, but receives its authority through payment for services from appropriated

accounts. WCF rates are determined so that WCF recovers operating and replacement costs 

within a certain time period. WCF supports Equipment Leasing Services, an entity that owns 

and rents vehicles and other fleet equipment.

Program Priorities

In FY 2007, a fleet feasibility study recommended increasing the percentage of agency-owned 

fleet. A later (FY 2011) fleet business process re-engineering study supported the 2007 

recommendation. The Forest Service currently owns approximately 90 percent of its motor 

vehicles, and rents about 10 percent from the General Services Administration and commercial 

vendors. The goal of the agency is to retain and operate a total number of vehicles to provide the 

most cost effective and fuel efficient mix to meet the needs of the agency. WCF expenditures 

will remain fairly constant over time, as the majority of fleet reductions will occur through the 

reduction of leased vehicles (which are not part of WCF).

Vehicle Allocation Methodology and Procurement Practices

As part of the annual vehicle replacement process, the Forest Service units conduct assessments 

of fleet operations that analyze vehicle effectiveness, cost-to-serve, life cycle cost, vehicle 

pooling, and operating costs. Concurrently, vehicles with utilization that falls below agency 

standards (minimum annual mileage or days of use) are placed in motorpools, transferred to 

other units or outplaced. On-going fleet needs are determined by the Forest Service managers 

based on transportation and equipment needs to achieve their goals within the allotted budget. 

Alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) are chosen, when available. Often the limiting factor in the use 

of AFVs is the availability of alternative fuel in the geographic area.

Utilizing national guidelines, the region and station fleet specialists identify vehicles eligible for 

replacement. The final decision to procure a replacement vehicle is made at the region and 

station level. When a fleet addition or upgrade is required, a formal review and approval 

procedure is followed and documented.

Special Exhibits 14-129
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Program Oversight

To assure that the fleet program provides safe, efficient, and environmentally sound fleet 

equipment, and to ensure the safe, economical, and legal acquisition, operation, maintenance, 

and disposal of that equipment, the Forest Service uses a combination of the following:

Financial Incentives - Forest Service organizations, programs, and projects pay monthly 

rates on all WCF equipment assigned to them. This payment structure encourages 

dropping non-essential vehicles. Dropped vehicles are reassigned to other units in need, 

who pick up the payments on the vehicles.

Business Practices - Standard business practices require national and regional review. 

These include the physical property inventory, the annual assessments of fleet needs for 

scheduling replacements and holdovers, and the annual review and recalculation of 

monthly rates. The Forest Service recently implemented a formalized review and 

approval procedure for all fleet additions and upgrades. Reduction of vehicle upgrades 

and replacing larger vehicles with smaller vehicles could result in significant cost 

savings, in large part due to associated fuel efficiency savings from smaller, more 

efficient replacement vehicles.

Monitoring - Typically, a region reviews fleet management activities on two to four 

national forests each year, and the national office reviews one to two regions.

Unit line officers, with the concurrence of Forest Supervisors, regularly adjust the fleet size, mix, 

and assignment throughout the year. This helps ensure an optimal fleet and helps to keep the 

fleet safe, effective, cost efficient, and in line with legal requirements.

Special Exhibits 14-130
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Forest Service Budget Authorities

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Acquisition of Lands, 

Special Acts, San 

Bernardino National 

Forest Land 

Conveyance and 

Settlement

Provides authority for the conveyance of a small 

parcel of public domain land in the San 

Bernardino National Forest in the State of 

California and changes the authorization for 

collection and retention of receipts first 

authorized under the Sisk Act P.L. 90-171.

NFS P.L. 106-434 16 U.S.C. 

484a

Agricultural Act of 

2014, Insect and 

Disease Infestation

Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

(HFRA) to require designation of an insect and 

disease priority treatment area in at least one 

National Forest per State, if requested by the 

Governor. Treatments in those areas may be 

conducted in accordance with the authorities 

provided for fuels treatments in HFRA and also 

may be categorically excluded. Also, authorizes 

$200,000,000 per year for these activities 

through 2024. 

NFS, SPF P.L. 113-79 16 U.S.C. 

6591 et. seq. 

Agricultural Act of 

2014, Forest 

Inventory and 

Analysis (FIA)

Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to revise 

the FIA strategic plan within 180 days of 

enactment.

Research P.L. 113-79 

Agricultural Act of 

2014, Forest Products 

Advanced Utilization 

Research

Amends the Agricultural Research,

Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 to 

add a Forest Products Advanced Utilization 

provision requiring the Secretary of Agriculture 

to establish a forestry and forest products 

research and extension initiative to develop and 

September 30, 

2018

Research P.L. 113-79 7 U.S.C. 7655

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-1
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

disseminate science-based tools that address the 

needs of the forestry sector. These activities 

must be carried out in coordination with the 

Forest Service, inclidng the Forest Product’s 

Laboratory. 

Agriculture Grants 

and Powers Act of 

1965

Provides authority to erect buildings and other 

structures on non-Federal land, if long-term lease 

on the land is obtained. Also, provides authority 

to make competitive grants to eligible 

institutions, including special grants and grants 

for facility renovation and refurbishment, to 

further the programs of the Department of 

Agriculture.

ALL P.L. 89–106; 

P.L. 110–246

7 U.S.C. 450i

Alaska National 

Interest Lands 

Conservation Act of 

1980

This Act authorizes management of Federal

lands in Alaska for subsistence uses of fish and 

wildlife, providing the opportunity for rural 

residents to continue their subsistence way of 

life. This Act also allows that receipts from oil, 

gas, timber, coal, and other natural resources 

collected by the Departments of Agriculture and 

the Interior are available to prepare, offer, and 

administer the timber sale program on the 

Tongass National Forest. Authorizing up to 

$5,000,000 in annual transfers of receipts to a 

special fund.

NFS P.L. 96-487 16 U.S.C.

539d

Anderson-Mansfield 

Reforestation and 

Revegetation Act of 

1949

Requires the agency to accelerate and provide a 

continuing basis for the needed reforestation and 

revegetation of national forest lands and other 

lands under Forest Service administration or 

control. This Act authorizes appropriations as 

needed to provide for reasonable continuity of 

NFS P.L. 81-348 16 U.S.C. 

581j-k

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-2
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

reforestation and vegetation programs.

Archaeological 

Resources Protection 

Act of 1979

Authorizes the use of appropriated funds for the 

preservation and protection of historical and 

archaeological resources.

NFS P.L. 96-95 16 U.S.C. 469

Arizona National 

Forest Improvement 

Act of 2000

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to convey certain administrative sites in national 

forests in the State of Arizona, to convey certain 

land to the City of Sedona, Arizona for a 

wastewater treatment facility, and for other 

purposes.

NFS P.L. 106-458 16 U.S.C. 

484a

Bankhead-Jones Farm 

Tenant Act of 1937

Sections 31 and 32 of this Act authorize and 

direct the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a 

program of land conservation and land 

utilization, in order to assist in controlling soil 

erosion, reforestation, preserving natural 

resources, and to cooperate with Federal, State, 

territorial, and other public agencies in 

development and implementation of plans. This 

Act also provides authority to dispose of, or 

exchange, land acquired for the land utilization 

and conservation program.Section 32 also gives 

the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to 

regulate the use and occupancy of the property 

acquired by, or transferred to, the Secretary 

under or for the purposes of the Bankhead-Jones 

Act. This Act authorizes the transfer of lands 

acquired under the Act to other Federal, State, or 

Territorial agencies subject to a public reverter 

provision.

NFS P.L. 75-210 7 U.S.C. 110-

111; 7 U.S.C. 

1000-1006

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-3
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Bankhead-Jones Farm 

Tenant Act, 25 

percent of revenues to 

counties

This Act authorizes annual payments on a 

calendar year basis to counties, equal to 25 

percent of net revenues received during the year 

(excluding receipts from the sale of land). 

Counties shall use these payments for schools 

and/or roads. This Act pertains primarily to 

national grasslands and land utilization projects.

NFS P.L. 75-210 7 U.S.C. 1012

Bend Pine Nursery 

Land Conveyance Act

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to sell or exchange all or part of certain 

administrative sites and other NFS land in the 

State of Oregon and use the proceeds derived 

from the sale or exchange for NFS purposes.

NFS P.L. 106-526 16 U.S.C. 

484a; 16 

U.S.C. 480 et 

seq

Black Hills National 

Forest and Rocky 

Mountain Research 

Station Improvement 

Act

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to sell or exchange all or part of certain 

administrative sites and other land in the Black 

Hills National Forest and use funds derived from 

the sale or exchange to acquire replacement sites 

and to acquire or construct administrative 

improvements in connection with the Black Hills 

National Forest.

NFS P.L. 106-329 16 U.S.C. 

484a

Boise Laboratory 

Replacement Act of 

2000

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or 

exchange the Boise laboratory site (as defined by 

this Act), and use the resultant funds to acquire 

land and facilities to: (1) co-locate the laboratory 

with one of the Boise-area State institutions of 

higher learning; (2) replace other laboratory 

functions; and (3) acquire other land or interests 

in Idaho.

NFS P.L. 90-171; 

P.L. 106-291

16 U.S.C. 

484a

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-4
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Boundary Waters 

Canoe Area 

Wilderness Act of 

1978

Section 18(e) authorizes the construction of 

dispersed recreation sites and trails outside the 

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 

Section 7(d)(3) authorizes funding to acquire 

land and water within the designated wilderness. 

Also, see Thye-Blatnik Act of June 22, 1948, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 577h), cited in paragraph 3.

NFS P.L. 95-495 16 USC 1132 

note

Brush Disposal Act of 

August 11, 1916

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to require purchasers of national forest timber to 

deposit the estimated cost to dispose of brush and 

other debris resulting from their cutting 

operations.

NFS P.L. 64-190 16 U.S.C. 490

Burton-Santini Lake 

Tahoe Basin Act of 

December 23, 1980

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, with the 

concurrence of the Tahoe Regional Planning 

Agency, to acquire specified unimproved, 

environmentally sensitive land to be 

administered as part of the United States 

National Forest System or, if unsuitable for 

administration as such, to be transferred to a unit 

of State or local government with specified 

restrictions. Permits the acquisition of specified 

portions of the Lake Tahoe Basin. This authority 

expires when all Clark County, Nevada, land 

specified in the Act is sold by the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 

Management.

NFS P.L. 96-586

Carlson-Foley Act of 

1968

This Act authorizes use of noxious plant control 

funds reimburse States for such activity on 

Federal land.

NFS, SPF P.L. 90–583 43 U.S.C. 

1241-1243

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-5
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Coconino and Tonto 

National Forest Land 

Exchange Act

This Act provides for the exchange of five 

certain parcels of land in the Coconino and Tonto 

National Forests in Arizona, and for other 

purposes.

NFS P.L. 108-190 43 U.S.C. 

1701 et seq.; 

43 U.S.C. 

1716(b); 16 

U.S.C. 484a

Collaborative Forest 

Landscape 

Restoration (CFLR)

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 

2009 authorizes the Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration Fund, establishing a 

Treasury fund to be used to pay up to 50 percent 

of the cost of carrying out and monitoring 

ecological restoration treatments on National 

Forest System land. The Act authorizes 

$40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 

through 2019, to remain available until 

expended. Actual appropriated amounts have 

varied by year.

9/30/2019 NFS P.L. 111-11 

Title III

16 U.S.C. 

7301

Columbia River 

Gorge National 

Scenic Area Act of 

1986, land acquisition 

provisions

Sections 9 and 16a of the Act authorizes land 

acquisition within the Columbia River Gorge 

National Scenic Area.

NFS P.L. 99–663 16 U.S.C. 

544g

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-6
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Columbia River 

Gorge National 

Scenic Area Act of 

November 17 of 1986, 

establishment

Establishes the Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area in Washington and Oregon. 

Designates special management and urban areas 

within such scenic area. Directs the Secretary to 

administer the Federal lands within the special 

management areas according to forest and 

multiple-use management regulations applicable 

to the national forests. Authorizes the Secretary 

to make grants to each State for grants and loans 

for economic development in counties which 

have adopted conforming land use ordinances. 

Directs the Secretary to provide technical 

assistance to counties to develop land use 

ordinances under this Act. Allocates timber 

receipts from special management area funds. 

Directs the Secretary to make payments to local 

governments to compensate for lost real property 

taxes from federally acquired lands. 

SPF, NFS P.L. 99-663 16 U.S.C. 544

Commercial Filming The Act of May 26, 2000 authorizes retention of 

fees collected for commercial filming and 

photography land use authorizations and the 

obligation of the monies for the maintenance of 

the filming site. Land use fees are based on a 

schedule to use and occupy NFS land for 

filming/photo activities. This fee is separate from 

the cost recovery fee to process applications and 

monitor and the authorization for compliance 

with the commercial filming permit.

NFS P.L. 106-206 16 U.S.C. 

460l-6d

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-7
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

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Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Commercial Spectrum 

Enhancement Act 

(CSEA)

Title II of this Act created the Spectrum 

Relocation Fund (SRF) to provide a centralized 

and streamlined funding mechanism through 

which Federal agencies can recover the costs 

associated with relocating their radio 

communications systems from certain spectrum 

bands, which were authorized to be auctioned for 

commercial purposes.

NFS P.L. 108-494

Community Forest 

and Open Space 

Conservation Program

The 2008 Farm Bill amended the Cooperative 

Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to establish a 

program to provide federal matching grants to 

help local governments, Tribes, or 

nongovernmental organizations acquire private 

forests that are threatened by conversion to nonforest uses. Properties acquired are working 

forests open to public access. Authorizes 

appropriations of such sums as necessary.

SPF P.L. 110-246 16 U.S.C. 

2103d

Community Forest 

Restoration Act

Extends authorization to make funds available 

for use on non-Federal lands under State and 

Private Forestry appropriation.

WFM P.L. 106-393

Community Wood 

Energy Program

The Agricultural Act of 2014 authorizes 

$5,000,000 in annual appropriations for a 

Community Wood Energy Program through FY 

2018. Grants of up to $50,000 to State and local 

governments or biomass consumer cooperatives 

to develop plans for, or to acquire or upgrade 

community wood energy systems.

09/30/2018 SPF P.L. 113-79 7 U.S.C. 8113

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-8
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Comprehensive 

Environmental 

Response, 

Compensation and 

Liability Act of 1980 

(CERCLA)

Forest Service Policy is to use Forest Service 

CERCLA authority and processes to respond at 

sites under Forest Service jurisdiction or control 

where hazardous substances, pollutants, or 

contaminants threaten human health or the 

environment. Many abandoned mine sites are 

CERCLA sites, since heavy metals such as 

arsenic, cadmium, and others that may occur in 

surface water at mine sites are listed as 

hazardous substances. Further, the Forest Service 

may invoke CERCLA at mining sites where 

“pollutants or contaminants” such as sediment, 

or metals such as iron or aluminum which are not 

listed hazardous substances, are impacting the 

environment.

NFS P.L. 96-510 42 U.S.C. 

9601

Cooperative 

Firefighting Funds 

Retention

Any money collected from the States for fire 

suppression assistance rendered by the Forest 

Service on non-Federal lands not in the vicinity 

of National Forest System lands shall hereafter 

be used to reimburse the applicable appropriation 

and shall remain available until expended.

SPF P.L. 105-277 16 U.S.C. 

2106b

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-9
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

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reference

Cooperative Forestry 

Assistance Act of 

1978

Authorizes cooperation and assistance to nonFederal forest landowners and communities in 

rural forest management, urban and community 

forest management, production of timber and 

other forest resources, insect and disease control, 

rural fire prevention and control, forest 

management and planning assistance, and 

technology implementation. Includes 

authorization for many State and Private Forestry 

programs, including the Forest Stewardship 

Program, the Forest Legacy Program, and the 

Urban and Community Forestry Program.

SPF P.L. 95-313 16 U.S.C. 

2101-2114

Cooperative Forestry 

Innovation 

Partnership Projects

Allows the Secretary to competitively allocate up 

to 5% of CFAA funds for innovative education, 

outreach, or technology transfer projects. Funds 

would be available to States, Tribes, local 

governments, land-grant, or private entities with 

a 50% cost share.

SPF P.L. 110-246 16 U.S.C. 

2101a and 

continuing

Cooperative Funds 

Act of June 30, 1914, 

Forest Investigations, 

Protection and 

Improvement

This Act authorizes the acceptance of 

contributions for cooperative work in forest 

investigations, protection, management, and 

improvement of the National Forest System.

NFS 16 U.S.C. 498

Cooperative Funds 

Act of June 30, 1914, 

Wildland Fire 

Protection

The Act grants Federal Agencies the authority to 

maintain wildland fire protection organizations 

for the protection of federal lands and for the 

States to assist local fire departments in 

maintaining wildland fire protection resources 

for the protection of State and privately owned 

lands. Structure and dump fire protection, which 

are the responsibility of local fire departments, 

WFM 16 U.S.C. 498

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-10
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

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reference

are independent of this agreement.

Cooperative Funds 

and Deposits Act

This Act authorizes the Forest Service and 

cooperator(s) to perform work from which they 

would accrue mutual non-monetary benefit in the 

areas of cooperative pollution abatement; 

cooperative manpower, job training, and 

development programs; development and 

publication of cooperative environmental 

educations and forest history materials; and, 

forestry protection. Authorizes cooperation for 

fire protection for public good and where there is 

mutual benefit, other than monetary 

consideration.

WFM P.L. 94-148; 

P.L. 95-313

16 U.S.C. 

565a1 – a3; 16 

U.S.C. 2101-

2111

Cradle of Forestry The Act of July 4, 1968 authorizes the Secretary 

of Agriculture to cooperate with, and receive the 

cooperation of, public and private agencies and 

organizations and individuals in the 

development, administration, and operation of 

Cradle of Forestry in western North Carolina. 

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 

accept contributions and gifts to further the 

purposes of the Act. The 6,500-acre Cradle of 

Forestry Historic Site in the Pink Beds valley, 

NC, was established by Congress in 1968 and 

contains the first official school for forestry in 

America..

NFS P.L. 90-398 16 U.S.C. 

471h

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-11
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Department of 

Agriculture Grants 

and Powers Act of 

1965

Section 1 authorizes the erection of buildings and 

other structures on non-federal land, with longterm lease and right-to-remove, and authorizes 

the use of appropriations for expenses necessary 

to acquire long-term lease. Provides authority for 

long-term leases on non-federal land and 

building structures on non-federal land, if a longterm lease on the land is obtained. 

ALL P.L. 89-106 7 U.S.C. 

2250a

Department of 

Agriculture Organic 

Act of 1944

Section 703 authorizes the erection, alteration, 

and repair of buildings and other improvements 

on Federal land that are necessary to conduct 

authorized work, provided provision is made in 

applicable appropriations. 

CIM P.L. 78-425 7 U.S.C. 2250

Department of 

Agriculture Organic 

Act of 1956

This Act authorizes the acquisition of land by 

purchase, exchange, or other means, to carry out 

authorized work, provided that provision is made 

in applicable appropriations. This is one of the 

primary authorities for acquisition of lands with 

Land and Water Conservation Fund moneys.

NFS P.L. 84-979 7 U.S.C. 428a

Department of 

Agriculture Organic 

Act - Aviation, 

Lookout Towers, & 

Fire Management

Authorizes the Forest Service, by contract or 

otherwise, to provide for procurement and 

operation of aerial facilities and services for the 

protection and management of the national 

forests and other lands administered by the 

agency.

WFM P.L. 78-425 16 U.S.C. 

579a

Eastern Wilderness 

Act of 1975

Sections 6 and 9 authorize the acquisition, 

exchange, and donation of land for inclusion in 

the Eastern Wilderness system.

NFS P.L. 93-622 16 U.S.C. 

1132 note

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-12
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Endangered Species 

Act of 1973

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a 

program for the conservation of threatened and 

endangered plants and animals and the habitats 

in which they are found. Section 7 requires 

federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service and/or the NOAA Fisheries 

Service to ensure that actions they authorize, 

fund or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the 

continued existence of any listed species or 

destroy or adversely modify designated critical 

habitat of such species. Sections 5 and 15 

authorize the acquisition of land to protect 

threatened and endangered species.

NFS P.L. 93–205 16 U.S.C. 

1534 and 1542

Federal Agricultural 

Improvement and 

Reform Act (Forest 

Legacy)

Authorizes grants to States for carrying out the 

Forest Legacy Program, including the acquisition 

by the State of lands and interests in lands.

SPF P.L. 104-127 16 U.S.C. 

2103c

Federal Agriculture 

Improvement and 

Reform Act of 1996

This Act authorizes the acceptance of 

contributions for cooperative work in forest 

investigations, protection, management, and 

improvement of the National Forest System.

NFS P.L. 104-127 16 U.S.C. 498

Federal Highway Act This Act establishes the Federal Highway Trust 

Fund, managed by the Department of 

Transportation. Federal highway construction, 

maintenance, and other projects defined in the 

Act are financed from the Federal Highway Trust 

Fund. The Department of Transportation 

transfers these monies to the Forest Service for 

highway projects pertinent to National Forest 

System lands.

CIM P.L. 85-767 23 U.S.C. 120, 

125, 205

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-13
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Public Law 

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USC 

reference

Federal Land 

Exchange Facilitation 

Act of 1988

Section 4 of this Act authorizes appropriations to 

consider, process, and consummate land 

exchanges pursuant to the Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act of 1976 (43 USC 1701).

NFS P.L. 100-409 43 U.S.C. 

1716

Federal Land 

Transaction 

Facilitation Act

This Act authorizes the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) to sell parcels of public 

land regarded as “in –holdings” to reduce land 

management costs and fragmentation. This 

authority expires in the year 2010 at which time 

any unobligated funds will be added to the 

existing Land and Water Conservation Fund.

07/25/2011 P.L. 106-248; 

P.L. 111-212 

sec. 3007

43 U.S.C. 

2301

Federal Lands 

Recreation 

Enhancement Act

This Act provides authority to implement a fee 

program for certain recreation sites on Federal 

lands. Fees collected from users of recreation 

facilities are used to pay for on-the-ground 

operation, maintenance, and improvements of 

recreation sites and services to maintain and 

enhance recreation opportunities, visitor 

experiences, and related habitat. Funds are 

available until expended. The Act directs the 

creation of Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committees to allow for public involvement on 

recreation fee programs.

12/08/2015 NFS P.L. 108-447;

P.L. 113-46

16 U.S.C. 

6806 and 6807

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-14
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Federal Water Project 

Recreation Act, 1965

The Act has provided up to 50 percent of the 

costs of recreation facility development at certain 

reservoirs when a non-Federal entity entered into 

an agreement to provide the remaining 

development funds; to pay all of the costs of 

operations, maintenance, and replacement 

(OM&R); and to manage the area for public 

recreational use. For reservoirs constructed 

before 1965, the Federal contribution for the 

development of recreation facilities was limited 

to $100,000 for each reservoir.

NFS P.L. 89-72 16 U.S.C. 

460L-13

FLAME Act of 2009 The FLAME Act of 2009 states, " ..for fiscal 

year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, the 

amounts requested by the President for a 

FLAME Fund should be not less than the amount 

estimated by the Secretary concerned as the 

amount necessary for that fiscal year for wildfire 

suppression activities of the Secretary that meet 

the criteria specified..." The criteria are fires that 

1) cover 300 or more acres, 2) pose significant 

complexity, severity, or threat to human life, 

property, or resources.

FLAME P.L. 111-88 43 USC 1701 

note; 43 

U.S.C. 1748a

Florida National 

Forest Land 

Management Act

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to sell or exchange certain parcels of land in the 

State of Florida, and for other purposes.

NFS P.L. 108-152 16 U.S.C. 

484a

Food and Agriculture 

Act of 1977

Designates the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

as the lead agency of the Federal government for 

agricultural research, extension, and teaching. It 

also removes restrictions on the use of 

cooperative agreements with universities and 

permits cost reimbursable agreements with State 

ALL P.L. 95-113 7 U.S.C. 

3318-3319d

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-15
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Public Law 

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USC 

reference

cooperating institutions without competition.

Food Security Act of 

1985

Authorizes a conservation acreage reserve 

program, and authorizes the Secretary of 

Agriculture to utilize the services of the Forest 

Service and other Federal and State agencies to 

carry out the program.

ALL P.L. 99-198 16 U.S.C. 

3842

Food, Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Trade Act of 1990

Section 1241 authorizes the Modern Timber 

Bridge Initiative, with an authorization of 

$5,000,000 annually. Section 1271 authorizes 

assistance to landowners who suffer destruction 

of 35 percent or more of a commercial tree stand 

due to damaging weather, related condition, or 

wildfire. Section 2371 authorizes the 

establishment of and economic development and 

global marketing program, including technology 

transfer to natural resource-based industries in 

the United States. The Healthy Forest Initiative 

amended section 2371 the Act to create the 

“Rural Revitalization Technologies” program, 

which provides for the accelerated adoption of 

technologies in the biomass industry. Sections 

2372-2379 authorize economic assistance to 

rural communities in or near national forests. 

SPF P.L. 101-624 16 U.S.C. 

2106; 7 U.S.C. 

6601; 7 U.S.C. 

6611-6617

Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources 

Planning Act of 1974

Requires preparation of a renewable resource 

assessment, program plans, inventories, and 

budget request, and an update to these plans 

every 10 years.

ALL P.L. 93-378 16 U.S.C. 

1601 note

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-16
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

Title of the Act or 

Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Affected

Public Law 

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USC 

reference

Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources 

Research Act of 1978

The Act authorizes the Forest Service to conduct, 

support, and cooperate in investigations, tests, 

and other activities necessary to obtain, analyze, 

develop, demonstrate, and disseminate scientific 

information about forest and rangeland 

renewable resources in rural, suburban, and 

urban areas. It authorizes competitive grants and 

advance of funds to cooperators and grantees; 

research encouraging improved reforestation of 

cutover lands; and development and 

implementation of improved methods of survey 

and analysis of forest inventory information. An 

amendment made under P.L. 101-624 established 

a forestry student grant program for minority and 

female students.

NFS P.L. 95–307; 

P.L. 100-521; 

P.L. 101-624

16 U.S.C. 

1641 - 1648

Forest Botanical 

Products

The Department of the Interior and Related 

Agencies Appropriation Act of 2000 authorizes 

the Secretary of Agriculture to charge and collect 

fees from persons who harvest forest botanical 

products to cover costs to the agency. Funds 

collected are deposited in a special fund in the 

Treasury. This authority is authorized through 

September 30, 2019, with the funds collected 

available for expenditure through September 30, 

2020.

09/30/2019 NFS P.L. 106-113; 

P.L. 111-88:

P.L. 113-76

16 U.S.C. 528 

note

Forest Inventory 

Analysis Data Privacy

The FY 2000 Interior and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act added Forest Inventory and 

Analysis (FIA) Program to the existing Food 

Security Act of 1985, thus providing a legal basis 

for protecting the privacy of the data suppliers. 

R&D P.L. 106-113 7 U.S.C. 2276

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-17
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Forest Service 

Administration of 

Rights-Of-Way and 

Land Uses (Cost 

Recovery)

This Act provides authority to implement a pilot 

program to improve customer service to 

applicants and holders of special land use 

authorizations and reduce the agency’s backlog 

of expired authorizations. The authority allows 

the Forest Service to charge a fee for analysis of 

special use authorizations. The Act originally 

granted the authority until Sept 30, 2012; the 

Consolidated and Further Continuing 

Appropriation Act, 2013 extended the authority 

until September 30, 2013. 

Permanent NFS P.L. 106-113, 

Sec. 331; 

P.L. 113-6, 

Sec. 1415, 

P.L. 110-161, 

P.L. 113-6; 

P.L. 113-46:

P.L. 113-76

30 U.S.C. 

185(l); 43 

U.S.C. 

1764(g); 16 

U.S.C. 470h–

2(g), 

U.S.C. 497 

note

Forest Service Facility 

Realignment and 

Enhancement Act 

(FSFREA)

This Act provided authority to convey unneeded 

administrative sites and retain the proceeds for 

building maintenance, rehabilitation, and 

construction. In addition, projects initiated under 

the pilot authority of P.L. 107-63, Section 329 

may continue under the provisions of the 

FSFREA. The Consolidated Appropriations Act 

of 2012 extended the authority to September 30, 

2016.

09/30/2016 NFS P.L. 109-54; 

P.L. 111-8; 

P.L. 112-74

16 U.S.C. 

580d note

Forest Service Facility 

Realignment Pilot

The Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation 

Act of 2002 provided authority through 

September 30, 2008 to implement a pilot 

program that allowed the agency to retain 

proceeds from the conveyance of excess 

structures and expend the receipts for building 

maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction.

09/30/2008 CIM P.L. 107-63, 

Section 329

Gifts, Donations, and 

Bequests for Research

The Act of June 30, 1978 authorizes the 

acceptance and use of donated funds for research 

activities.

R&D P.L. 95-307 16 U.S.C. 

1643

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-18
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

Programs 

Affected

Public Law 

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USC 

reference

Gifts, Donations, and 

Bequests to the 

Department of 

Agriculture

The Act of October 10, 1978 authorizes agencies 

within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to 

accept donations for non-research activities (i.e., 

land or other real property).

ALL P.L. 95-442 7 U.S.C. 2269

Global Change 

Research Act of 1990

Establishes the Committee on Earth and 

Environmental Sciences, part of the Federal 

Coordinating Council on Science, Engineering, 

and Technology under the Office of Science and 

Technology Policy of the Executive Office of the 

President. Authorizes funded participation in the 

United States Global Change Research Program 

as the Forest Service Global Change Research 

Program.

R&D P.L. 101-606 15 U.S.C. 

2931

Global Climate 

Change Prevention 

Act of 1990

Establishes a Global Climate Change Program at 

USDA to study the effects of global climate 

change on agriculture and forestry. The Program 

Direction shall coordinate policy analysis, long 

range planning and research across the 

Department and with other Agencies. The Act 

also establishes the Office of International 

Forestry to be responsible for the international 

forestry activities of the Forest Service and 

establishes the Institutes of Tropical Forestry; 

authorizes the creation of a pilot project in urban 

forestry.

09/30/2018 International 

Forestry;

R&D

P.L. 101-624; 

P.L. 107-171; 

P.L. 110-234, 

sec 8202

7 U.S.C. 6701 

to 6708

Good Neighbor 

Authority

The Agricultural Act of 2014 expanded Colorado 

Good Neighbor Act authority (CGNA) to Puerto 

Rico and all States with National Forest System 

lands. (Also includes BLM managed lands) 

Through this authority the Secretary of 

Agriculture, via cooperative agreement or 

Permanent 113-79

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-19
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

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(if applicable)

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Affected

Public Law 

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USC 

reference

contract, can permit State agencies to perform 

watershed restoration and forest management 

services on National Forest System lands when 

similar and complementary restoration services 

are being performed on adjacent State or private 

lands. 

Granger-Thye Act of 

April 24, 1950

This Act authorizes cooperation with other 

parties to perform work for permittees, agencies, 

organizations, and persons for work that the 

Forest Service is authorized to do, on lands of the 

United States. Also allows for research funds to 

be advanced to Also allows for research funds to 

be advanced to cooperators. Authorizes 

assistance for work on other than Forest Service 

jurisdictions.

ALL P.L. 81-478 16 U.S.C. 572

Grazing Permits The terms and conditions contained in the 

expired, transferred, or waived (or renewed prior 

to 2004) permit or lease shall continue in effect 

under the renewed permit or lease until such time 

as the Secretary completes processing of such 

permit or lease in compliance with all applicable 

laws and regulations or until the expiration of the 

renewed permit, whichever comes first. At which 

time such permit or lease may be canceled, 

suspended or modified, in whole or in part, to 

meet the requirements of such applicable laws 

and regulations.

09/30/2015 NFS P.L. 108-108, 

Sec. 325; 

P.L. 111-88; 

P.L. 112-74;

P.L. 113-46:

P.L. 113-76

43 U.S.C. 

1752

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-20
FY 2015 Budget Justification USDA Forest Service

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Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

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Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Grey Towers National 

Historic Site Act of 

2004

Creates permanently available Grey Towers 

National Historic Site Fund. The Secretary is 

authorized to enter into Agreements for grants, 

contracts, and cooperative agreements as 

appropriate with the Pinchot Institute, public and 

other private agencies, organizations, 

institutions, and individuals to provide for the 

development, administration, maintenance, or 

restoration of land, facilities, or Forest Service 

programs at Grey Towers or to otherwise further 

the purposes of this section. 

NFS P.L. 108-447, 

Sec. 348

16 U.S.C. 461 

note

Hardwood 

Technology Transfer 

and Applied Research

This Act establishes the Institute of Hardwood 

Technology Transfer and Applied Research in 

Princeton, West Virginia, previously named the 

Robert C. Byrd Hardwood Technology Center in 

West Virginia. Certain revenues shall be 

deposited into a special Treasury fund to be 

available for obligation until expended.

SPF P.L. 106-113 16 U.S.C. 

1650

Hawaii Tropical 

Forestry Recovery 

Act of 1992

This Act grants authorities to the Secretary of 

Agriculture to treat invasive plants on Federal 

and non-Federal ownerships in Hawaii and in 

tropical forests on Federal lands in other States.

SPF, 

International 

Forestry

P.L. 102-574 16 U.S.C. 

4505a, 4503

Healthy Forests 

Restoration Act 

(HFRA) of 2003

Title I of HFRA provides for expedited 

environmental review, a pre-decisional Forest 

Service administrative review process, and other 

measures on National Forest and Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) lands that are at-risk of 

catastrophic fire. Titles II through VI authorize 

various forest health restoration programs, 

including promoting the use of woody biomass, 

creating the Health Forest Reserve Program, and 

ALL P.L. 108-148; 

P.L. 110-246

portions of 16 

U.S.C. 6501 -

18 and 16 

U.S.C. 6541-

6591

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-21
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Affected

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USC 

reference

providing watershed forestry assistance.

Herger-Feinstein 

Quincy Library Group 

Forestry Recovery 

Act

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to conduct a pilot program to demonstrate the 

effectiveness of the resource management 

activities recommended in the Quincy Library 

Group-Community Stability Proposal. The 

Secretary shall conduct the pilot project on the 

Federal lands within Plumas National Forest, 

Lassen National Forest, and the Sierraville 

Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in the 

State of California designated.

09/30/2012 NFS P.L. 105–

277; P.L. 

110-161, Sec 

434

16 U.S.C. 

2104 note

Historic Preservation 

Act of 1966

This Act authorizes use of appropriated funds for 

the preservation and protection of historical and 

archaeological resources.

NFS P.L. 89-665 16 U.S.C. 470

Historic Preservation 

Act of 1966, 

Preservation of 

Historical and 

Archaeological Data

These Acts authorizes use of appropriated funds 

for the preservation and protection of historical 

and archaeological resources and protection of 

archaeological data.

NFS P.L. 93-291; 

P.L. 96-95; 

P.L. 106-355

16 U.S.C. 

sections of 

both 460 and 

470

Illinois Land 

Conservation Act of 

1995

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 

charge reasonable user fees for the admission, 

occupancy, and use of the Midewin National 

Tallgrass Prairie; and may sell for salvage value 

any facilities and improvements which have been 

transferred under this Act. The Secretary may 

use amounts in the fund, in such amounts as are 

provided in advance in Appropriation Acts, for 

restoration and administration of the Midewin 

National Tallgrass Prairie.

NFS P.L. 104-106 16 U.S.C. 

1609 note

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-22
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Program Summary of Authority

Expiration date

(if applicable)

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Affected

Public Law 

Citation

USC 

reference

Illinois Land 

Conservation Act of 

1995, Midewin 

National Tallgrass 

Prairie creation

Established the Midewin National Tallgrass 

Prairie in Illinois, to be managed as part of the 

National Forest System. This Act also authorized 

the conversion of Joliet Army Ammunition Plant 

to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

Further, certain revenue receipts from the 

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie are 

authorized for deposit into a special Treasury 

fund to be available for obligation until 

expended.

NFS P.L. 104-106 16 U.S.C. 

1609; 16 

U.S.C. 698u

Illinois Land 

Conservation Act of 

1995, special use 

authorizations

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 

issue agricultural special use authorizations or 

grazing permits for purposes primarily related to 

erosion control, provision for food and habitat 

for fish and wildlife, or other resource 

management activities consistent with the 

purposes of the Midewin National Tallgrass 

Prairie.

NFS P.L. 104-106 16 U.S.C. 

1609 note

International Forestry 

Cooperation Act of 

1990

Authorizes support (including cooperation, 

financial, and technical assistance, without 

reimbursement) for international forestry and 

related natural resource activities outside the 

United States and its territories. Authorizes 

expansion of the research capabilities of the 

Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico. 

International 

Forestry

P.L. 101-513; 

P.L. 102-574

16 U.S.C. 

4501

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-23
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Interpretive 

Associations

(FS Partnership 

Agreements)

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture may 

enter into an agreement with a Federal, Tribal, 

State, or local government or a nonprofit entity 

to develop, produce, publish, distribute, or sell 

educational and interpretive materials and 

products and other purposes. 

09/30/2019 P.L. 94-148:

P.L. 113-76

16 U.S.C. 

565a-1

Job Corps Comptroller General Decision B-215842, dated 

June 25, 1986, (65 Comp.Gen.666). In 

accordance with this Comptroller General 

Decision Job Corps reimbursable authority is 

restricted to the activities of collections from 

non-students for meals in the students’ dining 

hall and collections from students for lost and/or 

damaged tools and clothing.

NFS

Knutson-Vandenberg 

Act of June 9, 1930

The Knutson-Vandenberg Act established a 

special fund to collect a portion of timber sale 

receipts to pay for reforesting the area from 

which the timber was cut. The Act was amended 

in 1976 to allow the use of these funds for other 

sale area improvement activities. The FY 2006 

Interior Appropriations Act amended this 

authority to allow for the expenditure of unused 

funds, not needed for work on the sale area, on 

other areas in the same Forest Service region.

NFS P.L. 71-319; 

P.L. 94-588; 

P.L. 109-54

16 U.S.C. 

576b

Lake Tahoe 

Restoration Act

This Act enables the Forest Service to plan and 

implement environmental restoration activities 

and forest management activities in the Lake 

Tahoe Basin, along with other Federal, State, 

local, regional, tribal, and private entities to 

improve water quality.

NFS P.L. 106-506

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-24
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Land Acquisition Act 

of March 3, 1925

This Act authorizes the purchase of land for 

administrative sites and acceptance of donations 

of land when no suitable Government land is 

available. Appropriated funds must be available 

for the purpose for which the land is to be used. 

This authority is subject to an annual, servicewide limitation of $50,000.

NFS P.L. 68-575; 

P.L. 85–464

16 U.S.C. 555

Land and Facilities 

Conveyance 

(Realignment)

CONVEYANCES AUTHORIZED.—In the 

manner provided by this title, the Secretary may 

convey an administrative site, or an interest in an 

administrative site, that is under the jurisdiction 

of the Secretary. The conveyance of an 

administrative site under this title may be 

made—(1) by sale; (2) by lease; (3) by exchange; 

(4) by a combination of sale and exchange; or (5) 

by such other means as the Secretary considers 

appropriate.

9/30/2016 P.L. 109-54 

P.L.1 11-8 

P.L. 112-74 

16 U.S.C. 

580d 

Land and Water 

Conservation Fund 

Act of 1965

Created by Congress in 1964, the Land and 

Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) provides 

money to federal, state and local governments to 

purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit 

of all Americans. The Fund receives money from 

fees paid by companies drilling offshore for oil 

and gas. Other funding sources include the sale 

of surplus federal real estate and taxes on 

motorboat fuel.

9/30/2015 NFS P.L. 88-578 16 U.S.C. 

460l-4

Land Between the 

Lakes Protection Act 

of 1998

This Act establishes the Land Between the Lakes 

(LBL) Trust Fund and the LBL Management 

Fund. In accordance with Title V of the Act, 

responsibility for the LBL National Recreation 

Area in Kentucky and Tennessee transferred 

NFS P.L. 105-277, 

Title V of 

Sec. 101 - e

16 USC 460lll 

(Chapter 1, 

subchapter 

CXXIII)

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-25
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from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to 

the Secretary of Agriculture. The Act directed 

the Tennessee Valley Authority to deposit into 

the LBL Trust Fund $1,000,000 for five years, to 

be available until expended. The Act also 

authorizes the Forest Service to retain certain 

recreation revenue receipts from the Land 

Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, to 

be deposited into the LBL Management Fund to 

be available for obligation until expended.

McIntire-Stennis Act 

of 1962

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to 

cooperate and assist State colleges and 

universities in forestry research on a matching 

funds basis. Authorizes the Secretary of 

Agriculture to make competitive grants to a State 

agricultural experiment station, college, or 

university, research institution or organization, 

Federal agency, private organization, or 

corporation with the demonstrable capacity to 

conduct forestry, natural resource, and 

environmental research; and to update research 

facilities and equipment available for this type of 

research.

R&D and 

SPF

P.L. 87-788; 

P.L. 101-624

16 U.S.C.. 

582a and 

582a-1-582a-7

Mineral Materials Act 

of 1947

This Act provides authority to: (a) dispose of 

mineral material and (b) approve and issue 

permits to explore and develop oil and gas 

leases.

NFS P.L. 80-291 30 U.S.C. 226, 

601-602, and 

611

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-26
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Mississippi National 

Forest Improvement 

Act of 1999

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or 

exchange U.S. right, title, and interest in and to 

specified lands in Mississippi. Makes proceeds 

from such sales or exchanges available for the 

construction of a research laboratory and office 

at the Forest Service administrative site at 

Mississippi State University at Starkville, 

Mississippi; the acquisition, construction, or 

improvement of administrative facilities in 

connection with National Forest System units in 

the State; and the acquisition of land and 

interests in land for units of the NFS in the State. 

NFS P.L. 106–113 7 U.S.C. 1281 

Note

Multiple-Use 

Sustained-Yield Act 

of 1960

Clarifies Forest lands are to be administered for 

outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, 

wildlife, and fish. Authorized and directed the 

development and administration of the renewable 

surface resources of the National Forests for 

multiple use and sustained yield of the several 

products and services obtained there from.

NFS P.L. 86-517 16 U.S.C. 528 

note

Mutually Beneficial 

Agreements

Established permanent authority for the Forest 

Service to enter in to mutually beneficial 

agreements with public or private agencies, 

organizations, institutions, or persons. Exempts 

watershed restoration and enhancement 

agreements and agreements under the first 

section of P.L. 94-148 from Chapter 63 of Title 

31, United States Code.

ALL P.L. 111-11, 

sec. 3001

16 U.S.C. 

1011

National and 

Community Service 

Act of September 21, 

1993

Authorizes the Secretary to enter in to contracts 

or cooperative agreements with any qualified 

youth or conservation corps for completion of 

conservation work.

NFS P.L. 103-82 42 U.S.C. 

12501, 12572-

12681

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-27
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reference

National Forest 

Management Act 

(NFMA) of 1976

The NFMA requires that the Forest Service 

prepare and revise at fifteen-year intervals a land 

management plan (LMP) for each national forest 

to provide for multiple use and sustained yield of 

the products and services obtained from the 

forest. NFMA also establishes restrictions on 

timber harvest, such as provisions that harvest 

can only occur where soil, slope or other 

watershed conditions will not be irreversibly 

damaged. The Act directs the Secretary to 

develop regulations to set out the process for the 

development and revision of land management

plans.

NFS P.L. 94-588 16 U.S.C. 

472a

National Forest Roads 

and Trails Act of 1964

This Act authorizes the acquisition, construction, 

and maintenance of National Forest System 

roads and trails. Also authorizes the construction 

of roads using cooperative financing from other 

agencies.

CIM P.L. 88-657 16 U.S.C. 

532-538

National Forest Ski 

Area Permit Act of 

1986

The Act authorizes the issuance of permits for 

use and occupancy of suitable lands within the 

National Forest System for construction and 

maintenance of buildings, structures, and other 

facilities for hotels, resorts, summer homes, 

stores, industrial or commercial purposes, 

education or other public use, alpine and nordic 

skiing operations, and so forth.

NFS P.L. 99-522 16 U.S.C. 497 

and 497b

National Forest 

System Drug Control 

Act of 1986

Authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to 

prevent and control drug abuse on National 

Forest System lands, including investigative 

powers beyond the exterior boundaries of the 

National Forest System. For employment, 

LEI P.L. 99-570 16 U.S.C. 

559b note, 

559b-559g

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-28
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equipment, facilities, training, and cooperative 

programs, $10 million annually.

National Trails 

System Act of 1968

Sections 7 and 10 authorize the acquisition, 

exchange, and donation of land for the National 

Trails System and for development, 

management, and volunteer assistance on the 

system.

CIM P.L. 90–543 16 U.S.C. 

1241-1251

Organic 

Administration Act of 

1897

The Act provides authority for the 

administration, protection, and management of 

the National Forests, for the purposes of 

improving and protecting the forest, securing 

favorable conditions of water flows, and to 

furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use 

and necessities of citizens of the United States. 

The Act also directs the Secretary of Agriculture 

to protect National Forests against destruction by 

fire and depredations. 

NFS, WFM 16 U.S.C. 

473-478, 479-

482, and 551

Organizational Camp 

Fees

The Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 

2003 provides authority to establish a land use 

fee system for the occupancy and use of NFS 

lands by organizational camps that serve young 

people or individuals with a disability.

NFS P.L. 108-7

Payment for Receipts 

for Schools and Roads

The Act of May 23, 1908, as amended, 

commonly known as “Payments to States”, 

authorizes annual payments on a fiscal year basis 

to States equal to 25 percent of revenues from 

the sale of goods and services by the national 

forests. States shall use these payments for 

schools and roads.

P.L. 60-136 16 U.S.C. 500

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-29
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Pest and Disease 

Revolving Loan Fund

Pest and Disease Revolving Loan Fund (Section 

10205) – establishes a revolving loan fund to 

provide low interest loans to local governments 

to finance purchases of authorized equipment to 

monitor, remove, dispose of, and replace infested 

trees. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as 

are necessary.

SPF P.L. 110-246 16 U.S.C. 

2101a and 

continuing

Pipelines Act of 1920, 

Mineral Leasing Act

Rights-of-way through any Federal lands may be 

granted by the Secretary of the Interior or 

appropriate agency head for pipeline purposes 

for the transportation of oil, natural gas, synthetic 

liquid or gaseous fuels, or any refined product.

NFS P.L. 66-146 30 U.S.C. 185

Private Schooling, 

Puerto Rico

Funds available to the Forest Service may be 

used for the purpose of expenses associated with 

primary and secondary schooling for dependents 

of agency personnel stationed in Puerto Rico at a 

cost not in excess of those authorized for the 

Department of Defense for the same area, at the 

discretion of the Chief of the Forest Service.

09/30/2019 ALL P.L. 108-447; 

P.L. 109-54; 

P.L. 111-88;

P.L. 113-76

Quarters Operations 

and Maintenance

This Act authorizes the collection of rental 

income from employees living in government 

residences. Such rents and charges shall be 

deposited in a special Treasury fund, to remain 

available for obligation until expended, for 

maintenance and operation of quarters.

ALL P.L. 98-473 5 U.S.C. 5911

Quinault Special 

Management Area

The Act of November 8, 1968 establishes the 

“Quinault Special Management Area” from part 

of the Olympic National Forest, and assigns 

responsibility to the Forest Service for managing 

its natural resources and distributing proceeds 

from the sale of forest products according to 

NFS P.L. 100-638

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-30
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provisions of the Act.

Reciprocal Fire 

Protection Act, Fire 

Protection 

Agreements and 

Mutual Aid Agencies

Authorizes agreements between agencies of the 

United States Government and other domestic 

agencies, including State and local entities and 

instrumentalities for mutual aid in fire protection 

and allows for reimbursements for costs incurred 

by the Department of Agriculture for fire 

protection rendered to be credited to the same 

appropriation or fund from which the expenses 

were paid. .

WFM P.L. 84-46; 

P.L. 113-79 

42 U.S.C. 

1856a-d; 

Reforestation Trust 

Fund

The Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities 

Act establishes the Reforestation Trust Fund 

which receives monetary resources through an 

annual warrant from Treasury, of monies 

received for certain customs duties and tariffs. 

No more than $30,000,000 may be deposited 

annually. The trust fund balance is available for 

reforestation and other “treatment of acreage.” 

The Act’s provisions give investment authority 

to the Forest Service for the trust fund balance.

NFS P.L. 96-451 16 U.S.C. 

1606a

Research Facilities 

Act of 1963

This Act authorizes support for agricultural 

research (including forestry) at eligible 

institutions through Federal grant funds, on a 

matching funds basis, to help finance physical 

facilities and equipment as required for the 

effective conduct of agricultural research and 

related academic programs.

R&D P.L. 88-74; 

P.L. 95-113; 

P.L. 99-198

7 U.S.C. 390 -

390c

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-31
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Research Grants Act 

of 1958

Provides, to agencies authorized to enter into 

contracts for basic scientific research with 

nonprofit institution and organizations, authority 

to make grants to such institutions and 

organizations; title to equipment purchased with 

such grants being vested with the nonprofit 

organization or institution. Such sums as are 

necessary; no expiration date.

R&D P.L. 85-934 42 U.S.C. 

1891-1893

Resource 

Conservation and 

Recovery Act 

(RCRA)

An Act to provide technical and financial 

assistance for the development of management 

plans and facilities for the recovery of energy 

and other resources from discarded materials and 

for the safe disposal of discarded materials, and 

to regulate the management of hazardous waste. 

RCRA was last reauthorized by the Hazardous 

and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. The 

amendments set deadlines for permit issuance, 

prohibited the land disposal of many types of 

hazardous waste without prior treatment, 

required the use of specific technologies at land 

disposal facilities, and established a new 

program regulating underground storage tanks. 

ALL P.L. 94-580 42 U.S.C. 

6901

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-32
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Resource 

Management Timber 

Receipts

The 1990 Appropriations Act made excess 

receipts from timber sales available for support 

costs of National Forest System programs as 

follow: 6 percent for trail maintenance, 4 percent 

for trail construction, 20 percent for wildlife and 

fish habitat management, 20 percent for soil, 

water and air management, 5 percent for cultural 

resource management, 5 percent for wilderness 

management, 10 percent for reforestation and 30 

percent for timber sale administration and 

management. No excess receipts were generated 

after 1989 and the balance of this fund was 

expended in FY 2012.

does not expire but 

there have been no 

excess receipts 

generated since 

1989; final funds 

spent in FY 2012.

NFS P.L. 101-121

Restoration of 

National Forest Lands 

and Improvements 

Act

This Act authorizes establishment of a fund for 

improvement, protection, or rehabilitation of 

National Forest System lands. This fund receives 

monies from (a) a forfeiture of a bond or deposit 

by a permittee or timber purchaser (b) the result 

of a judgment, compromise, or settlement of any 

claim, involving present or potential damage to 

lands or improvements. Funds are available until 

expended to cover the costs of performing the 

required work. 

NFS P.L. 85-464 16 U.S.C. 

579c

Retention of Receipts, 

Omnibus Budget 

Reconciliation Act of 

1993

This Act authorizes the Forest Service to retain 

15 percent of certain recreation receipts to defray 

the costs of collecting those receipts.

NFS P.L. 103-66 16 U.S.C. 

460i-6c, 16 

U.S.C. 500, 16 

U.S.C. 460

Rights-of-Way for 

Highways

Forest highways are generally constructed by the 

FHWA and then transferred to State ownership 

and control. This act authorizes appropriate 

transfer, to States, National Forest System lands 

CIM P.L. 85-767 23 U.S.C., 

Sections 

107(d), 204(f) 

and 317

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-33
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for highway rights-of-way.

Roads and Trails for 

States (Ten percent 

fund)

Act of March 4, 1913, as amended, commonly 

known as “Ten-percent Roads and Trails”, 

authorizes 10 percent of all moneys received 

from the national forests during each fiscal year 

shall be available to be expended for the 

construction and maintenance of roads and trails 

within the national forests in the States from 

which such proceeds are derived. Annual 

appropriation acts have amended this Act to 

allow the Secretary of Agriculture to expend 

funds without regard to the State in which the 

amounts were derived.

NFS P.L. 62-430 16 U.S.C. 501

Roads and Trails for 

States (10 Percent) 

Fund), transfer to 

Treasury

The Department of the Interior Appropriations 

Act of 2010 directed “That funds becoming 

available in fiscal year 2010 under the Act of 

March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be 

transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury 

and for any other purpose unless the funds are 

appropriated.”

CIM P.L. 111-88 16 U.S.C. 501

Robert S. Kerr 

Memorial Arboretum 

and Nature Center

The Act of June 6, 1968 authorizes the Secretary 

of Agriculture to cooperate with, and receive the 

cooperation of, agencies, organizations and 

individuals in the development, administration, 

and operation of the Robert S. Kerr Memorial 

Arboretum and Nature Center in the Ouachita 

National Forest in Arkansas. The Secretary of 

Agriculture is authorized to accept contributions 

NFS P.L. 90-327 16 U.S.C. 

693b-d

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-34
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and gifts to further the purposes of the Act.

Rogue River 

Conveyance and 

Improvement Act

This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to convey the administrative site for the Rogue 

River National Forest and use the proceeds for 

the construction or improvement of offices and 

support buildings for the Rogue River National 

Forest and the Bureau of Land Management.

NFS P.L. 105-282

Rural Communities 

Technical Assistance

Starting in FY 1993, the Administrative or 

General Provisions language of the Interior 

Appropriations Act allows employees to interact 

with and provide technical assistance to rural 

communities for sustainable rural development 

outside the boundaries of National Forest System 

lands.

NFS P.L. 102-381

Rural Revitalization 

Technologies

Authorizes $5,000,000 in annual appropriations 

for forestry rural revitalization technologies to: 

(A) accelerate adoption of technologies using 

biomass and small-diameter materials; (B) create 

community-based enterprises through marketing 

activities and demonstration projects; and (C) 

establish small-scale business enterprises to 

make use of biomass and small-diameter 

materials.

09/30/2018 SPF P.L. 110-246;

P.L. 113-79 

7 U.S.C. 6601;

Secure Rural Schools 

and Community SelfThis Act, originally authorized through FY 2006 as P.L. 106-393, provides choices to counties to 

09/30/2013 P.L. 106-393; 

P.L. 110-343; 

16 U.S.C. 500 

note; 16 

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-35
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Determination Act of 

2000

either receive a guaranteed level of annual 

payments for roads and schools and other 

authorized purposes, as well as funding for 

specific resource improvement projects on the 

national forest where the county is located, or to 

receive payments under the Act of May 23, 1908. 

The Act was reauthorized through FY 2011 on 

October 3, 2008 in P.L. 110-343, Division C, 

Title VI. It was then reauthorized through FY 

2012 on July 6, 2012 in P.L. 112-141 with some 

changes to funding levels, and reauthorized 

through FY 2013 by P.L. 113-40. (The last 

payment will be made in 2014 for FY 2103 

receipts.)

P.L. 112-141; 

P.L. 113-30

U.S.C. 7101 et 

seq

Service First The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, 

subject to annual review of Congress, may 

establish pilot programs involving the land 

management agencies referred to in this section 

to conduct projects, planning, permitting, 

leasing, contracting and other activities, either 

jointly or on behalf of one another.

ALL P.L. 106-291; 

P.L. 109-54; 

P.L. 111-8; 

P.L. 112-74

43 U.S.C. 

1701 note

Shasta Trinity Marina 

Permit Fee Collection

A permit fee for a marina on the Shasta-Trinity 

National Forest shall be deposited in a special 

account in the Treasury established for the 

Secretary of Agriculture, and shall remain 

available to the Secretary of Agriculture until 

expended, without further appropriation, for 

purposes stated in section 808(a)(3)(A-D) of title 

VIII of division J of Public Law 108-447 (16 

U.S.C. 6807), and for direct operating or capital 

costs associated with the issuance of a marina 

permit.

9/30/2019 NFS P.L. 110-161;

P.L. 111-88;

P.L. 113-76

16 U.S.C. 497; 

16 U.S.C. 

6807

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-36
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Sisk Act of 1971 This Act authorizes cooperation with States and 

political subdivisions in enforcement of State and 

local laws on National Forest System lands, and 

reimbursement of States and political 

subdivisions for expenditures incurred in such 

activities.

NFS, SPF P.L. 92-82 16 U.S.C. 

551a

Small Tracts Act of 

January 12, 1983

This Act authorizes the sale, exchange, or 

interchange of National Forest System lands of 

forty acres or less and of $150,000 or less in 

value.

NFS P.L. 97-465 16 U.S.C. 

521d

Soil and Water 

Resources 

Conservation Act of 

1977

This Act authorizes cooperation in soil and water 

resource appraisal and conservation. 

12/31/2018 ALL P.L. 95-192; 

P.L. 110-246

16 U.S.C. 

2008-9

Southern Nevada 

Public Land 

Management Act of 

1998

This Act authorizes proceeds from the sale of 

public lands in Southern Nevada to be used to 

acquire environmentally sensitive lands in the 

State of Nevada. Lands acquired that are within 

the boundaries of a unit of the NFS, become part 

of that unit.

NFS P.L. 105-263

Southwest Forest 

Health and Wildfire 

Prevention Act of 

2004, Ecological 

Restoration Institutes

Establishes institutes to demonstrate and promote 

the use of adaptive ecosystem management to 

reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore the 

health of fire-adapted forest and woodland 

ecosystems of the interior west. If the Secretary 

determines that an Institute does not qualify for 

further Federal assistance under this Act, the 

Institute shall receive no further Federal 

assistance under this Act until such time as the 

qualifications of the Institute are reestablished. 

WFM P.L. 108-317 16 U.S.C. 

6701-6707

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-37
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Authorizes $15 million annually.

State and Private 

Forestry Redesign

Allows for a portion of CFAA funds, determined 

by the Secretary, to be competitively allocated to 

State Forestry agencies. No new authorization of 

appropriations.

SPF P.L. 110-246 16 U.S.C. 

2101a and 

continuing

State-wide 

Assessment and 

Strategies for Forest 

Resources

Authorization of appropriations for State-wide 

assessment and strategies for forest resources. 

Authorizes $10,000,000 in annual appropriations 

for State-wide assessments of forest resource 

conditions. Plans must be submitted by May 22, 

2010 for a State to be eligible to receive funds 

under the authorities of the Cooperative Forestry 

Assistance Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-313), as 

amended. Additionally, the Secretary may use 

any other funds made available in the FY 2008 

farm bill for planning, not to exceed $10,000,000 

per fiscal year. Annual reports from the States on 

the use of funds are required.

09/30/2018 SPF P.L. 110-246 16 U.S.C. 

2101a

Stewardship 

Contracting

This Act authorizes the Forest Service to enter 

into stewardship projects via agreement or 

contract to perform services to achieve land 

management goals and meet local and rural 

community needs. The Agricultural Act of 2014 

Permanent NFS P.L. 108-7;

P.L. 113-46;

P.L. 113-76; 

P.L. 113-79 

Forest Service Budget Authorities 15-38
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made this authority permanent.

Terry Peak Land 

Transfer Act of 1999

This Act requires the conveyance of certain NFS 

lands at the Terry Peak Ski Area to the private 

ski area owners and to utilize the proceeds to 

acquire more desirable lands for the United 

States for permanent public use and enjoyment.

NFS P.L. 106-138 16 U.S.C. 

497b; 16 

U.S.C. 484a; 

16 U.S.C. 521

Texas National 

Forests Improvement 

Act of 2000

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 

convey certain administrative sites for National 

Forest System lands in the State of Texas, to 

convey certain National Forest System land to 

the New Waverly Gulf Coast Trades Center, and 

for other purposes.

NFS P.L. 106-330 16 U.S.C. 

484a

The Smokey Bear Act This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to deposit all fees collected under regulations 

promulgated by the Secretary relating to 

“Smokey Bear”, into a special Treasury account 

to be available to further the nationwide forest 

fire prevention campaign. Most fees deposited 

under this Act are royalty fees from Smokey 

Bear character-licensing collection agreements 

with merchandisers.

P.L. 82-359 16 U.S.C. 

580p-2; 18 

U.S.C. 711

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The Woodsy Owl Act This Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

to deposit all use or royalty fees collected for the 

manufacture, reproduction, or use of the name or 

character “Woodsy Owl” and the associated 

slogan, “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”. The 

Secretary shall deposit all fees revenue into a 

special Treasury account, to be available for 

obligation and expenditure for the purpose of 

furthering the “Woodsy Owl” campaign to 

promote the wise use of the environment and 

programs which foster maintenance and 

improvement of environmental quality.

P.L. 93-318 16 U.S.C. 

580p-3

Thye-Blatnik Act of 

June 22, 1948, 

Boundary Water 

Canoe Area 

Wilderness

The Act established the Boundary Waters Canoe 

Area in the Superior National Forest and 

subsequently revised the designation and 

boundaries to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 

Wilderness (BWCAW) and Mining Protection 

Area.

NFS P.L. 87–351; 

P.L. 94–384

16 U.S.C. 

577h

Thye-Blatnik Act of 

June 22, 1948, 

Payments to 

Minnesota Counties

This Act, commonly known as “Payments to 

Minnesota Counties”, authorizes annual 

payments on a fiscal year basis to the State of 

Minnesota from any national forest receipts not 

otherwise appropriated, an amount equivalent to 

three-quarters of 1 percent of the fair appraised 

value of certain national forest lands specified in 

the Act, situated in three Minnesota counties 

(sec. 61.2). Payments under the Act of May 23, 

1908 (sec. 60.1 paragraph 1), shall not be 

applicable to the national forest land to which 

this Act applies.

NFS P.L. 87–351; 

P.L. 94–384

16 U.S.C. 

577g

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Timber Salvage Sales 

(authorized by 

NFMA)

NFMA authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to 

require purchasers of salvage timber to make 

monetary deposits in a designated Treasury fund 

to cover the costs for sale preparation and 

administration, and the engineering design and 

administration of any needed roads necessary for 

the harvesting of salvage timber. Funds are 

available until expended.

NFS P.L. 94-588 16 U.S.C. 

472a (h)

Timber Purchaser 

Elect (authorized by 

NFMA)

NFMA authorizes the acquisition, construction, 

and maintenance of National Forest System 

roads and trails; cooperation with States, 

counties, and other subdivisions; construction of 

roads by timber purchasers; and election by 

timber purchasers to have the Forest Service 

construct the roads. 

NFS P.L. 94-588 16 U.S.C. 

472a

Timber Roads, 

Purchaser Election

The Department of the Interior Appropriations 

Act of 1999 authorizes small business timber 

purchasers to elect to pay the Forest Service to 

construct or reconstruct any permanent roads or 

bridges required by the timber sale. The timber 

purchaser must be classified as a small business 

operator, and the total estimated reconstruction 

and construction cost in the timber sale contract 

must exceed $50,000.

NFS P.L. 105-277 16 USC 535a

Timber Roads, 

Purchaser Election 

Construction Program

This Department of the Interior Appropriations 

Act of 2008 authorized the use of $15,000,000 

from current balances of the Purchaser Election 

Fund for vegetative treatments.

NFS P.L. 110-161

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Timber Sale Pipeline 

Restoration Fund

The Department of the Interior and Related 

Agencies Appropriation Action of 1996 

authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to collect 

and deposit revenues from a specific set of 

timber sales. The sales, known under the 

program as first generation sales, had been 

suspended legally for various environmental 

reasons and were released under P.L. 104-19, 

[title II, Sec. 2001(k)], July 27, 1995. The 

revenues are to be used prepare timber sales and 

addressing the backlog of recreation projects. 

Revenues from the sale of timber prepared using 

these funds are also deposited into this fund and 

are available for preparation of additional timber 

sales and recreation backlog projects.

NFS P.L. 104-134 16 U.S.C.

1611 note

Timber Sale Pipeline 

Restoration Fund, 

Office of General 

Counsel opinion

Office of General Counsel Opinion dated 

December 13, 2002. This opinion states that 

timber sales under the Timber Pipeline 

Restoration program must use sales receipts for 

payments to States before net receipts are 

deposited into the Timber Sale Pipeline 

Restoration Fund.

NFS

Tongass Timber 

Reform Act of 1990

This Act established the Tongass Timber Supply 

Fund with related appropriations to finance the 

consistent supply of saw timber from the 

Tongass National Forest to meet the annual 

market demand as defined in the Act and to use 

wood products which might otherwise not be 

utilized.

NFS P.L. 101-626 16 U.S.C. 

539d

Transfer of funds to 

BLM for Wild Horse 

Authorization to transfer up to $10,000,000 from 

the National Forest Systems appropriation to 

Permanent NFS P.L. 108-447; 

P.L. 111-88;

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and Burro and 

Cadastral surveys

BLM for removal, preparation, and adoption of 

excess wild horses and burros from NFS lands, 

and for cadastral surveys..

P.L. 113-76

Treasury and General 

Government 

Appropriations Act, 

2002

This Act authorizes Federal agencies to receive 

and use revenue resulting from waste prevention 

and recycling programs. Such revenue shall be 

available until expended for the purpose of waste 

reduction, prevention and recycling. The FS uses 

this authority for its "Go Green" program in 

which funds are collected from recycling and can 

be used to accomplish clean-up activities on the 

unit.

ALL P.L. 107-67 

Title VI

Treatment of 

Contributions of 

Volunteers

The Forest Service may consider the value of 

services performed by person who volunteer 

their services to the Forest Service and who are 

recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator 

as an in-kind contribution of the cooperator for 

purposes of any cost sharing requirement under 

any Forest Service authority to enter into mutual 

benefit agreements.

9/30/2019 ALL P.L. 113-76

Trust Fund 

Authorization

Section 1321 of Title 31 of the United States 

Code authorizes Trust Funds.

NFS 31 U.S.C. 

1321

U.S. Mining Laws Act 

of May 10, 1872

This Act governs mining activities for valuable 

minerals on public domain lands.

ALL 30 U.S.C. 22 

and 28

Use and Occupancy 

Permits Act of 1915

To permit the use and occupancy of areas for the 

purpose of constructing or maintaining hotels, 

resorts, summer homes, commercial purposes, 

and other structures. (Note: There are special 

provisions under P.L. 99-522 for ski areas).

NFS P.L. 63-293 16 U.S.C. 497

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Use of Funds for 

Program Information 

Purposes and for 

Nonmonetary Awards

Hereafter, any appropriations or funds available 

to the Forest Service may be used to disseminate 

program information to private and public 

individuals and organizations through the use of 

nonmonetary items of nominal value. This act 

also provides for nonmonetary awards of 

nominal value and to incurring of necessary 

expenses for the nonmonetary recognition of 

private individuals and organizations making 

contributions to Forest Service programs.

P.L. 105-277 16 U.S.C. 

556h

Valles Caldera 

Preservation Act of 

July 25, 2000

This Act authorizes the Valles Caldera Trust to 

receive and collect funds in support of the 

management and administration of the Preserve. 

This includes the authority to assess fees for 

admission to and use of the Preserve. In addition, 

the Trust may solicit and accept donations of 

funds, property, supplies, or services for the 

purpose of management of the Preserve.

NFS P.L. 106-248 16 U.S.C. 

698v-4, 698v6

Virginia Land 

Conveyance and 

Improvement Act

Authorizes the sale or exchange of all or parts of 

certain administrative sites and other lands in the 

George Washington National Forest and the 

Jefferson National Forest. Authorizes the use of 

sale revenue to acquire a replacement site and to 

construct on the site suitable improvements for 

national forest administrative purposes.

NFS P.L. 105-171 16 U.S.C. 

484a

Watershed 

Restoration and 

Enhancement 

Agreements

Appropriations for the Forest Service may be 

used by the Secretary of Agriculture for the 

purpose of entering into cooperative agreements 

with willing Federal, tribal, State and local 

governments, private and nonprofit entities and 

landowners for the protection, restoration and 

ALL P.L. 105-277 

Sec. 323; 

P.L. 111-11 

Sec. 3001

16 U.S.C. 

1011 note

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enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and 

other resources on public or private land, the 

reduction of risk from natural disaster where 

public safety is threatened, or a combination 

thereof or both that benefit these resources 

within the watershed.

Weeks Act of 1911 Sections 1 and 2 authorize land acquisition for 

watershed protection and timber production. One 

of the primary authorities for land acquisition 

with Land and Water Conservation Fund 

moneys.

NFS P.L. 61-435 16 U.S.C. 516, 

521b

Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Act of 1968

Sections 6 and 16 authorize land acquisition, 

exchange, and donation of land for inclusion in 

the Wild and Scenic River System.

NFS P.L. 90–542 16 U.S.C. 

1277

Wilderness Act of 

1964

Sections 5 and 6 provide authority for 

acquisition, exchange, and donation of land for 

inclusion in the Wilderness System.

NFS P.L. 88-577 16 U.S.C. 

1131-1136

Wildfire Suppression 

Act

This Act authorizes reciprocal agreements with 

foreign fire organizations for mutual aid in 

wildfire protection.

WFM P.L. 101-11 42 U.S.C. 

1856m note

Youth and 

Conservation Corps 

activities

Together, the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

and the Public Lands Corp Healthy Forest 

Restoration Act of 2005 provide for the conduct 

of projects that protect forests, and for other 

purposes by qualified youth or conservation 

corps up to $12 million per year.

NFS P.L. 109-154 16 U.S.C. 

1701 - 1730

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