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NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF STATE FORESTERS
444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite
540, Washington, DC 20001
April 2, 2004
The Honorable Charles H. Taylor, Chairman
Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations
B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
TESTIMONY ON FY 2005
APPROPRIATIONS
Burnell C. Fischer,
President of the National Association of State Foresters
Before U.S. House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
INTRODUCTION
The National Association of
State Foresters (NASF) is pleased to provide testimony on the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) $4.98 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2005.
Representing the directors of state forestry agencies from all fifty
states, eight U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, our
testimony centers around those program areas most relevant to the long
term forestry operations of our constituents. State and Private Forestry
programs multiply the public benefits of Federal funding by leveraging
in-kind contributions through cost-share programs and matching funds from
states. Wildland Fire Management supports essential State and Private and
Federal programs to address wildland fire. We commend the President’s
commitment to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and the Healthy Forests
Initiative in the USFS budget for FY 2005. Our recommendations include
our top three priorities (FLEP, Forest Health, and State Fire Assistance)
and discuss other opportunities for Congress to further the advancement of
sustainable management on both public and private forestland nationwide.
sTATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY programs
Forest
Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)
NASF urges Congress to fund FLEP at $20 million for
FY 2005. The 2002 Farm Bill provided $100 million for FLEP over five
years. Replacing the Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) and the
Stewardship Incentives Program (SIP) by combining the best attributes of
these predecessor programs, FLEP is able to better meet the needs of
family forest landowners. FLEP implementation began in FY 2003 with $20
million. The result was an enormously successful and popular forestry
cost-share, technical assistance, and educational program. However, $50
million was transferred from FLEP to help pay for Forest Service fire
suppression efforts during the 2003 fire season, with $10 million repaid
by Congress. Congress’ help is now needed to ensure that the $10 million
for FLEP in FY 2004 is made available to the Forest Service and funds are
appropriated for FY 2005.
Family forest owners have demonstrated funding needs
for three to five times the amount that could be funded in the first
year. The President’s FY 2005 budget proposes the remaining $40 million
in the FLEP account, including the $10 million appropriated for FY 2004,
would be “canceled”. No other program provides direct assistance to help
landowners implement forest management practices on family forest lands.
Financial assistance typically results in a two-to-four-fold increase in
the implementation of sustainable forestry practices on private lands,
allowing landowners to better meet long-term public demand for timber,
clean water, and other forest resources while providing environmental
benefits for the general public. NASF recommends funding FLEP at $20
million in FY 2005 by rejecting the language in the Administration’s
budget and instead reinstating the $40 million remaining in the account.
Forest Health Management (FHM)
The Forest Health Management (FHM) programs within
State and Private Forestry are the only federal programs that address the
breadth of forest health threats across all of our nation’s forests.
Every year, invasive species cost the American public $138 billion in
losses, detection, and control. Providing for the prevention, detection,
and suppression of damaging insects, diseases, and plants, this program
also assists in the development and application of new technologies to
address forest health problems on all lands. FHM is funded under both
State and Private Forestry (S&PF) and Wildland Fire Management.
NASF recommends funding S&PF Forest Health Management
for Federal and Cooperative Lands at FY 2004 levels ($54 million for
Federal lands and $45 million for Cooperative lands) to provide the tools
needed to address Forest Health issues across the many forest types and
ownerships in the United States.
NASF also recommends $15 million for Federal lands
and $10 million for Cooperative lands to continue level support for Forest
Health Management under Wildland Fire Management to address forest health
problems that increase the risk of catastrophic wildland fire. Forest
health management helps states achieve the goals of the Healthy Forests
Initiative.
State Fire Assistance (SFA)
State Fire Assistance (SFA) provides much-needed
financial and technical assistance to states for wildland fire
management. It ensures that state resources receive the best training and
can acquire and maintain equipment necessary to prepare them to act as the
first line of defense for their local forests and communities. These fire
fighting resources serve both as “first responders” for local situations
and as “ready reserves” for large federally managed catastrophic fires.
Further, it is the only program that currently provides some funding for
fuel reduction work on non-federal lands. SFA is funded under both
Cooperative Fire Protection (State and Private Forestry) and Wildland Fire
Management in the Forest Service budget. Together with Volunteer Fire
Assistance, these programs provide critical support for the wildland
firefighting community.
SFA provides the flexibility to meet different state
needs, which may include firefighting preparedness, firefighter training,
fire suppression, and hazardous fuel reduction, as well as prevention
activities. In addition, the renewed focus on hazardous fuel reduction
will wear out equipment more quickly, requiring more frequent repair and
replacement. A reduction in SFA will be counterproductive, making it more
difficult for states – often the first line of defense – to extinguish
small fires quickly before they grow into large, costly fires.
NASF recommends continued level funding for State
Fire Assistance at $28 million under Cooperative Fire Protection and $51
million under Wildland Fire Management, as well as funding for Volunteer
Fire Assistance at $5.0 million under Cooperative Fire Protection and $8.1
million under Wildland Fire Management. Funding these line items at last
year’s level provides continued protection for local communities from
catastrophic wildland fire, many of which originate on federal lands.
NASF also recommends funding Community and Private
Land Fire Assistance (CPLFA). The model for this program began with
National Fire Plan funding in FY 2001. Subsequently authorized in the
2002 Farm Bill at $35 million per year, NASF recommends $20 million to
begin implementation of the program in FY 2005. CPLFA is the perfect tool
to help communities leverage limited wildfire mitigation dollars and
achieve the goals laid out in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act: to
prepare community wildfire protection plans, restore unhealthy forests on
private lands, and to reduce fuels around communities.
Forest Stewardship Program
The Forest Stewardship Program continues to serve as
the foundation program for promoting sustainable forest management on
family forest lands. The program compliments the Forest Land Enhancement
Program (FLEP) by providing landowners assistance in creating sustainable
forestry Stewardship Plans that can be implemented with cost-share funds
from FLEP. From 1991 to 2002, the Forest Stewardship program turned out
more than 217,000 Stewardship Plans covering more than 25 million acres.
NASF supports the President’s proposed funding of $41 million in FY 2005
for the Forest Stewardship Program.
Watershed Forestry Assistance Program
(WFAP)
NASF recommends funding the Watershed Forestry
Assistance Program (WFAP) with the full $15 million authorized in Title
III of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act for FY 2005. Through forestry
practices in targeted watersheds and collaborative approaches to watershed
restoration, WFAP provides landowners, communities, and organizations with
the technical and financial tools necessary to protect and restore water
resources. By focusing on priority watersheds within each state, this
unique program is able to leverage funding and support from local
watershed partnerships to measurably increase water quality and overall
watershed health.
Urban and Community Forestry
NASF recommends funding the Urban and Community
Forestry program at $36 million in FY 2005. The program leverages
existing local efforts by assisting rural and urban communities to manage,
maintain, and improve their tree cover and green spaces, achieving
important social and economic benefits.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
The Forest Inventory and Analysis program provides
crucial forest information to policy makers and land managers, enabling
them to make informed forestry-related decisions. Increasing funding for
this program will enable the important work to continue, while improving
the quality of information being provided. NASF recommends $64 million
for FIA to continue progress toward implementation of the FIA strategic
plan. Together with a well funded research program, FIA will continue to
provide essential inventory data for addressing long-term forest
management needs.
Economic Action Program (EAP)
The Economic Action Program is the only federal
assistance program that targets forest-based economic development. With
our current forest health threats across the country, EAP helps find local
solutions to forest health problems while fostering economic
sustainability in communities. State Foresters will continue to work with
the Forest Service and rural communities to help communities deliver a
focused and results oriented forest-based economic development program.
NASF supports level funding for the Economic Action Program at $11
million, not including Congressional earmarks.
OTHER FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Federal
Wildland fire management
NASF recommends continued funding of federal wildland
fire management at the 10-year average. Funding is integral to quickly
suppress small fires before they grow into large and costly fires. The
increasing costs of wildfires – due mainly to drought, fuel accumulation,
and the rapid expansion of the wildland-urban interface – makes adequate
suppression funding critical. We support continued funding for
preparedness, fire operations, and hazardous fuels treatment on federal
land, including the $15 million provided under State and Private Forestry
Appropriations that may be used on non-Federal land to protect communities
at risk from adjacent USFS lands where hazard reduction activities are
planned.
DOI
conservation grant programs
NASF supports the Department of the Interior
conservation grant programs for private landowners to manage their land
for a variety of public benefits. Continued funding will ensure these
programs remain viable.
CONCLUSION
NASF seeks the Subcommittee’s support for a Forest
Service FY 2005 budget that will ensure the continued delivery of a broad
range of public benefits from privately owned forest lands. Collaboration
among stakeholders across the landscape—federal, state, and local
government agencies, private landowners, industry, and non-profit
organizations—is necessary to manage for the wide range of forest
resources and values found on all ownerships.
Cooperative Forestry, State and Private Forestry (S&PF), and Wildland Fire
Management provide these links, and the federal share leverages
private dollars and provides an important catalyst for collaboration in
order to take the work far beyond the usual boundaries of federal land
management. Thank you for the opportunity to provide our testimony.
Sincerely,
/s/ Burnell C. Fischer
Burnell C. Fischer |
