In a letter to Chairman Mike Simpson and Ranking Member Chellie Pingree of the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) and six allied organizations requested a total of $79 million for the State Fire Assistance Program and $22 million for the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program for FY 2024 Interior Appropriations.
We need to continue to fund the work of fighting fires on the ground. The [Volunteer Fire Assistance Program] and the [State Fire Assistance Program] are essential wildfire risk reduction and protection programs within the USDA Forest Service’s (Forest Service) State, Private, and Tribal Forestry (SP&TF) program area. The important work accomplished through SFA and the VFA programs helps decrease total federal emergency wildland fire suppression costs and reduce the threat of fire to communities on public and private lands.
Click the link below to read the letter in full.