FY24 Interior Bill
State Forester priority programs receive funding through 2024 legislative appropriations
Across the government, most discretionary programs saw their funding cut in FY24, and State Forester priority programs within the USFS budget were among those. Below is a quick snapshot of how our State Forester priority programs fared. In short, compared to FY23, we saw decreases in UCF ($4M) , FSP ($500K), LSR ($3M), Forest Health ($1M) and FIA ($700K), flat funding in SFA and VFA, and funded Forest Legacy projects in GA, VA, AL and NC.
Summary Table
Items of interest from the FY24 Interior Bill:
USFS Hazardous Fuels
Funds USFS Hazardous Fuels at $175.45M, a $31.55M decrease from FY23. However, it maintains carve out funding levels from within hazardous fuels from previous years of $30M for Wood Innovations, $15M for Community Wood Energy, and $20M for Wyden Authority
USFS Salaries & Expenses
- Makes significant cuts to USFS Salaries and Expenses:
- State, Private and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) reduced by 20.1% from $65.091M to $52M
- R&D reduced by 1.7% from $215.576M to $212M
Joint Fire Science Program
- Funds the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) at $6M ($3M in USFS and $3M in DOI), a decrease of $3M from FY23.
Congressionally Directed Spending
- Includes one Congressionally Directed Spending item (ie – earmark) for the southern region:
- Forest Service State and Private forestry; SC – Greenville Water for Prescribed Burn Program; $1.59M; Sponsored by Sen. Graham
Forest Legacy Projects
- Includes 4 Forest Legacy Projects in our region:
- GA – Dugdown Mountain Corridor Stateline Project (GA) – $17.5M
- AL – Dugdown Mountain Corridor Stateline Project (AL) – $3.75M
- VA – Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve Expansion Project – $9.5M
- NC – Roanoke River Bottom/ands Forest Project – $3M
Federal Wildland Firefighter Pay Authority
- The bill continues the additional pay authority for wildland firefighters provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and protects current staffing levels. The Committee supports proposals to permanently authorize higher base pay for firefighters at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior and is committed to providing the required resources to implement any compensation reforms enacted in future legislation.
Wildfire Preparedness & Suppression
- The bill fully funds essential wildfire preparedness and suppression efforts by providing $4.045 billion for wildfire suppression, of which $2.65 billion is provided to the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund. The Reserve Fund provides the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior an assured amount of funding to be used when major fire activity requires expenditures exceeding regular base suppression operations funding. This funding level—in addition to carryover balances—will meet projected needs for fiscal year 2024 wildfires.
Good Neighbor Authority
- The bill expands Good Neighbor Authority to include the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service, and extends the authorization for states to retain revenue for 1 year to 2024 (Note: we hope to further extend this revenue authority in the Farm Bill.)
Renewable Fuels Standard
- Includes report language recognizing that “pre-commercial thinning from non-Federal forestland that is not ecologically sensitive forestland can qualify as renewable biomass for purposes of the Renewable Fuels Standard under the provisions detailed in 40 C.F.R. 80.1401. The Committee directs the EPA to support other Federal agencies leading efforts to enhance markets for low-grade and low-value wood. EPA is further directed to brief the Committees on these efforts within 180 days of enactment of this Act.”
White Oak Restoration
- Includes report language on White Oak Restoration, stating “The Service shall brief the Committees within 90 days of enactment of this Act on efforts to develop a strategy to regenerate white oak on public and private lands which includes monitoring, research, and increased private landowner outreach and education.“
Nurseries
- Includes language incorporated from the House-passed bill: “Nurseries.—The Committee recommends $2,000,000 (from National Forest System funding) for the Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) program to hire dedicated full-time staff and expand capacity to provide critical technical assistance and workforce training and conduct and disseminate research to nurseries and land managers to increase production and address the national seedling shortage. Expanded activities within the RNGR program should integrate the latest science, economic research, and regional considerations.“
Northern Long-eared Bat
- The agreement does not include the House language that would have blocked the Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing the rule that moved the northern long-eared bat from threatened to endangered status, but instead acknowledges the “on-the-ground impacts” of ESA listings, including NLEB, and directs the agency to “continue to collaborate with states, local communities and others on “improving voluntary solutions to conserve species.”
Cogongrass
- Does not include any Cogongrass-specific funding from APHIS
