February 17, 2005 (Washington, DC)– Preliminary findings of a soon-to-be released report by The Wilderness Society show that programs funding true community assistance efforts remain under-funded in the National Fire Plan, severely limiting many communities’ ability to prepare for fire.
In testimony before the House Resources Subcommittee on Forestry today, the author of the report, Lisa Gregory, identified several major concerns about implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act.
Gregory said, “Protecting lives and property should be a top priority. Since 85 percent of the lands at risk from wildfire are non-federal, a much larger portion of funding should be directed to state, tribal and local governments to focus on land in and immediately adjacent to communities. That’s where it would do the most good.”
But according to The Wilderness Society report, “Following the Money,” since 2001, an average of only 7.8 percent of total fire appropriations have been dedicated to funding these state and community programs.
The FY 2006 Forest Service budget request for the National Fire Plan would drive that percentage even lower. That portion of the budget is slated to make up only four percent of the fire plan budget, a decrease of nearly 30 percent from last year’s appropriation.
In her testimony, Gregory spoke about the need for true collaboration to maximize results. She said, “The Forest Service has not dedicated the necessary funding or incentives to support effective collaborative work. As a result, fire managers are ill-equipped to establish long-term relationships with stakeholders.”
Gregory also spoke about flaws in the Forest Service’s reporting practices and noted that cost-per-acre estimates are very difficult to predict, and publicized hazardous fuel acreage numbers are inaccurate. “Public trust depends on improved agency accountability,” said Gregory.
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