On April 28th, during a hearing on the USDA Forest Service (USFS) budget in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, appropriators proposed billions of dollars in funding and 1,500 additional firefighters to better protect communities and property from what could be another year of intense U.S. wildfires. U.S. Forest Service Chief, Randy Moore, told the committee that the USFS is trying to move away from past practices that failed to provide enough resources to those areas at highest risk, “that is where our focus will be: on the landscapes where the risk to lives, homes, communities, and natural resources is greatest.”
Chief Moore also testified in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies on Wednesday. During his Senate testimony, Moore stated that his agency is struggling to compete with counties, states, and private employers that are also hiring firefighters, “there’s a lot of competition in the labor market for these skills.” He expressed confidence his agency will be prepared, however, noting it will continue its hiring push into July, can bring on contract workers, and can onboard emergency firefighters known as “administratively determined” employees.
President Biden proposed $9 billion in total Forest Service funding in fiscal 2023, which is a $1.5 billion boost over fiscal 2022 levels. The 2023 budget request includes $2.7 billion for wildland fire management (a $751 million increase), and $2.2 billion for managing National Forest System lands (a $394 million increase).