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Challenges and hope for USFS recreation and trails budget

By Larry E. Smith, Executive Director, Americans for Responsible Recreational Access

FY 2008 Funding for Recreation and Trails Programs

We have written about the proposed cuts in the Forest Service Recreation and Trails programs and that we needed to turn to the Congress for relief. ARRA members have been very active in contacting their Representatives and Senators and asking that these cuts be restored. I am pleased to report that some of your hard work is beginning to pay off. On May 23rd, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Forest Service budget, recommended to the full committee a budget of $272 million for the Recreation program and $78.8 million for the Trails program. The President's budget submission called for a Recreation budget of only $231 million and a Trails budget of $66.4 million. This is a significant turn of events for our issues and ARRA members should be pleased with this progress to date.

However, we can't celebrate yet because the appropriations process if far from over so keep those corks in the champagne bottles. We need to gain the approval of the full Appropriations Committee, the House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate before we can really celebrate.

Forest Fires as Budget Busters

Summer hasn't even officially begun and massive forest fires have been reported in Florida, Georgia and California. In addition to destroying trees, wildlife and in some cases homes, forest fires are doing something else... consuming more and more of the U. S. Forest Service's budget. In FY 2008, a whopping 45% of the agency's budget will be devoted to fire suppression. This compares to only 13 percent in 1991 and 25 percent in 2000.

Is global warming to blame for this increase in forest fires? I am not sure, but I do know there are other factors contributing to this budget busting exercise. For one thing, prior to the 1990's, the Forest Service was able to tap into trust funds generated by timber sales on Forest Service land. But during the last 20 years, timber sales have plummeted because of environmental concerns and as a result, there just isn't enough money in the trust funds for fire fighting purposes. An unintended consequence of the forests being protected from the chainsaws of the logging industry is that they have become virtual powder kegs comprised of diseased trees and underbrush waiting for a lightening strike, a spark or a striking of a match. And poof, and the next thing you know, massive wildfires ignite throughout the countryside.

This year alone more than 895,000 acres have burned and we are only at the beginning of the fire season! Wait until July and August. For comparison purposes, the eight year average of acres burned stands at about 760,000 acres. We are already well above the average and it is only the first of June.

So, when compiling its budget for submission to the Congress, the Bush Administration had to devote more resources towards fire suppression activities and cut other important Forest Service programs such as the Recreation and Trails budgets. Tough choices to be sure, but tough choices caused by a forest management system that is no longer working to the benefit of the health of our national forests, to those communities adjacent to our forests or to our national budget.

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