A glimpse at the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012

The President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012 proposes significant reductions for several Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act programs.  In response the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is recommending that spending levels should at least maintain the previous appropriations for those programs in FY 10 and FY 11.  The Administration proposes to reduce the Forest Health Program by 16 percent from the FY 10 enacted/FY 11 estimated funding levels.  Other reductions include State Fire Assistance (27 percent) and Volunteer Fire Assistance (16 percent).  Of particular concern is the total elimination of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) component ($5.035 million) within the Cooperative Forestry Assistance account and a 7 percent reduction for FIA within the Research account.  Again, NASF suggests that previous fiscal year funding levels of $72 million for FIA should be maintained to avoid disruption in analytical capabilities and important data sets.

The President’s budget does not reduce funding for Forest Stewardship and provides a 7 percent increase ($2 million) for Urban and Community Forestry.  Significant increases are also recommended for the Forest Community and Open Space Program that would make that program operational following authorization and rulemaking since its passage in the 2008 Farm Bill.   Forest Legacy is proposed to increase by 78 percent to $135 million which is a consequence of the emphasis placed on that program in the America’s Great Outdoors initiative.  NASF, however, recommends that Forest Legacy in FY 12 should also approximate FY 10/FY 11 spending levels as a matter of consistency with other State and Private Forestry programs.

USFS-State and Private Forestry
FY 12 Presidents Budget
(Dollars in Thousands)