Statement of
DALE N. BOSWORTH
Chief, USDA Forest
Service
Before the
United States
Senate
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Concerning
FOREST SERVICE
FISCAL YEAR 2002
BUDGET
May 8, 2001
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Bingaman, and members of the Committee, it is a great privilege to be here today to talk about the President’s budget for the Forest Service in fiscal year 2002. Let me also say, as Chief of the Forest Service for only a short while, I am deeply honored to have this opportunity.
First, I want to express my gratitude to Secretary Veneman for her confidence in me, and to say thank you to the dedicated, hard working employees of the Forest Service for their support and encouragement. Let me also express my appreciation in advance to you Mr. Chairman, to you Mr. Bingaman, and members of the Committee for working with the Forest Service and me during this transition.
I would like to start my testimony by saying a few words about myself and my long-time commitment to the Forest Service. I have worked in the Forest Service for 35 years. I am what in the agency is often called a “Forest Service brat,” a title I inherited because my father was also a leader in the agency. It is fair to say I have a lifetime of being part of the Forest Service culture, traditions, and debates about management of America’s forests and rangelands. Coming from this background, I am truly humbled by the duties entrusted in me as Chief and I am eager to lead this agency through challenging times.
In my testimony today, I will talk about three areas of emphasis. First, I will discuss my priorities in the short term as the agency transitions its leadership. Second, I will discuss the National Fire Plan and how its strong focus on protecting communities from the dangers of catastrophic fire represents a broader focus on how, in general, we need to manage the Nation’s forests and rangelands to protect communities and natural resources, and provide services and products on a sustainable basis. Third, I will discuss agency accountability. I recall about two years ago, then House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ralph Regula saying, “Accountability is more than simply good accounting.” I couldn’t agree more. I will talk about accountability not only in the implementation of financial reforms, but also from the standpoint of delivering on agency performance commitments. In doing so, I will need to be perfectly candid about the immediate capability of the Forest Service to meet expectations of performance in two key programs.
Short-Term Priorities
Mr. Chairman, as a Regional Forester in two regions over the past 7 years, and in many other positions in the Forest Service, I have developed an appreciation for how the job being performed “on-the-ground” by our employees is the foundation of our credibility with the public. This applies to researchers, employees on the National Forests, and employees who provide support to State, local, Tribal and international stakeholders. It is the responsibility of employees in the national headquarters and at the regional offices to ensure the best possible support is given to that “on-the-ground” job. Over the next several months, I want to emphasize what I think is essential in establishing a “reconnection” between the headquarters and the field. I want to make sure that ongoing initiatives to improve financial compliance and track natural resource information do not unintentionally hinder employees from performing the “on-the-ground” work. This assessment of ongoing initiatives does not alter the Agency’s commitment to moving forward our commitment to financial accountability.
One of the greatest strengths of the Forest Service is the ability of line officers at the forest and ranger district levels to make and implement decisions that take local community needs into account. I am concerned that in recent years this ability has been limited by an over-reliance on top-down initiatives that have dis-empowered local decision making, and have prevented the greatest possible funding from reaching the field unit level. I firmly believe that each field unit has different needs. A single management philosophy cannot produce healthy forests and rangelands that provide opportunities to deliver goods and services across the wide array of environments in which our National Forests and Rangelands exist.
In the immediate future, I want to work closely with Secretary Veneman to assess recent initiatives to make sure the ability to manage and protect our diverse resources is not adversely affected. We will assess the agency’s strategic goals and objectives to ensure full compatibility with local forest plans and priorities. To get the agency’s work done “on-the-ground”, it is critical to ensure funds held at the headquarters and regional levels are only those funds that are essential to accomplishing our mission. In recent years the amount of funds taken “off the top” has grown to unprecedented levels. While the majority of this funding ultimately goes to the field, too much does not. Too much of this money does not go to projects that directly support “on-the-ground” accomplishments. Only just recently the Forest Service, with help from field line officers, began the most intensive screening of this “off the top” funding in years. I will personally make the final decision on funds held at the headquarters level.
I also intend to take a close look at the organizational leadership structure of the Forest Service. I want to make sure our line officers are empowered to make and implement natural resource management decisions at the field level, in the best tradition of our decentralized organization, while assuring that systems used in the field meet best business practices and are consistent and comply with national laws, regulations, and policies. I have already taken steps to realign the reporting structure of our Regional Foresters and Station Directors, so they have the best possible access to me, as Chief, and I assure you I will place priority emphasis on providing the best oversight possible for administration of the agency.
An issue that concerns me greatly is often called “graying of the workforce.” In the next 5 years 32 percent of the workforce will be eligible for retirement. Only 9 years ago, the Forest Service had 643 permanent employees less than 25 years of age. At the end of calendar year 2000, we had only 137 employees under 25. At the same time, the number of employees over 50 has climbed from 7,814 in 1992 to 10,232 today. My fellow employees and I consider working for the Forest Service to be a privilege and an honor. I want this agency to be an employer of choice. Primarily as a result of implementing the National Fire Plan, for the first time in a long time, the Forest Service will be recruiting large numbers of new employees who will become leaders in the Forest Service by the end of this decade. We have an unprecedented opportunity to emphasize recruitment of a workforce that reflects America’s broad diversity and provides the appropriate mix of skills and talents needed by the agency. Having described the value of new hires, let me also emphasize the importance of an appropriate balance of staff to other resources. This includes hiring full-time and temporary Forest Service employees to replace the large number of employees expected to retire in the near future. It also includes partnering with businesses, corporations, and other groups to accomplish important on-the-ground work and to increase the agency’s ability to respond to local needs through increased local employment and community involvement. I intend to personally review and monitor how we balance the recruitment of our workforce and future leaders, and the use of local businesses and the private sector. Only through building an effective organization can we rise to meet the challenges of the future.
National Fire Plan
As a Regional Forester, I personally witnessed the catastrophic wildland fire that occurred in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana last year. The cost to restore the lands in the Bitterroot, and other lands blackened by wildfire throughout the country, to a healthy and productive condition will require significant investments over many years. Further, there will continue to be a need to respond to the ever-increasing presence of people in the wildland-urban interface. We must continually assess how we invest to protect communities and resources, how we ensure our readiness to suppress wildland fire where necessary and manage fire where it benefits the land, and how we enable effective cooperative fire suppression and management among Federal, State, Tribal, and local organizations.
Last year, the Forest Service spent $1.1 billion dollars for fire suppression. The President’s budget in FY 2002 provides $1.3 billion in support of the National Fire Plan. This will allow the Forest Service to continue investments to reduce the threat and severity of wildland fire over the long term. Investing in firefighting and hazardous fuel reduction capability will lead to healthy, restored, fire-adapted ecosystems. While these investments may appear to be expensive, the annual cost of hazardous fuel reduction won’t approach anywhere near the costs of catastrophic wildland fire suppression, the subsequent restoration of damaged lands, and the costs to the people living in or adjacent to our forests who could lose their homes, livelihoods, or even a loved one. The good news is that with a cohesive investment, costs can be reduced in the long term. Beginning with the programs implemented by the National Fire Plan we can develop a long-term strategy to provide healthy forests resistant to wildland fire, insects, diseases, and noxious weeds that provide a sustainable flow of products and services.
The National Fire Plan is a good example of what can be achieved when Congress and the Administration work together. The Plan allows the Forest Service to improve the health of our Nation’s forests by providing the resources needed to protect communities and natural resources from wildland fires and invasive species. Additionally, through our outstanding Research and State and Private Forestry programs, the Fire Plan provides funding to develop technologies that will increase the use of forest products by communities and industry. These programs have the potential to make it economically beneficial for the Forest Service and private industry to restore the health of the land by increasing the value and use of traditionally non-or low valued forest products. The balancing process of restoring forests and protecting communities will integrate local community employment and expanding local economic capacity with the generation of forest and range products to accomplish restoration objectives. The President’s budget in fiscal year 2002 provides the emphasis and funding needed to integrate the National Fire Plan with the full array of agency programs. I look forward to working with you to extend this type of balanced policy to all aspects of Forest Service natural resource management.
Accountability
Protecting communities and restoring forests and rangelands under the National Fire Plan will require that the Forest Service be held accountable for program accomplishment. Accountability has been a significant emphasis of the agency for the past three years. Former Chief Mike Dombeck did a great job of building the framework to restore the financial integrity of the agency. Under the direction of Secretary Veneman, we will continue on the path of bringing our financial management and accounting of agency assets into full compliance with the best business management standards. We will continue our progress towards obtaining a clean audit opinion.
However, as I mentioned earlier, being accountable is much more than having good financial accountability. It is delivering on program commitments. The President’s budget for fiscal year 2002 continues what we began in fiscal year 2001. We are presenting our budget based on our capability to perform. Our budget is displayed in terms of activity and output measures that directly correlate to performance outcomes. These measures will, for the first time, be the basis for a field-based budget, which we are implementing in fiscal year 2003. These measures will form the core structure of our accounting system and will ensure consistency throughout the agency’s budget formulation, presentation and accounting process. This structure will allow us to emphasize performance as an integral part of budget requests.
Let me focus on areas of performance accountability that I know concern many members of this Committee. The President’s budget for fiscal year 2002 proposes what may appear to be a significant reduction in the “target” for forest product accomplishment. To be accountable for performance, we must first be realistic about our capability. Mr. Chairman, in the area of forest products, because of policy emphasis over the past eight years, the Forest Service’s capability has been reduced. Unfortunately, this has not been adequately reflected in past communication to Congress. For example, in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 the agency was expected to offer 3.6 billion board feet (bbf) of timber volume. In reality the agency offered only 1.7 bbf in fiscal year 2000 and expects, at best, to offer a similar level in fiscal year 2001. For fiscal year 2002 we have closely assessed our capability based on a variety of factors, including; the costs and time to navigate the complex appeals and litigation processes, the need for additional work directly attributable to legal decisions, the virtual elimination of a forest product pipeline, and the past inability of the Agency to view forest product production as an integral aspect of protecting and improving forest health. Mr. Chairman, we estimate that in fiscal year 2002 the forest product offer level will be somewhere in the neighborhood of the FY 2001 level.
This lower forest products estimate is not good for forest communities and it is not good for the environment. The lower levels may stress the already struggling natural resource dependent economies of many of our nation’s forest communities. It also is not adequate to reduce the extraordinary amount of woody material contained in many parts of the National Forests to traditional historic conditions. Active vegetative management actions, including timber harvesting can restore forest ecosystem health, reduce invasive species, and reduce the risks of catastrophic fires.
With this in mind, I believe being completely honest about capability issues such as this is an essential element of being accountable. In this fiscal year we will assess our programs to determine future opportunities as to how we can target programs and resources to increase the production of forest products, especially in areas as a means of restoring and protecting forest health. It may take several years to reach an increased level. Let me also make clear that such increases may not approach the levels or produce the revenue experienced in the late 1980’s. However the end result will be healthier, more productive forests.
Increases in forest products from the National Forests will require full recognition that land health and the production of goods and services are interwoven and entirely compatible. Consistent with these combined goals, we must develop new methods for compatible use of renewable resources. We will closely assess the lessons learned from the end-results stewardship contract demonstration projects authorized by Congress. I believe this authority offers numerous opportunities with potential as an excellent tool to accomplish integrated resource management objectives.
I am also concerned that we have fallen behind in the environmental analysis of many of the range allotments on National Forest lands. Despite a schedule that targeted completed analysis on 4,174 allotments by the end of fiscal year 2001, we currently expect to complete 3,398 in this timeframe. We will focus close attention on the factors that have contributed to this shortfall, and develop actions to improve the situation within the available funding or develop a more realistic schedule.
I believe that agency accountability for the production of forest and range products must take into account the capability of non-industrial private lands to also provide a sustainable flow of products. Forest Service programs strongly support this objective. The fiscal year 2002 President’s budget provides funding for our State and Private Forestry program to continue emphasizing cooperation with State, Tribal and local authorities in enhancing sustainable stewardship of the rural and urban forest. This strong relationship with our partners will be an integral part of our programs in the years to come.
The Forest Service is also accountable for the services it provides to the Nation for recreation. We are in many ways, America’s backyard. Over 70 percent of the population of the United States lives within an easy day’s drive of National Forests or National Grasslands. We are emphasizing performance accountability in how we meet the recreation demands of America. The attention of Congress to the condition of facilities used by the public has been greatly appreciated. We need to face the fact that a status quo approach to managing facilities will not halt the decline of our infrastructure. We would like to work with you to develop innovative solutions to this problem.
An additional element to support the demand for quality recreation is the Recreation Fee Demonstration program. This program has been a success. The President’s budget proposes a four-year reauthorization of this program.
I believe accountability centers on the ability of the Forest Service to clearly state its performance objectives at specific budget levels and then, based on final appropriations provided by Congress, deliver on the accomplishment of those objectives. I am committed to providing the agency’s line officers with the resources to perform “on-the-ground” work, and systems that allow them to report how well they are performing. To accomplish this we must emphasize performance accountability as strongly as we emphasize financial accountability.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, Secretary Veneman has clearly stated to me that she wants the Forest Service to be a world-class provider of goods and services for America. I know the agency has that capability. To that end, I intend to personally devote my attention to achieving this goal through emphasis on an organizational reconnection between headquarters and field units, integration of the National Fire Plan with the active management of our natural resources, and continued aggressive adherence to improved performance accountability. Let me again say that I am deeply honored to be the Chief of the Forest Service. I look forward to working with you and thank you for your support. I will be happy to answer any questions.
For more information contact: John Norrell