Society of American Foresters Applauds Passage of FY23 Omnibus Spending Bill

Congress has agreed to appropriate funding increases across the board for federal forestry programs in FY 2023, including for the vitally important Forest Inventory and Analysis program which is responsible for America’s one-and-only Forest Census.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Society of American Foresters applauds the efforts of Congress in advancing a robust fiscal year (FY) 2023 omnibus spending bill that will provide much needed support for the sustainable management of America’s forests. 

“Next year, the budgets for key federal forestry programs will increase, virtually without exception, thanks to the many champions of forest management and wildfire risk reduction in Congress,” said SAF CEO Terry Baker. “These additional investments will go a long way to enhance, conserve, and protect the nation’s 751 million acres of forestland by empowering land managers, landowners, and forestry professionals with the resources necessary to grow healthy, resilient, and productive forests.” 

Among the USDA Forest Service programs that will receive increased appropriations in FY23 (listed in the table below) are the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Forest Stewardship program, the Urban and Community Forestry program, the Forest Health Management Program on Cooperative Lands, and the Landscape Scale Restoration program.  

Additionally, Forest Service Research and Development will receive a boost of $5 million in FY23 over FY22. Likewise, the agency’s budget for forest road maintenance will grow by $2.35 million, support for forest products will increase $2 million, and the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program will receive an added $4 million. 

USDA Forest Service (Program $ in millions)

Notably, one of the Forest Service programs receiving increased appropriations in FY23 – the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program – is foundational to forest management in the U.S. It provides the only reliable means of gauging changes in timber supply, wildlife habitat, and forest threats nationwide. What’s more, the forest industry, a sector which provides at least 2.8 million U.S. jobs, depends on FIA data to make management and investment decisions. 

Through FIA’s nationwide network of forest plots and rigorous data analysis, the program assesses the rate of land use change, the spread of non-native species and invasive pests, the loss of threatened and endangered species habitat, the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and more. Budget increases for FIA will translate to more frequent data collection and more timely analysis of forest attributes like carbon stocks and wildfire resiliency, which are of particular relevance to forestry professionals today. 

Other highlights of the FY23 spending bill include a one-year reauthorization of the Bureau of Land Management’s Forest Ecosystem Health and Recovery Fund and several bumps in funding for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) forestry programs. Included in these increases (listed below) is $500,000 for spotted lanternfly control and eradication. 

USDA APHIS ($ in millions) 

For more information regarding the Society’s appropriations recommendations, click here.
To take a deep dive into the FY23 spending bill, click here. 

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Contact: Whitney Forman-Cook 
[email protected] 

About the Society of American Foresters 

SAF is the largest scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. SAF members include forestry and natural resource professionals who work on behalf of public agencies (local, state, and federal) and private businesses (corporate and consulting), in additional to other capacities, including research, education, public relations, policy, and more. SAF is committed to educating forestry and natural resources professionals through peer-reviewed scientific publications, workshops and training sessions, continuing education opportunities, and credentialing.