National Fire Plan R&D
Dept. of Agriculture – Forest Service – Forest and Rangeland Research
Wildfire-Specific Spending: Yes
Wildfire Activities Funded: “Research”
20+
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS (IN MIL)
FY2017 – FY2017
Description
The National Fire Plan R&D program, established in 2001, conducts research and development activities with the goal of providing knowledge and tools to improve our understanding of wildfire and wildfire management, including in areas such as firefighter safety, national-level risk assessment, climate change and changing fire regimes, and fire effects on landscapes and human communities.Additional Program Notes & TCS Insights
While USFS proposed eliminating the program in FY2020 “because the Forest Service will focus on reducing wildland fire risk, contributing to the improvement of forest and grassland conditions across shared landscapes, and contributing to rural economic prosperity,” Congress continued directing USFS to fund Fire Plan R&D through the FRR account FY2020-FY2023.Appropriations
| Regular | Supplemental | IIJA | IRA | |
| FY2015 | 19,795,000 | — | — | — |
| FY2016 | 19,795,000 | — | — | — |
| FY2017 | 19,795,000 | — | — | — |
| FY2018 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2019 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2020 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2021 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2022 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2023 | Not Available | — | — | |
| FY2024 | — | — | — | |
| FY2025 | — | — | ||
| FY2026 | — | — |
Last Updated: March 20, 2026
Received Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Funding: No
Received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding: No
Appropriations Notes
Starting FY2018, Congress no longer specifically allocated funding for Fire Plan R&D but indicated that funding for this program should come from funds appropriated to the Forest and Rangeland Research (FRR) account.
*In FY2021, the U.S. Forest Service implemented a new budget line item for salaries and expenses across all Forest Service programs – costs that had previously been incorporated into each program’s budget line item. This re-structuring makes it difficult to compare program spending before and after FY2021.