USFS Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund
Dept. of Agriculture – Forest Service – Wildland Fire Management
Wildfire-Specific Spending: Yes
Wildfire Activities Funded: Response
Authorization:
P.L. 115-141
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS (IN MIL)
FY2015 – FY2024
Description
The Reserve Fund, also known as the wildfire adjustment or wildfire funding fix, is jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). It may only be used by USFS or DOI for emergency suppression activities after suppression funding under the agencies’ respective Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts are exhausted. Its use is authorized as long as a baseline level of funding for wildfire suppression operations is met in the underlying appropriations bill. This base level is set at the average cost over ten years for wildfire suppression operations requested in the President’s 2015 Budget, amounting to $1.011 billion for USFS and $384 million for DOI. The Reserve Fund was first available in FY2020, capped at $2.25 billion, with the annual maximum funding level increasing by $100 million every fiscal year until FY2027. Unobligated balances in the Reserve Fund roll over to the next year.Additional Program Notes & TCS Insights
Now, halfway through its enactment, the funding fix must be evaluated for whether it is having a positive impact on wildfire spending trends overall, or if it has simply removed any barriers to the continued growth of suppression spending.
Transparency and accountability of the Reserve Fund also needs to be addressed. Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141), which created the Reserve Fund, requires the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to submit a report to Congress on any funds used in a given fiscal year. Yet many of these reports have not been made publicly accessible. Requiring online reporting of the Reserve Fund on a regular basis (e.g., semi-annually) would be beneficial for the public and policymakers.
Appropriations
| Regular | Supplemental | IIJA | IRA | |
| FY2015 | — | 0 | — | — |
| FY2016 | — | 0 | — | — |
| FY2017 | — | 0 | — | — |
| FY2018 | — | 0 | — | — |
| FY2019 | — | 0 | — | — |
| FY2020 | 1,950,000,000 | 0 | — | — |
| FY2021 | 2,040,000,000 | 0 | — | — |
| FY2022 | 2,120,000,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FY2023 | 2,210,000,000 | 0 | 0 | |
| FY2024 | 2,300,000,000 | 0 | 0 | |
| FY2025 | 0 | |||
| FY2026 | 0 |
Last Updated: October 17, 2024
Received Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Funding: No
Received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding: No