04/30/2026 at 10:30AM
Subcommittee hearing.
Witness:
- Tom Schultz, Chief, United States Forest Service
Proposed budget cuts USFS budget by 75%.
State, Private, & Tribal Forestry, which provides technical and financial assistance to nonfederal landowners, would be cut entirely.
National Forest System, which oversees the management of federal grasslands and forests, would be cut by 24% compared to last year’s funding. Budget seeks to eliminate the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, while quadrupling the Forest Products line item—which funds the federal timber sale program, among other activities—from $39 million to $175 million.
Capital Improvement & Maintenance, which supports USFS infrastructure, would be cut by 28% compared to last year’s funding.
Land Acquisition, which funds the acquisition and improvement of National Forest System lands, would be increased from $2.5 million to $7 million.
Wildland Fire Management Account and Reserve Fund, which funds the personnel, equipment, and immediate post-fire risk mitigation necessary for wildfire suppression on federal lands, would be moved entirely to DOI.