These activities generally are categorized as fuel reduction, preparedness, suppression, and site rehabilitation. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) carries out wildfire response and management across the 193 million acres of national forests and national grasslands. Both FS and DOI receive annual discretionary appropriations for wildfire management activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Congress also provides funding for wildfire-related activities through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, such as emergency financial assistance for some nonfederal wildfires through Fire Management Assistance Grants and the Disaster Relief Fund; those funds and activities are discussed in other CRS products. The majority of wildfire management appropriations go to FS. Appropriations Accounts, Programs, and Activities

DOI and FS each have two similarly structured accounts for wildfire funding: a Wildland Fire Management (WFM) account and a Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) account. Wildland Fire Management Account

Of the two programs funded by both agencies' WFM accounts, Fire Operations receives the largest share of the funding, accounting for 64% of the combined WFM appropriation on average over the last 10 years. Since the budget restructuring, FS preparedness appropriations have averaged $1.05 billion annually (FY2012-FY2017). They are collectively discussed in the " Total Suppression Appropriations " section of this report. FS's Hazardous Fuels Management appropriation and DOI's Fuels Management appropriation are used for fuel reduction projects, or treatments , on federal lands and in high-priority areas in the wildland-urban interface, the area where structures are intermingled with—or adjacent to—vegetated wildlands such as forests or rangelands. Supplemental Appropriations

Congress also has provided additional funds for suppression activities through supplemental legislation, including in the following fiscal year's annual appropriations law for the agencies. Annual Appropriations

The Administration requested a total of $3.72 billion for wildfire management for FY2018 ($2.85 billion for FS and $874 million for DOI). This figure was a $460 million (12%) decrease from the FY2017 enacted level of $4.18 billion (see Table 2 ). The Administration also proposed several structural changes to both the FS and DOI's wildfire appropriations accounts. On September 14, 2017, the Housed passed H.R. 3354 , an omnibus measure covering all 12 appropriations bills, including the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill. 3554 would accept nearly all of the Administration's proposed structural changes to the FS's and DOI's wildfire appropriations, including fully funding the Administration's suppression request in their respective WFM suppression activities and not appropriating any funds to their respective FLAME accounts. Issues

Congress is debating several issues related to federal funding for wildfire management. Issues under debate include the level of federal spending on wildfire management as well as the effectiveness of that spending (e.g., whether the funding is allowing agencies to meet wildfire management targets). Congress also is debating the level of appropriations dedicated for certain wildfire management activities. After providing funds for wildland fire management for each fiscal year, Congress has enacted additional funds in 5 of the last 10 years. Wildfire suppression is complicated, and both the efficiency of resources used for wildfire suppression and the federal protocol for wildfire management have an impact on wildfire suppression costs.
The federal government's wildfire (or wildland fire) management responsibilities are fulfilled primarily by the Forest Service (FS, in the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). These responsibilities include prevention, detection, response, and recovery related to fires that begin on federal lands. These responsibilities are accomplished through activities such as preparedness, suppression, fuel reduction, and site rehabilitation, among others. There are several ongoing concerns regarding federal wildfire management. These concerns include the total federal costs of wildfire management, the strategies and resources used for wildfire management, and the impact of wildfire on both the quality of life and the economy of communities surrounding wildfire activity. Many of these issues are of perennial interest to Congress, with annual wildfire management appropriations being one indicator of how Congress prioritizes and addresses certain wildfire management concerns.
Congress provides annual appropriations to both FS and DOI for these activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, although the bulk of the appropriations go to FS. Wildfire activities are funded in two accounts for each agency: Wildland Fire Management (WFM) and Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. Over the past 10 years (FY2008-FY2017), Congress has appropriated an average of $3.72 billion annually, with $4.18 billion combined to both FS and DOI in FY2017. The Administration requested a combined $3.72 billion in FY2018, a 12% decrease from FY2017 enacted levels. On September 14, 2017, the Housed passed H.R. 3354, an omnibus measure covering all 12 appropriations bills, including the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill. This bill would provide $3.85 billion combined for wildfire purposes, an 8% decrease from FY2017 enacted levels and 3% above the Administration's requested levels.
The Administration's FY2018 request also proposed restructuring FS and DOI's appropriations accounts, in some identical ways (e.g., eliminating funding for both the FLAME suppression accounts) but also in some different ways (e.g., moving funding for hazardous fuels management). These budget restructuring proposals may provide some benefits for FS or DOI, such as providing agency funds designated for the same activity in one account each instead of across two accounts. Restructuring the budget may have some potential drawbacks as well. For example, changing accounts may complicate analysis to inform future appropriations decisions or hinder the ability to evaluate FS's and DOI's performance.
Congress is debating several issues related to federal funding for wildfire management. These issues include the level of federal spending on wildland fire management as well as the effectiveness of that spending (e.g., whether the funding is allowing agencies to meet wildfire management targets). In some years, Congress also faces requests from the agencies for additional appropriations during severe fire activity. Congress has frequently provided additional funding for wildfire management above the level in the annual appropriations bill, usually for suppression purposes. The recurring need for supplemental funds raises questions about the accuracy of the budgeting process for wildfire funding and how the agencies estimate wildfire suppression funding requirements, among other issues.
This report provides an overview of the accounts that fund wildfire management activities and historical wildfire management appropriations data, as well as information on FY2018 appropriations.