Table B.5. National summary of US Forest Service insect, disease, and invasive plant funding on DOI lands from 2013-2022. Note: there are separate call letters and funds earmarked for the Department of the Interior and Department of Defense, National Forest System, and State lands (David Mausel, USDA Forest Service).
Forest pest funding allocations ($ thousands)
Agency
2013
2014 1,038
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
NPS BLM FWS
793 475
513 588 343 636
446 273 230 620
576 250 288 468
773 323 157 434
642 250 171 730
488 435
674 472 187 167
830 250
310
-
94
55
85
Tribes/BIA Total DOI
768
674
616
264
2,036
2,116
2,080
1,569
1,582
1,687
1,793
1,594
1,500
1,429
but likely to spread westward to affect riparian areas. A number of tribes noted the higher levels of insect and disease damage and mortality on adjacent National Forest lands. An example of an invasion from off-tribal lands would be the Sudden Oak Death outbreak in California and Southwestern Oregon. That damage represents the dual threat of contagion and spread onto tribal lands and increases in dead fuel loading and wildfire hazard. Indirectly, lack of sustainable forest management on neighboring lands had implications for the work force, local economies, mill and biomass operations and the marketplace. The most recent aerial survey data (2022) suggests abiotic mortality (wind, ice, heat, drought) in the Pacific Northwest was elevated in 2021. National forest and private lands were most severely impacted. Tribal lands were impacted, but to a relatively lesser extent. The elevated mortality may be associated with the unusually high temperatures in the Pacific Northwest during June 2021 referred to as the “heat dome”. Defoliation and mortality increased in the Eastern region in 2021 likely due to a combination of a large outbreak in the spongy moth ( Lymantria dispar dispar ), as it had its largest outbreak in 30
years, but also mortality from the Emerald Ash Borer. Funding for insect and disease suppression on tribal lands was equivalent to the NPS and higher than the BLM and FWS (Table B.5). However, funding to tribes declined after 2020, possibly due to staffing changes in the BIA and the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lack of forest health staff in BIA and tribal programs engaged in addressing threats from forest pests. The application process for USFS funding is complicated with biological evaluation site visits and reports required. Awareness of forest health protection (FHP) funding, by tribes or the BIA, other than NRCS EQIP, may need improvement. The Forest Health Protection (FHP) group under USFS State & Private Forestry has several Special Project Program funding opportunities: Special Technology Development Program (STDP), Forest Service Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (FSPIAP), Biological Control of Invasive Forest Pests (BCIFP), Forest Health Evaluation Monitoring Projects (EM), and the Emerging Pest Program. All these grants fall under the regulations at 2 CFR 200, effective December 26, 2014 (USDA, Special Project Program Grants). Under USFS
authorities, funding must be used only for suppression and eradication of insect and disease. No prevention, restoration, or invasive plant projects are allowed. Establishment of a BIA dedicated FHP program would be an alternative. The National Park service is a good model, with their own dedicated FHP program. Wild Horse and Burro Damage Risks The impacts from Wild Horse and Burro (WHB) populations on tribal lands is of great concern to tribes across the West. While the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS) are more visible on this issue, the impacts on tribal lands are as great, and may even be greater. The tribes’ reliance on tribal natural resources makes the issue more impactful. Their need for water for subsistence, and the use of plants and herbs for medicinal and food makes decisions on reducing the herds of horses and burros more significant. While in most cases the WHB issues do not have a significant impact on the tribal forest lands, the impacts on range can and do seep over to the forests and need to be addressed
even as part of the forest management program.
Task Findings and Recommendations 91
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator