Road repairs needed for the Chugachmiut in Alaska. PHOTO CREDIT: NATHAN LOJEWSKI
forestry staff to implement the FMP approved by the Secretary (C1). ■ Funding agreements for contract services and compacts should include budget for staffing and should compensate tribal staff at a GS level equivalent to what a federal worker would be paid. This will allow tribes to become more competitive in a workforce beset with scarcity (C1). ■ Adjust the balance between recurring funding and nonrecurring forestry funding to fully fund the forestry workforce and annually adjust federal funding to recognize
■ Reform the system of funding so that “project” funding comes to tribes for the broader “Forest Management Activities” as defined in 25 CFR 163, rather than narrow and more specific criteria (H11). ■ Develop mechanisms to provide funding to bridge (A6) the time between seasonal operations and when appropriations are received. ■ Initiate an independent review of adequacy of BAER and BAR funding and staffing for Indian lands is needed and necessary actions taken to ensure sufficient funds are allocated to fulfill the Secretary’s trust responsibility and NIFRMA’s statutory objective of maintaining Indian forest land in a perpetually productive state. Reform policy and procedures for administering
BAER and BAR funds to align with project implementation requirements (H6). ■ Redirect funds to tribes retained by the DOI/BIA for performing functions previously considered inherent federal functions but now carried out by tribes under ITARA. This reform would shift funds from the BIA to the tribes who are actually performing the functions and provide additional funds for tribes to achieve tribally defined state-of-the-art forest management (H9). ■ Adequately fund and staff tribes to implement cross- boundary projects (J1) and recurring funding must be sufficient to maintain tribes existing forestry needs before a tribe can take on additional responsibilities (K7). Allow
inflation (A5). Recurring and nonrecurring funding needs to be increased to levels commensurate with federal neighbors.
Executive Summary 13
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