Wildfire crisis needs budget fix now

California is in a state of crisis. The state is not only entering into its fourth year of drought, but it is also about to face another extended wildfire season. Last year alone, Cal Fire responded to nearly 5,000 wildfires, 1,200 more than the average. The annual number of large wildfires has increased by more than 75 percent and the intensity of these fires continues to grow.

That is why it’s crucial for Congress to pass the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. This bill would change how the government budgets for wildfire disasters so that they are funded in the same manner other disasters. It would permit the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to allocate funds to fighting mega wildfires and at the same time provide funding to land managers who care for the forests on a day-to-day basis. A report estimates that the cost to fight fires in the United States this year will run nearly $1.8 billion, $470 million more than the Forest Service or the Interior’s firefighting budget, causing them to resort to other non-fire fighting budgets like forest management.

{mosads}These fires are not only consuming emergency funds but are also taking funds away from programs that help reduce fire risks and future firefighting costs. Between 2012 and 2013, the Forest Service transferred nearly $1 billion from other budgets for fire suppression. Because of this transfer, long-term restoration projects are deferred or cancelled. For example, the Forest Service had to defer hazardous fuels and stewardship timber projects on the Tahoe National Forest. The fact of the matter is that California, and the rest of the nation, needs to start being proactive instead of reactive to its environment.

California has disproportionately spent money on suppressing fires instead of focusing on reducing wildfire risks and maintaining healthy forests. Many Californians do not know that maintaining healthy forests can both decrease the number of severe fires and increase water supply. In the time of a severe statewide drought, California cannot afford to squander potential water sources.

For example, the Sierra Nevada region is responsible for 60 percent of California’s developed water supply. Its watersheds are the primary source of fresh water that flows into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  More than 25 percent of the national forests in the Sierra region are eligible for mechanical thinning. Thinning California’s forests increases the forests’ ability to store snow, increase water runoff and decrease risk of mega-fires. More importantly, the economic benefit from an increase in water and a decrease in fires may offset preventative costs.

Thinning isn’t the only solution – restoring the meadows within these forests is also crucial to increasing the water retention rate. More than 50 percent of meadows in the Sierra have been severely impacted and have diminished their current and long-term ability to store water.

The cost of putting out a fire has risen across the nation – the United States has spent more than $1 billion every year since 2000. The King Fire – which destroyed nearly 100,000 acres in the Sierra region – cost an estimated $5 million a day. Environmental factors may have placed California in a tenuous situation, but there is an opportunity to adopt new effective policies. Congress needs to pass the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act so that California can be proactive instead of reactive to wildfires. 

The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act is making its way through congress, but like many bills needs tremendous support to make sure action is taken.  Please let your U.S. representative know how important the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act is for California’s forests and water supply. Support the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. 

Bischel is president of the California Forestry Association (Calforests) and is a registered professional forester.