President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Makes Significant Investments to Address Wildfire Risk and Climate Change

Date: June 1, 2021

Contact: OWF_media@ios.doi.gov

WAHSINGTON- The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2022. As the Administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track, the Budget makes historic investments that will help the country build back better and lay the foundation for shared growth and prosperity for decades to come.

The 2022 DOI budget request for Wildland Fire Management proposes significant increases to help mitigate the risks and impacts of catastrophic wildfire by improving the health, resiliency, and recovery of wildland ecoystems.  The program has a significant role in advancing President’s Biden’s plan to address the climate crisis. 

“Wildland fire and climate change are interconnected. The President’s Budget request for Wildland Fire Management takes significant and meaningful steps to better understand the effects of climate change on wildfires, and to mitigate wildfire risk and restore lands damaged by wildfires, particularly in areas adjacent to underrepresented communities,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget Rachael Taylor.

At the Department of the Interior, the Budget will:

• Meet the Challenges of Wildfire Risk Through Mitigation. The budget includes an $80 million investment for mitigation efforts to strengthen climate resiliency in high wildfire risk areas. Of this amount, $65 million is targeted to increase capacity for vegetation management, including areas adjacent to underrepresented communities.  Additionally, $10 million will be used to support collaborative work with Tribal Nations to enhance the health and resiliency Reserve Treaty Rights Lands. DOI is also proposing an increase of $5 million for the development and enhancement of the information technology systems that are needed for critical information sharing, data transparency and decision support to undertake collaborative wildland fire management activities.

• Increase Resiliency Through Rehabilitation of Lands. The request includes an investment of $20 million for the restoration and repair of lands damaged by wildfire. A portion of this amount will focus on areas adjacent to underrepresented communities where on-going work is progressing towards positive outcomes but where critical work remains. Timely rehabilitation helps to restore healthy ecosystems making them more resilient to wildfires and withstand the effects of climate change. Funding for DOI’s Burned Area Rehabilitation program has not kept pace with the restoration needs stemming from the increasing frequency and impacts of wildfires.

• Support a Better Understanding of the Effects of Climate Change on Wildfires. The budget proposes a $5 million increase for the Joint Fire Science Program, an interagency partnership with the USDA Forest Service that funds wildfire science research projects. The requested increase will fund climate-related research towards a better understanding of landscape resiliency and the beneficial uses of prescribed fire, carbon storage and greenhouse gas and smoke emissions. 

For more information on the President’s FY 2022 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.  

###