Washington outlook.

Congress was moving on two important forestry fronts as its August recess began: annual appropriations for federal forestry programs and the 2002 Form Bill. Both hold prospects for funding and legislative priorities on which AMERICAN FORESTS and many of our community partners are focusing.

The House and Senate each have passed versions of the Fiscal Year 2002 Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 2217) providing annual funding for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, as well as other agencies related to the Deportment of Inferior. There's still time to let the conferees know how you feel about the funding priorities in the bills before they take action in September.

The Interior Appropriations bills in the House and Senate contain strong funding levels for cooperative forestry programs, as well as for wildfire management. The "marks" in both bills are equal to or higher than those proposed earlier by President Bush. Marks for AMERICAN FORESTS' program priorities include: S36 million in bath houses for Urban and Community Forestry; $60 million in the House and S65 million in the Senate for Forest Legacy; about $33 million in both houses for Forest Stewardship; $21 million in the House and $35 million in the Senate fur the Economic Action Program through cooperative forestry budgets, and an additional $12.5 million in both houses under the National Fire Plan budget; and, more than $9 million in both houses for the Pacific Northwest Assistance program. Although Congress gave strong marks to these programs it also included a substantial number of "earmarks," which designate funds for specific projects. For example, about half of the funds far the Forest Legacy Program and E conomic Action programs are earmarked for specific pro projects.

For wildfire management, the Senate largely adopted President Bush's proposals while the House further boosted funding to $1.3 billion, close to the total enacted by Congress lost year, minus emergency fire contingency funds. The House included $81 million for burned area rehabilitation and restoration, significantly more than the Senate's $4 million, and $227 million for hazardous fuel reduction, $18 million more than the Senate. Both the House and Senate included language from lost year providing expanded authorities for the Forest Service and BLM to enter into contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements fur hazardous fuel reduction projects--particularly in the urban-wildland interface--to provide training and employment opportunities in rural communities. These funding levels and continued authorities demonstrate a commitment by Congress to the Notional Fire Plan far a second year, but both the House and Senate also emphasize the need for program and fiscal accountability and say they watch these large new investments closely.

Leaders on the House and Senate Agriculture committees, which have jurisdiction over the Farm Bill, are moving quickly to develop their versions of the 2002 Farm Bill. It appears likely that both versions will include significant forestry provisions. House Agriculture Committee chairman Larry Combest of Texas moved a bill through committee an July 27 that includes a Forestry Title with provisions for new cost-share incentives and outreach to nonindustrial private forest landowners to promote sustainable forestry, a new program for community assistance for wildfire protection, and additional authorities for stewardship contracting for projects to reduce hazardous forest fuels. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to develop its version shortly after the August recess. Committee staffs have expressed strong interest in a Forestry Title and are currently seeking ideas on forestry provisions to build into their version of the bill.

AMERICAN FORESTS is exploring various ideas with community partners, which we will discuss with Senate staff and other forestry interests for inclusion in the Farm Bill. These ideas build on our "ecosystem restoration and maintenance agenda" (American Forests, Spring 2000) and cover areas such as urban forestry, rural community assistance, watershed restoration, and wildfire management. These ideas ore consistent with our funding and program priorities in the 2002 Interior Appropriations bill We are hopeful we can move some of these priorities forward on these legislative vehicles.