While chairing a recent Senate committee hearing regarding the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) proposed budget, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called on the agency to maintain consistent protection of forested areas while striving for a balance with recreation, tourism and timber interests.
At a Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, Murkowski said the USFS required reliable funding to meet its needs and that should take precedence over other initiatives if necessary, stating that certain budget cuts are feasible but those impacting forestry were concerning, a committee release said.
“Some (budget cuts) could impact critical forest management activities, like firefighting and hazardous fuels reduction,” Murkowski said in the release. “And some appear to contradict other proposals in the budget, so we will need to review all of these very carefully as we work on our budget for the next fiscal year.”
Murkowski said any failure on the part of USFS could potentially affect individuals not only in Alaska but also nationwide, explaining that funding priorities extend from the national level to state and local jurisdictions.
The handling of wildfires is of particular concern to Murkowski, and she commended the administration for striving to allocate sufficient funds following a USFS request for approximately $2.5 billion to support its wildland fire management program.
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