On May 13, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources regarding the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request.

Much like last year’s proposal, the FY2027 budget request includes sweeping structural changes, including the elimination of the Office of Forest and Rangeland Research, elimination of the Office of State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, and consolidation of all federal wildfire programs and funding into a new agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI) known as the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. You can read our full analysis of the budget request here: President Trump’s FY2027 Forest Service Budget Request.

Topics discussed during the hearing included:

U.S. Wildland Fire Service Reforms and Consolidation

Policymakers continued to express openness to wildfire reform, but raised serious questions and concerns about consolidating federal wildfire responsibilities into a single DOI agency. Senators noted that wildfire prevention, hazardous fuels reduction, watershed protection, and post-fire recovery are closely tied to broader land management activities. They warned that decoupling wildland fire management from the Forest Service could sideline the land managers with on-the-ground expertise needed to effectively reduce wildfire risk. Senators also raised concerns that separating wildfire responsibilities from broader forest management activities could undermine a more cohesive and integrated approach to managing federal forests.

As part of FY2026 appropriations, Congress called for a feasibility study on the consolidation of federal wildfire responsibilities into a single agency. The agency plans to submit a formal Request for Proposals mid-May.

Reauthorization of the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund

Members also discussed the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund, which is set to expire at the end of next year. The fund was created in 2018 to ensure dedicated federal funding for urgent wildfire suppression activities without drawing funds from other Forest Service programs. It can be used by both the USFS and the DOI once suppression funding under the agencies’ respective Wildland Fire Management accounts is exhausted.

In Wednesday’s hearing, Chief Schultz estimated that the Reserve Fund had prevented more than $12 billion in fire borrowing. Historically, when suppression funds were depleted during wildfire emergencies, agencies transferred funding from unrelated, non-suppression accounts to cover immediate wildfire suppression costs. This practice, known as fire borrowing, diverted billions of dollars from their intended purposes.

TCS supports reauthorization of the Reserve Fund, which, not only helps prevent fire borrowing, but also ensures suppression funding is immediately available during emergencies instead of relying on interagency transfers or emergency supplemental appropriations.

Importance of Prescribed Fire

Under the President’s proposed budget, wildfire funding and responsibilities would move out of the USFS and into DOI under the proposed U.S. Wildland Fire Service. However, Chief Schultz still strongly endorsed the use of prescribed fire during the hearing and committed to conducting more. Chief Schultz described prescribed fire as “the most effective” and “cheapest” means by which the agency can conduct hazardous fuels reduction.

TCS has long called for the increased use of beneficial fire, including prescribed fire, cultural burning, and managed naturally ignited wildfire. Early opposition to prescribed fires and a strict policy for suppressing naturally occurring wildfires in the 20th century contributed to fire-deficient landscapes across much of the country. Prescribed fires are proven to reduce wildfire severity while also providing ecological benefits. It is also cost effective; according to the Congressional Budget Office, prescribed fire costs between $125 and $489 per acre, while mechanical treatments cost from $700 to more than $2,000 per acre.

Roadless Areas and Wildfire Risk

While not directly tied to the USFS budget request, senators also raised the Administration’s plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule). The rule prohibits road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas covering approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands. In addition to other ecological and recreational benefits, roadless areas can help reduce wildfire risk by limiting road access and human-caused ignitions.

During the hearing, concerns were raised about how the Forest Service plans to account for wildfire risk as it begins the process of rescinding the Roadless Rule. Fires are more likely to start in roaded areas due to human activity, and the current rule already allows for wildfire reduction activities. Nearly 2 million acres within roadless areas have received fuels treatment in recent years. Chief Schultz agreed that the Forest Service has “seen more human-caused fire starts than natural-caused,” but did not explain how the agency plans to account for that risk, noting only that the rulemaking process has recently begun.

Elimination of Key Research and Grantmaking Offices

Some senators voiced concerns over the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the Offices of Forest and Rangeland Research and State, Private, and Tribal Forestry. The FY2026 budget request also proposed closing these offices, but Congress ultimately continued funding them at similar levels to the previous year.

Forest and Rangeland Research supports USFS research programs that contribute to scientific understanding of forest health and management, including—as was raised at the hearing—work directly related to wildfire. Chief Schultz responded to questions about the future of this research by saying that some research could continue if funded through states, universities, and outside entities rather than through the federal government.

State, Private, and Tribal Forestry provides technical and financial assistance to nonfederal landowners. Again, Chief Schultz responded to questions about these programs by stating that UFSF would “still cooperate extensively in wildfire management and even land management discussions and opportunities,” but that there would be greater reliance on funding from states and other nonfederal partners moving forward.

Maintenance Backlog

The issue of mounting maintenance backlogs was raised by members on both sides of the aisle, highlighting the continued growth of the Forest Service’s deferred maintenance backlog.

Chief Schultz was asked to justify the budget request’s 35% cut to Capital Improvement and Maintenance funding. In response, Chief Schultz called for reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act, which he said would provide “$285 million a year that could be used for ongoing deferred maintenance of trails, roads, infrastructure, those things.”