...Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that accommodating the rapid rise in firefighting costs has harmed an array of conservation efforts. For example, spending that helps restore vegetation and watersheds after a fire has fallen 22 percent since 2001. Another program that partners with states and private landowners to conserve wildlife habitat has been cut by 17 percent during that same period. The biggest hit has occurred with the maintenance of thousands of recreational sites and buildings managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Vilsack said. Spending on maintenance has decreased by two-thirds. Thats created, literally, a multi-billion dollar backlog of unfulfilled maintenance, which obviously over time is going to cost us additional resources, Vilsack said. It really does speak to the need for a new and different way of funding fires, particularly those more intense, more expensive fires. scpr.org/news/2014/08/20/46119/report-firefighting-costs-eroding-conservation/
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 21:36:59 +0000
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