Forest Service squeezed by deep budget cuts

The federal government is tightening its belt, and the Forest Service is feeling the squeeze.

The Deschutes National Forest and Sisters Ranger District both face budget reductions. Although the Forest Service will not have a final budget for 1997 until February, it is not likely to contain major differences from the working budget the agency is currently using.

That budget is down $32.7 million -- 5.6% from fiscal year 1996, according to Mike Johnson of the Deschutes National Forest Office.

"We have identified three major goals for fiscal year 1997," said Johnson, "and we will fund projects that directly help us to achieve these goals -- often at the expense of other projects."

As a top priority, the Deschutes National Forest will strive to restore, protect and enhance the forest. It will also continue to maintain the tenuous balance between recreational use and protection of Central Oregon's coveted water areas. Finally, a fire management program aims to protect communities and ecosystems.

Johnson said that the agency will "see how we can increase efficiency and reduce costs." To achieve that goal the Forest Service will consolidate programs, using fewer employees and less overhead. Employees will work on projects forest-wide, rather than only in their home unit.

The Forest Service may decide not to fill positions made vacant because an employee has retired or otherwise left the agency.

"The Forest Service is constantly looking at its work force and its budget," Johnson adds, "and we never automatically refill a vacant position. First we ask whether the position is necessary to achieve the mission, and whether the work can be accomplished in a different way," such as contracting out the work, so the Forest Service would not have to hire a new employee.

Despite an expected 8% cut from last year's appropriation, or about $284,000, Jen Fitzpatrick of the Sisters Ranger District said "Our district fared fairly well. Our permanent work force is secure."

The four main departments of the Sisters Ranger District face the following reductions: natural resources (wildlife, timber sales, fish, etc.) -- 14%; community relations (recreation and special uses) -- 12-13%; and administration -- 12%. The resource operations department (tree planting and fire prevention) budget will not be reduced.

Although these reductions should not result in any job cuts, Fitzpatrick said that some positions are slightly underfinanced.

"It takes 261 days of finance time to fund a permanent, full-time employee. Right now some are sitting at 251 days that we actually have financing for. But these are also the people who generally go on fires or have detail opportunities, where the financing would be provided externally," she said.