Tribal leaders ask Appropriations for forest management parity and firefighter pay equity

Tribal officials and timber managers told the Appropriations subcommittee that federal underfunding of Indian forest management has produced foregone revenue, lost jobs and weakened capacity to respond to wildfire.

Cody Desalta, president of the Intertribal Timber Council and executive director of a tribal natural resources program, cited the 2023 Indian Forest Management Assessment Team (IFMAT) report. "BIA funding in real terms has declined 21% over the last 30 years," he said, and noted that while trust acres increased from about 15.6 million to 19.3 million, per‑acre funding has fallen. IFMAT recommended additional annual funding to reach parity with other federal forest managers; witnesses said that parity would enable tribes to mitigate wildfire risk, maintain roads and harvest timber that otherwise remains unharvested.

Tribal witnesses also urged the committee to ensure that tribal contract wildland firefighters who perform the same federal functions receive compensation parity with federal firefighters. They said inequitable pay and benefits complicate recruitment and retention on tribal lands and urged report language requiring DOI to monitor and report pay parity.

Why it matters: tribal forestlands supply timber revenue that supports tribal governments and jobs, and forest‑management funding gaps have created long maintenance and reforestation backlogs. Unequal compensation for firefighters can leave communities vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire risk.

What lawmakers can do next: the Intertribal Timber Council asked the subcommittee to (1) require a per‑acre funding comparison and report from agencies, (2) restore BIA forestry funding to FY2023 levels at a minimum, (3) direct DOI to address firefighter pay parity and (4) continue technical assistance funding and staffing for tribal forestry programs.