Department of Lands asks for staffing, equipment and one‑time funds as governor backs large transfers to fire‑suppression account

Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented the Idaho Department of Lands’ FY2026 budget to the Joint Finance Committee and described multiple requests tied to wildfire suppression, staffing and federal partnership programs.

The governor’s budget recommendation included large transfers to the state’s fire suppression deficiency fund and a $1,000,000 firefighter bonus for Department of Lands employees. The governor recommended a one‑time transfer of $60,000,000 (supplemental for the current year) and also recommended a $40,000,000 transfer into the suppression account; the department and committee discussed how those amounts would affect the fund balance. The Timber Protective Associations (TPAs) are not state employees; the governor recommended a compensation‑equivalency CEC for TPAs but did not include TPA employees in the initial $1,000,000 firefighter bonus, and the TPAs have requested an additional $250,000 so their firefighters can receive bonuses as well.

Why it matters: the Department of Lands administers timber, trust lands and the state’s fire response program. The fire suppression deficiency fund allows the state to pay suppression costs and is continuously appropriated; testimony showed the legislature has shifted to pre‑funding that account in recent…