Department of Lands seeks funding for wildfire staffing and equipment; governor recommends large transfers to suppression fund

The Idaho Department of Lands told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that wildfire activity, federal partnerships and growing program responsibilities are driving a suite of FY2026 budget requests focused on fire response, staffing and forest management.

Director Dustin Miller and Legislative Services Office analyst Janet Jessup described requests ranging from new fire program managers and aviation oversight to equipment and onetime needs tied to district buildouts. The department also highlighted the Good Neighbor Authority program and Timber Protective Associations (TPAs) as central to forest restoration and wildfire protection.

Why it matters: Committee members heard the department's projection that suppression costs and complexity have increased in recent years, reimbursement timing from federal partners remains variable, and a lower balance in the fire suppression deficiency fund could pose risks during a heavy fire season.

Major items and governor's recommendations

- Fire staffing and positions: The department requested six positions in FY2026, including a fire emergency support program manager, a fire aviation section manager, a statewide forest assessment program manager, an assistant fire warden for the Ponderosa area, a fiscal financial specialist and a forest program position. Department leaders said the positions support the agency's fire program modernization and more active, coordinated wildfire response.

- Timber Protective Associations and CEC: TPAs are quasi-state entities that provide fire protection on private timberlands. The department requested cost-of-living/Career Equity Compensation (CEC) adjustments for TPA employees separate from the state's employee CEC. The governor recommended an equivalent 5% CEC for TPAs (a parity adjustment) and increased the TPA CEC request relative to the agency's submission. Committee members were told TPA employees are not state employees and therefore did not receive the statewide CEC that applied to state staff.

- Firefighter bonuses and TPA request: The governor recommended $1,000,000 in firefighter bonuses for Department of Lands employees; TPAs requested an additional $250,000 to cover bonuses for their firefighters so both groups would receive awards.

- Fire suppression deficiency fund transfers: The governor recommended two transfers tied to suppression funding: a $60,000,000 supplemental transfer in the current year (FY2025) and a $40,000,000 transfer from the general fund into the fire suppression deficiency fund. Jessup's presentation explained that the fire suppression deficiency fund is continuously appropriated and historically has been pre-funded by the Legislature since 2015.

Good Neighbor Authority and federal partnerships

Director Miller described the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program as a state-federal partnership that allows Idaho to carry out restoration and timber sales on national forest lands. Miller said the program, seeded with legislative support early on, has become largely self-funded from timber receipts tied to GNA projects. The department reported roughly $40 million in GNA-generated receipts to date and breakouts that included personnel, operating expenses, payments to the Forest Service and restoration contracts.

Miller said Idaho has agreements with six of seven national forests and that last year the state delivered about 24% of the Forest Service's timber volume sold in Idaho through GNA activity.

Payment timing and reimbursement risk

Committee members asked about the timing of reimbursements from federal partners. Miller said cost accounting and reimbursement remain a multi-year process; federal invoices sometimes arrive late and that can depress the suppression account balance even when the state expects eventual reimbursement. Without the governor's recommended transfers, Miller projected the suppression account could decline to roughly $13 million in FY2026, creating potential operational strain.

Abandoned mines and other programs

Members also asked about the abandoned mine lands (AML) fund. Miller said Idaho has nearly 9,000 abandoned mine sites and the AML fund derives from a portion of the mine license tax; he said the fund's revenues have not kept pace with the fiscal need to clean and secure those sites.

What the committee heard and next steps

Committee members asked for historical suppression expenditures and clearer revenue timing; Jessup said the office can provide those figures. No formal votes occurred during the hearing. Department leaders said they will continue to work with the committee and the governor's office during the FY2026 budget process.

Ending

Department officials reiterated that wildfire risk, increased costs, GNA activity and the role of TPAs are central to their FY2026 requests; they urged continued legislative support for preparedness, staffing and the suppression fund to maintain response capacity.