Allegheny National Forest Fiscal Year 1999 Annual Report October 1, 1998 - September 30, 1999 2 Caring For The Land and Serving People Allegheny National Forest.... Land of Many Uses The Allegheny National Forest is The motto “Land of Many Uses” one of 155 National Forests managed captures the National Forest goal of by the U.S. Department of Agriculture a healthy, vigorous forest providing –Forest Service, and the only one in wood products, watershed protection, a Pennsylvania. National Forests are dif- variety of wildlife habits, and recre- ferent than other federal lands, most ational opportunities. of which are managed for a single pur- The Forest Service practices pose. Congress mandates that National conservation of all natural Forests be managed to provide multiple resources entrusted to its stew- resource benefi ts, and in a sustainable ardship, caring for the land way so future generations will enjoy and striving to balance these these lands, too. multiple benefi ts—to meet Forest Reserves were fi rst established not only our needs today, in 1891. The Organic Administration but the needs of tomorrow Act of 1897 defi ned their mission to too. Gifford Pinchot, the “improve and protect the forest within fi rst Chief of the Forest the boundaries, or for the purpose of Service, summed it up securing favorable conditions of water when he said National fl ows, and to furnish a continuous Forest lands are managed supply of timber.” In 1907, the “for the greatest good Forest Reserves were renamed National of the greatest Forests. Over time, various laws added number in the long other benefi ts like wilderness, heritage run.” resources and grazing to the original idea of watershed protection and con- tinuous timber. The Multiple Use– Sustained Yield Act of 1960 recognized outdoor recreation and habitat for wild- life and fi sheries. Visit our website at: www.fs.fed.us/r9/allegheny for more information on recreation opportunities, employment, and Forest management projects. Caring For The Land and Serving People 3 Dear Stockholders: Another year passes, and the Forest have a positive effect on resource use, demand Service has been faced with many management and management. Few people connect their opportunities and challenges. The variety of resource consumption to what must be done to demands on public lands has increased over the land to make it possible. the years, and the time you take to become The separation between people as consum- more involved in forest management enables ers and their interest in protecting the land the Forest Service to better represent your is refl ected in the controversy and alienation diverse needs. While we respond to your chang- between producers and consumers. Specifi c to ing needs, I have been concerned about the this area, loggers and miners have been sub- shift away from commodity production while jected to protests and ridicule by the society noticing the demand for wood fi ber has not that benefi ts from the goods they produce. decreased. Forest conservation depends in part on intelli- The following was writ- gent consumption of lumber. Ecological sustain- Aldo Leopold, father of the ten by Douglas MacCleery, ability will never truly be a holistic approach Assistant Director of Forest to resource management until consumption Forest Service often spoke of Management for the U.S. becomes an integral part of the solution. Please the need for responsible con- Forest Service. “In the past take time to think how your consumption sumption. In 1928, Leopold several years, public infl uence infl uences forest management. has requested the Forest As stewards of America’s national forests wrote, “A public which lives Service to place more and grasslands, the Forest Service is dedicated in wooden houses should be emphasis on biodiversity pro- to meeting the needs of people within the eco- tection and amenity values, careful about throwing stones logical limits of the land. The health of the land and reduce commodity out- is the key. We know that our forests confer at lumbermen, even wasteful puts. This shift in manage- economic, social and other benefi ts on people ment emphasis on public ones, until it has learned how and communities nationwide only as long as lands is occurring in we manage them in a way that maintains and its own arbitrary demands as response to changing soci- restores their health, diversity and long-term etal preferences, however, it productivity. to kinds and quantities of appears that the same public lumber, help cause the waste is making no corresponding From the Forest Service’s origin in the con- servation movement at the turn of the century, which it decries.” shift in its commodity con- sumption habits. “The dirty it has prided itself on conservation leadership. little secret about ecological We must continue that leadership tradition by sustainability is that, in the face of stable or using the best available scientifi c information increasing resource consumption in the U.S., based on the principles of multiple use and the effect is to shift the burden and impacts of ecosystem management that the Forest Service that consumption to ecosystems elsewhere. For pioneered.” example, shifting to increased timber harvesting Take a look at the following report to gain from private forests in the U.S. or forests of a better understanding of how your tax dollars other countries.” are spent, and how the Allegheny National The concern about this shift to other coun- Forest implements the intent of Congress. I tries, is that they do not have adequate envi- think you’ll be pleased! As always, I welcome ronmental protection laws in place, and their your comments, suggestions and ideas. likelihood of maintaining a sustainable resource is remote. The U.S. public consumes more resources today than at any other time in our history, and consumes more per capita than almost any other nation. Personal consumption JOHN PALMER is one area where individuals can act and Forest Supervisor 4 Caring For The Land and Serving People The Federal Budget: The Federal Budget Process: The Allegheny Budget: Each year, Congress and the President For fi scal year 1999 (October 1, 1998 – agree on a series of appropriation bills to allo- September 30, 1999), the Allegheny received cate specifi c dollars to separate and distinct 10.7 million in appropriated dollars; this federal program areas for the upcoming fi scal includes any appropriated moneys not spent year, which runs from October to September. from the previous year. These funds are allo- Each federal agency is then responsible for cated to us in roughly 30 separate and distinct implementing that budgetary direction “on the appropriations, budget line items or expanded ground”. Generally, agencies have very limited budget line items—we’ll call them “categories” latitude to change the way dollars are allocated —with specifi c direction from Congress on how by these bills. the funds in each category are to be spent. Funds generally can not be switched between The budget process for each fi scal year categories. Examples include timber manage- begins 18 months before the fi scal year starts. ment, wildlife, recreation maintenance, recre- Individual budget proposals are developed ation construction, trail construction, and soil within the Forest Service at the regional and operations. national levels, and then the Forest Service budget is reviewed within the U.S. Department In addition, the Allegheny also received of Agriculture (USDA), with program budget authority to spend 4.6 million dollars in various proposals being modifi ed and prioritized at permanent and trust fund accounts, such as each review level. Sometimes the Offi ce of K-V, salvage sale fund, and road maintenance. Management and Budget (OMB) issues addi- Most of these funds are collected from timber tional budget guidance during the process, purchasers as part of their payments for timber which further modifi es the budget proposals. harvested. By early fall, a full year before the start of the The following table shows dollars allocated fi scal year in question, the USDA’s fi nal budget to the ANF in some of the appropriated and proposal is forwarded to OMB. trust fund categories. We’ve also shown key Between early fall and February, OMB projects accomplished by the ANF during fi scal reviews the USDA budget as well as other year 1999 using those dollars. The projects Department budgets in detail. OMB assists the listed are only a sampling of the many projects President in the formulation of a comprehen- completed during fi scal year 1999. See pages sive budget refl ecting the President’s priorities, 17 and 18 for a more comprehensive listing of which is submitted to Congress in February. accomplishments by decade in recent years. Upon receipt of the President’s budget, Congress initiates a round of budget reviews and meetings refl ecting its own priorities on how the nation’s funds should be allocated. Ideally, Congress and the President come to agreement on national budget priorities and pass the various appropriation bills by October 1, in time for the new fi scal year. If that does not occur, the federal government generally operates under a “continuing resolution” until the budget can be passed. Caring For The Land and Serving People 5 Sampling of ANF budget categories and Some of Our Accomplishments Allocated Budget Categories Dollars Key Accomplishments 1.1 Recreation $ 962,237 Administered over 40 developed recreation sites, hundreds of dispersed camping areas, Planning & the Allegheny Wild & Scenic River and many special uses. Planned for future Operation recreation and trail improvement projects. 2.2 Recreation & $ 229,000 Maintained over 40 developed recreation sites and maintained 650 miles of hiking, ATV, Trail Maintenance snowmobile and other trails across Forest; continued to analyze accessibility issues.