Conino National Forest Fiscal Year

Conino National Forest

Fiscal Year Budget of the Site with Some Categories

According to the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Forest Service requested a total of 4.109 billion for the fiscal year of 2009. This number represented an 8% decrease in the amount requested from the previous year (FY2008).

The number also represented a 5% decrease in the amount requested from FY 2007 ("USDA Forest Service Fiscal Year 2009 Budget").

The FY 2009 budget includes three major categories: forest and rangeland research, state and private forestry, and the national forest system. Forest and rangeland research consists of several subcategories including fire and fuels, invasive species, resource management and use, water and air research and development, and forest inventory and analysis. State and Private forestry deals with forest health and federal lands, state fire assistance, forest stewardship, forest legacy, international forestry, etc. Finally, the National Forest System category is divided into two main subcategories: land management and planning, which includes creating and maintaining land management plans, and inventory and monitoring, which includes creating monitoring those plans (USDA Forest Service 2:1).

Each year, specific sites receive funding based on this overall fiscal budget. For instance, several sites may be allocated fire and fuel research funds based on whether or not those sites are prime for conducting this research. Coconino National forest received appropriations for land management revisions. In 2008, the forest received, among other appropriations for revisions, $500,000 to research the wildlife of Packard Ranch, a site within the forest. The park also received funds for land and facility conveyance projects, management plans, and other types of research in FY2008.

Fee Revenue Generation for the site

Although the fee system for the USDA national forests dates back to the early nineties, charging fees for recreation and other uses of the national forests has become a controversial and unorganized issue. In 2002, fee revenue generated $147,4 million for the agencies participating in the fee demo project, which included the national forest system, national parks system, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Bureau of Land Management. This number was down from $151.5 million in 2001, 150.8 million in 2000, and 150.8 million in 1999 (U.S. Department of the Interior 7). Although these numbers suggest a downward trend, when balanced against the cost of fee collection for 2002, which totaled $32,000, they do not look as grim. For the USDA Forest Service, the fee revenue after expenditures generated $295.8 million (U.S. Department of the Interior 9, 13). For the Coconino National Forest during the fee demo program, fee generated revenue paid for 22,296 pounds of garbage to be destroyed and19 abandoned vehicles to be removed. Fee revenue was also responsible for maintaining 42 miles of trail, removing fire rings and transient camps, and initiating interaction with visitors (U.S. Department of the Interior 57). In Arizona, the total amount of fee revenue generated from recreational visits totaled $3,464,970 (U.S. Department of the Interior 86).

3. Three Management Goals on-site.

According to the 2009 Budget Justification, the Coconino national forest has seven formal management goals in accordance with their strategic plan. The list follows:

Restore, Sustain, and Enhance the Nation's Forests and Grasslands.

Provide and Sustain Benefits to the American People.

Conserve Open Space.

Sustain and Enhance Outdoor Recreation Opportunities.

Maintain Basic Management Capabilities of the Forest Service.

Engage Urban America with Forest Service Programs.

Provide Science-Based Applications and Tools.

4. In 2007, the forest received 3.25 million visitors. They came to the forest for a variety of reasons including picnicking, renting cabins, and hiking (Rasure, 4). Because the site prides itself on serving people, it includes a variety of recreational activities. Visitors are those who use the facilities for hiking, camping, and even photography.

5. The Forest Supervisor is Nora Rasure.

6. The agency's mission statement is to "Sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations" (USDA Forest Service, 3:1).