Forest Service: Barriers to Generating Revenue or Reducing Costs
RCED-98-58
Published: Feb 13, 1998. Publicly Released: Feb 23, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the efforts by nonfederal land managers to generate revenue or become financially self-sufficient from the sale or use of natural resources on their lands; and (2) legal and other barriers that may preclude the Forest Service from implementing similar efforts on its lands.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| If Congress believes that increasing revenue or decreasing costs from the sale or use of natural resources should be mission priorities for the Forest Service, it will need to work with the agency to identify legislative and other changes that are needed to clarify or modify Congress's intent and expectations for revenue generation relative to ecological, social, and other values and concerns. | The only bill introduced during the 106th Congress that would make clear the Congress' intent and expectations for revenue generation relative to ecological, social, and other values and concerns would make clear that the Forest Service's overriding mission priority is ecosystem sustainability and would acknowledge the effects of sustaining ecosystems on the availability of other uses on the national forests. Similarly, proposed new planning regulations, which the agency expects to finalize by the end of 2000, would make clear that ecological sustainability is the Forest Service's highest priority and that the flow of products, services, and other values from the national forests will be limited to those consistent with maintaining or restoring ecosystem integrity. Thus, it is clear that generating revenue is not a mission priority for the Forest Service. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | Because the Forest Service has not exercised its authority to obtain fair-market value for certain goods and to recover costs for certain services and has not always acted to contain costs, even when requested to do so by Congress, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief of the Forest Service to revise the strategic plan that the agency developed to comply with the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act to include goals and performance measures for obtaining fair-market value for goods, recovering costs for services, and containing expenses as the necessary first step in holding the Forest Service accountable for its performance. |
The Forest Service agreed with this recommendation. However, the agency's October 2000 revision to its strategic plan does not include any goals or performance measures for obtaining fair market value for goods, recovering costs for services, or containing expenses. Rather, the agency's November 2000 planning regulations make clear that ecological sustainability is its highest priority and that the flow of products, services, and other values from the national forests will be limited to those consistent with maintaining or restoring ecosystem integrity.
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Agency missionsCost controlFair market valueForest conservationForest managementLand managementNational forestsNatural resourcesProfitsPublic lands