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Forest Service Management: Little Has Changed as a Result of the Fiscal Year 1995 Budget Reforms

RCED-99-2 Published: Dec 02, 1998. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 1998.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Forest Service's implementation of fiscal year (FY) 1995 budget reforms, focusing on the progress that the agency has made toward becoming more accountable for its results.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture To improve the Forest Service's accountability for results, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief of the Forest Service to: (1) revise the agency's budget structure, budget allocation criteria, and performance measures to better link them to the Forest Service's strategic goals and objectives; and (2) incorporate the new performance measures into the management cost and performance reporting system that the agency is developing.
Closed – Implemented
On the basis of extensive consultation and deliberation with GAO and others, Congress revised the Forest Service's budget structure for fiscal year 2001. The new structure consolidates activities to better link it to the way work is accomplished in the field. In addition, the Forest Service has developed better measures of its progress in addressing issues or problems that cut across the boundaries of resource-specific programs.
Department of Agriculture To help ensure that the budget allocation criteria and performance measures are revised and the management cost and performance reporting system is implemented in a timely manner, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief of the Forest Service to establish a firm schedule to achieve performance accountability.
Closed – Implemented
On September 9, 2002, the Forest Service issued a Performance Accountability Implementation Plan, that among other things, established firm milestones for the agency to achieve performance accountability.

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Topics

AccountabilityAgency missionsBudget administrationexecutive relationsForest managementManagement information systemsMission budgetingNational forestsPerformance measuresReprogramming of appropriated funds