President s budget request is just that. It is a request. It does start the annual budget process and gives us here in congress the opportunity to learn about the administrations priorities and how it carry them out. But ultimately its up to us to determine what kinds of programs to fund and what levels. This years budget request is far from perfect i agree the priority must be on Fire Management and improving the health of our forced. Im encouraged the administration is proposing to invest significantly and hazardous fuel reduction and other active Forest Management activities. We know such investments pays dividends hopefully well see this important work plan and carry it carried out without any disruptions. Thanks to our work on the consolidated preparations after 2018 which provided new Budget Authority to fight wildfires. And this budget request would make use of it for fy 2021. The 2019 fire season was relatively mild in the lower 48 with few notable exceptions, but in alaska, last summer its going to be going down in the history books. We had over 600 fires that burned over 2. 5 million acres and we had the nations costliest fires of the year in the peninsula, thousands of firefighters from across alice scott 46 states even canada and puerto rico fought fires in alaska this summer. As they beat back the fires and prevented them from spreading into the communities but it was a tough tough summer for us. As more and more of our forest i off due to beetle infestations across alaska and elsewhere, this work becomes more urgent. We know that we need more of it. And chief, you certainly know that fires have no boundaries there, and what we can do to Work Together is important. I do appreciate the Forest Service acknowledging its cooperatively work with alaska on the beetle infestation and its budget justification, but i am dismayed that this request proposes to cut the Overall Program force management uncooperative lance across the forestry programs. Even with the fire fix in place, wildfires will continue to consume a large percentage of the budget, so i am pleased that for service want to invest building capacity to more effectively use technology and wild land Fire Management. That will help ensure that we are smart as we fight the fires always keeping fire fire safety at the forefront. I think we appreciation to senator gardner and senator campbell for their work on the Wildfire Technology provisions in the dingle act which was signed a couple years ago. Another area where no we need to do more is with recreation recreation is the single greatest use of our National Force but this request does not accurately reflect that in my view in relapse carotene liana here demands in corresponding difficulties in getting permits for them. I was just in southeast this past week, and again heard that repeated. Last year we heard a hearing on the recreation and heard about the need for permitting reform. Im still hopeful that we can Work Together to make some meaningful progress here in congress. Similar to recreation, i remain concerned that agency niches to create a positive workforce are not adequately articulated in this request. Time and time again, i have urged forced Service Leadership to cultivate a Work Environment that is free of harassment and retaliation. I am also concerned by the increasing rate of suicide among wild land firefighters. These issues are priority here on this committee. I think there are priority for all of us. I look forward to hearing how the for service intends to address them. In wrapping up, i think i would be remiss if i did not mention the for service work on the road list. The Agency States specific rulemaking has always been about reasonable access for every local stakeholder in the 32 island did communities and southeast alaska. Not just timber. Barely timber if we are actually being honest here, but also transportation, tourism, mining and even Renewable Energy. So my thanks to you, chief, as well as secretary purdue and all who are working on this rule. I know it is not easy and i think sometimes youre good work is frequently mischaracterized so i appreciate all again that what you are doing about. That i me turn to my colleague senator mentioned for all his comments. Thank you for convening the hearing for fiscal year 21. I would also like to welcome chief christiansen Tore Community and her staff for being here. I had a nice conversation with you yesterday i look forward to you visiting new and coming back we make sure you will see some building in special. Earth aside from being beautiful like most of West Virginia for us this truly a working forest. This provides fishing game for sportsman timber for mills opportunities for hikers jobs in our communities and serves as a watershed for four states. For Service Lands across the country are similarly manage and sustainable for moderate including supporting local commodities timber and for future generations to enjoy. Of course all this can only be accomplished with the for service if it has the funding that it needs. Rural communities all across the country support demand on National Forest and we ought to our constituents to deliver responsible budget. Some of the budget this administration propose would do just that but much of it doesnt. For example, glad to see the steps are proposing to take with regards to firefighting. There were significantly reduce our spots spending on the safety of firefighters. On the other hand i dont support the proposal to zero out funding from the land and Water Conservation fund. I appreciate the exhibit you included showing that the fiscal year 2019 lwcf was used to acquire 19,515 acres specifically to enhance access for honey, fishing, shooting a National Forced. This last year the public slants package was signed, securing permanent authorization for lwcf. I followed that by introducing a bipartisan bill, which many of my have signed on to. He would require permanent and full funding for lwcf that the 900 Million Dollar level, it remains to this day one of my top priorities. I was also proud to join many of my colleagues on the committee to cosponsor their act. This bill provided over six billion dollars to the National Park services to address a deferred maintenance by clogged, as you know is over five billion dollars. Similar to the side of the National Park service. I want to know that the president s budget requests and includes nearly identical proposal except that it would direct ampersand of the findings to the forced services to maintenance its backlog. While im got to see the administration is thinking about the problem, i am very disappointed to see that at the same time, the budget proposes a reduction in annual maintenance funding. That is something we cannot have happen. Reductions and maintenance funding are what caused the maintenance backlog and it will just grow worse. Adequate funding needs to be built into the budget or will continue to find ourselves in a situation. Lastly, i want to compliment the chief on her ambitious goal for temper harvesting. I know the force service will conduct these harvests in a Sustainable Way as required by or environmental laws and i am pleased that you are partnering with states to get this work done. As a former governor, i can tell you that the partnership you are forming with states make your agency stronger unable to do more than you can do by yourself. With that, i look forward to hearing about chief christiansens priorities in discussing the investments we need to make in our National Forests and i want to thank you madam chairman and i look forward to hearing from cheap christiansen. Thank you, senator manchin. Chief, it is good to have you back before the committee. We welcome your presentation here this morning if you would like to proceed and will have an opportunity for questions but thank you. Thank you madam chairman, Ranking Member mansion and members of the committee, for inviting me back to testify on the president s 2021 budget for the Forest Service. Today, i will share details on the hard choices that were made in our budget request and focus on three key areas. Our progress to employ tools, to confront threats to forest that support communities. The work in front of us and the challenges that we must overcome and our were steadfast efforts and progress to champion a strong workforce and healthy workplace. We thank the congress for approving the 2020 budget. We are putting funds, new authorities and tools to good use. Trend lines point up words as we treat more forest and support rule economies. We are on track to meet our timber target and so far, we are outpacing last years work to reduced hazardous fuels. Our shared stewardship approach is gaining momentum. In spirit and a new agreements. We are working across boundaries to do work at the right scale and the right places. We have signed 12 agreements with states and one with the western governors association. 26 agreements are in progress. We have executed 245 Good Neighbor agreements and 38 states and doubled timber volume. We aim to build on our progress in 2021. The president s 7. 3 eight billion dollar budget emphasizes our critical work. It focuses worked to reduce wild and fire risks, improve forest conditions, increase access and contribute to local economies. It advances our shared stewardship approach but it does reflect tough choices and tradeoffs the. In addition, we are seeking solutions and innovations to overcome obstacles that slow our work. We are near completion of a reform that will ease process burdens and reduce costs. This print, we will finish new rules that streamline decision processes, meet our environmental responsibility and get more work done. Efforts to modernize budget processes, increase efficiencies in firefighting, integrate science and improve internal systems, put us at a position to better deliver our mission. We also appreciate your help in addressing challenges of the cotton would ruling. It has delayed work on the ground and on ending analysis and redundant consultation. We are also seeking ways to maintain a reliable infrastructure, an essential for groundwork and public access. With over 370 miles of road and 159, 000, excuse me, that is 370,000 miles of road and 159,000 miles of trails, the four service manages the largest Transportation System of all the federal Land Management agencies. These road, trails and bridges make up the largest part of our 5. 2 billion dollar maintenance backlog. We need functioning roads and bridges to treat forests, fight fires and reduce fire risks. Rule americans need functioning roads and bridges for their daily use. For Outdoor Activities and emergency response. Lastly, our Mission Success depends on a highly scaled motivated workforce. We will continue our work to and Sexual Harassment and retaliation. We are making progress and more resolute than ever in our commitment to provide a safe harassment free respectful workplace. We have taken actions, we are improving. We must go further to permanently change our culture to one that is based on dignity, equality and respect for all. Our strong workforce is key to our aim to create a Gold Standard for Public Service admission delivery. It ensures we make good on investments of this congress and provide the services and sound stewardship this nation deserves. Thank you, id be happy to answer questions. Thank you chief, we appreciate your quick review here but we will have an opportunity to fill in an with more questions. I want to start off with a couple of alaska specific issues. You have mentioned that, and my colleague senator manchin also acknowledged that the administration is proposing its highest National Timber target in decades here. That goal, as you probably know, really does not extend to us in alaska. We are at the lowest point that we have seen in our States History since we have been locking there and certainly among the lowest in the nation here. Only 5. 6 million were sold an alaskan 2019. This would be 0. 1 4 of this years goal. Again, recognizing that this is coming from our nations largest National Forest. Again, i just came from southeast, i was down in ketchikan, in juneau, inside cars, obviously a discussion about the road list but really a broader concern about whether or not we are going to be able to get any reliable volume out of the tongass given what we are seeing. What steps can you share with me is the Forest Service taking to reverse this trend on the timber in alaska . Thank you senator. I hear you loud and clear. I too have concerns and i have dug pretty deep into the uniqueness in alaska myself. I took the time to come up this summer and have a look myself. Which we appreciated. What can i assure you is that we do remain committed to a reliable and a continuous supply of timber for southeast alaska. It is part of the economy and the way of life. We really do get that. I am pushing our folks to really work innovatively on how we can address some multiple challenges quite frankly in doing business in this island communities. There are often some logistical challenges and is more expensive. We need to be really smart and coordinated. In addition, there is significant market variability. I think, you know right now the market is very soft. 30 million board food sales was a Good Neighbor sale that the state of alaska is on hold right now because of market conditions. It is compounded by some tariffs in china. There is a significant amount of controversy and lawsuits in alaska. It is not that we dont have those challenges other places, senator. We have really looked hard on how we, as the Forest Service, the stewards as you say the largest National Forest, we can be a convening compassion city to bring multiple interests together to look at the watershed, recreational values, in addition to the timber values, find the Common Ground and have enough available cleared environmentally cleared product that we can be responsive to the different market changes. As you know, we took a large landscape approach. The first, with the prince of wales the that brought a lot of collaborative capacity, a lot of Common Ground by many interests were brought together. Unfortunately, it has been enjoined and so that is the biggest reason why we could not offer the amount of timber we intend to do. We are looking at the situation there and we are trying to adjust according lee. We are committed to continuing to work on this, to be flexible and meet the needs of alaska. Chief, i have not interrupted, i have allowed you to try to give me as fulsome as a response as you can do but you need to know that i view this as holy unsatisfactory. Instead of moving forward, instead of actually seeing some results translate on the ground, we are going backwards, which i did not think possible. I dont believe it is because you dont support that the work or the opportunity that remains in the tongass, but what is happening is exactly what those who would seek to shut batangas down, it is happening that the industry is unable to hold on. You will be visited by a group of alaskans this week who will not only share with you there concern about, again, this downward trend that has gone so low that we could not have even imagined that it would be this bad. They have also been hit with the double whammy that you referenced, with regard to the chinese tariffs, that came out of left field. I think you have a situation here where through policies, through litigation, you have managed to eliminates an industry and an opportunity for people who live in the nations largest National Forest. Indifferent to my colleagues here and their opportunities to ask questions, i will conclude my statement but know that the response that you have provided, that you are committed on paper is one thing. Ive got all the materials and the statistics, but it is not translating on the ground. It is not translating in these communities and that is not an acceptable solution. Let me turn to senator manchin. Thank you madam chairman. Chief crunch christiansen. December of last year, myself in the chairman and members of the committee, worked diligently to extension on the secure role schools program. West virginias really depend on that and they send me letters, they were excited. , but even though we did provide the funding and the money what should i tell them . When will they get this money . Why is it taking so long to get it out the door . Senator manchin, we appreciate your leadership on securing the schools. It really makes a difference across the country in many of these Rural Counties and public lands. We are working top priority. It usually goes out in february the money goes out in february. Yes it will be out before the end of. March i can guarantee you that, and i have asked my folks to step it up top priority to get it out. Whats loaded up . Is there anything we can do to prevent this . We have a twoyear an extension so that it doesnt repeat itself next year . In the finance part of the federal government, im not the expert. I will get back to you. Id be happy to work with you im sure you have someone whos connected on this. If you can give us your contact on behalf of all of us we can rely on id be happy to work with you