Executive summary 8 I. Introduction 26 II. State government capability 28

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service (USFS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages public lands in national forests and grasslands. There are four National Forests in North Carolina: Natahala National Forest, Pisgah National Forest, Croatan National Forest, and Uwharrie National Forest. While there is some communication between the U.S. Forest Service and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources, greater collaboration and coordination between the two levels of government forestry management services is warranted.

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  Ranger Districts: Each District has a staff of 10-100 people who manage on-the-ground activities that occur in the Ranger District.
  
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  National Forest: Each National Forest is composed of several Ranger Districts. A Forest Supervisor oversees each National Forest. This level coordinates activities between districts, allocates the budget and provides technical support to each district.
  
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  Region: North Carolina is in the Southeast Region. Each Region is overseen by the Regional Forester. Forest Supervisors of the National Forests within a region report to the Regional Forester. The regional office staff coordinate activities between National Forests, monitor activities in the National Forests to ensure quality operations, provide guidance for Forest Plans, and allocate budgets to the Forest.
  
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  National Level: the Washington, DC office. The Forest Service Chief oversees the entire Forest Service. The Chief reports to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment in the USDA. The Chief’s staff provides broad policy direction for the agency, works with the President’s Administration to develop a budget to submit to Congress, and provides reports for Congress.
  

Fire Management Program

The Fire and Aviation Management Office of the USDAFS works to advance technologies in fire management and suppression; maintain and improve the mobilizing and tracking system; and reach out in support of federal, state, and international fire partners.
The Fire and Aviation Management office oversees the National Fire Plan, a long-term investment to help protect communities and natural resources and the lives of firefighters and the public. It is a long-term commitment based on cooperation and communication among federal agencies, states, local governments, tribes and the interested public.
The Fire Management Program combines elements of fire prevention, fire suppression, and fire use. The federal Wildland Fire Policy was revised in 1995 and engages a proactive approach to managing fire. Key points of the Fire Policy include:

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  Protection of human lives is first priority; property and resource values are second priority.
  
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  Where wildland fire cannot be safely reintroduced because of hazardous fuel build-ups, some form of pretreatment must be considered.
  
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  The role of federal agencies in the wildland/urban interface includes wildland fire fighting, hazardous fuels reduction, cooperative prevention and education, and technical assistance. Primary responsibility rests at state and local levels.
  
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  Wildland fire, as a critical natural process, must be reintroduced into the ecosystem.
  
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  Wildland fire management decisions and resource management decisions go hand in hand.
  
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  Structural fire protection in the wildland/urban interface is the responsibility of tribal, state and local governments.
  
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  Federal agencies must place more emphasis on educating the public about wildland fires.
  

Forest Health Protection Unit

The Forest Health Protection Unit is a unit of the USDA Forest Service that employs pest management specialists, forest entomologists, and plant pathologists to provide technical assistance in the prevention, detection, evaluation and suppression of forest insects and disease pest problems.

Natural Resources Conservation Service

(For a description of funding sources available from the NRCS, please refer to the Funding Sources for Mitigation section of this Capability Assessment)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture works to enhance the environment and to maintain our production capacity by helping landowners protect the soil, water, forests, and other natural resources. The Service also provides technical and financial assistance to local sponsors for the relief of imminent hazard and reduction of the threat to life and property.

Water Resources: River Basin Program

The objective of the Water Resources: River Basin Program is to provide planning assistance to Federal, State, and local agencies for the development of coordinated water and related land resources programs. Assistance is provided in the form of technical assistance. Priority will be given to studies that (1) contribute to achieving the National Conservation Program’s high priority objectives; (2) have a high likelihood of being implemented; (3) will be implemented with no or relatively little Federal assistance; (4) have State and local assistance in the study; and (5) are of short duration (two to four years) and low cost. Special priority is given to projects designed to solve problems of upstream rural community flooding; water quality improvement that comes from agricultural non-point sources; wetland preservation; and drought management for agricultural and rural communities. Special emphasis is placed on helping State agencies to develop a strategic water resource plan.
Any State or local water resource agency or other Federal agency concerned with water and related land-resource development is eligible for the Program. USDA participation is based on a cooperative effort with other agencies or Indian tribes. State and local agencies are expected to participate in the studies and to fund their own activities.

Watershed Surveys and Planning

Watershed Surveys and Planning studies are for appraising water and related land resources and formulating alternative plans for conservation use and development. Generally, studies are of limited scope and short duration to provide specific information needed for planning. The Program can provide technical planning assistance in developing non-traditional flood recovery and floodplain management strategies. Plans may include management and land treatment measures, nonstructural measures, structural measures or combinations thereof that would meet existing and projected needs and objectives.
Technical assistance is provided to Federal, regional, state and local governments who have the responsibility for planning and developing water and related land resources. There are no cost sharing or repayment requirements.

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