Skift Take
You will be reading stories like this across the U.S. this week as the pending budget cuts will only make operations backed by the federal government more difficult, whether that be airports or natural habitats.
Managing the Talladega National Forest is a massive undertaking. Federal budget cuts may make it even harder.
Massive federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, which could take effect Friday if Congress doesn't act to stop them, would include a cut of about $2 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
That would filter down to the U.S. Forest Service in the form of a $134 million cut to the Wildland Fire Management Program and a $78 million cut to the National Forest System, according to a letter dated Feb. 5 from the USDA to U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Forest Service would complete as many as 200,000 fewer acres of burns to protect against wildfires, the letter states. In addition it could mean 670 public recreation sites would be closed and the loss of 35 of 742 law enforcement officers patrolling the forests, the letter states.
"The agency would restore
