Department of Natural Resources

  Average Annual FTEs Near General Fund State Other Funds Total Funds
  (Dollars in Thousands)
Current Budget 1,471.5 287,714 430,684 718,398
2021-23 Maintenance Level 1,625.0 289,932 437,215 727,147
Difference from 2021-23 Original 153.5 2,218 6,531 8,749
% Change from 2021-23 Original 10.4% 0.77% 1.5% 1.2%

2022 Policy Other Changes

Keeping Washington Evergreen 2.3 1,075 0 1,075
Activities Supporting AgTrust 0.0 0 742 742
Adaptive Management Program 1.1 680 0 680
Climate Commitment Act Work 0.0 442 0 442
Drought Resilient Washington 0.0 450 0 450
Derelict Vessel Removal Program 1.0 0 2,500 2,500
Fire Suppression Administration 0.0 17,739 (17,739) 0
Forest Practices Funding Shift 0.0 6,917 (6,917) 0
Emergency Fire Suppression 0.0 99,467 9,641 109,108
Investment in Agency Infrastructure 0.0 207 143 350
Kelp and Eelgrass Conservation 2.0 726 0 726
Statewide Lidar Acquisition/Refresh 1.0 3,481 0 3,481
Weed Control on Natural Areas 0.60 0 239 239
NaturE Revenue and Leasing System 0.0 64 (64) 0
Recreation Enforcement & Safety 7.1 3,282 0 3,282
Salmon Action Plan Implementation 0.50 222 0 222
Silviculture Investments 4.0 0 3,900 3,900
Forest Health Funding Shift 0.0 (87,107) 87,107 0
2022 Policy Other Changes Total 19.6 47,645 79,552 127,197

2022 Policy Comp Changes

State Employee Benefits 0.0 1 3 4
WFSE General Government 0.0 487 1,319 1,806
Rep Employee Health Benefits 0.0 8 17 25
WPEA General Government 0.0 788 2,216 3,004
Non-Rep General Wage Increase 0.0 215 522 737
PERS & TRS Plan 1 Benefit Increase 0.0 29 76 105
2022 Policy Comp Changes Total 0.0 1,528 4,153 5,681

2022 Policy Central Services Changes

Archives/Records Management 0.0 3 8 11
Audit Services 0.0 1 3 4
Legal Services 0.0 57 227 284
CTS Central Services 0.0 40 112 152
DES Central Services 0.0 67 188 255
OFM Central Services 0.0 686 1,572 2,258
Self-Insurance Liability Premium 0.0 45 133 178
2022 Policy Central Services Changes Total 0.0 899 2,243 3,142
Total Policy Changes 19.6 50,072 85,948 136,020
2022 Policy Level 1,644.6 340,004 523,163 863,167
Difference from 2021-23 Original 173.1 52,290 92,479 144,769
% Change from 2021-23 Original 11.8% 18.2% 21.5% 20.2%

Policy Changes

Audit Services

Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of audits performed by the State Auditor’s Office. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State)

Legal Services

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of Attorney General's Office legal services based on a three-year average. Because legal services costs are based on usage, funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)

DES Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services for campus rent, parking, security and contracts; capital project surcharges; financing cost recovery; public and historic facilities; real estate services; risk management services; personnel service rates; the Perry Street and Capitol Campus child care centers; small agency services; and the department’s enterprise applications. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)

WFSE General Government

The collective bargaining agreement includes a general wage increase of 3.25% for fiscal year 2023 and a lump sum payment for employees who were employed continuously starting on or before July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. (Forest Development Account - State, General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, other funds)

WPEA General Government

The collective bargaining agreement includes a general wage increase of 3.25% for fiscal year 2023 and a lump sum payment for all employees hired before July 1, 2022. (Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)

Keeping Washington Evergreen

Washington state forests are threatened by devastating wildfires, land conversion, and climate change. This item funds the planning, environmental and economic analyses necessary for the department to develop a strategic plan to permanently conserve and replant forestland, so forests are protected from development and planting is proactively occurring in areas of greatest need. (General Fund - State)

Activities Supporting AgTrust

Work delays due to COVID-19 impacted the department’s ability to complete scheduled land management work on agricultural school trust lands. This one-time funding increase provides capacity to complete the work. This includes timber sale planning and compliance, tree planting silviculture treatments, and other leasing activities to provide revenue to Washington State University. (Agricultural College Trust Manage - State)

Adaptive Management Program

The department's forest practices adaptive management program has been experiencing persistent and significant delays in its decision-making processes, preventing the adoption of forest practice rules and guidance. Program guidance allows for the state's timber industry to harvest while protecting the environmental health of forestlands and watersheds. This item provides funding for the program to become more efficient and effective by implementing recommendations made by the State Auditor’s Office in its January 2021 performance audit of the program. (General Fund - State)

Climate Commitment Act Work

The 2021 Climate Commitment Act (E2SSB 5126) requires the Department of Natural Resources to contract with an entity to establish a small forest landowner work group to identify carbon offset credit projects, carbon market opportunities, and other incentive-based programs for greenhouse gas reduction for small forest landowners. This work was not funded in the biennial budget, and this item provides the funding necessary for the department to complete the project. (General Fund - State)

Drought Resilient Washington

Washington is experiencing more frequent and intense droughts, wildfires, and heat events accelerated by climate change. Funding is provided to evaluate opportunities for drought adaptation, improved water rights, storage, and conservation on the 5.6 million acres managed by the department. The analysis will address immediate and long-term water demands and drought-related impacts on agriculture, fish and wildlife, groundwater supplies, and recreation. (General Fund - State)

Derelict Vessel Removal Program

The number of vessels being abandoned or becoming derelict in Washington waterways is increasing, creating threats to fish habitat and water quality. The Derelict Vessel Removal program’s funding is insufficient to address the ongoing costs to remove and dispose of derelict vessels. Funding will allow the department to remove nearly 20 additional vessels each year, including larger, costlier vessels, and to expand a program helping boat owners to turn in problem vessels before they sink. (Derelict Vessel Removal Account - State)

Fire Suppression Administration

Emergency wildfire suppression administrative and indirect costs are restricted by a legislative budget proviso from being charged to the department’s emergency wildfire suppression appropriation. This results in fund inequity between the state General Fund and other agency accounts and reduces important management activities on state and country trust lands, as well as aquatic lands. To eliminate this inequity and allow the agency's fiduciary trust and dedicated funds to have the required fund balance to restore and protect state lands and waters, emergency wildlife suppression administrative and indirect costs are shifted to the state General Fund and Disaster Response Account. (General Fund - State, Nat Res Conserv Areas Stewardship - State, Disaster Response Account - State, other funds)

Forest Practices Funding Shift

Ongoing funding for the Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Practices program is shifted from the Model Toxics Control Operating Account (MTCA) to General Fund-State. This shift better aligns the MTCA funding to its intended purposes. (General Fund - State, Model Toxics Control Operating Acct - State)

Emergency Fire Suppression

Washington experienced a difficult wildfire season with more than 1,800 fires around the state burning more than 659,000 acres, which is the third highest number of burned acres on record. Additional funding is provided for the costs of emergency wildlife response activities because expenditures exceeded the department's existing appropriation in fiscal year 2022. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Investment in Agency Infrastructure

Funding allows the department to retain an independent consultant to conduct a review of the department's administrative service staffing levels as recommended by a performance assessment conducted in 2020. The review will determine if the department is optimized to operate the entire range of its programs and services most effectively and efficiently. (General Fund - State, Forest Development Account - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, other funds)

Kelp and Eelgrass Conservation

The health and existence of Washington’s kelp forests and eelgrass meadows is threatened by climate change and ocean acidification. These marine resources provide critical habitat for a wide array of marine life and play an important role in climate mitigation. Funding is provided for the department to develop a kelp forest and eelgrass meadow health and conservation plan. (General Fund - State)

Statewide Lidar Acquisition/Refresh

Lidar provides precise, three-dimensional information about land surface characteristics. Multiple state, federal, and local stakeholders rely on lidar to inform natural resource, habitat, land use, forestry, and conservation decisions. However, this data is not collected statewide on a regular schedule. Funding is provided to collect ongoing and regular lidar data and to continue to keep the data publicly available. (General Fund - State)

Weed Control on Natural Areas

One-time funding will provide much needed weed control for rare species and habitat conservation in natural areas statewide. This work helps increase ecological resilience for native features. (Nat Res Conserv Areas Stewardship - State)

NaturE Revenue and Leasing System

This item shifts existing expenditure authority to replace portions of the department's NaturE Revenue and Leasing System from the Contract Harvesting Revolving Account to adhere to the account's statutorily allowed expenditures. Funding is shifted to the General Fund-State, Forest Development Account, and Resource Management Cost Account. (Resource Management Cost Account - State, General Fund - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)

Recreation Enforcement & Safety

Outdoor recreation has seen a significant increase as more Washingtonians and visitors take advantage of the state’s recreational lands during COVID-19. Increased visitation has stretched the department’s ability to protect and maintain safe access to recreational lands. Funding is provided for law enforcement, education and operations positions necessary to ensure the department is providing world-class outdoor recreational opportunities for generations to come. (General Fund - State)

Salmon Action Plan Implementation

As manager of over five million acres of forest and natural lands, the department has an important role in restoring habitat and support salmon recovery. Funding is provided to work with local partners in the Snoqualmie and Skykomish watersheds to identify and implement critical projects, including landscape restoration, education opportunities, and work with small forest landowners to provide fish passage and prevent land conversion. (General Fund - State)

Silviculture Investments

Increases in staff, facilities, and contract labor costs have reduced the capacity of the department to implement critical forest treatments. Funding is provided to complete critical silviculture work to improve the future value of state and county trust lands. (Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, Agricultural College Trust Manage - State)

Forest Health Funding Shift

The department's implementation of Second Substitute House Bill 1168 (Long-term forest health) was delayed due to a number of events, including COVID-related supply chain issues with acquiring aircraft and heavy equipment and hiring delays due to the length and intensity of the wildfire season this past summer. This item transfers a portion of the department’s state General Fund appropriation for fiscal year 2022 and all of fiscal year 2023 appropriation to the account dedicated for long-term forest health created in the legislation. This will allow the full legislative appropriation to be spent consistent with legislative intent. (General Fund - State, Wildfire Resp Forest Restor & Comm - State)

State Employee Benefits

Health insurance funding is provided for state employees who are not covered by the healthcare coalition. The insurance funding rate is $936 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,130 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State)

Rep Employee Health Benefits

Health insurance funding is provided as part of the master agreements for employees who bargain for health benefits as part of a coalition of unions. The insurance funding rate is $936 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,130 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (Forest Development Account - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)

Non-Rep General Wage Increase

A general wage increase of 3.25%, effective July 1, 2022, is provided for state employees who are not represented by a union or who are covered by a bargaining agreement that is not subject to financial feasibility determination. (General Fund - State, Forest Development Account - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, other funds)

PERS & TRS Plan 1 Benefit Increase

For eligible Public Employees' and Teachers' Retirement Systems Plan 1 members, this item provides an increase of 3%, up to a maximum of $110 per month. (Forest Development Account - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)

Archives/Records Management

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Secretary of State's Office. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)

CTS Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Cyber Security, state network, enterprise services, small agency IT services, security gateways, and geospatial imaging services. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (General Fund - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)

OFM Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges for existing statewide applications, the One Washington program, and other central services provided by the Office of Financial Management. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (Forest Development Account - State, Resource Management Cost Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)

Self-Insurance Liability Premium

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's share of the actuarially projected costs of the self-insurance liability premium. (Resource Management Cost Account - State, General Fund - State, Forest Development Account - State, other funds)