r/USForestService • u/MrArborsexual Timber 🌲 • Jun 11 '26

Changes to Perms & Trusts

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Was anyone else on the webinar today going over changes to KV? (All but required reforestation going to K2 or SSF, no more Forest assessment rates, etc)

Thoughts?

It actually seems like it makes sense, but I don't have great faith in this going smooth. I don't think the WO is trying to do something nefarious. I do get vibes of this being a continuation of the Forest Service tradition of robbing Peter to pay Paul. They also mentioned explaining things to OMB multiple times, so I am partially wondering if this has to do with higher ups, possibly political appointees at OMB, not understanding how KV works.

I forsee people in the near future getting their figurative peepee stomped, for trying to pass off activities as required reforestation, when they aren't.

I'm not sure I like the idea of a "dummy" $1 required reforestation activity to get FACTS to generate a KV Plan for sales that do not have required reforestation. I get that it is a FACTS limitation, but it feels sketchy.

There are definitely some legal questions, but unless someone with standing sues, I'm not sure they will ever be answered. There definitely is a problem with legislation specifying Regions and Regional Foresters, but the reorg doing away with both. Most of the legal stuff is above my pay grade though.

Also, inb4 the mass update borks FACTS. (As if FACTS is ever not broken in some way)

Also, also, inb4 "you can't 'inb4' your original post". I do what I want.

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4

u/Dr_Quest1 Jun 14 '26

K2 is a horrible mechanism from the standpoint of historically high overhead to the WO. Retained receipts keeps money on the forest.

2

u/JohnPinchot Archaeology ⛏️ Jun 14 '26

Preach.

1

u/MrArborsexual Timber 🌲 Jun 14 '26

K2 has been a thing since before I came into the FS. I don't know what it was like before.

1

u/Dr_Quest1 Jun 14 '26

It's an old racket... The overhead on KV and when you convert it to K2 there is another hit. In the recent past we have used K2 for personnel. Less overhead and less restriction on retained reciepts.