DOI Outlines Strategic Priorities to Strengthen Nation’s Response to Wildfires
Government
The Secretaries’ memo highlights fire management investments as well as other strategic priorities to reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, engage in post-fire recovery, support the wildland fire workforce, and make communities more resilient to fire.
In 2023, the Interior and Agriculture Departments completed a historic 6.85 million acres of hazardous fuels treatments to reduce excessive vegetation that can fuel wildfires. These activities are restoring fire-adapted ecosystems and reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires, which pose greater dangers to public health, infrastructure, natural resources and communities. Increased funding are continuing to support collaborative efforts to undertake fuel treatments across public, Tribal and private lands in 2024.
The Departments hope to employ more than 17,000 wildland fire personnel this year to support communities increasingly impacted by wildfires. The Departments are working together to increase support for wildland fire personnel, improve the ability to recruit and retain talented professionals, make the workforce sustainable into the future, and position the nation to address wildfires made worse by the growing climate crisis.
Wildland firefighters work in hazardous, stressful environments that can impact their health and wellbeing. The Departments are continuing to develop a joint comprehensive program to better understand the short- and long-term effects of working in wildland fire on mental and physical health and to enable the Departments to better support and care for wildland firefighters. The program will expand support for mental health, physical health and readiness, and the risks posed by occupational and environmental hazards.
In their message to agency leaders, the Secretaries emphasized that their teams are incorporating the newly updated National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy into Departmental policy to provide a uniform framework for wildfire response and risk mitigation efforts. The Cohesive Strategy guidance will help strengthen partnerships and better enable the Departments to work across jurisdictional boundaries to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and increasing wildfire activity.
The Departments are further transforming their approach to wildland fire management using recommendations from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and composed of representatives from federal agencies; state, Tribal and local governments; and representatives from the private sector, the Commission submitted its final report to Congress last fall. It included 148 recommendations aimed at shifting our wildland fire response from reactive to proactive, building sustainable and long-term solutions, and creating communities and landscapes that are more resilient to wildfire.
Across the United States in 2023, about two-thirds less area burned compared with 2022. Nonetheless, several devastating wildfires resulted in significant, tragic impacts, including civilian deaths, housing and infrastructure losses, and damage to resources. In 2024, conditions appear likely to support increased wildfire potential in several areas of the country. While peak wildfire activity is still to come this year, we have already seen wildland firefighters work under extreme conditions to save lives and protect communities and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire.