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The Biden administration announced it will tap $3 billion in funding from the recently passed infrastructure bill to support wildfire mitigation efforts over the next ten years. The funding will allow the U.S. Forest Service to treat up to an additional 20 million acres of national forest land through thinning, prescribed fire, and other practices meant to reduce wildfire risk, and support the treatment of as much as 30 million additional acres of federal, state, tribal, or privately held land.
The wildfire mitigation plan announced yesterday is an update to the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, a plan developed during the Obama administration. The revised strategy will rely on new research that will help the Forest Service determine which areas are at highest wildfire risk, and it will enable the agency to massively expand its current treatment of about 2 million acres a year to roughly 5 million acres a year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, said it would focus on "firesheds," areas of about 250,000 acres that are deemed a higher risk to populated areas. Some of the highest-risk areas based on community exposure include the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada in California, the Front Range in Colorado, and the Southwest, the agencies said. The strategy arrives as the threat of catastrophic wildfire driven by climate change becomes more menacing to Western communities, as evidenced by the recent Marshall fire that tore across Colorado's suburbs.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced the strategy at an event in Arizona yesterday. In a statement, Secretary Vilsack said, "The negative impacts of today's largest wildfires far outpace the scale of efforts to protect homes, communities and natural resources. Our experts expect the trend will only worsen with the effects of a changing climate, so working together toward common goals across boundaries and jurisdictions is essential to the future of these landscapes and the people who live there."
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Modeling speaks louder than words—I can't just preach if no one has seen me take action. Generations to come will follow our lead on how we care for and appreciate Castner Range, and we can model the change we want to see by making this treasured place a National Monument."
