Wildland Fire
The U.S. is experiencing more frequent and intense wildland fires, but policy informed by science, evidence, and Indigenous perspectives can lessen the disastrous effects.
By September 2023, the legislatively authorized Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will deliver a comprehensive set of new wildfire-related policy recommendations to Congress. As part of this “make-or-break” year for federal wildland fire policy, the Federation of American Scientists is conducting foundational work that will help the Commission achieve its goals, through both talent placement and targeted policy development.
“We really wanted a range of perspectives – specifically from voices that have been traditionally left out of the conversation”
In the last decade, the U.S. has made significant investments to address the wildfire crisis, including the historic investments in hazardous fuels reduction through the IRA and IIJA.
Over the last year we’ve devoted considerable effort to understanding wildfire in the context of U.S. federal policy. Here’s what we learned.
As the wildfire season has grown longer in the West, smoke events now sometimes stretch for weeks and across the continent. What is the federal government doing about wildland fire smoke, and who’s doing it?