US forest chief warns of severe fire season

Washington, June 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) The head of the US Forest Service warned lawmakers that large parts of the United States face elevated wildfire risks this year, even as the agency says it is entering the fire season with its strongest firefighting preparedness in years.

Testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the agency has expanded its firefighting workforce, increased hazardous fuel reduction efforts and strengthened coordination with other federal agencies as communities across the country brace for another potentially destructive summer.

"As we look into the 2026 fire year, we enter the season facing elevated fire potential across large areas of the country," Schultz told senators.

The testimony comes as wildfire threats continue to draw international attention because of their impact on global commodity markets, energy infrastructure, timber supplies, air quality and climate-related policy debates.

Schultz said the Forest Service has hired more than 11,000 firefighters, a 6 per cent increase from the same period last year, and expects to reach its target of 11,300 firefighters by July.

"We have increased the number of red carded Non-fire staff by more than 450 personnel, giving us more surge capacity when fires occur," he said.

The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands across the United States and plays a central role in wildfire prevention and suppression efforts.

According to Schultz, the agency's strategy focuses on rapid initial attack to keep fires small before they become major incidents.

"In fiscal year 25, even though we had the highest number of wildfire starts in the national forest in nearly a decade, the acres that were burned were held to about half of the ten year average," he said.

The chief said the agency's initial attack success rate was the strongest in 12 years.

Beyond firefighting, Schultz highlighted a broad push towards active forest management. He said the Forest Service treated more than 3.3 million acres to reduce hazardous fuels last year and has already treated nearly 2.2 million acres during the current fiscal year.

The agency also exceeded timber production targets, selling 2.95 billion board feet of timber in 2025.

"We're on target to increase our timber volume offered off the National Forest by 25 per cent with an overall goal 4 billion board feet by fiscal year 28," Schultz said.

Several senators, however, questioned whether the agency's planned reorganisation could undermine long-term wildfire preparedness.

The Forest Service is proposing to move its headquarters to Salt Lake City and replace its regional structure with a state-based leadership model. Lawmakers from Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont and California voiced concerns over possible closures of research facilities involved in wildfire science, forest health and invasive species research.

Schultz repeatedly assured senators that no final decisions had been made and that the agency was not planning to eliminate research programmes.

"Our intent is not to reduce the programs. It's to look at facilities," he said.

Schultz noted that the United States and Canada have worked together on wildfire response for more than four decades, with firefighters and equipment regularly crossing the border during severe fire seasons.

Last year, nearly 600 American firefighters and incident management personnel were deployed to assist Canada during its record-breaking wildfire season.

Wildfires in North America have become a matter of growing international concern. Massive Canadian fires in recent years sent smoke across large parts of the United States, affecting air quality for millions and disrupting travel, business and public health systems.

Source: IANS