Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission has unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at transforming the nation's approach to wildfires. Established under President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in December 2021, the Commission is taking decisive steps to address the escalating wildfire crisis in the United States. Comprising members from federal agencies, state, local, and Tribal governments, as well as the private sector, this diverse group has been meeting regularly over the past year to craft these critical recommendations.
Co-chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Commission's 50 members bring a wealth of expertise in various aspects of wildfire management, from firefighting to research and recovery efforts.
The Commission's recommendations aim to shift the country's response to wildfire from a reactive to a proactive position, with a focus on resilience and sustainability. These proposals also stress the importance of collaboration across all levels of government and greater inclusivity within the wildfire management system.
The Commission's recommendations can be summarized in seven key themes:
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Urgent New Approaches: Recognizing the need for collective action that spans jurisdictions and ecosystems.
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Supporting Collaboration: Involving all relevant entities and society at large in wildfire mitigation and management.
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Shifting from Reactive to Proactive: Emphasizing pre-fire and post-fire planning and mitigation.
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Enabling Beneficial Fire: Expanding beneficial fire practices while considering public health impacts.
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Supporting and Expanding the Workforce: Urgent federal investment to create a year-round workforce tailored to wildfire management.
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Modernizing Tools for Informed Decision-making: Coordinating fire-related science, data, and technology.
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Investing in Resilience: Increasing funding for mitigation, risk reduction, and impact mitigation.
This is the Commission's second report, following one released in February that focused on aerial equipment and strategies to meet equipment needs through 2030. While the current report primarily addresses federal legislative action, the recommendations are relevant to all levels of government, private sectors, and the public.
The Commission's recommendations also acknowledge the importance of increasing pay and benefits for federal wildland firefighters and addressing related workforce needs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already supported temporary pay increases for federal wildland firefighters to align their compensation with state and local counterparts.
These recommendations draw upon existing plans such as the Department of the Interior's "Five-Year Monitoring, Maintenance, and Treatment Plan" and the USDA Forest Service's "Confronting the Wildfire Crisis" strategy, which together allocate over $7 billion in funding to enhance wildfire mitigation and response efforts.
