The new head of the U.S. Forest Service had a grim look for the nation's forests during a governors' conference this week. The forest fires currently ravaging many regions are collectively worse than in prior years.
"As of June 27, more than 35,000 fires have burned more than 3 million acres nationwide," Tom Schultz said. "So, the acres burned this year, compared to the 20 year average, is up about 50%. The number of fires that we've had this year is up about 30%."
Schultz's remarks came just days after three wildland firefighters died on assignment to the Knowles and Gore fires near the Colorado-Utah border. Schultz read their names during a keynote address at the Western Governors' Association conference in Park City Utah on Tuesday: Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 26.
Schultz said their deaths underscore the risks fire crews face in a year that has prompted evacuations and upheaval in many communities around the West.
"They gave their all," he said. "Truly, three of these young people made the ultimate sacrifice and selfless service to the people in the communities that we serve every day. Their courage and dedication to public service is extraordinary, and we will not forget their sacrifice today."
The Forest Service, under the Department of Agriculture, manages 193 million acres nationwide, About 90% of that is west of the Mississippi, Schultz noted.
Fires have dominated the agency's workflow this year. In Utah alone, the Cottonwood Fire burned 60,000 acres in three days, driven, at times, by 50‑mile‑per‑hour winds. As Thursday, July 2, it was at nearly 94,000 acres.
"We're already in preparedness level four," Schultz said.
National fire preparedness levels represent how many firefighting resources are currently needed, and thus how much is available for new fires. Level four, the second-highest level, means there's significant national resource commitment and wildfire activity.
Schultz told governors that decades of forest under‑management, coupled with prolonged bouts of drought and heat, have left many forests with "negative growth rates."
More trees are dying than growing, he said, about a quarter of national forest land is available for active management. Of that, the U.S. Forest Service treats about 1% a year, mostly through prescribed burns and other wildfire mitigation strategies.
At the same time, the agency is undergoing a sweeping reorganization. Schultz, a former Idaho Department of Lands director and timber executive appointed by President Trump, is in the process of changing the agency's structure from a regional model to one that's more state‑based.
The Forest Service announced in March it would move its headquarters to Salt Lake City. It has already named 15 state directors who will oversee operations and foster relationships with states, tribes, and other partners.
"Each state office will include a small team that will hold primary responsibility for intergovernmental and partner coordination," Schultz said.
This kind of "active management," he argued, is critical to wildfire resilience, rural economies, and the long-term health of forests.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona, and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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