2020 Sierra National Forest Creek Fire in California
Credit: USFS
August 29, 2024 - WASHINGTON – U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and ten Committee Democrats on Wednesday sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an examination of the effectiveness of current wildfire mitigation programs and resources, highlighting the critical role that collaboration between federal land management agencies and at-risk communities plays in mitigating wildfire risks.
In their letter, the lawmakers point to increasing wildfire risk across the country and underscore the need to better protect communities:
"In recent years, wildfires have become increasingly more severe and have killed hundreds of people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and burned millions of acres. Due to various factors that contribute to high wildfire risk, including past forest management practices, climate change, and increased development in the wildland-urban interface, the nation’s wildfire problem has become a wildfire crisis. […] To effectively respond to the ever-growing crisis, it is important that we have a holistic understanding of how the existing tools and programs available to our land management agencies are functioning."
The lawmakers request a review of collaborative planning efforts between federal, Tribal, state, and local governments, including the development and improvement of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs). CWPPs can help at-risk communities, but as the lawmakers note, less than a third of at-risk communities are covered by a CWPP, many of which are out of date.
In addition, the lawmakers are asking GAO to examine how the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) has progressed in developing restoration proposals for priority landscapes, given past implementation challenges:
"Your office’s 2015 review of the Forest Service’s implementation of CFLRP reported that Forest Service officials and stakeholders said that CFLRP helped increase the pace and scale of forest restoration projects. However, you also reported challenges in implementing the program. The Forest Service has since taken steps to address these challenges, but the outcomes of these actions are unclear."
READ the full letter to GAO here.
Source: U.S. House Natural Resources Committee
