Dry lightning can still be disastrous even when conditions aren't dry. Credit: Mike McMillan/USFS
April 30, 2026 - Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, the USDA released the following:
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new Secretarial Memorandum (PDF, 882 KB) and letter (PDF, 932 KB) directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to heighten national wildfire readiness, accelerate community-focused risk reduction, and strengthen firefighter health and safety for the 2026 fire year.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we have continuously implemented major reforms restoring active forest management, returning the Forest Service to a world‑leading forestry and fire management organization, and modernizing wildfire response and improving coordination across federal agencies. This fire season we are prepared to continue our full suppression strategy to suppress fire starts quickly to protect our forests and rural communities,” said Secretary Rollins. “This memorandum ensures the entire Department is aligned, prepared and focused on responding quickly and effectively to protect communities and the natural resources Americans depend on. Proper forest management remains central to this effort – reducing wildfire risk, strengthening rural economies, providing affordable, high‑quality lumber for American homes, and preserving the nation’s landscapes for generations to come.”
The 2026 Secretarial Memorandum advances President Trump’s directives to streamline federal wildfire prevention and response, building on progress made under the 2025 Executive Order on Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response. It directs all USDA Mission Areas to maintain full qualification readiness, surge staffing capacity and streamlined contracting support for wildland fire operations. It also directs the Forest Service to modernize performance measures for hazardous fuels work and work with federal partners to remove barriers to prescribed fire and increase occupational health and safety for firefighters. The memo reaffirms that USDA is ready for the 2026 fire season and will continue to be driven by public and firefighter safety as the top priority.
USDA enters the 2026 fire season with the strongest and most coordinated wildland firefighting capability in the world. The Forest Service can mobilize more than 28,000 wildfire responders and over 22,000 contracted resources across 2,500 vendors. The Department also manages the majority of the federal firefighting aviation fleet including helicopters and airtankers nationwide. USDA continues to work closely with federal partners, state and tribal governments and local fire departments to ensure a unified, aggressive and highly coordinated approach to wildfire management.
“Wildfire response is a shared responsibility, and USDA will remain vigilant,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “Our firefighters are prepared, our agencies are coordinated, and we will continue doing everything we can to protect communities and the people who defend them.”
Source: USDA
