10-year plan aims to reduce US wildfire risks by increasing prescribed burns, thinning
The strategy focuses on newly identified high-risk ‘firesheds’ – large, forested areas that could pose a danger to homes, infrastructure and natural resources if they ignite.
USDA's 10-year plan to reduce deadly wildfires
Randy Moore, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service explains how prescribed burns reduce the chance for wildfires.
Federal officials announced a new strategy Tuesday aimed at reducing the wildfire risk across the West by stepping up management efforts of forests and grasslands.
At the heart of the three-pronged plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Randy Moore is an increase in the acreage of federal lands that are treated with prescribed burns and thinning of fuels – 20 million acres over a 10-year period.
7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PRESCRIBED BURNS
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Image 1 of 32Flames tower over an emergency vehicle near Oroville, California during the Bear Fire in 2020. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 2 of 32The sun sets behind Joshua Trees in Lancaster, California where temperatures reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.6 degrees Celsius) today, July 12, 2021. - Wildfires were burning across more than one million acres of the western United States and Canada on Monday, as scorching temperatures held their grip on areas reeling from a brutal weekend heat wave. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 3 of 32SUPERIOR, CO - DECEMBER 31: The remains of the Element Boulder Superior Hotel are seen in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 4 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A stop sign and street signage peeled and cracking after intense heat from a wildfire in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. Most every house in the neighborhood had burnt down to the foundation. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 5 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A satellite dish stands nears the remains of the Wildflower Condos in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 6 of 32A statue of the Virgin Mary is all that remains at the site of a home in The Enclave neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 7 of 32Smoke rises at the scorched remains of a resident destroyed by the Marshall Fire in The Enclave neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 8 of 32Elise Delaware walks through the remains of her childhood home in The Enclave neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December, 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 9 of 32Debris lies scattered in the basement of a home destroyed by the Marshall Fire in unincorporated Boulder County, Colorado on December, 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 10 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A statue of Virgin Mary remains standing amidst the rubble of a home on December 31, 2021 in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 11 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: Talis Ozols takes in what remains of his apartment at the Wildflower Condos on December 31, 2021 in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. Ozols had lived there two years and was able to grab a few personal items before having to evacuate the day before. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 12 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: One of many hot spots continues to burn at the Wildflower Condos in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 13 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: Uncollected mail sits in a mailbox in front of the remains of a home in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 14 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: Burnt out vehicles sit stand amidst the remains of a neighborhood in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. Most every house in the neighborhood had burnt down to the foundation. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 15 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A statue of Virgin Mary remains standing amidst the rubble of a home on December 31, 2021 in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 16 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: Laurie Silver of Lafayette, Colorado takes in what remains of her cousin's condo in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 17 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A partially melted vehicle sits in front of the remains of a home in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 18 of 32A lone chimney is all that remains of a home destroyed by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado on December 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 19 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: Snowmen stand beside the remains of a deck and a home in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 20 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A baseball sits in a field of burnt grass in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire on December 31, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 21 of 32Remains of home destroyed by the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Colorado on December 31, 2021. - A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods "in the blink of an eye," according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 22 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 31: A garage is all that remains of a home on December 31, 2021 in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire. The fast moving wind driven fire that erupted Thursday in multiple spots around Boulder County forced some 30,000 people out of their residences and may have destroyed as many as 1,000 homes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 23 of 32SUPERIOR, CO - DECEMBER 30: A horse runs through Grasso Park on December 30, 2021 in Superior, Colorado. Fierce winds have whipped wildfires in Boulder County, The towns of Superior and Louisville have been evacuated. Multiple homes and businesses have burned so far from the fast moving fire stocked by fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills. The fire has been called the Marshall Fire. The horse was later found by Sheriff deputies and reunited with the owners. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 24 of 32A home burns after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area in the Centennial Heights neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 30, 2021. (Marc Piscotty)
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Image 25 of 32A home burns after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area in the Centennial Heights neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 30, 2021. (Marc Piscotty)
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Image 26 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 30: Fire surrounds homes in neighborhoods on December 30, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. Fierce winds have whipped wildfires in Boulder County, The towns of Superior and Louisville have been evacuated. Multiple homes and businesses have burned so far from the fast moving fire stocked by fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills.(Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post ( )
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Image 27 of 32Burnt out vehicles sit amidst the smoke and haze after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area in the Centennial Heights neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 30, 2021. State officials estimated some 600 homes had already been lost in multiple areas around Boulder County and were fueled by winds that gusted upwards of 100 miles per hour at times during the day. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 28 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 30: Two homes burn after being consumed by wildfire in the Centennial Heights neighborhood on December 30, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. State officials estimated some 600 homes had already been lost in multiple areas around Boulder County and were fueled by winds that gusted upwards of 100 miles per hour at times during the day. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 29 of 32SUPERIOR, CO - DECEMBER 30: A brush fire arrives on scene of a fully involved house on December 30, 2021 in Superior, Colorado. Fierce winds have whipped wildfires in Boulder County. The towns of Superior and Louisville have been evacuated. Multiple homes and businesses have burned from the fast moving fire stocked by fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills. The fire has officially been named the Marshall Fire. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post)
![SUPERIOR, CO - DECEMBER 30: A Christmas wreath hangs on the side of a house where fire creeps towards the back on December 30, 2021 in Superior, Colorado. Fierce winds have whipped wildfires in Boulder County. The towns of Superior and Louisville have been evacuated. Multiple homes and businesses have burned from the fast moving fire stocked by fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills. The fire has officially been named the Marshall Fire. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)]()
Image 30 of 32A Christmas wreath hangs on the side of a house where fire creeps towards the back on December 30, 2021 in Superior, Colorado. Fierce winds have whipped wildfires in Boulder County. The towns of Superior and Louisville have been evacuated. Multiple homes and businesses have burned from the fast moving fire stocked by fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills. The fire has officially been named the Marshall Fire. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 31 of 32LOUISVILLE, CO - DECEMBER 30: Two homes burn during a wildfire in the Centennial Heights neighborhood on December 30, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. State officials estimated some 600 homes had already been lost in multiple areas around Boulder County and were fueled by winds that gusted upwards of 100 miles per hour at times during the day. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 32 of 32A home burns after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area in the Centennial Heights neighborhood of Louisville, Colorado on December 30, 2021. State officials estimated some 600 homes had already been lost in multiple areas around Boulder County and were fueled by winds that gusted upwards of 100 miles per hour at times during the day. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images) ( )
The second part of the plan calls for federal agencies to work with states, tribes and local communities to treat 30 million acres of non-federal land and to invest in technologies aimed at helping communities with a high wildfire risk adapt to fire.
Finally, the plan calls for federal agencies to develop a long-term maintenance strategy to address wildfire risks beyond this 10-year period.
About $3 billion earmarked for wildfire mitigation in the recently-enacted infrastructure bill will be used to begin implementing the plan.
Identifying ‘firesheds’
Scientists at the Forest Service have identified large, forested areas that could pose a danger to homes, infrastructure and natural resources if they ignite. Each of these so-called "firesheds" average about 250,000 acres.
This map from a USDA report published in January 2022 shows areas highlighted as high-risk "firesheds."
(USDA/Forest Service)
According to a report by the USDA, less than 10% of fire-prone forests in the West account for about 80% of the wildfire risks to communities.
Wildfires ‘outpace’ existing efforts
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there have been 3 years in the past decade where more than 10 million acres have been burned by wildfires – 2015, 2017 and 2020.
Final numbers for 2021 have not yet been tabulated, but an October report by the Congressional Research Service said that more than 5.9 million acres were scorched by wildfires during the year.
The five-year running average of structures destroyed by wildfires has increased fourfold in the past six years, according to the USDA. In 2014, a little more than 2,800 structures were destroyed by widlfires. In 2020, that number climbed to more than 12,200 structures.
AMAZING RESCUE: DOG RAN AWAY IN AUGUST WILDFIRE, RESCUED IN FEET OF SNOW
"The negative impacts of today’s largest wildfires far outpace the scale of efforts to protect homes, communities and natural resources," Vilsack said in a USDA press release. "Our experts expect the trend will only worsen with the effects of a changing climate, so working together toward common goals across boundaries and jurisdictions is essential to the future of these landscapes and the people who live there."
NIFC reported there have already been 457 wildfires in the U.S. this year that have burned more than 7,000 acres, as of Jan. 14.