The United States Forest Service announced that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Randy Moore are launching a comprehensive response to the nation's wildfire crisis. Their response focuses on significantly increasing fuels and forest health treatments by working with other federal agencies, Tribes, states, local communities, private landowners, and other partners.

 

"The strategy highlights new research on what Forest Service scientists identified as high risk 'firesheds' - large, forested landscapes with a high likelihood that an ignition could expose homes, communities, infrastructure and natural resources to wildfire." Firesheds are considered to be about 250,000 acres in size, and they are mapped to match the scale of a community's exposure to wildfires.

Their strategy involves the Forest Service to treat 20 million acres of national forests and grassland and support treatment of another 30 million acres found on federal, state, Tribal, private, and family lands.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/releases/secretary-vilsack-announces-new-10-year-strategy-confront-wildfire-crisis