Wildland Fire

Climate change is driving harsher heat waves, more volatile weather, and record drought conditions, all of which are exacerbating the threat of wildfires. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will bring much-needed support to communities across the country to increase the resilience of lands facing the threat of wildland fires and to better support federal wildland firefighters. 

The law includes $1.5 billion for the Department of the Interior to invest in preparedness, fuels management, post-fire restoration, and fire science, including:  

• $878 million for hazardous fuels management to protect vulnerable communities from wildfire while preparing natural landscapes for a changing climate. These fuels management strategies include mechanical thinning, precommercial thinning in young stands, timber harvesting, prescribed fire and installation of control locations such as fuel breaks. 
• $325 million for post-fire restoration and rehabilitation activities that will mitigate the damaging effects of wildfires and set landscapes on a path towards natural recovery and climate resilience. 
• $245 million in investments in wildfire preparedness, including our firefighting workforce and proactive planning on wildland fire response. The law also provides for the purchasing of equipment for early wildfire detection, real-time monitoring, and radios to support interoperability with interagency partners; financial assistance to local communities and Tribes to purchase slip-on tanks; and increases in firefighter pay and other firefighter workforce reforms. 
• $10 million to support science and research on wildland fire management issues that mitigate wildfire risk. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s wildland fire resources provide for a more strategic approach to wildland fire management and greater support of wildland firefighters through pay increases and strengthening health and safety resources both on the job and at home. These resources also go directly to long-term fire preparedness, reducing fire risk across states, and working with partners to increase resilience on lands and communities dealing with the threat of wildfire.  

Resources: 

• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments in Wildland Fire Management  
• Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security Jointly Establish New Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission 
• Interior Announces Plan to Implement Historic Wildland Fire Management Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 
• Interior Department Releases Five-Year Monitoring, Maintenance and Treatment Plan to Address Wildfire Risk
• Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission