Recent Laws & Policies

A stewardship timber sale in the Sierra Nevada Mountains creates a fuel break that reduces wildfire risk to nearby homes while supporting the local economy. (Monte Kawahara, Bureau of Land Management)

Documents are listed in chronological order with the most recent on top.

Secretary Order 3374
March 27, 2019
Implementation of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act
Secretarial Order 3374 established a Department of the Interior task force to facilitate and prioritize the implementation of the Dingell Act (see below).

Public Law 116-9
John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act
March 12, 2019
The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Dingell Act) is a combined package of more than 100 individual bills introduced by over 50 members of Congress. It lays out provisions for various programs and activities affecting the management and conservation of natural resources on federal lands, to include wildland fire operations. Section 1114 of the Dingell Act, titled Wildfire Technology Modernization, mandates interagency collaboration to expand the use of unmanned aircraft systems, location trackers, and decision management systems. It also calls for the enhancement of smoke projections, erosion data, and predictive services.

Secretary Order 3372
January 2, 2019
Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of the Interior Land Through Active Management
Secretary Order 3372 provides specific directions and timelines to the bureaus in the Department of the Interior that play a role in managing wildland fire as they work to meet the mandates of Executive Order 13855. These include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Staff from each of the bureaus as well as the Office of Wildland Fire are working to meet the goals laid out in this order while respecting the differences between their missions.

Executive Order 13855
December 21, 2018
Promoting Active Management of America's Forests, Rangelands, and Other Federal Lands To Improve Conditions and Reduce Wildfire Risk
In response to the deadly wildfires of 2017 and 2018, President Trump signed Executive Order 13855 calling for federal land managers to improve conditions and reduce wildfire risk through active management of their lands. Executive Order 13855 emphasizes that federal agencies must collaborate with state and local institutions and incorporate active management principles into all land management planning efforts in order to address the challenges of wildland fire. Quoting from Section 1:

“With the same vigor and commitment that characterizes our efforts to fight wildfires, we must actively manage our forests, rangelands, and other Federal lands to improve conditions and reduce wildfire risk.”

Section 5 of the executive order directs the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to jointly develop a Wildfire Strategy in collaboration with Federal, State, tribal, and local partners, by December 31, 2020 that supports local Federal land managers in project decision-making and informs local fire management decisions related to forests, rangelands, and other Federal lands, thereby protecting habitats and communities, and reducing risks to physical infrastructure.