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Smokejumpers hold a U.S. flag before departing for a Canada wildfire assignment.

Director’s Report: Heading into the 2023 Fire Year

06/27/2023

As the 2023 fire year progresses, wildland fire workforce transformation continues to be a top priority, including wildland firefighter careers, pay, and wellbeing. Interior is also supporting Canada with our USDA Forest Service partner during one of Canada’s most extreme fire years in recent history.

A newly planted sagebrush seedling is surrounded by dirt.

Web Reads: Fueling Conservation, New Agreement Around Wildfire Management and Restoration (www.partnersinthesage.com)

06/20/2023

Building on seven years of success founded on innovative intra-agency agreements, the Bureau of Land Management and Intermountain West Joint Venture are kicking off the next level of their partnership. This upcoming work will have an increased focus on wildfire risk reduction and fuels management throughout sagebrush country. This funding will continue to support and grow work throughout sagebrush habitat for sage-grouse and other wildlife while also addressing wildfire and invasive annual grass threats that are impacting many rural communities.

A wildland firefighter stands on a hill wearing protective gear next to a burning fire

Biden-Harris Administration Outlines Strategic Priorities to Support Communities Impacted by Wildfires Across the Nation (doi.gov)

06/14/2023

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today issued a joint memo to federal agency leaders with wildfire responsibilities outlining their vision and goals for managing wildland fires this year.

Geronimo Interagency Hotshot Crew, administered by the San Carlos Apache Tribal Natural Resources Program and sponsored by BIA. By Lance Cheung, USDA.

In the News: Cultural Burning: How Age-Old Practices Are Reshaping Wildfire Policy (fas.org)

06/06/2023

An interview explores why cultural burning is garnering more attention in the world of wildfire mitigation and management.

A wildland firefighter lights a prescribed fire in dry grass. Photo by USFWS.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Clears Path to Restoring Healthy Habitat, Reducing Threat of Wildfires (www.fws.gov)

06/02/2023

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to reduce hazardous vegetation in Oregon's Willamette Valley so prescribed burns can be used to protect declining oak savanna habitat and nearby homes from raging wildfires in the future.

Post-fire sequoia restoration. Photo by NPS.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon Post-fire Efforts Focus on Restoration of Sequoia Groves and Pacific Fisher Habitat (www.nps.gov)

06/02/2023

Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the National Park Service has begun habitat restoration in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The Spot Mountain Lookout seen at night, the Indian Ridge Fire burning in the distance. Photo by Mark Moak, FS.

In the News: The Last of the Fire Watchers (www.backpacker.com)

06/02/2023

Staffed fire lookouts, once ubiquitous in the West, have all but faded into obscurity. Deep in North Cascades National Park, Jim Henterly is still at it.

Pili grass planted at the base of the temple.

Post Wildfire Restoration at Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site

05/26/2023

As we celebrate Asian America, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we explore how the National Park Service worked with Hawai’ian partners to restore the Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site after a wildfire in 2020.
 

Flames rise from the 2021 Ford Corkscrew Fire in Washington State at night. Photo by KS Brooks, USFWS.

In the News: Almost 40% of Land Burned by Western Wildfires Can Be Traced to Carbon Emissions (www.latimes.com)

05/19/2023

Almost 40% of forest area burned by wildfire in the western United States and southwestern Canada in the last 40 years can be attributed to carbon emissions associated with the world’s 88 largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers, according to new research.

In the News: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Invests in Our Nation’s Wildland Firefighters (www.nifc.gov)

05/18/2023

The Interior Department provided funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for a National Wildfire Coordinating Group contract to support wildland firefighter training.

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Director’s Report: Heading into the 2023 Fire Year

Web Reads: Fueling Conservation, New Agreement Around Wildfire Management and Restoration (www.partnersinthesage.com)

Biden-Harris Administration Outlines Strategic Priorities to Support Communities Impacted by Wildfires Across the Nation (doi.gov)

In the News: Cultural Burning: How Age-Old Practices Are Reshaping Wildfire Policy (fas.org)

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Clears Path to Restoring Healthy Habitat, Reducing Threat of Wildfires (www.fws.gov)

Sequoia and Kings Canyon Post-fire Efforts Focus on Restoration of Sequoia Groves and Pacific Fisher Habitat (www.nps.gov)

In the News: The Last of the Fire Watchers (www.backpacker.com)

Post Wildfire Restoration at Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site

In the News: Almost 40% of Land Burned by Western Wildfires Can Be Traced to Carbon Emissions (www.latimes.com)

In the News: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Invests in Our Nation’s Wildland Firefighters (www.nifc.gov)

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