Agencies Cooperating for Wildfire Prevention

In light of the increase in catastrophic wildfires, the federal government is hoping to work with local agencies to better prevent outbreaks.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator John Barrasso questioned Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Vicki Christiansen about post-fire flooding and President Trump’s recent wildfire executive order.

President Trump signed an executive order last year that outlined shared responsibility for preventing large wildfires. Christiansen says their agency is working with federal, state and local partners to put measures into place that could mitigate wildfire outbreaks in Wyoming and the west.

Christiansen told the Senator that she meets regularly with the chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a multi-agency group is continuing to work on restoration as they try to keep ahead of potential natural disasters.

Last year, more than 52,000 wildfires burned 8.5 million acres of Federal, Tribal, State and private lands. Total Federal spending on suppression topped $3.1 billion, the largest amount ever.