President Appropriates $920M for Wildfire Mangement

Wildfires in the west have increased in frequency, and in intensity, by 400 percent since 1970. 

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.

This week, President Trump requested almost $920 million in appropriations for the Department of the Interior’s Wildland Fire Management Program.

The proposal for Fiscal Year 2020 represents a strategic investment in efforts to protect people and reduce the risk of wildfire through active management of Interior and Tribal lands. The proposed budget includes $194 million for the Fuels Management program, and $383.7 million for the Suppression Operations program.

The FY 2020 Budget proposal also funds fire preparedness to the tune of $332.8 million; $9.5 million is allocated to burned area rehabilitation.