Donald Trump has directed the US government to consolidate its wildland firefighting efforts into a single program under the US interior department. The order aims to centralize firefighting efforts, which are currently split among five agencies and two cabinet departments.
Trump’s proposed budget for next year includes the creation of a new Federal Wildland Fire Service. This would involve shifting thousands of personnel from the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, where most federal firefighters are currently employed. However, the administration has not disclosed how much the change could cost or save.
The order cites the Los Angeles wildfires in January as highlighting the need for a quicker response to wildfires. However, organizations representing firefighters and former forest service officials warn that restructuring firefighting efforts could be costly and cause disruptions during fire season. They also believe it could increase the likelihood of large, catastrophic fires.
A prior proposal to merge the forest service and the interior department was found to have significant drawbacks in a 2008 report. Additionally, the Trump administration has rolled back environmental safeguards on future logging projects in several national forests.
The move follows bipartisan support for similar legislation sponsored by Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Tim Sheehy. Sheehy founded an aerial firefighting company that relies heavily on federal contracts.
Last year, more than 65,000 wildfires burned almost 9 million acres in the US. Fire officials warn that another destructive fire season is expected this year due to above-normal temperatures in most of the country.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/12/trump-wildland-firefighting
