A new analysis by the Center for Western Priorities finds that the U.S. Forest Service treated roughly 35 percent fewer acres for hazardous fuels in 2025 than in 2024, a sharp decline that leaves communities across the West and Southeast more exposed to the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
CWP’s analysis covers the full calendar year 2025, updating earlier findings from Grassroots Wildland Firefighters that tracked the decline through September. CWP’s analysis also reveals for the first time which states saw the largest declines in fuels treatment year-to-year, including Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and California, in addition to several states in the Southeast.
“Agriculture Secretary Booke Rollins and Undersecretary Michael Boren had two critical responsibilities heading into fire season: take care of America’s forests and help build fire-resilient communities,” said Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Aaron Weiss. “Instead, they cut treatment acres by more than a third in a single year, leaving fuel on the ground from Montana to Florida heading into a drought-fueled fire season.”
Hazardous fuels treatments include prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and brush clearing to reduce the amount of vegetation that feeds dangerous wildfires. Thinning and controlled burns are known to significantly moderate the intensity and severity of wildfires that increasingly threaten Western communities and the forests and watersheds they depend on.
Quick hits
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Quote of the day
[Senator Mike] Lee and [Representative Celeste] Maloy’s doomed efforts last year to sell off public lands proved highly unpopular nationwide and in Utah. Knowing that, members of Congress might want to think twice before tying themselves to the duo’s latest attempts to weaken protection for Grand Staircase-Escalante.”
—Souther Utah Wilderness Alliance Executive Director Scott Braden, Writers on the Range
Picture This
Nearly 85% of wildfires in the United States are caused by people and preventable.
As you head outdoors to camp, hike, and gather around the fire, let’s keep safety part of the adventure.
🔥 Check local fire restrictions before lighting a fire.
🔥Keep fires small and never leave them unattended.
🔥Clear dry grass and debris around the fire ring.
🔥Keep water and a shovel nearby.
🔥Drown, stir, and feel the ashes before leaving. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.
Featured image: Bulldozers work in tandem with hand crews and engines to remove vegetation in front of wildfires, essentially depriving an oncoming fire of fuel. Source: @forestservice