By Clare Foran
National Journal
Deadly wildfires swept across America last summer, inflicting loss of life along with massive property damage and costing the federal government over a billion dollars to stamp out the flames.
This summer’s wildfire season could be even worse—and it very likely will break the bank.
Bone-dry conditions in the West put vast stretches of California, Oregon, and Washington at risk for devastating wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service predicts that it could spend as much as $1.6 billion fighting fires this year.
Over the past decade, wildfires have grown larger and more severe. A changing climate, intense drought, property development near parks and forests, and a build up of quick-to-ignite forest debris have all contributed to a new normal of costly and difficult-to-contain wildfires.
As the Forest Service spends lavishly to fight fires, it has increasingly been forced to dip into funds set aside for other projects. Just a handful of catastrophic wildfires this year could result in significantly less money left over for fire prevention and an array of services such as maintaining roads and trails in national parks.
“This issue is absolutely vitally important,” Agriculture Department Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie said in an interview. “It’s not just a crisis when they happen in the West. The budget impacts that result from fire being fought affect all of the forest-service programs across the country.”
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