After a record-setting fire season in 2017, this year “is showing all signs of another historic year,” said interim Forest Service chief Vicki Christiansen on Thursday. “I will say above normal is our new normal.” About 1.3 million acres have already burned this year.
Last year, wildfires burned 10 million acres, an area the size of Maryland, and destroyed 12,300 houses and structures, said Christiansen during a briefing with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The forecast for this year sees above-normal risk of significant fires in a dozen states in the West — Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington — through August.
Some 15,000 federal firefighters, hundreds of aircraft, and 1,500 trucks are available to fight fires, said Christiansen. In March, Congress approved a new funding structure for fighting wildfires, so the Forest Service does not have to raid its account for fire prevention activities in order to pay for putting out fires. In 2017, the government spent $2.9 billion fighting wildfires.
To watch a video of the briefing on the USDA’s Facebook page, click here.