Federal Wildland Fire Management

Managing wildland fire in the U.S. is a challenge increasing in complexity & magnitude. The goals & actions presented in this report encourage a proactive approach to wildland fire to reduce its threat. Five major topic areas on the subject are addressed: the role of wildland fire in resource management; the use of wildland fire; preparedness & suppression; wildland/urban interface protection; & coordinated program management. Also presented are the guiding principle that are fundamental to wildland fire management & recommendations for fire management policies. Photos, graphs, & references.

The nation's wildland fire problems have worsened dramatically over the past decade, with more than a doubling of average annual acreage burned and federal appropriations for wildland fire management. The deteriorating fire situation has led the agencies responsible for managing wildland fires on federal lands -- the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and four agencies in the Department of the Interior -- to reassess how they respond to wildland fire and to take steps to improve their fire management programs. This report reviewed: (1) progress the agencies have made in managing wildland fire; and (2) key actions previously recommended and are still necessary to improve wildland fire management. Charts and tables.

"In September 2004, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers established a federal, provincial, and territorial task group of assistant deputy ministers (ADMs) and commissioned the development of the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS). The ADMs created an intergovernmental team of analysts, experienced fire managers, and researchers, known as the CWFS Core Team, to consult with Canadian and international experts, collate information, conduct analyses, and present the findings. This team was directed to assess the current state of wildland fire management in Canada, examine the key influences and trends, and identify possible desired future states and how they could be achieved. This publication comprises a collection of nine reports written by the CWFS Core Team members and their associates. Collectively these papers include syntheses, analyses, and perspective articles that address a variety of the social, economic, and biophysical aspects of wildland fire and its management as well as policy, science, and operational issues in Canada."--Pub. desc.

The nation's wildland fire problems have worsened dramatically over the past decade, with more than a doubling of both the average annual acreage burned and fed. appropriations for wildland fire mgmt. The deteriorating fire situation has led the agencies responsible for managing wildland fires on fed. lands -- the Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Mgmt. (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service -- to reassess how they respond to wildland fire and to take steps to improve their fire mgmt. programs. This testimony discusses: (1) progress the agencies have made in managing wildland fire; and (2) key actions the auditor believes are still necessary to improve their wildland fire mgmt. Illustrations.