Western Drought Highlights Need for Action to Reduce Wildfire Risk
States, tribes and the private sector are stepping up to restore America’s forests and reduce wildfire risks. Policy reforms could empower them to go even further.
By Jonathan Wood
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July 26, 2021, at 8:00 a.m.
U.S. News & World Report
SHAVER LAKE, CA - JULY 14: In an aerial view, forest that was burned by the Creek Fire, which began on September 4, 2020 and was fully contained on December 24, is seen on July 14, 2021 near Shaver Lake California. The 379,895-acre fire was the fourth largest recorded in California and the biggest single fire that was not part of a greater complex fire. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and scores of backpackers the path of the fire were airlifted from the wilderness in the Sierra Nevada mountains. At one point, about 1,000 people were trapped near Mammoth Pool Reservoir with more than 200 on a boat launch. Authorities are bracing for a predicted driest year on record for the Kern River, carrying only about a quarter of the average Sierra snowmelt water to Lake Isabella. Large portion of the West are now in the most extreme drought category and fire officials are warning of another devastating wildfire season in California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Forest that was burned by the Creek Fire, which began on Sept. 4, 2020, is seen on July 14, 2021, near Shaver Lake, Calif., as the state copes with worsening drought.(David McNew/Getty Images)
Nearly the entire western United States is experiencing moderate to extreme drought, conditions that will or already have resulted in steep cuts to water availability, degraded habitats for fish and other wildlife, and significant economic losses. Drought also means this wildfire season – and those to come – will likely be even worse than recent record-setting seasons. Fortunately, states, tribes and the private sector are stepping up to restore America's forests and reduce wildfire risks. And sensible policy reforms could empower them to go even further.
According to the Forest Service, about 63 million acres of national forests face high or very high risk of wildfires. For perspective, this is nearly a third of the entire area managed by the agency. Another 54 million acres managed by the Department of the Interior face similar risks. Together, these risks cover an area of federal land larger than the state of California.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2021-07-26/western-drought-highlights-need-for-action-to-reduce-wildfire-risk
