US wildland firefighting proposal: Federal restructure raises concerns
Iain Hoey
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US plan to merge fire agencies raises staffing and strategy concerns
AP News has reported that the Trump administration has proposed consolidating wildland firefighting efforts currently spread across five agencies and two Cabinet departments into a single Federal Wildland Fire Service under the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The restructuring would move thousands of personnel, including the majority of federal firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, into the new agency during an active fire season.
According to AP News, former federal officials and firefighter groups have warned that the plan could increase wildfire risks, lead to service disruption, and shift focus away from prevention strategies such as controlled burns.
Interior Secretary says restructuring would streamline decision-making
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told the House Appropriations Committee that the proposed change would reduce bureaucracy and improve front-line deployment.
Burgum said: “We want more firefighters on the front lines and less people trying to make manual decisions on how to allocate resources and personnel.”
“We’ve got duplicative and ineffective structures that could be improved.”
The administration is already preparing to coordinate operations between the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture before the legislation is passed.
The restructuring proposal has received some bipartisan support, including from Senator Tim Sheehy (Republican – Montana) and Senator Alex Padilla (Democrat – California).
Former officials warn of increased risk and reduced prevention
According to a letter to lawmakers from the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, the proposed consolidation may raise the risk of large-scale wildfires and weaken preventative fire management practices.
Steve Ellis, the group’s chair and a former wildfire incident commander, said: “You will not suppress your way to success in dealing with catastrophic fires.”
“It’s going to create greater risk and it’s going to be particularly chaotic if you implement it going into fire season.”
Timothy Ingalsbee of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology described the plan as disruptive to existing land management practices.
Ingalsbee said: “Cleaving the Forest Service’s firefighting duties from its role as a land manager would be like separating cojoined twins — it would basically kill the agency.”
Budget cuts, rehires and environmental rollbacks affect workforce
The National Association of Forest Service Retirees and Democratic lawmakers reported that early actions by the administration led to the loss of more than 1,600 firefighters in the Forest Service and hundreds more in Interior agencies.
The Forest Service had about 9,450 wildland firefighters as of 3 May, with a target of 11,300 by mid-July, while Interior employed around 6,700 across four agencies.
State officials in Oregon and Washington raised concerns about reduced federal support ahead of the 2025 fire season.
AP News reported that the Forest Service workforce was cut in February 2025 during wider federal spending reductions.
A court order later required some workers to be rehired following public criticism, though the administration has not disclosed exact numbers.
In April 2025, the Trump administration removed environmental protections for future logging projects across over 176,000 square miles of national forests, including areas classified as high wildfire risk.
U.S. wildland firefighting proposal: Summary
The Trump administration has proposed merging federal wildland firefighting responsibilities into a single agency.
This new Federal Wildland Fire Service would operate under the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The plan involves moving thousands of staff from the U.S. Forest Service and other departments.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that the aim is to improve efficiency and frontline staffing.
The proposal has received support from Senators Tim Sheehy and Alex Padilla.
Organisations including the National Association of Forest Service Retirees oppose the restructure.
Critics argue it will increase wildfire risks and reduce preventative land management.
Over 1,600 firefighters have been lost from the Forest Service since 2021.
The Forest Service aims to increase its workforce to 11,300 by July 2025.
Interior currently employs approximately 6,700 wildland firefighters.
State officials report that federal staffing reductions are affecting wildfire planning.
The administration has not specified the financial impact of the restructuring.
A 2008 Congressional Research Service report raised concerns about similar plans.
Environmental safeguards were rolled back in April 2025 on logging across national forests.
More than 1 million acres have burned in the U.S. in 2025 so far.