Wildfire mitigation funding announced by the US Department of Interior

Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis recently announced a new allocation of $138 million for the protection of communities at risk of wildfires in the fiscal year 2024, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Supporting the modernization of wildland firefighter training, the funding will help to reduce the likelihood of extreme wildfires, rehabilitate areas affected by wildfires, and advance fire science.

In a press statement, Daniel-Davis said: “As climate change drives increasingly extreme wildfires across the nation, the Interior Department is expanding the nation’s preparedness to address wildfire activity while building climate resilience across landscapes and communities.”

$12.4 million of the department’s funding will be dedicated to the Incident Performance and Training Modernization initiative to help modernize wildland fire training and position qualifications. The initiative pledges that over 100 wildland fire positions will undergo a thorough review and analysis and that both trainees and evaluators will be well supported while integrated performance-based training systems will be strengthened.

Alongside this, $7.5 million has been allocated to the restoration of landscapes damaged by recent wildfires that are unable to recover entirely naturally. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will also support re-seeding and planting of native vegetation, along with treating invasive species.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law went into effect in the fiscal year 2022 and pledged to invest $1.5 billion to wildland fire management over five years with half ($647 million) having so far been allocated.

Investments will continue to support work through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Representatives from each bureau were on hand during the announcement to underscore the funding’s impact on their operations so far.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also created the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, charged with making recommendations to improve federal policies related to the mitigation, suppression, and management of wildland fires in the USA. The Commission released its first report in February, which examined aerial firefighting equipment needs and outlined a strategy to set aviation management on a new trajectory for the next decade and beyond.

With increasing instances of wildfires across Europe too, the European Commission has been developing a coordinated approach to respond to new outbreaks. Mario Pierobon investigates the extent of this cooperative effort, and who has access to the pooled resources.