The Biden administration plans to significantly expand efforts to stave off catastrophic wildfires that have torched areas of the U.S. West by more aggressively thinning forests around areas called…
By MATTHEW BROWN | The Associated Press
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks during a visit to Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meats, a locally-owned and operated butcher shop and meat processor, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Vilsack made the stop to talk about the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to create more and better market opportunities for American farmers, ranchers and consumers.
“The time to act is now if we want to ultimately over time change the trajectory of these fires,” Vilsack said. Vilsack acknowledged that the new effort will also require a “paradigm shift” within the U.S. Forest Service, from an agency devoted to stamping out fires, into one that uses what some Native Americans call “good fire” on forests and rangeland to prevent even larger blazes.
Wildfire expert John Abatzoglou said lessening fire dangers on the amount of land envisioned under the administration’s plan is a “lofty goal” that represents even more acreage than burned over the past 10 years across the West. But Abatzoglou, a University of California Merced engineering professor, said the focus on wildfire hazards closest to communities makes sense.Dealing with western wildfires is becoming increasingly urgent as they get more destructive and intense.