WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and 11 Senate colleagues demanded urgent answers from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz regarding the agency’s wildfire risk reduction efforts across the West and nation.
Their inquiry follows an independent analysis of publicly available data indicating that the Forest Service is approximately 38 percent behind on hazardous fuels reduction work, as compared to the previous four calendar years.
The Senators wrote to Forest Service Chief Schultz, “You have continued to maintain that the Forest Service has adequate resources and staffing to manage wildfire preparedness and response on federal lands, and that, while the Forest Service is significantly behind on hazardous fuels reduction work overall, there have been more positive results in certain regions like the Pacific Northwest. You have also claimed that in certain Western states, the Forest Service has even exceeded annual hazardous fuels reduction goals. However, it appears that to make these claims, you are referencing all Fiscal Year 2025 data, which began under the Biden Administration and includes five months of work prior to the beginning of the Trump Administration and its mass staff firings, forced retirements, and unnecessary pauses on projects.”
“The steep decline in hazardous fuels reduction efforts on Forest Service lands poses a serious risk to public safety, public health, and the economy. It is imperative that the Forest Service works closely with Congress to address shortfalls in wildfire mitigation and ensure staffing and budgetary resources are sufficient to fulfill the agency’s mission,” the Senators directed.
Read the full letter HERE.
12/2/25