Federal legislators are raising concerns that cuts to the U.S. Forest Service staffing under President Donald Trump's administration have stymied progress on fuels mitigation work nationwide.
U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet were among the 12 senators who signed a Dec. 2 letter to Forest Service Chief Tim Schultz, demanding answers about the impacts of the cuts.
"We write with significant concerns regarding the persistent wildland firefighter staffing shortages at the U.S. Forest Service, leading to a significant decline in planned wildfire prevention work in high-risk, fire-prone areas," the letter states.
The Trump administration fired an estimated 3,400 Forest Service employees nationwide at the start of his second term in office. Since then, hundreds more workers have left through the administration's deferred resignation option, which allowed federal employees to voluntarily resign while continuing to be paid for months.
While the administration said federal cuts wouldn't impact wildfire preparedness, the Forest Service ultimately let go of hundreds of "red card holders" with credentials to assist on wildfires and had to hire employees back.
Still, the Trump administration has maintained that the Forest Service has adequate resources and staffing to manage wildfire preparedness and response on federal lands and that it has exceeded hazardous fuel mitigation goals in some Western states.
The senators' letters questioned these claims, pointing to an analysis of publicly available data from the nonprofit Grassroots Wildland Firefighters that appears to show a 38% drop in wildland mitigation efforts across the West since Trump took office.
From January through September, 1.7 million acres of Forest Service lands received hazardous fuels reduction treatment, a decline from the four-year average of 3.6 million acres, according to the analysis.
As of this summer, as many as 27% of Forest Service wildland firefighting positions remained vacant, according to the senators' letter, which asked the Trump administration to respond by Dec. 12 to a series of questions about staffing and fuels mitigation efforts.
"We are asking you to provide clear answers regarding the Forest Service's efforts to ensure adequate staffing and reduce wildfire risk in the West during this challenging fire season," the letter states.
The Forest Service's national press desk did not respond Friday morning to a request for comment about the senators' letter and the nonprofit's analysis.
Trump has issued multiple executive orders related to wildfire response and mitigation, including an order to increase timber production to streamline approvals for wildfire risk reduction treatments and an order instructing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Interior Department to consolidate their wildland fire programs.
The administration plans to establish a U.S. Wildland Fire Service consolidating wildfire fighting forces from across the federal government under the Interior Department, according to a U.S. Department of Interior order.
"Under President Trump's leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness," U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement. "We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come."
In Colorado, the Forest Service cuts led to the closure of bathroom facilities at popular recreation areas, shuttered visitor centers and reduced the agency's enforcement capabilities and trail maintenance, according to interviews with volunteers and nonprofits that work on federal lands.
The Colorado State Forester and fire chiefs in mountain towns have also raised alarm about a slowdown in the federal government's wildfire mitigation work. Retired Forest Service employees, including former Forest Service chiefs, have also voiced worries that the administration's plans to establish a federal wildfire service could divorce firefighting from land management, impacting fuels mitigation efforts.
"The steep decline in hazardous fuels reduction efforts on Forest Service lands poses a serious risk to public safety, public health, and the economy," the Senators' letter states. "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."
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