Wildfire Crisis in the Intermountain Region
The Forest Service wildfire crisis strategy combines an historic investment from congressional funding with years of scientific research and planning into a national effort that will dramatically increase the scale of forest health treatments. Since the Forest Service released its 10-year wildfire strategy, the agency and its partners have identified specific areas where fuels treatment projects will begin being implemented as soon as possible.
The Law Behind the Wildfire Crisis Strategy
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) invests about $5.5 billion in lands and resources of USDA’s Forest Service. The law provides USDA Forest Service resources to reduce the risk of wildland fire, restore ecosystems, and invest in natural resources related infrastructure, this includes recreation. The work being done to implement the Forest Service’s 10-year wildfire crisis strategy is just one component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law supports broad objectives beyond hazardous fuels. Initially 29 candidate landscape investments were proposed, ranging in size from 5,000 to 1.6 million acres. Of those proposed, 10 Initial Landscape Investments were chosen for the first round of funding. Initial landscape investments are in areas identified as being at the highest risk, based on community exposure The Southwest Idaho Landscape was one of the 10 initial landscapes selected and includes portions of the Boise and Payette National Forests.
Where are the investments?
Current landscape investment projects identified within the Intermountain Region:
Southwest Idaho Wildfire Crisis Landscape Project
Pine Valley (Dixie) Wildfire Crisis Landscape Project
Sierra and Elko Fronts Wildfire Crisis Landscape Project
Wasatch Wildfire Crisis Landscape Project
More Information
The Forest Service is treating up to an additional 20 million acres of National Forest System lands, an additional 30 million acres of other Federal, State, Tribal and private lands and developing a plan for long-term maintenance beyond the next 10 years.