@USForestService

The Trump administration announced the creation of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service in an effort officials said aims to “modernize wildfire management nationwide.” The move, announced Sept. 15 by the Department of Interior, would unify all wildland fire programs under one banner by January 2026. The two agencies said they’d work in “lockstep” to create the new service to “eliminate fragmentation, and deliver a forward-looking, mission-ready system that prioritizes common sense, efficiency, and results,” a news release said. A fire chief would be appointed to lead the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, who would “possess appropriate wildland fire management experience” and a full consolidation of firefighting operations would come together by Jan. 12, 2026, under Secretary’s Order 3443. …The new service would focus on five different priorities including inefficiencies in aviation systems, interagency coordination and response, federal partnerships, wildfire research, and integrating pre- and post-fire activities into a complete wildfire strategy.