Region Archives: US West

The Trump administration has halted funding for federal programs to reduce wildfire risk in western U.S. states and has frozen hiring of seasonal firefighters as part of broad cuts to government spending, according to organizations impacted by the moves. The reduction in resources for wildfire prevention after devastating blazes in Los Angeles …with some expecting losses as high as $35 billion. The Oregon-based non-profit Lomakatsi Restoration Project said its contracts with the federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to reduce hazardous fuels in Oregon, California and Idaho, have been frozen. …The American Loggers Council, a logging industry group, said the funding freeze has also stopped work under the $20 million Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance program, which pays for removing dead wood from forests …calling on the administration to exempt forest management programs from the suspension in federal funding.

PORTLAND, Oregon— President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor, threatening efforts to prevent catastrophic blazes like the ones that recently ripped through Southern California. The decision undermines Trump’s repeated insistence that communities need to clear combustible materials like fallen branches and undergrowth — “it’s called management of the floor,” he said while visiting Los Angeles last month — to guard against wildfires. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, said via email that mitigation work is “currently undergoing review to ensure consistency” with Trump’s executive orders. The scrutiny is being applied only to projects using money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, two centerpieces of former President Joe Biden’s administration. They included roughly $3 billion for wildfire mitigation efforts, often known as hazardous fuels reduction programs.

The U.S. Forest Service has completed assessment reports on over 20 topics that will inform how the Tongass National Forest will be managed in decades to come. The last comprehensive plan for the Tongass was done in 1997. There have been a few amendments since then, but the plan is still missing a lot about the way the forest is today. Barb Miranda is a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. “Our economic fabric has shifted from timber to tourism,” she said. “The reason why we are doing a plan is not just because we’re required to, but everything’s changed in the last 25 years.” The assessments are a comprehensive look at what the federal agency knows about the Tongass now and will help inform the new plan. They cover timber, energy and minerals to subsistence and the status and uses of the land. Nearly all assessments mention climate change as a future challenge.

Drew Peltier

Drew Peltier, assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences, is only half joking when he tells you the reason he is in his field is because he couldn’t find a real job. Growing up in California, around some of the largest organisms on Earth — redwood trees — was also a big influence. …“Las Vegas and the surrounding areas are the perfect experimental laboratory to learn about the limits of tree physiological tolerance to extreme climates,” says Peltier, “and my research shows many tree species are exceptionally drought resilient, but we need to take care of our urban trees.” …Research in the lab focuses on trees across the Western U.S., from tiny pinyon pine to the tallest and largest trees on earth, like coast redwood and giant sequoia. …It is extremely clear at this point that we need to rapidly transition to alternative energy, like solar and wind, as soon as possible.

Oregon could have far fewer firefighters ready to battle blazes on federal lands next fire season — and may do less advance work aimed at mitigating the risk of large fires — due to the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and funding cuts, according to U.S. lawmakers. Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have joined over a dozen other lawmakers, all Democrats, in calling on the administration to issue an exemption for thousands of seasonal firefighters so federal agencies can prepare for “what’s expected to be another devastating wildfire year.” …Federal agencies hire about 15,000 seasonal firefighters every year, according to a similar letter U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, D-California, sent Friday. …Trump’s hiring freeze order exempts positions related to “public safety,” but it doesn’t specifically exempt wildland firefighters. As a result, some agency officials have stalled onboarding until they get more clarity.

Related News from Source New Mexico by Julia Goldberg: U.S. Sen Heinrich: USDA funding and firefighter hiring freeze threatens communities

Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources: Heinrich, Murray, Merkley, Klobuchar Demand Answers from USDA on Wildfire Mitigation Projects, Firefighting Hiring Halted by Trump’s Funding Freeze

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Future Logging Careers Act, a bill aimed at allowing teenagers from logging families to gain early hands-on experience in the industry under parental supervision. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine), along with U.S. Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine), would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to permit 16- and 17-year-olds to work in certain mechanized logging operations. Similar exemptions currently exist for youth working in family-owned farms. Supporters of the bill, including the American Loggers Council and the Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho, argue that the measure would help sustain family-run logging businesses by allowing younger generations to gain experience before entering the workforce as adults. Industry representatives have pointed to labor shortages and the challenges of retaining workers as key reasons for the bill’s introduction.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden co-sponsored a bill Monday that would take nearly $40 million in fees paid by ski areas to operate on public lands and reinvest that money locally. Ski areas that operate on U.S. Forest Service lands — which includes almost every ski area in Oregon — pay an annual fee for the ability “to have access to some of America’s most stunning public lands,” a news release said. Currently, the $40 million in fees — including $2 million from Oregon — is sent to the U.S. Treasury and isn’t earmarked for any purpose, Wyden spokesman Hank Stern said. “This would reinvest these fees to support recreation on national forests,” Stern said. The bill, known as the SHRED Act, would “establish a framework for local national forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset the impacts of increased recreational use, giving them the flexibility to direct resources where they are needed the most.”

Non-logging forestry work, like planting trees or fuels reduction, is big business in Oregon. But if you’re picturing those doing this work as classic lumberjacks — plaid shirts, big beards, white guys — think again. Foreign guest workers make up much of this labor. And Jackson County is a national center for the industry. On a Saturday afternoon, the parking lot of The Laundry Center in Medford sees a steady stream of white vans, or “crummies,” come and go. Inside those vehicles are forestry workers, like Jose Luis Arredondo. He’s using his precious spare time to wash clothes before setting out to another work site to plant trees, clear understory or light prescribed burns to reduce the risk from wildfires.

Smokey

In an effort to reduce human-caused wildfires by spreading prevention messaging and resources along Washington state’s highways, interstates and rural road systems, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has teamed up with none other than the iconic Smokey Bear. With funding from a United States Forest Service grant, DNR wrapped 10 fire cache trailers with graphics, QR codes and Smokey Bear’s image to highlight wildfire prevention best practices and additional sources of information. These are custom-fitted mobile workstations and command centers that can be assigned and towed to wildfires around the state. “These trailers travel hundreds of miles each year, to provide fire suppression personnel with critical resources,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. “This project gives vibrant visibility to the important prevention measures we all can take to limit human-caused fires.” The QR codes on the trailers redirect to different agency webpages and fire safety animation videos.

Five Cariboo firefighters were part of the 23-person team who travelled to California to help battle devastating wildfires in the state recently. …Five of the 23-person team heading south were from the Cariboo Fire Centre, including Bardossy, and the group went as a unit crew to help support the beleaguered California ground crews dealing with the devastating fires and intense fire conditions. …The crew was then deployed to the Eaton Fire for three days, a fire in a mountainous area north of Pasadena encompassing over 14,000 acres. …”We were just one of many spokes in the larger wheel,” said Rob Bardossy, a senior wildfire officer, noting there were a massive number of resources in the area ready to respond. …”There’s no real forest, so it’s a very flashy, explosive fire,” explained Bardossy, noting by the third day, things had calmed down significantly.

Curry County, Oregon, is considering taking over management of federal forests within its borders by applying a novel legal strategy used by a county in Arizona. Curry County commissioners presented a draft proclamation on Wednesday to declare a state of emergency for the purpose of taking over management of public forests from federal authorities. Those in support of the proposal say it is needed due to federal agencies’ failure to manage their forests for wildfire. At the recent meeting, Commissioner Jay Trost claimed every major recent fire in the county occurred on state and federal land. “The private timber industry is managing their land right,” said Trost. The proclamation also claims that the forest mismanagement, along with state regulations for homeowners in high wildfire hazard zones, will impact county housing costs and supply.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As Los Angeles reels from deadly January wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order Thursday directing the state to advance long-delayed regulations requiring homeowners in high-risk areas to clear combustible materials around their homes. Newsom ordered the state to publish draft regulation next month, with a deadline to adopt those rules by the end of the year. The requirements were passed by lawmakers in 2020 and originally set to take effect by Jan. 1, 2023. Newsom signed the order after he returned from Washington to advocate for disaster aid. The rule requires homeowners to clear materials like dead plants and wooden furniture within 5 feet of their homes in fire-prone areas. As multiple fires roared through LA neighborhoods in January, the regulations still weren’t written, and the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection told The Associated Press last month it had no firm timeline for completing them.

Post-fire tree planting significantly accelerates forest recovery in burned areas, increasing regrowth rates by 25.7%.  That’s according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the Ecological Research Institute (ERI) of Northern Arizona University, recently published in the scientific journal Forest Ecology and Management. Recent policy changes and significant financial investments aim to accelerate tree planting efforts nationwide; however, the large-scale effectiveness and impact of post-fire planting has remained largely unknown, until now. Lead author Kyle Rodman, an ERI research scientist, said this study gives researchers and policymakers alike an in-depth look at the effectiveness of tree replanting in landscapes that have been increasingly affected by wildfires. 

This opinion piece is by the following groups: Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Mountain Regional Water Special Service District, Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, Summit County, and World Resources Institute. After another catastrophic wildfire season in the West, it is clear that Utah can no longer put off needed investments to protect our forests and critical sources of drinking water. The consequences of delaying these essential investments grow yearly and the stakes have never been higher. …These fires are a wake-up call. Infrastructure costs should not fall on water ratepayers alone. While Utah water utilities and our partners have made progress in reducing wildfire risks in key watersheds, the wildfire crisis demands even greater levels of collaboration and funding — and both are needed now from Utah’s state Legislature.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the bipartisan Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 to strengthen the aerial wildfire suppression fleet and better combat the year-round threat of catastrophic wildfire. “I have worked to expand the operations of Very Large Air Tankers that have proven absolutely essential to firefighters battling wildfires in New Mexico, Los Angeles, and across the West,” said Heinrich. …“As a former Navy SEAL and the only aerial firefighter in the Senate, I understand government’s most solemn duty is to keep the American people safe,” said Sheehy. The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense’s authority to sell excess Department of Defense aircraft and aircraft parts, acceptable for commercial sale, to persons or entities that contract with the government for the delivery of fire retardant or water by air to suppress wildfires…

SACRAMENTO– The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is announcing the availability of up to $5 million for Tribal Wildfire Resilience projects. CAL FIRE is soliciting applications for projects that work to support California Native American tribes in managing ancestral lands. This includes implementing and promoting Traditional Ecological Knowledges in wildfire resilience. Also, creating wildfire safety for tribal communities. Applications will be accepted from now via the Tribal Wildfire Resilience Grants webpage. Applications are due by 12:00 PM on Friday, March 28, 2025. Eligible applicants are California Native American tribes and tribal-led non-profit organizations with documentation.

State Sen. Brian Jones is hopeful wildfire disaster aid is forthcoming and wants to make sure San Diego gets its share. When California leaders sat down with President Donald Trump at a roundtable discussion on disaster aid for the Los Angeles wildfires last week, they weren’t sure what to expect. Trump had threatened to withhold federal funding unless California met his demands for changes to water policy, forest management, sanctuary protections and voter ID. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom was walking a political tightrope: positioning the state as the center of Trump resistance while also negotiating wildfire assistance. …Dialing back his combative manner, Trump expressed condolences over the wreckage of Pacific Palisades, which he viewed from a helicopter. …Last week Newsom signed a bill awarding funding for firestorm recovery … that barely begins to cover losses from the L.A. fires, whose total damages could be $250 billion, according to an estimate by AccuWeather.

Laura McCarthy

SOCORRO — The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources at New Mexico Tech will present the 2025 Earth Science Achievement Award for Public Service and Public Policy to New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy. McCarthy has advanced the role of earth science in public policy, and will receive the award during a ceremony in conjunction with Earth Science/New Mexico Tech Day. As State Forester, McCarthy is responsible for forest management on 43 million acres of state and private lands, including wildfire prevention and response, forest health improvement, reforestation, watershed health, and climate change adaptation. Under her leadership, the State Forestry Division has doubled in size, modernized its business systems, and taken on the challenges of postfire recovery and reforestation of burned areas with the year 2100 climate in mind. She is committed to forest health, drawing on her experience as a forester, wildland firefighter, and policy advisor.

A utility company wants to cut through 5 acres of mature Doug fir and big leaf maples in a massive Portland urban forest to make way for new transmission lines. Portland General Electric executives say the company needs to improve its infrastructure to meet Portland’s electricity demands, particularly as it moves away from fossil fuels and prepares the grid to carry more renewably generated power. The company plans to meet that goal by removing 400 trees through intact, mature forest to install new power poles and 1,400 feet of transmission lines. The proposal has drawn fierce opposition from environmental groups, as well as the city of Portland itself. That opposition was on display during a public hearing Wednesday, where city staff recommended a hearings officer deny PGE’s plan. A decision is expected in early March.

Related coverage in Portland Mercury: “A Dangerous Precedent”: PGE Faces Major Backlash for Forest Park Utility Proposal

At the worst possible moment, budget uncertainty has effectively stalled the Forest Service’s effort to thin the forest to reduce the risk of wildfires: That’s the message Forest Service officials delivered to the Eastern Arizona Counties Natural Resources Committee last week. The Forest Service had already imposed a hiring freeze before the congressional budgeting process fell apart. Congress in January adopted a continuing resolution to get through March and avert a government shutdown. The continuing resolution was necessary just to allow the federal government to spend money Congress included in its last adopted budget for the current fiscal year starting in October. But it’s still unclear whether the new Republican majorities in the House and Senate can agree on fresh action to lift the debt ceiling and adopt either another continuing resolution or an actual budget. Some Republicans have demanded steep cuts in previously approved spending to rein in the federal deficit.

MISSOULA – Forestry students at the University of Montana are working hard this week to set up the 106th Foresters’ Ball, a beloved campus tradition and fundraiser for students in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation.  Students and alumni have turned UM’s Schreiber Gym into an old logging town featuring wooden false fronts of a saloon, chapel, jail and other buildings. The Western atmosphere will draw hundreds of flannel-clad visitors to gather and dance to live music. This year’s theme for the ball is “Tankers Dumpin’ & Crews a Jumpin’,” a nod to the brave firefighting crews across the state. The work to create this year’s ball was inspired by fire crews past and present, said Koson Verkler, a senior forestry student and “chief push” of the Foresters’ Ball Committee. A replica wooden smokejumper aircraft and parachutes will be displayed at the ball. 

Around a hundred community members showed up to the U.S. Forest Service office in Medford on Wednesday night for a public meeting about proposed amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan. The plan was created in 1994 to protect threatened and endangered species, like the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. It was meant to put an end to the timber wars of the 80s and 90s, when environmental activists protested the over-harvesting of trees in the region. The plan covers all of the Forest Service lands in Oregon and Washington, as well as a small part of Northern California. While innovative at the time, even environmentalists like Carol Valentine with the Sierra Club believe the plan needs to change to meet our new challenges. …Environmental activists held a rally outside the Forest Service office to push for stronger protections for old-growth ecosystems in the amendments.

The ecosystems on the American Southwest’s federal lands are hemorrhaging carbon dioxide into the atmosphere faster than any other region in the U.S., according to a recent study from the U.S. Geological Survey. While federal land ecosystems in most states are sequestering carbon dioxide on average, California’s lost six times more than any other state during the 17-year period from 2005 to 2021 that the study analyzed. “In California, it’s primarily a story of fire,” said Benjamin Sleeter, a research geographer with the USGS who led the ecosystem analysis in the new study. While scientists typically expect the movement of carbon in and out of ecosystems to cancel out in the long run, human intervention and climate change have destabilized the delicate balance. It’s made the daunting task of modeling carbon flowing between ecosystems and the atmosphere, which has challenged scientists for decades, even harder.

…some electric utilities and cooperatives are urging the Senate to seal the deal on the “Fix Our Forests Act” that aims to expedite some federal approvals and reduce wildfire risk overall. The legislation …establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, including reducing wildfire, expediting certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and activities. …The legislation prohibits courts from immediately halting a project unless they determine that the person suing to stop it “is likely to succeed on the merits” of the case if the lawsuit gets a full hearing. …The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association applauded the bill, arguing it would make it easier for electric cooperatives to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and called on the Senate to also pass the bill. …Pacific Gas & Electric “supports legislation that would expedite permitting and approvals and reduce barriers to the essential work of keeping powerlines clear of vegetation.”