Addressing Wildland Fire Issues

Wildland Fire Management

Creating a policy framework to address increased wildfire activity around the country, and its impact on society, is a critical priority for SGSF.

The federal budget devoted to wildfire suppression of federal lands has more than tripled in the past two decades, meaning fewer and fewer resources are allocated to critical state and private forestry efforts. With the passage of the fire funding fix in the 2018 Omnibus, SGSF supports reinvestment in wildfire fuels management and other activities that promote forest health and wildfire risk reduction, as well as in programs and research that benefits state and private forests.

Local Fire Departments

State and volunteer fire departments are vital to initial attack and wildfire response. SGSF advocates for adequate funding for these programs through the State Fire Assistance (SFA) and Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) programs.

Additionally, SGSF supports the efficient and effective application of the Federal Excess Personal Property program and the Firefighter Property program, which give state and volunteer fire departments access to critical equipment.

Prescribed Fire and Air Quality

SGSF advocates for continued recognition of prescribed fire as a crucial forest management and wildfire mitigation tool that should be accounted for in the development of air quality regulations.