USDA Forest Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) Maine Forest Service (MFS) has been awarded two Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG) to support at-risk communities in Northern and Downeast Maine. These grants, totaling $258,000 ($141,000 and $117,000, respectively), will safeguard homes, businesses, forestland, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires. Both regions face significant wildfire risks and are considered underserved. Competitive CWDG awards Maine is New England's first and only state to receive these highly competitive CWDG awards Federal funding will facilitate the creation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) over five years. Last fall, the USDA Forest Service received 535 applications, awarding grants to only 158 communities nationwide. Maine is New England's first and only state to receive these highly competitive CWDG awards. MFS will lead the development of CWPPs, coordinate data collection, and engage stakeholders and the public. These plans will evaluate wildfire risks, inventory access routes, utility corridors, and other critical assets and foster collaboration between local governments, fire departments, state agencies, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC), and other key stakeholders. wildfire risk mitigation "Earning these federal grants is a significant accomplishment for our Maine Forest Service. Given the competitive nature of these grants, typically awarded to western states, we are incredibly proud that Maine is the first New England state to be awarded these funds," said Amanda Beal, DACF Commissioner. "As the most heavily forested state with a history of rural wildfires, it is crucial to prioritize wildfire risk mitigation. This federal funding will enhance our efforts to protect communities and ensure their safety from wildfires," said Patty Cormier, MFS Director. Mitigate wildfire risks "We are thrilled to receive the CWDG grants and are eager to collaborate with County Emergency Management Agency directors, Fire Chiefs, and large forest landowners to mitigate wildfire risks and bolster the resilience of our forests," said Robby Gross, Chief Forest Ranger. The Northern Maine/Katahdin Region grant encompasses Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, and several adjacent unorganized territories. This project area borders the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and is near Baxter State Park, home to Maine's highest peaks. The Downeast Maine grant includes the towns of Whiting and Dennysville and four unorganized territories in Southeast Washington County.

The Biden-Harris administration’s Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission has released a report outlining a strategy to meet aerial firefighting equipment needs through 2030. As climate change fuels longer and more intense wildfire seasons, aerial assets bring unique response capabilities to wildland fire suppression. The report re-examines existing approaches to aviation fleet procurement, mobilization, composition and quantity to set aviation management on a new trajectory for the next decade and beyond. Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, created by US President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and announced in December 2021, was charged with making recommendations to improve federal policies related to the mitigation, suppression and management of wildland fires in the United States of America (USA), and the rehabilitation of land in the USA devastated by wildland fires. The Commission - chaired by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture and FEMA Administrator - Deanne Criswell - was tasked with developing two reports to Congress: the report on aerial firefighting and another report scheduled for release in Fall 2023 that delivers a comprehensive set of recommendations to address the nation’s wildfire crisis. Commission Tasked to Discuss and craft recommendations Climate change and associated extreme weather events are being felt by communities across the country" The Commission, composed of representatives from federal agencies, state, local and Tribal governments and representatives from the private sector meets monthly to discuss and craft these recommendations. “Climate change and associated extreme weather events are being felt by communities across the country. We are seeing a surge in devastating floods, more energized hurricanes and a wildfire season that’s now a year-long threat. Wildfires in particular are becoming a near-constant risk, destroying lives and property nationwide,” said FEMA Administrator - Deanne Criswell. Improve federal policies related to persistent fire problem Deanne Criswell adds, “To respond to these increasing threats, we must use every tool at our disposal while re-examining existing approaches to better protect people. This report is an example of the type of work required to mitigate climate risks and we will continue to work with our partners across the Biden-Harris Administration to improve federal policies related to America’s persistent fire problem.” “Climate change has increased the duration and intensity of wildfire seasons and, with it, added pressures on wildland firefighters who are on the frontlines. The Biden-Harris administration is committed to providing the necessary equipment and resources to support their work and keep them safe,” said Secretary of the Interior - Deb Haaland. Coordinated investments in wildland fire management Deb Haaland adds, “Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Administration is providing coordinated investments in wildland fire management and support for our firefighting workforce. I am grateful to the Wildland Fire Management and Mitigation Commission for their hard work as they guide us into the future.” “Wildfires are growing larger and more complex and business as usual is not an option in protecting communities and landscapes,” said Agriculture Secretary - Tom Vilsack. This report represents the next step in the Commission’s critical work" Tom Vilsack adds, “Thanks to the landmark support from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission has brought together diverse voices to address problems and find solutions to these challenges. This report represents the next step in the Commission’s critical work and explores how aviation resources can be best brought to bear on the nation’s wildfire crisis.” Findings and recommendations outlined in the report include: The need for the development of new or updated aviation resource benchmarks and national procurement models and the need for greater coordination with partners in these efforts, Improvements to appropriations, contracting, staffing and interoperability to improve the use and availability of existing resources, Improvements and limitations to the military surplus process and equipment, and Additional considerations, including aviation resource use in beneficial fire and the emerging importance of Uncrewed Aerial Systems. Commission seeks to address Several key themes In developing these recommendations, the Commission sought to address several key themes: the need to develop an overarching, forward-looking aviation strategy that drives procurement, rather than letting aviation approaches become constrained by current practices; the need to invest in both technology and people to build an aviation fleet that meets long-term demand; and the need to take an inclusive approach to the range of functions aerial resources can serve as well as the range of entities that must be included in development of a national aviation strategy. In addition to establishing the Commission, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides historic funding for a suite of programs aimed at reducing wildfire risks, detecting wildfires, instituting firefighter workforce reforms and building more resilient infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also supports landmark pay increases for federal wildland firefighters The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also supports landmark pay increases for federal wildland firefighters, which aim to bring federal firefighter pay in alignment with their state and local counterparts, while aiding in recruitment and retention of a more permanent and stable wildland firefighting force across the federal government. These investments support the implementation of the Department of the Interior’s ‘Five-Year Monitoring, Maintenance, and Treatment Plan,’ which provides a roadmap for addressing wildfire risk on Department of the Interior-managed and Tribal lands. Support for the ‘Confronting the Wildfire Crisis’ strategy They also support the USDA Forest Service’s ‘Confronting the Wildfire Crisis’ strategy, which aims to treat 20 million acres of national forests and grasslands and 30 million acres of state, local, tribal and private lands over the next 10 years, in order to reduce wildfire risk where it matters most. These plans help facilitate the collaborative work between the two departments.  The Commission’s work builds on existing interagency federal efforts, such as the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and the White House Wildfire Resilience Interagency Working Group, and will continue to pursue an all-of-government approach to wildfire risk reduction and resilience.

The National Interagency Fire Center has requested one C-130 aircraft and aircrew from the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, to aid firefighting efforts around the western U.S. Assisting firefighting efforts “This activation highlights the important role the military plays in assisting federal, civilian firefighting efforts, especially with that need coming much earlier this year than past years to combat increased fire activity across the American West,” said Col. Jeremy Ford, 152nd Airlift Wing commander. “The 152nd Airlift Wing embraces this incredibly vital domestic operations mission and our ability to help save life and property threatened by wildland fires.” Firefighting season This season’s first activation for the unit arrives more than a month earlier than in 2020 The initial request lasts through July 26. The 152nd Airlift Wing activated last firefighting season on July 29. That activation lasted through Oct. 3, the longest firefighting activation in the unit’s history. However, even with last year’s extended firefighting season, this season’s first activation for the unit arrives more than a month earlier than in 2020. Provides firefighting assets The aircraft, operating the USDA Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, will depart Reno this Saturday for its initial deployment location at CAL FIRE’s McClellan Reload Base in Sacramento, California. From there, they will assist federal and private firefighting assets around the region as needed. large-scale wildland firefighting Given the military’s non-compete clause with private industry, contracted air tankers receive the first request for large-scale, wildland firefighting. Military units have provided a surge capacity with MAFFS since 1974, but are only activated after private contracted assets are exhausted and the forest service deems additional support is necessary. 152nd Airlift Wing is one of four military C-130 units equipped with MAFFS The 152nd Airlift Wing, known as the High Rollers, is one of four military C-130 units around the nation equipped with MAFFS for large-scale wildland firefighting. The Reno unit will join the 146th Airlift Wing out of the Channel Islands, Calif. for firefighting efforts in the region. Wildland fires Fire managers from federal, state, tribal, and local agencies continue to prepare for wildland firefighting activity. So far, 50 large-scale wildland fires have burned 543,099 acres in 11 states, the National Interagency Firefighting Center has reported. New large fires were reported in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada. More than 9,180 wildland firefighters and 17 Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams are assigned to incidents, according to NIFC.So far this year there have been 29,362 fires reported burning 1,164,555 acres across the nation, NIFC said. C-130 equipment MAFFS equipment, loaded into the cargo compartment of a C-130 aircraft, can drop up to 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in six seconds through a nozzle on the rear left side of the plane. The U.S. Forest Service owns MAFFS equipment and supplies retardants, while each of the four military units provides C-130 aircraft, maintenance, support personnel, and flight crews to fly the missions. Upgraded version of the C-130 fleet The 152nd Airlift Wing became the first “combat coded” guard unit with NP-2000 propeller modification The 152nd Airlift Wing recently became the first “combat coded” guard unit in the nation to upgrade their entire C-130 fleet with the NP-2000 propeller modification. This modification swapped out four-bladed propellers with eight-bladed modular NP-2000 propellers. This increased performance and flying capabilities of the whole fleet, adding throttle responsiveness and reliability to each of the C-130s in the 152nd Airlift Wing’s fleet. “This is especially important for the extremely challenging MAFFS mission while flying in extreme hazards including flying low slow and heavy while dropping water or retardant,” Ford said.

While wildfires can be beneficial and necessary for some species and ecosystems, there are various negative impacts on our air, water, and land, as well as, subsequent impacts for human health. Given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mission to protect human health and the environment, the EPA’s Wildland Fire Research focuses on the impacts these fires have on human health and ecosystems. Examining ambient air quality EPA researchers are examining the worsening of ambient air quality from smoke and the contamination of surface and drinking waters, as well as ecological effects to habitats impacted by fire. EPA’s Wildland Fire Research aims to address knowledge gaps across wildland fire topics, including: Development and evaluation of applicable ambient measurement technologies, Fate and transport of wildland fire smoke emissions, Elucidation of primary and secondary ambient air quality impacts, Effective interventions to reduce smoke exposure, Communicating health risk and public education strategies Impacts of fire and smoke on watersheds, and drinking water, Remobilization of chemicals at contaminated sites, Air, water, and soil impacts of fires that reach the wildland-urban interface (WUI), Public health impacts resulting from smoke, and Integration of social science approaches into public health research. Key contributions to emissions characterization EPA has made and continues to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge on emissions characterization (emission factors). These include measuring and modeling smoke’s impact on air quality, especially concentrations of fine particles and ozone. They are also working to characterize the chemical components of smoke and their respective toxicities. Other contributions include physiological responses to smoke exposure; epidemiological studies for understanding population exposure to smoke and health outcomes; and impacts of fire on water quality and quantity. The EPA seeks social science methods to develop communication and community capacity tools to help communities reduce exposure during smoke episodes. Air quality impacts of alternative fire management practices Improving understanding of these impacts can help support forest management decisions to prevent severe fires EPA is collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to evaluate air quality impacts of alternative fire management practices, including prescribed fires that can reduce the severity of wildfires. Improving understanding of these impacts can help support forest management decisions that can prevent severe fires. EPA research has not focused on occupational health regarding wildland fires. While occupational exposure studies are very important, this works falls under missions of the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Assessment on impact of prescribed fire and wildfire EPA is leading the development of an assessment, comparing the impacts of prescribed fire and wildfire, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI), with contributions from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This report will provide a better understanding of the health and environmental impacts of wildland fire, specifically smoke. The interagency approach is critical as USFS and DOI are experts in understanding various aspects of fire, NIST is an expert in the damages from fires, and EPA provides expertise in understanding the public health and environmental impacts of fire. EPA’s Wildland Fire Research As EPA’s Wildland Fire Research grows and adds to the body of knowledge over time, much of the findings will impact protecting human health and the environment by characterizing and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts of wildfire smoke on human health and ecosystems. EPA research on this topic will also inform the way we prepare, respond, and recover from wildland fires. EPA’s researchers are top scientists, representing a broad range of disciplines, including atmospheric science, health sciences, ecology, and social sciences. They are faced with the growing challenges associated with climate change and ensuring equitable protection for all citizens including disadvantaged communities who bear a disproportionate impact from air pollution and climate change. EPA’s multi-disciplinary researchers, together with partners from throughout federal, state, and local government agencies around the country, are working together to address these challenges. EPA will conduct the research needed to reduce the growing risk of wildfires and continue to protect human health and the environment.

Public and firefighter safety is the number one priority at the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) in Missoula, Mont. The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program there seeks to develop tools and technology that can help protect people and communities before, during, and after wildfires. RMRS develops and delivers innovative science and technology to improve the health and use of the nation’s forests and grasslands. Their scientists put tools and knowledge into the hands of managers who can apply them to shared stewardship projects designed to reduce fuels and improve habitat and forest health. enhanced firefighter safety The fire research program has enhanced firefighter safety by improving metrics for determining firefighter safety zones and escape routes, improving and modernizing determination of fire danger, and developing systems and applications such as the Wildfire Safety Evaluator (WiSE) and WildfireSAFE to facilitate use of these metrics by wildland firefighters. The program has also pioneered the development of metrics for scenario planning and assessing wildfire risk to communities. RMRS scientists are leaders in the science of risk management, fire behavior, fire suppression and management, and treating fuels to mitigate risks, as well as post-fire impacts to watersheds and methods to help protect people and communities before, during, and after wildfires. proactive fire management USDA Forest Service is a science-based organization, and research has been part of its mission since its inception “We need to work with our interagency firefighters and industry partners to move us to a more proactive fire management posture,” says Thomas C. Dzomba, Deputy Program Manager and Director of the Fire Modeling Institute at the Rocky Mountain Research Station's Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program. “We are all in this together.” USDA Forest Service is a science-based organization, and research has been part of its mission since its inception in 1905. In 1908, forester Raphael Zon, declared “Here we will plant the first tree of research,” near Flagstaff, Ariz., at the Fort Valley Experiment Station. It later became the Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, and eventually combined in 1953 with the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. providing economic opportunities The combination created the modern footprint of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, which covers 12 states in the intermountain west and includes 14 experimental forests and 14 labs, including the fire sciences lab in Missoula, Mont. The team in Missoula collaborates with researchers globally to advance forest inventory and analysis techniques, to promote science that enhances the wildland fire system, and to provide economic opportunities by improving utilization of wood products. RMRS also conducts extensive research on watersheds, wildlife and fish, rangeland and forest health, insects and diseases, wilderness, human interactions with natural resources, and much more. The Human Performance and Innovation and Organizational Learning (HP&IOL) team is a part of RMRS and serves the entire agency in order to promote a culture of learning and foster a resilient workforce and advance innovations. fire management efforts There are many examples of how fire research can help in adapting to fire on the landscapes that evolved with it HP&IOL seeks input from employees through verbal and written interviews, focus groups, and other means. Additionally, many of the research staff work directly in support of fire management efforts, enabling them to quickly see what could make fire management or prescribed fire more efficient or safer. To promote better understanding of the importance of fire research, the fire industry should talk to partners, community leaders, and the public and show them how science helped improve decision-making before and during fire suppression efforts. There are many examples of how fire research can help in adapting to fire on the landscapes that evolved with it. For example, where have fuel treatments helped buffer communities or important resources? helping protect communities “We should tell our success stories,” says Dzomba. “Ultimately the best safety measure is to not have to fight the fire, because we’ve learned to adapt, developed mitigations and treated fuels before fire occurs to help protect communities and create more resilient landscapes.”