Forest Service promises swifter action on wildfires after plea from California
SACRAMENTO — Hit with bipartisan criticism about a “wait and see” approach to fighting wildfires in California, the new chief of the USDA Forest Service is directing his agency to become more aggressive about suppressing new fires.
Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, who until earlier this year oversaw 18 national forests in California, is implementing the new policy amid complaints that the federal agency was too slow to respond to wildfires that began this year on national forest land in the north state.
“Chief Moore committed that he will issue a change of policy to all regions of the U.S. Forest Service, including California, to immediately put out all fires,” said Rep. Doug LaMalfa, RCalif., who revealed the new direction in an email to environmental organizations, firefighter policy experts and others over the weekend.
“This is a major policy change for the U.S. Forest Service, whose previous policy was to let the fire burn if it was not immediately adjacent to communities or major infrastructure,” LaMalfa wrote.
LaMalfa, who has been critical of the agency’s wildfire record, said Moore revealed the policy shift to him in a recent phone call.
Moore’s policy directive comes amid rising complaints about the Forest Service’s response to a handful of recent wildfires, including the
Tamarack fire, which has burned 68,696 acres in California and Nevada. The fire began July 4 in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and was allowed to burn for several days. Then fierce winds caused the fire to spread dramatically, although it’s now 82% complained.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who toured the Tamarack burn zone last week with Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, complained to President Joe Biden about the Forest Service’s handling of the fire.
On a video call with Biden and other Western governors, Newsom blamed an agency culture that “too often is wait and see” for allowing the Tamarack fire to spread.
“We need your help to change the culture in terms of the suppression strategies in this climate literally and figuratively to be more aggressive on these federal fires,” Newsom told Biden.
Newsom’s criticism followed similar complaints about the Tamarack fire by Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, who urged Moore to change course and make sure “that all wildfires (are) suppressed as soon as possible.”
Officials with the Forest Service weren’t immediately available for comment Monday.
Critics have also said the Forest Service allowed the Beckwourth Complex fire to grow out of control. The fire, which began in early July in the Plumas National Forest, is now 98% contained after burning 105,670 acres.
“I think it was negligence,” said Dwight Ceresola, a Plumas County supervisor whose district is in the fire zone. After some initial suppression efforts, he said the Forest Service pulled personnel and equipment away from the fire too quickly.
Ironically, the Forest Service for years was so aggressive about extinguishing new wildfires that it was criticized for not letting some fires burn naturally as a means of removing flammable vegetation from the forests. In recent years, the agency has taken a more measured approach, saying it would let some fires burn if they didn’t threaten people, buildings or important infrastructure.