Bigger, Deadlier Wildfires Hamper Federal Response, GAO Says

The scale, severity, and widespread nature of wildfires is hindering the ability of five federal agencies to respond on public lands, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Dec. 19.

Officials at the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service told the GAO that the need to get rid of rotten wood, tree stumps, and other forest debris that fuel bigger and deadlier wildfires is significantly larger than what the agencies can address each year.

The agencies estimated they manage or administer more than more ...