We Need More Prescribed Fire in the Western U.S. to Mitigate Wildfire Risk

This FireEarth science brief synthesizes research analyzing trends in prescribed fire use across the United States between 1998 and 2018. Drawing on national datasets, the foundational study found that although prescribed fire increased nationally by an average of nearly 62,000 hectares per year, 70% of all prescribed burning occurred in the Southeastern U.S., with limited or declining use in Western regions where wildfire risk is escalating. In the West, prescribed fire either remained stable or decreased over the study period. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was the only federal agency to substantially increase prescribed burning. The findings suggest that despite strong scientific support for prescribed fire as a fuel reduction tool, federal agencies have not implemented policy or budgetary changes sufficient to expand its use in high-risk Western landscapes. Social barriers, funding constraints, agency incentives favoring suppression over prevention, and risk aversion contribute to a persistent fire deficit that compounds climate-driven wildfire impacts.

The production of this science brief was supported by the National Science Foundation through award DMS-1520873.