Wyden Demands Wildfire Plan From The Administration

Senator Ron Wyden is calling on the Forest Service to prepare for what he said could be a catastrophic fire season in Oregon and across the West.  Oregon's senior senator said the record-low snowpack is likely to increase drought conditions, noting that most regions of Oregon have just one-third of their average annual snowpack.

In a letter sent this week to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, Wyden highlighted that President Trump’s staffing and budget cuts in 2025 led directly to a reduction in wildland firefighting personnel, and fewer acres of hazardous fuels treatment during cooler, wetter months.  Wyden warned this lack of preparedness coupled with ongoing drought conditions could have catastrophic consequences for Oregon communities this fire season.

Fewer Acres Of Were Treated In 2025

“Donald Trump’s budget and staffing cuts led to a reduction in wildland firefighters, and directly resulted in fewer acres being treated for hazardous fuels.” Wyden wrote in his letter.  "If not replaced, this lost capacity will result in insufficient capacity to fill much-needed resource orders during the heart of fire season. Furthermore, your agency delayed hazardous fuels treatments during the nearly two-month government shutdown, which coincided with the colder, wetter months of October and November, during which these treatments would traditionally take place.”

Specifically, Wyden requested answers to the following questions no later than March 20, 2026:  

• The drastic decline last year in acres treated for hazardous fuels by the Forest Service as compared to 2024, especially in Oregon, is deeply concerning. Will you commit to identifying the failures that led to this outcome, how you plan to prevent a recurrence this year, and commit to returning to or exceeding 2024 treatment acres in Oregon?
• Last year, you confirmed in response to my inquiry that the U.S. Forest Service lost wildland firefighting personnel as a result of Donald Trump and DOGE’s budget and staffing cuts.  Have you fully restored capacity to pre-Trump administration levels, including available Forest Service personnel with Incident Qualification Cards in response to my prior requests? If not, will you commit to doing so immediately?
• Limitations and delays on grant funding and partnership agreements significantly limited prevention work in Oregon in 2025. Will you commit to ensure such delays do not occur in 2026?
• Will you commit to providing Congress with a budget request that will allow the Forest Service to rapidly increase the pace and scale of prevention work in order to avoid more frequent deadly and costly wildfire disasters?

Click Here to read Wyden's letter.

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