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 The
severity of wildland fires in recent years have resulted in
massive, emergency appropriations. These
blank check authorizations do not improve wildfire management.
In fact, they tend to make the Forest Service less proactive
in their efforts for wildfire planning and management and
less accountible to the American taxpayer for use of their
hard-earned dollars. This
assertion is supported by the fact that the average cost of
fighting wildfires in the National Forests has risen
by nearly 50% over the last twenty years.
The
Forest Service has identified ways to reduce firefighting
costs, however little has been done to implement these provisions
due to an apparent lack of organizational will.
Almost
7 million acres burned during the 2002 wildfire season, costing
taxpayers $1.6 billion to extinguish the flames on
federal lands alone. Decades of mismanagement and inaction
have left the taxpayers the multi-billion dollar task of reducing
fire risk in the National Forests. Congress and the administration
must take steps to reduce the risk of wildfire in future years
and save tax dollars at the same time.
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