Lawmakers’ letter notes that wildfire prevention work under Trump is down nearly 40 percent from previous years
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to demand information from the Trump administration on the number of hazardous fuels projects that have completed environmental reviews pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, but have not yet been implemented – commonly referred to as “shelf stock.”
“Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) work to reduce hazardous fuels across the national forest system in Fiscal Year 2025 was down nearly 40% from its previous four-year average. In a letter to Congress on August 6, 2025, you attributed your constrained “capacity to treat additional acres” in part to “significant resource and personnel” needs elsewhere at the agency,” the lawmakers wrote to USFS Chief Tom Schultz. “Given these issues, and the Trump administration’s reduction of nearly 5,000 USFS staff, we are concerned that the decline in hazardous fuels projects stems from insufficient staffing needed to implement already-approved projects, including for mechanical thinning and prescribed fire.”
The lawmakers highlight that the Trump administration has failed to complete hazardous fuels reduction projects at the same pace and scale as in prior years or at the rate needed in their communities.
“As you know, the best measures to protect lives and property from wildfire is preparedness – reducing fire risks before a conflagration ignites,” the lawmakers concluded.
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo. In addition to Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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