WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON — In the wake of the government shutdown, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have detailed how the agencies will sustain wildfire response.
The USFS, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, and the BLM, an agency of the Department of the Interior, captured their contingency plans in the documents “U.S. Department of Agriculture Lapse of Funding Plan,” dated Sept. 30, 2025, and the “Bureau of Land Management Contingency Plan,” dated September 2025, each emphasizing that most firefighters will stay on the line while other non-critical activities, like fuels work and training, will be scaled back.
USFS plans
According to the USDA contingency plan, of the USFS’s 32,390 employees, roughly 12,744 will be furloughed. Approximately 15,600 personnel are designated “excepted” to protect life and property — a category that includes wildfire suppression, law enforcement, emergency response and natural disaster preparedness. Firefighters and support staff will continue responding to wildfires across the agency’s 193 million acres, including 154 national forests and more than 500 ranger districts.
In addition, 3,569 employees are funded through alternative sources, such as permanent appropriations, cost recovery funds, and supplemental disaster or infrastructure accounts, ensuring that some critical programs will continue regardless of the shutdown.
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Activities that will continue
The plan identifies several mission-critical operations that will continue:
- Wildland fire suppression and preparedness
- Law enforcement and emergency response
- Defense preparedness and protection of federal property, including facilities, stock and equipment
- Contracts supporting cybersecurity and infrastructure for essential operations
- Limited management of National Forest System lands to maintain public safety and essential use
- Protection of ongoing studies where interruption would invalidate research
Activities that will pause
Other non-immediate fire service-related activities will be delayed:
- Hazardous fuels treatments, including prescribed fire
- State grants for forest management and wildland fire preparedness, which could affect local departments’ ability to train and equip firefighters
- Applied science, including scenario planning for fuels treatments and fire-weather timing research
Outlook if the shutdown extends
The USFS notes it may adjust which employees are exempted or furloughed depending on funding availability. While core fire suppression and life-safety missions are protected, extended shutdowns could slow fuel management projects, research and cooperative programs that support local fire readiness.
BLM plans
According to the DOI contingency plan, the BLM will furlough approximately 4,000 of its 9,250 employees. Some employees are “excepted” from furlough if they perform activities that protect life and property. Approximately 3,300 wildland fire management (WFM) personnel will continue to work during the shutdown, supported by carryover funding in the WFM account. These employees cover wildfire suppression, preparedness, fuels management, firefighter hiring and training, and procurement of critical aviation and ground resources. Their work is considered essential to protecting life and property.
Reduced staffing if shutdown extends
If the shutdown outlasts available carryover funds, the number of active fire staff will drop to approximately 1,000. These employees would shift to excepted status, continuing to respond to wildfires and support emergency needs but without pay until appropriations are restored. Non-critical fire management functions, such as larger fuels projects and some training programs, may pause until funding resumes.
Initial attack remains a priority
BLM states and districts are required to retain sufficient personnel to provide initial attack capability. Dispatchers, overhead staff, and minimum administrative support will remain available to coordinate suppression activities and track firefighter time. The National Fire and Aviation Office will continue to back up state and district needs.
BLM emphasized that firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. Initial attack capability and critical suppression functions will continue, even under extended shutdown conditions.
