WASHINGTON — As the nation prepares for an anticipated above-normal wildfire season, President Donald Trump convened wildfire response leaders at the White House to lay out an aggressive approach to forest management, firefighting readiness and federal-state coordination.
During a June 10 briefing in the Oval Office, Trump emphasized the importance of proactive measures to curb large-scale wildfires, pointing to forest mismanagement and regulatory red tape as key factors contributing to fire severity. Officials provided updates on current initiatives and announced new plans to reshape the nation’s wildfire response system.
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Boosting readiness: 96% of firefighter hiring capacity achieved
Officials from the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture said the federal government has reached 96% of its hiring capacity for wildland firefighters — a level ahead of the previous administration. The federal workforce is expected to include more than 17,000 wildland firefighters this year, with an additional 13,000 personnel available from tribal, state and local agencies at peak capacity.
“The need for firefighters and fire support personnel is clear,” said Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, echoing concerns about the above-normal fire season predicted in the months ahead. “America has the largest and the most well-respected wildland firefighting force in the world. Secretary Burgam and I already have given direction to our firefighting organizations to take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that we are operationally ready.”
Forest management overhaul: Timber thinning and hazard fuel reduction
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Rollins cited forest overgrowth and accumulated fuels as key drivers of wildfire intensity. The administration’s plan includes a 25% increase in timber harvesting, with the aim of supporting rural economies while reducing the severity of fires. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are working to reduce hazardous fuels on more than 6.5 million acres annually.
Trump referenced forest practices in Europe during the briefing, saying, “I’ve been meeting with heads of other countries and they are forest countries — they call themselves forest … Austria and others … they say, ‘We’re a forest nation. We live in a forest,’ and they don’t have forest fires. And in one case he said, ‘You know, our trees are much more flammable than California. But we don’t have forest fires because we clean the floor.’”
Prevention first: Drones and early detection systems in focus
Officials also pointed to increased use of technology as part of a broader fire prevention strategy. Burgum highlighted early detection systems that include satellite, infrared and drone surveillance.
“There’s technology where we can pick out a fire when it just barely begins, and it costs us nothing to put it out versus when it scales up and becomes these massive fires that endanger communities, lives and our firefighters,” Burgum said.
Unifying firefighting forces and modernizing equipment
Another major component of the plan is unifying federal firefighting leadership. Currently, five federal agencies — including the USFS, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs — operate independently. Under the proposed structure, these groups would be united under a single command for consistent strategy, pay equity and strategic consistency.
Trump officials also spotlighted the need for modern firefighting equipment and technology, with some departments still lacking tools the military has had for decades.
Rethinking FEMA: States urged to take the lead
Trump also reaffirmed his intention to reduce the federal role in emergency management by shifting more responsibility to state governments. The move to phase out the agency, he stated, would streamline disaster response and save taxpayer dollars.
“FEMA has not been a very successful experiment,” Trump said. “We want governors to be empowered. If they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be governor.”
While FEMA will continue to assist during catastrophic events, the administration emphasized a push for local and regional mutual aid agreements, allowing states to respond faster and more independently.
Industry revival and rural support
The administration tied its forest policy to economic development, particularly in rural communities that once relied on timber harvesting and related industries.
“Up to 30 years ago, we were one of the great timber producers in the world,” Burgum said. “Communities thrived in these rural communities. We had lumber mills, we had manufacturing, we had furniture makers in this country. All of that went away when we stopped harvesting our own timber. And today we import about as much timber as we used to harvest ourselves.”
Officials said restoring domestic timber production would reduce wildfire risk and stimulate job growth in forestry, milling and manufacturing sectors.
Looking ahead
With over a million acres already burned in 2025 — with 75% of that occurring on state or private land — the Trump administration officials emphasized the need for continued collaboration between federal, state and tribal agencies.
“President Trump … is empowering all of the leadership that’s standing up here today for us to go get this job done,” Burgum said. “We’re going to put out fires when they’re small as opposed to when we can’t control them when they’re large.”
