Wildfire Season Arrives: What It Means for Western Residents
A 2025 wildfire in Jefferson County, Oregon. | Photo by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office/AP
Western states are already feeling the impact of the 2026 wildfire season. Snow has vanished from mountain peaks, and the forest floor is dry and crunchy due to drought conditions. According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, there is a high potential for significant fires across most of the region by July. Following two mild years, many fear this season could be severe.
David Way from the Washington Department of Natural Resources indicates that these predictions don’t alter their preparation. “We prepare for a bad year every year because we can’t predict lightning or long-term climate changes,” says Way.
Wildfire response involves complex coordination across federal, state, and private lands. Way mentions his agency often responds first to fires in the wildland urban interface—areas where homes meet undeveloped land. “We use a ‘closest force’ model, where agency affiliation doesn’t matter,” Way explains. Crews are sent to fires nationwide, but resources stay local by June or July.
Federal Wildfire Resources Under Scrutiny
Changes to federal wildfire management are underway as the Trump administration restructures the US Forest Service, forming a new Wildland Fire Service while cutting forest, fire, and climate research. The Forest Service, which employs many seasonal firefighters, is undergoing significant changes, raising concerns about effective wildfire response.
In 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency reduced the Forest Service workforce by at least 6,000, impacting the ability to call up personnel during high demand. Tim Ingalsbee from Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology states, “The federal purging includes firefighters and other essential roles like dispatch officers and planners.”
Funding cuts are affecting climate and meteorology research, with a large-scale reorganization moving the Forest Service headquarters to Utah and closing many research stations. Although the agency claims research will continue, many employees may leave due to uncertainty.
Way observes changes as the new Wildland Fire Service rolls out. “It’s the same people and challenges, but it’s an interesting time,” he notes.
Two Sides of the Wildfire Coin
Wildfire management involves firefighting and mitigation. Mitigation ranges from local efforts like home hardening to landscape-scale projects like firebreaks and prescribed burns. Past management and fire suppression have left a mitigation backlog, especially in areas like southwest Oregon.
Restoring forests requires thinning, prescribed burning, and regular fire applications. As the Forest Service oversees much mitigation, funding received a boost from Biden-era bills. However, a decline in “hazardous fuels reduction” in 2025 raised concerns, as NPR analysis shows a significant drop in vegetation removal and prescribed burning.
Some worry about a return to extraction-focused policies. Ingalsbee says, “This administration’s ideology makes prescribed burning difficult, favoring commercial logging.” Meanwhile, the Forest Service remains a key partner in collaborative efforts to reduce wildfire impact and improve forest health.
In California, the Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Task Force fast-tracks projects to protect communities and resources, with partnerships between the Forest Service and Cal Fire enhancing coordination. Models identify high-risk areas, guiding effective treatment strategies.
Jason Kuiken from the Stanislaus National Forest describes collaboration as beneficial. The Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions group engages in large landscape projects involving various strategies. Kuiken points out funding and workforce capacity as bottlenecks slowing progress, but innovative funding approaches are under consideration.
A Climate of Uncertainty
Drought and wildfires hit the West hard in 2020 and 2021, prompting increased mitigation funding. California announced $70 million for wildfire prevention, and Washington state supports efforts with a dedicated account. Power companies clear vegetation and de-energize lines in high-risk areas.
These “all lands, all hands” approaches involve local communities and leverage diverse funding sources, but states need strong federal support. Despite a poor snow year and developing El Niño, most of the West faces drought. NOAA studies link climate change to worsening fire seasons, with droughts and heat waves driving fire weather.
Hot, dry air dries out vegetation, making it highly flammable. These conditions lead to severe fires capable of forming pyrocumulonimbus clouds. Climate change is extending fire seasons, with active conditions starting earlier and lasting longer. In California, fire season is nearly year-round.
Ingalsbee warns of the “firefighter trap,” where constant firefighting prevents proactive measures. “We need a shift from reactive to proactive, from combative to regenerative relationships with fire,” he suggests.
Original Story at www.sierraclub.org