On June 14th, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, issued a joint memo to federal agency leaders with wildfire responsibilities outlining their vision and goals for managing wildland fires this year. The memo’s release follows President Biden’s Summer Hazard Briefing with cabinet officials and agency leaders on the nation’s preparedness for wildfires. In addition to fire suppression investments, the memo highlights other strategic priorities to reduce wildfire risk; restore ecosystems; engage in post-fire recovery; and make communities more resilient to fire. The memo also references the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy as a guide for working with partners to restore and maintain resilient landscapes and to help communities become fire adapted. The recently updated cohesive strategy reinforces the need for cross-boundary collaboration to meet today’s wildland fire management challenges.
