Fire management goals and responsibilities for 2024 wildfire season

Federal agencies with wildland firefighting responsibilities have announced the fire management goals and responsibilities for the 2024 wildfire season.

Those federal agencies include the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the US Forest Service.

The agencies have a goal of fielding more than 17,000 wildland firefighters to support collaborative forest management on public, tribal, and private lands, and continue the work started in 2023 when more than 6.8 million acres were treated to reduce the risk of severe fire.

That work included removing excess vegetation and restoring fire-adapted ecosystems.

The two agencies also noted work to improve recruiting and retention, including more than $560 million in temporary pay increases funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.