Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act
Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Forest Service), the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (FEMA and US Fire Administration) to jointly conduct a quadrennial review of the United States’ wildfire environment. The review must include a quantitative assessment of how changes to built and natural environments since the last review affect pre-fire mitigation, incident response, and recovery, and it must examine how wildfire intersects with public health. The Secretaries must publish a report within 12 months after enactment and then every four years for 20 years, detailing findings, anticipated challenges over the next two decades, recommendations for federal actions, progress toward established long-term goals, and scenarios that could inform realignment of programs, strategies, and workforce. The act emphasizes a whole-of-government, cross-boundary approach and explicitly references prior national strategy and commission recommendations as guiding frameworks. In short, the bill creates a structured, ongoing, interagency process to forecast wildfire challenges, measure progress against existing strategic goals, consider public health impacts, and outline actions needed to adapt federal programs over two decades.
Key Points
- 1Quadrennial, interagency review: Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, and Homeland Security must conduct a joint review through qualified agencies, analyzing changes to built and natural environments and their impact on pre-fire mitigation, response, and recovery.
- 2Public health integration: The review includes an analysis of how wildfire relates to public health, done in coordination with the EPA and the CDC.
- 3Reporting cadence and scope: The Secretaries must produce a report within 12 months after enactment and then every four years for 20 years. Reports cover review results, challenges for the next 20 years, recommended federal actions, and progress toward existing wildfire management goals and commission recommendations, plus future scenarios for program realignment.
- 4Alignment with existing frameworks: The act references and seeks to build on the 2014 National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and its 2023 addendum, as well as the 2023 ON FIRE Commission report, aiming to advance their goals (resilient landscapes, fire-adapted communities, and safe, effective wildfire response).
- 5Definitions and scope: Establishes who counts as “qualified agencies” (Forest Service; DOI agencies; FEMA and USFA; others the Secretaries may designate) and who are the “relevant committees” in the House and Senate for reporting and oversight.