National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025
National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 would require the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to expand and coordinate prescribed fire programs on federal lands (Interior agencies and the Forest Service), with a focus on National Forest System units in the western and southeastern United States. The bill also seeks to acknowledge and support the long-standing practice of cultural burning by Indian Tribes and Indigenous practitioners. It creates a multi-faceted funding and program framework to increase prescribed fire activity, support collaborative planning across ownership boundaries, and strengthen workforce, training, and liability provisions, while integrating environmental review, air quality considerations, and community protections. Key elements include a funding stream that allows up to 15% of certain hazardous fuels funds to be used for prescribed fire activities, the creation of a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program to select and fund landscape-scale projects, and expanded workforce and outreach provisions (including training centers, dedicated task forces, and pathways for veterans and others). The act also enhances liability protections for federal and non-federal participants, establishes smoke management and environmental review coordination, and imposes regular reporting to Congress and federal databases to track progress and outcomes.
Key Points
- 1Expanded use of prescribed fire on Federal land with a focus on National Forest System units in the western and southeastern U.S., and formal recognition of cultural burning by tribes and Indigenous practitioners.
- 2Funding flexibility and eligible activities: up to 15% of annual hazardous fuels funds for prescribed fire-related work (contracts, grants, environmental reviews, site prep, surveys, outreach, and post-fire activities), plus training, monitoring, and a dedicated Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program.
- 3Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program: creates a competitive, landscape-scale grant/project process with eligibility criteria (landscape-scale planning, ecological restoration goals, cross-boundary collaboration, no permanent roads, decommissioning of temporary roads, and local economic benefits), and requires annual performance reporting and cost analyses.
- 4Workforce and training enhancements: new or expanded prescribed fire workforce policies (hazard pay, dedicated task forces across regions, conversion of seasonal to permanent staff, pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans crews, and underutilized employee development).
- 5Interoperability and partnerships: formal mechanisms to include non-federal practitioners in ordering/reimbursement processes; cross-jurisdictional partnerships with states, tribes, local governments, NGOs, and educational institutions.
- 6Liability and legal protections: development of voluntary liability training for federal/tribal employees; potential extension of liability protections to eligible non-federal cooperators, with guidance on contracts and reimbursements; continued protections for federal employees and treatment under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
- 7Environmental review and smoke management: emphasis on coordinating with air quality agencies, guidance on exceptional events demonstrations, and investment in smoke management tools, public health information, and research to improve smoke prediction and mitigation.
- 8Landscape-scale planning and environmental compliance: requirement to develop and implement landscape-scale prescribed fire plans where existing plans exist, with NEPA, Endangered Species Act, and other laws considered; government-to-government tribal consultation.
- 9Reporting and oversight: annual reporting to a National Fire Planning and Operations Database and periodic congressional reports assessing program progress and effectiveness.
- 10Funding limits and lifecycle: cap of $20 million total funding for the program in any fiscal year, $1 million per project per year, a 10-year project horizon, and a cap of 20 funded proposals per fiscal year (with additional provisions for funding adequacy).