{"id":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/wildfires","schemaVersion":2,"name":"Wildfires","category":"Nature","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/wildfires","json":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/wildfires.json","ask":"","position":"After a century of fire suppression, the American West has been saddled with forests with unnaturally high fuel loads that, when ignited, burn hotter and longer. To mitigate extreme wildfire risk, forests need to be managed, thinned, and burned. These interventions—mechanical thinning paired with prescribed burns—reduce the severity of fires, and can make them easier to contain. But, fuel reduction activities led by the U.S. Forest Service and other land management agencies are heavily bottlenecked by regulatory friction,  litigation-induced project delays, funding dynamics, and incentive structures that prioritize reactive wildfire suppression over proactive mitigation. To truly protect wild lands, and the habitats and biodiversity they hold, while also protecting human life and property, we must actively manage our forests.","faq":[{"question":"What causes most wildfires?","answer":"Most wildfires in the United States are started by people, through unattended fires, equipment, vehicles, power lines, or arson; lightning causes many others. But ignition is only part of the story. Drought, heat, vegetation, forest conditions, and wind determine how intensely fires burn and spread."},{"question":"Are wildfires getting worse?","answer":"In much of the western United States, wildfires have grown larger and more destructive in recent decades. Climate change is increasing hot, dry conditions that favor fire, while decades of fire suppression have left some forests with excess vegetation. Development in fire-prone areas also increases damage."},{"question":"Should wildfires be left to burn?","answer":"Sometimes. Fire is a natural part of many ecosystems, and allowing some fires to burn can reduce accumulated vegetation and improve forest health. But fires threatening communities and infrastructure require suppression. Better forest management should combine managed wildfire, prescribed burns, vegetation removal, and protection for communities."},{"question":"Is climate mitigation enough to stop wildfires?","answer":"The carbon released during catastrophic wildfire seasons can effectively erase the carbon reductions achieved through climate policies. Instead of relying exclusively on long-term global mitigation, active forest management is needed to mitigate catastrophic wildfires and avoid associated emissions."}],"experts":[{"name":"Emily Bass","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/emily-bass"},{"name":"Elizabeth McCarthy","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/elizabeth-mccarthy"}],"startHere":[{"title":"Cost-Effectiveness Of Large-Scale Fuel Reduction for Wildfire Mitigation in California","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/cost-effectiveness-of-large-scale-fuel-reduction-for-wildfire-mitigation-in-california","date":"2024-06-13"},{"title":"To Protect Forests, They Must Be Logged and Burned","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/to-protect-forests-let-them-burn","date":"2022-08-08"},{"title":"The Environmentalists Making Forest Fires Worse","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-regulatory-reform/the-environmentalists-making-forest-fires-worse","date":"2025-12-17"}],"latest":[{"title":"‘Natural Disaster Insurance for All’ Is Not the Path to Wildfire Resilience","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/natural-disaster-insurance-for-all-is-not-the-path-to-wildfire-resilience","date":"2026-11-02","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Two Permitting Bills Are Better Than One for America's Forests","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/two-permitting-bills-are-better-than-one-for-americas-forests","date":"2026-10-16","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"About Last Summer","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/about-last-summer","date":"2026-10-05","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Glyphosate Panic Comes for America’s Forests","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-glyphosate-panic-comes-for-americas-forests","date":"2026-09-16","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"California Punts on a Needed Wildfire Reform","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/california-punts-on-a-needed-wildfire-reform","date":"2026-09-11","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Climate Change Alone Doesn’t Explain Today’s Wildfires","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/climate-change-alone-doesnt-explain-todays-wildfires","date":"2026-08-28","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Endorses Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-breakthrough-institute-endorses-wildfire-emissions-prevention-act","date":"2026-07-24","type":"Endorsement"},{"title":"U.S. Wildfire Mitigation Funding Hit New Highs in 2024, Now What?","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/u-s-wildfire-mitigation-funding-hit-new-highs-in-2024-now-what","date":"2026-07-24","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Rewiring Risk","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/rewiring-risk","date":"2026-07-22","type":"Report"},{"title":"Trump’s Reorganization Adds to Perfect Storm of Wildfire Risk","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/trumps-reorganization-adds-to-perfect-storm-of-wildfire-risk","date":"2026-05-01","type":"Analysis"}],"policyHub":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=wildfire-mitigation%7Cforest-management-2%7Cnational-environmental-policy-act","policyAreas":[{"slug":"wildfire-mitigation","name":"Wildfire Mitigation","records":7,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=wildfire-mitigation"},{"slug":"forest-management-2","name":"Forest Management","records":3,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=forest-management-2"},{"slug":"national-environmental-policy-act","name":"National Environmental Policy Act","records":2,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act"}],"policyRecords":[{"id":281652,"title":"‘Natural Disaster Insurance for All’ Is Not the Path to Wildfire Resilience","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/natural-disaster-insurance-for-all-is-not-the-path-to-wildfire-resilience","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-11-02","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Lauren Teixeira"},{"id":279239,"title":"Two Permitting Bills Are Better Than One for America's Forests","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/two-permitting-bills-are-better-than-one-for-americas-forests","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-10-16","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Emily Bass"},{"id":267521,"title":"RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Endorses Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-breakthrough-institute-endorses-wildfire-emissions-prevention-act","type":"Endorsement","date":"2026-07-24","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Emily Bass"},{"id":267535,"title":"U.S. Wildfire Mitigation Funding Hit New Highs in 2024, Now What?","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/u-s-wildfire-mitigation-funding-hit-new-highs-in-2024-now-what","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-07-24","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Emily Bass"},{"id":267482,"title":"Rewiring Risk","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/rewiring-risk","type":"Report","date":"2026-07-22","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Lauren Teixeira"},{"id":265855,"title":"Trump’s Reorganization Adds to Perfect Storm of Wildfire Risk","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/trumps-reorganization-adds-to-perfect-storm-of-wildfire-risk","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-05-01","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Emily Bass"},{"id":248687,"title":"The Widening Vacuum of NEPA Law","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-widening-vacuum-of-nepa-law","type":"Analysis","date":"2025-06-13","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Marc Levitt"},{"id":223400,"title":"Cost-Effectiveness Of Large-Scale Fuel Reduction for Wildfire Mitigation in California","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/cost-effectiveness-of-large-scale-fuel-reduction-for-wildfire-mitigation-in-california","type":"Report","date":"2024-06-13","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Patrick Brown"},{"id":111946,"title":"To Protect Forests, They Must Be Logged and Burned","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/to-protect-forests-let-them-burn","type":"Analysis","date":"2022-08-08","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Patrick Brown"}],"dateModified":"2026-11-12T08:26:15-08:00"}