USA08 May, 20263 min read
U.S. Wildland Fire Service Prepares for Extreme Fire Season as BLM Imposes Oregon, Washington Restrictions
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New U.S. Wildland Fire Service prepares for extreme fire season. Dry, warmer conditions are driving heightened wildfire risk across multiple states.
New service readies response
Across the United States, wildland firefighters are preparing for what NPR describes as potentially one of the most severe fire seasons in recent history under the newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
“On May 14, fire restrictions will go into effect for all Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered lands throughout Oregon and Washington.”
Brian Fennessy, the recently appointed head of the service, told NPR’s Emily Feng, "We're dry and we're expecting the pace to pick up significantly here any time," as he said the agency is trying to bring on additional aircraft and crews earlier in the year.
The NPR report says the Wildland Fire Service is a product of an ongoing White House effort to combine all the parts of the federal government that fight fires.
In Oregon and Washington, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced that on May 14 fire restrictions will go into effect for all BLM-administered lands throughout Oregon and Washington.
The BLM and Wildland Fire Service said the restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of human-caused fires as warmer, drier weather sets in around the Pacific Northwest.
Restrictions and enforcement
The BLM and U.S. Wildland Fire Service said starting May 14, the use of fireworks, exploding targets or metallic targets, steel component ammunition (core or jacket), tracer or incendiary devices, and sky lanterns will be prohibited on BLM-administered lands in Oregon and Washington.
Jeff Fedrizzi, U.S. Wildland Fire Service Assistant Chief of Operations for the Pacific Northwest, said, "Every visitor must understand that even one small spark can lead to a costly and destructive fire in these high-impact conditions."
The BLM notice warned that people who violate the prohibition may be fined up to $100,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months.
It also said those found responsible for starting wildland fires on federal lands can be billed for the cost of fire suppression.
The agency described the Wildland Fire Service as managing wildfire prevention, response, and recovery across lands administered by the Interior Department in close coordination with Interior’s land management agencies.
Political pressure and capacity
Oregon’s congressional Democrats raised concerns about federal wildfire response in the Northwest, warning that agencies tasked with helping prevent and fight fires could be understaffed and underprepared going into the 2026 fire season.
“The White House better wake up and look at the reality and the serious threat that Oregon is looking at.”
At a briefing at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas left with “deep concerns” about federal agencies’ capacity to respond to what the article says is expected to be a long and severe fire season.
Wyden said, "The White House better wake up and look at the reality and the serious threat that Oregon is looking at."
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that the lawmakers said budget cuts and the loss of staff at federal science and land management agencies during the last year created “needless uncertainty and chaos,” with the U.S. Forest Service tasked with the largest share of federal wildland fire prevention and response.
The article also quoted a Department of the Interior spokesperson saying they expect to have about 5,700 wildland fire personnel this year and partnership agreements with more than 900 tribal wildland firefighters, while Wyden said the U.S. Forest Service has lost more than 1,400 employees certified to respond to fires.