Agencies expect challenging fire season

The USDA and Department of Interior are predicting 2017 will be “another challenging year” for firefighting teams. USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke were at the National Incident Fire Command Center in Boise Friday for a briefing on the upcoming season. In a joint statement, the secretaries promised they “will improve the way that both Agencies manage wildfires by ensuring that all of our firefighting assets are utilized in the most efficient way possible.” They said the federal government would work with state and local partners to explore ways of improving operational efficiency and take advantage of existing infrastructure and assets. The secretaries added that “by effectively suppressing unwanted fire, and by doing everything we can to improve the health of our landscapes, we will be successful.” Wildfire risk is expected to be highly dependent on both weather and human factors. Drought potential remains high in some areas of the southeast and central plains. 15 wildland firefighters were killed during the 2016 wildfire season. The season was one of the most costly on record. A single California fire cost more than $260 million to contain. You can view the secretaries joint memorandum here.