The U.S. Forest Service says it has surpassed its hiring goals for seasonal wildland firefighters ahead of this summer’s fire season.
Agency figures provided to NPR show 11,550 seasonal staff are now either being trained or ready to deploy — roughly 200 more than the agency’s initial target and about 6% ahead of the pace seen at this point in recent years.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz credited recent pay increases for wildland firefighters with helping the agency reach those numbers. The announcement comes as Western states face unusually dry conditions and fast-moving fires have already sparked near populated areas, including recent blazes in and around Spokane, Washington.
“I think the conditions we have are alarming,” Schultz told NPR. “But the Forest Service will be prepared for this season.”
Despite the higher seasonal hiring totals, state officials and some former Forest Service employees say they remain worried about the agency’s capacity after widespread cuts to permanent staff. Since President Trump returned to the White House last year, the Forest Service has lost close to 6,000 permanent employees through layoffs, buyouts or early retirements, according to critics.
The agency is also undergoing a major reorganization: moving its headquarters to Utah, and closing or consolidating dozens of research facilities and regional offices. The administration says the changes are intended to place the agency closer to the lands it manages.
Washington state’s public lands commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, said the reductions create risks for wildfire response. He warned that a decline in permanent staff could mean fewer elite incident command teams available during major conflagrations. Many recently departed permanent employees — including rangers and timber technicians — also held “red cards,” which certify them to leave their regular duties and deploy to fires.
“If we have a bad year for fire throughout the United States it could mean a shortage of these federal teams,” Upthegrove said. “We are preparing contingency plans.”
The Forest Service’s higher short-term staffing numbers offer one measure of readiness for the season, but the agency’s longtime role in providing experienced permanent personnel to support large, complex incidents remains a focal point of concern for states and local agencies as fire risk rises across the West.