The Interior and Agriculture departments announced plans Monday to create a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, marking a significant reorganization of federal wildfire management as officials seek to streamline the response to increasingly destructive fires.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued Secretary’s Order 3443, which directs the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service with a plan for implementation in January 2026, elevating wildfire management to reflect what officials called the growing threat to lives and property nationwide.
The move implements President Donald Trump’s June 12 Executive Order 14308, which responded to devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January by directing federal agencies to streamline wildfire response and promote technology-driven strategies.
The new service will unify Interior’s fire management across four bureaus โ the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service โ which currently manage fire response on more than 500 million acres of public and tribal lands.
