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Federal Wildfire Activities: Current Strategy and Issues Needing Attention

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Aug. 13, 1999
Report No. RCED-99-233
Subject
Summary:

Wildfires on federal lands consume million of acres of forests, grasslands, and desert acres each year. The fires also threaten human lives and property on state and private lands adjacent to federal lands. In 1998 alone, more than 81,000 fires consumed 2.3 million acres. The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually to prepare for and control wildfires on federal lands. This report provides information on how the Forest Service and the Bureau manage their wildfire programs. GAO found that the agencies use the same process to develop their wildfire preparedness budgets. This includes the use of a model that determines, on the basis of historical data such as fire activity, weather, and suppression costs, the most efficient funding level for a firefighting organization.

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