Acres burned are up 50% compared to the 20‑year average, forest leader says
Tom Schultz, the head of the U.S. Forest Service provided a pointed appraisal of the nation’s forests during a gathering of governors from western states. The forest fires ravaging many regions are collectively worse than in prior years.
“As of June 27, more than 35,000 fires have burned more than 3 million acres nationwide,” he said. “So, the acres burned this year, compared to the 20 year average, is up about 50%. The number of fires that we've had this year is up about 30%.”
Schultz’s remarks come just days after three wildland firefighters died on assignment to the Knowles and Gore fires near the Colorado-Utah border. Schultz read their names during a keynote address at the Western Governors’ Association conference in Park City Utah on Tuesday: Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 26.
Schultz said their deaths underscore the risks fire crews face in a year that has prompted evacuations and upheaval in many communities around the West.
“They gave their all,” he said. “Truly, three of these young people made the ultimate sacrifice and selfless service to the people in the communities that we serve every day. Their courage and dedication to public service is extraordinary, and we will not forget their sacrifice today.”
The Forest Service is under the Department of Agriculture. It manages 193 million acres nationwide, about 90% of it west of the Mississippi, Schultz noted. Fires have dominated the agency’s workflow this year. In Utah alone, the Cottonwood Fire raced across 60,000 acres in three days, driven, at times, by 50‑mile‑per‑hour winds, and topped roughly 94,000 acres, prompting a massive response from fire crews.
“We're already in preparedness level four,” Schultz said.
That’s a reference to National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level 4, which indicates heavy national resource commitment and significant wildfire activity and coordinated federal and local efforts to mitigate catastrophic outcomes.
Schultz told governors that decades of forest under‑management, coupled with prolonged bouts of drought and heat, have left many forests with “negative growth rates.” More trees are dying than growing, he said. About a quarter of national forest land is available for active management, he added, and, of that, the agency treats about 1% a year, mostly through prescribed burns and other wildfire mitigation strategies.
At the same time, the Forest Service is undergoing a sweeping reorganization. Schultz, a former Idaho Department of Lands director and timber executive appointed by President Trump, is in the process of changing the agency’s structure from a regional model to one that’s more state‑based. The agency in March announced it would move its headquarters to Salt Lake City and has already named 15 state directors who will oversee operations and foster relationships with states, tribes, and other partners.
“Each state office will include a small team that will hold primary responsibility for intergovernmental and partner coordination,” Schultz said.
This kind of “active management” he argued is critical to wildfire resilience, rural economies, and the long-term health of forests.
