Wildfires are burning hotter, destroying property and disrupting the lives and livelihoods of American families and businesses. A 2023 Congressional Joint Economic Committee report estimated that destruction caused by wildfires could cost the United States up to $893 billion annually. That figure has steadily climbed, even jumping over the last few years—a report released in 2017 estimated a maximum economic burden of $348 billion annually. Policymakers must recognize that wildfires are both an environmental and an economic problem and require common-sense solutions to address fire risk. A new tool may help them do just that. 

The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) recently released the PERC Wildfire Risk Map. This tool visualizes decades of wildfire and forest management data, providing an easy way to identify regions most at risk of fires. The map focuses on the at-risk western states, revealing how many acres have been burned, how many acres are at risk of burning, and how many acres have been treated with restoration practices. 

“The risks wildfires pose have increased due to population growth near wildlands, climate change, and accumulation of fuels,” stated PERC. “This data shows who is most affected by wildfire risk and which areas have the most pressing needs for proactive management.” 

According to PERC’s analysis, over 60 percent of the area burned by wildfires over the past two decades is on federal land. The U.S. Forest Service manages 65 percent of the more than 900,000 acres burned in 2023 alone. Nearly half of the land managed by the Forest Service across the West is rated at “high risk” for wildfires. 

“Between 2010 and 2020, 18 percent of Forest Service land in the West was burned by wildfire,” PERC explained. “Despite the documented effectiveness of fuel treatments and the large portion of Forest Service land classified at high risk for wildfire, between 2013 and 2023, only 3.7 percent of western Forest Service land had received treatment.” 

Practitioners can implement a range of fuel treatments to reduce wildfire risk. For example, mechanical treatments use human labor and machinery to remove the vegetation that could fuel a fire. Prescribed burns use controlled fire to accomplish the same goal. While there are pros and cons to either method, they are both viewed as effective ways of mitigating fire risk. However, the federal government spent five times more on fire suppression than fuel treatments between 2010 and 2020. 

>>>READ: Addressing the Wildfire Crisis With the Fix Our Forests Act

To reduce the country’s wildfire problem, wildfire prevention is critical. The Fix Our Forests Act aims to do just that. The legislation would improve forest management on federally managed and public lands, strengthening the resilience of overgrown and fire-prone areas. The bipartisan legislation would arm federal agencies with the necessary resources and tools to implement vital forest management projects. 

“As wildfires continue to harm our communities and forests, immediate action is needed. The ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ removes barriers to managing healthy forests and supports proactive engagement in wildland urban interface regions,” stated Jackson Morrill, president and CEO of the American Wood Council. “This Act will support responsible forest management through incentives, collaboration, emergency tools and technology focused on restoring forests and preventing catastrophic wildfires.” 

Policymakers could learn a lesson from the old Smokey Bear slogan: “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Resources like PERC’s fire risk map, coupled with policies that empower active forest management, would help reduce the frequency and severity of American wildfires. 

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.