This winter, we experienced one of the all-too-common side effects of our changing climate as the Thomas Fire burned. It is now considered one the most devastating fires in the history of California, costing almost $200 million to fight.
As business leaders and outdoor enthusiasts whose health, livelihoods, and businesses depend on well-maintained public lands, we are grateful to Congressmember Salud Carbajal for his leadership in improving how the government deals with wildfires nationwide.
When natural disasters happen, including hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes, various government agencies typically help with recovery. At the federal level, there is special dedicated funding for these efforts, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But for years, most wildfires have been excluded from getting these dollars. Instead, it is up to the Forest Service or individual states to deal with the repercussions of fire disasters, which are only getting worse each year because of the impacts of a climate change. For the Forest Service in particular, this has meant that firefighting has been consuming a larger and larger portion of its budget, requiring the Forest Service to take money from other important programs like trail restoration, outdoor recreation, and maintenance.