Policy & Funding

Oregon has burned more than 2.3 million acres in 2026 — shattering the state's previous wildfire acreage record — and the Oregon Legislature's Joint Emergency Board has approved $122.8 million in emergency funding, with total suppression costs projected to exceed $350 million before the season ends.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators warned that the Forest Service and Wildland Fire Service had nearly exhausted their combined $6 billion suppression budget by September 2, raising the prospect that federal agencies could run out of funds before the 2026 fire season ends.

Western senators have warned that federal fire suppression funding could be exhausted in 2026, potentially forcing agencies back to the criticized "fire borrowing" practice. Oregon spent $236 million suppressing fires, Washington spent over $200 million in a single month, and the nation ran at maximum preparedness for 49 straight days.

A sweeping bipartisan forest management bill is awaiting a final Senate vote after passing the House with unusual cross-party support. The Fix Our Forests Act would streamline environmental reviews for fuel reduction projects—a proposal that has split the environmental movement.

The 2026 wildfire season has burned 8.5 million acres in 56,651 fires through September 21 — 146% of the 10-year average and the most destructive season in a decade, with 33 large fires still active nationwide.

Oregon is seeking $250 million in additional spending authority as the 2026 fire season's cost approaches $350 million. Federal fire suppression spending has already consumed the entire $6 billion annual budget.

The U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Wildland Fire Service burned through more than $6 billion in suppression funds by August — over 70% of annual budget authority — as senators demand action on a firefighting funding model they say is structurally broken.

With 8.5 million acres burned nationwide through mid-September — 146% above the 10-year average — the 2026 wildfire season is officially the most destructive in over a decade, straining federal budgets and intensifying calls for sustained investment in fire resilience.

As the 2026 fire season burns through record acreage, the federal government is navigating a major restructuring of its wildland fire agencies. The newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service faces funding uncertainty while the Forest Service undergoes sweeping changes — all while firefighters battle fires on the ground.

A bipartisan group of senators from Western states is warning that the federal wildfire suppression budget is nearly depleted just as the Pacific Northwest enters its most volatile fall fire weather period. The U.S. Forest Service and Wildland Fire Service have dedicated over $6 billion to fire suppression this year.

Senators Padilla, Wyden, Schiff, Bennet, and Hickenlooper warned the Interior and USDA secretaries that federal firefighting resources are critically depleted after $6 billion in spending and 47 days at maximum preparedness level, with the worst of fire season potentially still ahead.

The FY2026 appropriations bill made the 2025 wildland firefighter pay increase permanent, while the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act advances through Congress. Policy advocates warn that the record 2026 season underscores the need for structural fire funding reform.

Senators Bennet, Wyden, Padilla, Schiff, and Hickenlooper are demanding action after the federal wildfire suppression budget — more than $6 billion — was nearly fully exhausted by September 2. Personnel are stretched beyond safe limits after 49 consecutive days at Preparedness Level 5.

A proposal to consolidate all federal wildland fire operations under a new DOI U.S. Wildland Fire Service is advancing in Washington, D.C., as the 2026 fire season — one of the most destructive in U.S. history — highlights the growing strain on the nation's firefighting infrastructure.

Five U.S. senators warned this week that the federal firefighting budget — more than $6 billion committed in 2026 — may be nearly exhausted before fire season ends. Meanwhile Oregon's legislature approved $123 million in emergency state funds to cover 2026 suppression costs.

Oregon lawmakers approved $122 million in emergency wildfire funding as the state's total 2026 fire season costs approach $350 million, with ODF also planning to borrow up to $150 million from the state treasury to keep operations running.

The Fix Our Forests Act is gaining traction in Congress as the 2026 season rages, with White House backing secured on August 10. The bipartisan bill — which would expand prescribed burns, fuel treatments, and Fireshed Management Areas — could be attached to the must-pass NDAA when Congress returns.

Oregon set aside $86 million for wildfire suppression in 2026, but state officials warn that delayed federal reimbursements are creating cash flow stress even as the most destructive fire season in state history winds down. Meanwhile, BLM launches fuel treatment work in Idaho.

Federal wildfire reorganization proposals, a $6.55 billion national fire budget, a September 30 fireshed policy deadline, and a growing homeowner insurance crisis in Oregon are reshaping the wildfire policy landscape as the 2026 season approaches its end.

The Oregon Department of Forestry is seeking emergency legislative funding to cover a record $236 million in gross wildfire suppression costs, as the state's worst fire season on record strains budgets and exposes long-term funding gaps in Oregon's fire management system.