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handle is hein.crs/govehnj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legislative debate since 1914 Updated September 8, 2021 Wildfire Statistics Wildfires are unplanned fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)-within the U.S. Department of Agriculture-carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System (NFS). The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations. Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has decreased slightly over the last 30 years and the number of acres affected annually, while also variable, generally has increased (see Figure 1). Since 2000, an annual average of 70,600 wildfires has burned an annual average of 7.0 million acres. This figure is more than double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually in the 1990s (78,600 average). Table 1. Annual Wildfires and Acres Burned 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Number of Fires (thousands) Federal 12.6 15.2 12.5 10.9 14.4 FS 5.7 6.6 5.6 5.3 6.7 DOI 6.8 7.3 7.0 5.3 7.6 Other <0.1 1.2 0.1 0.2 <0.1 Nonfederal 55.2 56.4 45.6 39.6 44.6 Total 67.7 71.5 58.1 50.5 59.0 Acres Burned (millions) Federal 3.0 6.3 4.6 3.1 7.1 FS 1.2 2.9 2.3 0.6 4.8 DOI 1.7 3.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 Other <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Nonfederal 2.5 3.7 4.1 1.6 3.1 Total 5.5 10.0 8.8 4.7 10.1 Source: National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports. Notes: FS = Forest Service; DOI = Department of the Interior. Column totals may not add due to rounding. Figure I. Annual Wildfires and Acres Burned, 1991-2020 Firethosads Ares bed mlon 010 4 Acres burned 20 2 Source: NICC Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports. Note: Data reflect wildland fires and acres burned nationwide, including wildland fires on federal and nonfederal lands. From 2011 to 2020, there were an average of 62,805 wildfires annually and an average of 7.5 million acres impacted annually. In 2020, 58,950 wildfires burned 10.1 million acres, the second-most acreage impacted in a year (see Figure 2) since 1960; nearly 40% of these acres were in California. Nearly half of the acres impacted were on NFS lands. These official figures from NICC reflect downward revisions from earlier reported data for 2020. As of September 8, 2021, nearly 44,000 wildfires have impacted over 5.1 million acres. The nationwide preparedness level has been at the maximum level (5) since July 14, 2021, suggesting a sustained and significant commitment of shared resources. Figure 2. Top Five Years with Largest Wildfire Acreage Burned Since 1960 Year Acres burned (millions) Numberof Fires 2015 68.2 2020 5, 2017 7: 2006 9f_^ 2007 6..8 Source: NICC Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports. Note: Number of fires in thousands. The number of fires and acreage burned are indicators of the annual level of wildfire activity. However, these numbers may be misleading with respect to their impact on human development or communities since many fires may https:/crsreports.congress.gov

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