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handle is hein.crs/govejpf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congrsional Research Service 0 Updated December 2, 2022 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 70,072 wildfires has burned an annual average of 7.0 million acres. The acreage 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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number of Fires (thousands) Federal 15.2 12.5 10.9 14.4 14.0 FS 6.6 5.6 5.3 6.7 6.2 DOI 7.3 7.0 5.3 7.6 7.6 Other 1.2 0.1 0.2 <0.1 0.2 Nonfederal 56.4 45.6 39.6 44.6 45.0 Total 71.5 58.1 50.5 59.0 59.0 Acres Burned (millions) Federal 6.3 4.6 3.1 7.1 5.2 FS 2.9 2.3 0.6 4.8 4.1 DOI 3.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 1.0 Other <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Nonfederal 3.7 4.1 1.6 3.1 1.9 Total 10.0 8.8 4.7 10.1 7.1 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, 1992-2021 Fires, thous nds Are burned, =i-ions Fires 100 _ 10 80 3 6 40- 4 20 0 o Acres burne d 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 2012 to 2021, there were an average of 61,289 wildfires annually and an average of 7.4 million acres impacted annually. In 2021, 58,968 wildfires burned 7.1 million acres. As of December 2, 2022, around 64,100 wildfires have impacted 7.3 million acres this year; nearly half of those acres were in Alaska (3.1 million acres). Figure 2. Top Five Years with Largest Wildfire Acreage Burned Since 1 960 Year A -res burned (m lions) Nmer Fires 2015 2020 2017 2006 2007 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 sice many fires may occur in large, relatively undeveloped areas. Acreage burned also does not indicate the severity of the wildfire, the degree of impact upon forests or soils, or other ecological effects. Most wildfires are human-caused (89% on average from 2017 to 2021), although the wildfires caused by lightning tend to be slightly larger and burn more acreage (52% of the average acreage burned from 2017 to 2021 was ignited by lightning). orts.conqress.qc

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