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Healthy Forests Initiative

Fuels Accomplishments

The long-term solution to catastrophic wildfires is to address their causes by reducing fuel hazards and returning our forests and rangelands to healthy conditions. Tree thinning and removal of dense underbrush can ensure thriving forests while reducing risks of catastrophic fires and the dangers they pose to firefighters.

The Administration is meeting the challenge. Last year, the Administration set a record in the amount of fuels treatment work done. More than 2.25 million acres were treated. This is a million acres more than were treated in FY 2000. By the end of FY 2003, even more acres – 2.5 million acres – are projected to be treated. So far this year, 1.4 million acres have been treated, 133,000 acres more than had been treated at this time last year and 531,000 acres more that had been treated in 2001. Click here to see the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior progress in treating flammable forest materials.