The BLM’s fuels management program focuses on protecting communities and our natural resources while providing for local economic opportunities. During the past five years, over 2.2 million acres have been treated and over $230,000,000 in contracts have supplemented rural economies. Building upon this success, the BLM is focusing on collaborative approaches to reduce risk to the nation’s public and private lands and providing rural economic opportunities through community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs), fuels treatments, biomass utilization, contracting, and consultations.
Assistance to communities is done through the rural fire assistance program and through mitigation/prevention, education, and outreach. Fire prevention and education teams address reduction in wildland fire threats by taking actions before a fire starts. The teams consult with local residents to help reduce the number of human-caused fires and implement fire prevention and education programs. BLM also facilitates FIREWISE and other workshops to help people live safely in the wildland-urban interface. Other specialists assist communities with their CWPPs.