PERC research fellow Holly Fretwell appears on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal to discuss wildfire and forest management. A century of fire suppression has altered our forest landscapes and increased the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire. To restore healthier fire cycles and foster more resilient forest landscapes, we have to reduce the fuel load that built up in our forests as a result of this suppression policy. To do so requires significant resources, including time and money. The U.S. Forest Service cannot tackle this problem on its own as it would take decades to address the 80 million-acre backlog it currently faces. Thankfully, private partners are already helping to pool resources and expertise to get this much-needed forest restoration done. To increase the pace and scale of these public-private partnerships, we need to reduce the regulatory barriers that stand in the way.
