United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-02-17 monographic deposited born digital 15 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-353T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T P0b002ee180382a5a f:d05353t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T GAO-05-353T Land management Public lands Data integrity Federal funds Wilderness areas Forest management Interagency relations Strategic planning Wildland fires National Fire Plan Forest Service/Dept. of the Interior LANDFIRE System Testimony A17916 Over the past two decades, the number of acres burned by wildland fires has surged, often threatening human lives, property, and ecosystems. Past management practices, including a concerted federal policy in the 20th century of suppressing fires to protect communities and ecosystem resources, unintentionally resulted in steady accumulation of dense vegetation that fuels large, intense, wildland fires. While such fires are normal in some ecosystems, in others they can cause catastrophic damage to resources as well as to communities near wildlands known as the wildland-urban interface. GAO was asked to identify the (1) progress the federal government has made in responding to wildland fire threats and (2) challenges it will need to address within the next 5 years. This testimony is based primarily on GAO's report Wildland Fire Management: Important Progress Has Been Made, but Challenges Remain to Completing a Cohesive Strategy (GAO-05-147), released on February 14, 2005. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T.pdf GAO-05-353T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-353T Testimony GAO-05-353T; Wildland Fire Management: Forest Service and Interior Need to Specify Steps and a Schedule for Identifying Long-Term Options and Their Costs; Land management Public lands Data integrity Federal funds Wilderness areas Forest management Interagency relations Strategic planning Wildland fires National Fire Plan Forest Service/Dept. of the Interior LANDFIRE System