U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins issued a memorandum directing the U.S. Forest Service to increase national readiness and accelerate community risk reduction for the 2026 fire year.
The memorandum ensures the entire Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on responding effectively to protect rural communities and natural resources.
Secretary Rollins stated: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we have continuously implemented major reforms restoring active forest management, returning the Forest Service to a world-leading forestry and fire management organization, and modernizing wildfire response and improving coordination across federal agencies.
“This fire season we are prepared to continue our full suppression strategy to suppress fire starts quickly to protect our forests and rural communities.
“This memorandum ensures the entire Department is aligned, prepared and focused on responding quickly and effectively to protect communities and the natural resources Americans depend on.
“Proper forest management remains central to this effort – reducing wildfire risk, strengthening rural economies, providing affordable, high-quality lumber for American homes, and preserving the nation’s landscapes for generations to come.”
USDA has authorized a surge in staffing capacity and streamlined contracting support to maintain full qualification readiness across all mission areas.
The Forest Service currently maintains the capability to mobilize more than 28,000 responders and over 22,000 contracted resources from 2,500 vendors.
Aviation assets managed by the department include a national fleet of helicopters and airtankers to support suppression efforts.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said: “Wildfire response is a shared responsibility, and USDA will remain vigilant.
“Our firefighters are prepared, our agencies are coordinated, and we will continue doing everything we can to protect communities and the people who defend them.”
The directive requires the Forest Service to collaborate with federal partners to remove barriers to prescribed fire while increasing occupational health and safety for personnel.
New performance measures will be implemented to evaluate hazardous fuels work as part of the 2026 fire season preparations.
These actions build on the 2025 Executive Order on Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response to simplify federal prevention activities.
The department continues to coordinate with state, tribal and local fire departments to maintain an aggressive approach to fire management.
