From the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest and into Alaska, 2025 was a devastating year for wildfires across the United States. The numbers bear that out. According to a new report from the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), 77,850 fires charred 5,131,474 acres, claiming human lives and destroying thousands of structures while decimating forest stands, grasslands and important wildlife habitat.
There were roughly 10,000 more wildfires in 2025 compared to 2024 with 37,088 of them across the NICC’s 13-state Southern Geographic Area of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma. Alaska had the most land burned at 1,006,158 acres while Dragon Bravo in Arizona was the single, largest wildfire at 145,504 acres.
The most destructive fires, by far, were in Southern California Geographic Area that directly resulted in 31 deaths but contributed to at least 440 more. Those fires also destroyed 12,773 residential properties, 5,116 minor structures and 496 commercial structures.
Hunt 2 Conserve is a proponent of the Fix Our Forests Act, legislation already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives but yet to receive a vote in the U.S. Senate. It is a package of reforms that improves the quality of wildlife habitat in national forests while reducing the risk of high-intensity, catastrophic fires. Those reforms include reversing the 2015 Cottonwood decision by the 9th Circuit Court, which created a scenario for litigant environmentalist organizations to file seemingly nonstop lawsuits that frustrate or halt much-needed active forest management treatments to benefit habitat, wildlife and people. Both the Obama and Trump administrations since unsuccessfully tried to overturn it.
“Judges shouldn’t be managing our forests,” Sean Steinback, outreach forester for Sun Mountain Lumber and a former forester for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, told the Missoulian. He made that comment after a federal judge vacated a previous ruling to allow a Montana forest management project to go forward.
“The status quo with all the backlog is not acceptable. As a nation, we need to take action to benefit our public safety, forests and wildlife. The Fix Our Forests Act has bipartisan support across both chambers and helps make that possible,” said Blake Henning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation chief conservation officer.
H2C joins RMEF in calling on the Senate to follow the lead of the House to both vote on and help pass it into law.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
(Photo credit: Fishlake National Forest)
