The study below bolsters support for the Fix Our Forests Act, which is legislation that would simplify and expedite environmental reviews for much-needed forest management projects. The measure passed the House and a key Senate committee but is yet to be introduced to the full Senate. 

New research that examined about 300 fires in the western United States showed forest thinning and prescribed burns prevented $2.8 billion in losses and reduced wildfire spread and severity. According to the University of California, Davis, study, every dollar spent on a forest fuel project saved about $3.75 in wildfire damages. 

“Wildfire policy has historically focused on suppression, but our results suggest greater investment in prevention could substantially reduce wildfire damages,” said lead author Frederik Strabo, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. “That will become even more important as the climate continues to change and forests face more large wildfires and other disturbances.”   

The analyzed wildfires intersected U.S. Forest Service (USFS) fuel reduction treatments in 11 states between 2017 and 2023. The study is the first to evaluate the economic value of USFS fuel treatments across the West at a large-scale using data from wildfires that entered fuel treatments rather than relying on wildfire simulation models. 

Other findings: 

• Wildfire damages are estimated to total $185 billion to $540 billion annually 
• Fires were more than 13 percent less likely to continue spreading after reaching a treatment area 
• Treatments were especially effective at reducing high-severity fire — those that kill more than 75 percent of the tree canopy — lowering burned area by 20 to 35 percent 
• Prescribed burning was significantly more effective than mechanical thinning alone at limiting wildfire spread 
• Landscape-scale treatments larger than 2,400 acres were the most effective at reducing wildfire spread 

Fuel treatments across the study area: 

• reduced the total burned acreage by about 152,000 acres 
• prevented the loss of 4,000 buildings 
• avoided the release of 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide 
• Reduced 25,757 tons of fine particle pollution 
• Prevented an estimated 59 premature deaths 

View the UC Davis news release here. 

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.