Ferdinand Silcox: The 10 a.m. policy (1935): every wildfire on the national forests controlled by 10 a.m. the morning after it was reported

6 1882 Si Silcox ▲? ▼?

Ferdinand Silcox1882 to 1939 · Policy and Incentives

Ferdinand Silcox, white-haired, in a dark suit, seated at a desk beside a US flag in a studio surrounded by lights

6 1882 Si Silcox ▲? ▼?

Ferdinand Silcox
1882 to 1939
Policy and Incentives

Put out every forest fire, get bigger ones

Ferdinand Silcox, US Forest Service, 1935 to 1978.

Black and white photo of a burned hillside in 1910, covered in toppled, charred tree trunks and uprooted stumps — Burned site on Big Creek, St. Joe National Forest, Idaho, 1910. J.B. Halm, US Forest Service. Public domain.

01 The bright idea

No more fires like 1910

In 1910 fires burned more than 3 million acres and killed at least 85 people. Ferdinand Silcox argued fire could be kept out.

02 It worked

Out by 10 a.m.

In 1935 Silcox, now chief, ordered every fire controlled by 10 a.m. the next morning. Yearly acres burned on western national forests fell from 455,340 to 141,975.

Satellite view of a huge wildfire in forested mountains, with long plumes of smoke streaming north over green and brown land — The Dixie Fire, California, August 4, 2021, seen by Landsat 7. NASA Earth Observatory. Public domain.

03 The backfire

The fuel stayed

3.0M to 7.1M US acres burned a year, 1985 to 1994 vs. 2016 to 2025 (NIFC)

Small fires had kept dry pine forests open. Without them, fuel piled up for bigger, hotter fires. Climate and building near forests add to it.

04 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Partly: a warning came in 1943

KnowablePartlyUnforeseeable

In 1943 Harold Weaver warned that keeping all fire out was harming pine forests. How much fuel would pile up took decades to show.

Low flames creep through pine needles on the floor of an open ponderosa pine forest during a planned burn, with smoke among the trunks — Prescribed burn in ponderosa pine, Grand Canyon National Park, December 11, 2024. National Park Service. Public domain.

05 The long cleanup

Putting fire back

The Forest Service dropped the rule in 1978. Now it burns and thins forests on purpose. A 2022 plan targets up to 20 million more acres.

06 The ledger

Worth it?

It stopped the fires of its day. It also stored their fuel for bigger fires later.

What it gave

Western national forest acres burned a year: 455,340 (1926 to 1934) to 141,975 (1935 to 1943) (Loveridge, 1944)
No long-running blowup fire on western national forests, 1935 to 1944, the agency reported
Area burned a fraction of its historical extent by the 1950s and 1960s (US Forest Service)

What it cost

Dry pine stands of 40 to 60 trees an acre grown to hundreds in many places (US Forest Service)
US acres burned a year: 3.0 million (1985 to 1994) to 7.1 million (2016 to 2025), with climate and building also at work (NIFC)
Fire took 52% of the Forest Service budget in 2015, up from 16% in 1995 (USDA)

Pattern?

The risk piles up

Every small fire put out left its fuel standing. So the few that escaped burned through decades of stored fuel.

Ask before you shipWhat small failures are we preventing, and what were they releasing?

One of ten ways a good fix backfires. Learn all ten at backfireawards.com/patterns.

07 Lesson

Ask what the small failures were clearing

Small failures can be doing a job nobody wrote down. Ask what the small failures were clearing.

The 10 a.m. rule: worth it?

💡 Yes🤦 No

Vote below, then send it to a friend who is building something.

Follow the Backfire Awards for more teardowns.

Worth it?

The 10 a.m. policy (1935): every wildfire on the national forests controlled by 10 a.m. the morning after it was reported In dry, fire-adapted forests, the small fires that once cleared brush and young trees stopped. Stands of 40 to 60 trees an acre grew to hundreds, and fuel built up for larger, more severe fires decades later. The policy is one part of a longer era of fire exclusion; climate change and building near forests add to the toll.

Series	Year	Value	Source
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1926	24.3M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1927	38.5M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1928	43.5M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1929	46.2M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1930	52.3M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1931	51.6M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1932	42.1M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1933	43.9M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1934	41.8M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1935	30.3M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1936	43.2M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1937	22M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1938	33.8M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1939	30.4M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1940	25.8M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1941	26.4M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1942	31.9M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1943	32.3M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1944	16.5M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1945	17.7M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1946	20.7M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1947	23.2M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1948	16.6M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1949	15.4M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1950	15.5M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1951	10.8M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1952	14.2M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1953	9.98M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1954	8.83M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1955	8.07M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1956	6.61M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1957	3.41M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1958	3.28M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1959	4.16M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1960	4.48M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1961	3.04M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1962	4.08M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1963	7.12M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1964	4.2M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1965	2.65M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1966	4.57M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1967	4.66M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1968	4.23M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1969	6.69M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1970	3.28M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1971	4.28M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1972	2.64M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1973	1.92M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1974	2.88M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1975	1.79M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1976	5.11M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1977	3.15M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1978	3.91M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1979	2.99M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1980	5.26M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1981	4.81M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)	1982	2.38M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1983	1.32M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1984	1.15M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1985	2.9M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1986	2.72M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1987	2.45M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1988	5.01M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1989	1.83M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1990	4.62M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1991	2.95M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1992	2.07M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1993	1.8M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1994	4.07M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1995	1.84M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1996	6.07M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1997	2.86M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1998	1.33M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	1999	5.63M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2000	7.39M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2001	3.57M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2002	7.18M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2003	3.96M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2004	8.1M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2005	8.69M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2006	9.87M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2007	9.33M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2008	5.29M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2009	5.92M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2010	3.42M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2011	8.71M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2012	9.33M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2013	4.32M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2014	3.6M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2015	10.1M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2016	5.51M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2017	10M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2018	8.77M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2019	4.66M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2020	10.1M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2021	7.13M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2022	7.58M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2023	2.69M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2024	8.92M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025	2025	5.13M acres per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1983	18.2K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1984	20.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1985	82.6K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1986	85.9K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1987	71.3K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1988	72.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1989	48.9K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1990	66.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1991	75.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1992	87.4K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1993	58.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1994	79.1K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1995	82.2K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1996	96.4K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1997	66.2K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1998	81K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	1999	92.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2000	92.3K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2001	84.1K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2002	73.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2003	63.6K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2004	65.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2005	66.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2006	96.4K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2007	85.7K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2008	79K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2009	78.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2010	72K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2011	74.1K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2012	67.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2013	47.6K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2014	63.3K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2015	68.2K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2016	67.7K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2017	71.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2018	58.1K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2019	50.5K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2020	59K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2021	59K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2022	69K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2023	56.6K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2024	64.9K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Number of US wildland fires per year, 1983 to 2025	2025	77.8K fires per year	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1985	35.1 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1986	31.7 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1987	34.3 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1988	68.9 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1989	37.3 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1990	69.5 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1991	39 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1992	23.7 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1993	30.6 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1994	51.5 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1995	22.4 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1996	62.9 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1997	43.2 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1998	16.4 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	1999	60.8 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2000	80.1 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2001	42.5 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2002	97.8 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2003	62.2 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2004	124 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2005	130 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2006	102 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2007	109 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2008	67 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2009	75.2 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2010	47.6 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2011	118 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2012	138 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2013	90.8 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2014	56.8 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2015	149 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2016	81.3 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2017	140 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2018	151 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2019	92.4 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2020	172 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2021	121 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2022	110 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2023	47.6 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2024	138 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average size of a US wildland fire, 1985 to 2025	2025	65.9 acres per fire	National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1983-2025)
Average acres burned per year on western national forests, before and after the 1935 policy	1916	353K acres per year (period average)	Loveridge, "The Fire Suppression Policy of the U.S. Forest Service," Journal of Forestry 42(8):549 to 554, August 1944 (Forest History Society reprint)
Average acres burned per year on western national forests, before and after the 1935 policy	1934	455K acres per year (period average)	Loveridge, "The Fire Suppression Policy of the U.S. Forest Service," Journal of Forestry 42(8):549 to 554, August 1944 (Forest History Society reprint)
Average acres burned per year on western national forests, before and after the 1935 policy	1943	142K acres per year (period average)	Loveridge, "The Fire Suppression Policy of the U.S. Forest Service," Journal of Forestry 42(8):549 to 554, August 1944 (Forest History Society reprint)
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1985	240M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1986	203M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1987	335M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1988	579M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1989	500M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1990	398M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1991	206M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1992	377M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1993	240M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1994	918M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1995	477M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1996	701M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1997	284M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1998	417M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	1999	516M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2000	1410M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2001	953M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2002	1670M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2003	1330M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2004	1010M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2005	819M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2006	1700M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2007	1620M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2008	1590M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2009	921M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2010	809M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2011	1370M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2012	1900M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2013	1740M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2014	1520M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2015	2130M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2016	1980M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2017	2920M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2018	3140M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2019	1590M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2020	2270M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2021	4390M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2022	3550M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Federal wildfire suppression costs (Forest Service and Interior), 1985 to 2023	2023	3170M US dollars per year, as reported (not adjusted for inflation)	National Interagency Fire Center, Federal Firefighting Costs (Suppression Only), 1985 to 2023
Share of the Forest Service budget spent on wildfire	1995	16 percent of budget	US Department of the Interior, "USDA, DOI, and OMB Urge Congress to Fix the Fire Budget," press release, September 15, 2015
Share of the Forest Service budget spent on wildfire	2015	52 percent of budget	US Department of the Interior, "USDA, DOI, and OMB Urge Congress to Fix the Fire Budget," press release, September 15, 2015

Series

Year

Value

Source

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1926

24.3M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1927

38.5M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1928

43.5M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1929

46.2M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1930

52.3M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1931

51.6M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1932

42.1M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1933

43.9M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1934

41.8M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1935

30.3M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1936

43.2M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1937

22M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1938

33.8M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1939

30.4M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1940

25.8M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1941

26.4M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1942

31.9M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1943

32.3M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1944

16.5M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1945

17.7M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1946

20.7M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1947

23.2M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1948

16.6M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1949

15.4M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1950

15.5M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1951

10.8M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1952

14.2M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1953

9.98M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1954

8.83M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1955

8.07M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1956

6.61M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1957

3.41M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1958

3.28M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1959

4.16M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1960

4.48M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1961

3.04M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1962

4.08M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1963

7.12M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1964

4.2M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1965

2.65M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1966

4.57M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1967

4.66M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1968

4.23M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1969

6.69M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1970

3.28M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1971

4.28M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1972

2.64M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1973

1.92M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1974

2.88M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1975

1.79M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1976

5.11M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1977

3.15M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1978

3.91M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1979

2.99M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1980

5.26M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1981

4.81M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1926 to 1982 (historical, not comparable to 1983 on)

1982

2.38M acres per year

National Interagency Fire Center, Total Wildland Fires and Acres (1926-2017), archived copy of nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_stats_totalFires.html (Wayback Machine, January 9, 2019)

US wildland acres burned per year, 1983 to 2025

1983

1.32M acres per year