2026 Wildfire Surge Hits U.S. as Trump Cuts Decimate Fire-Fighting Workforce

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, to date in 2026, more than 52,000 wildfires have burned 8.2 million acres across the United States, a level well above the ten-year rolling average. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Forest Service has shed 16 percent of its staff since its inauguration in January 2025 and cut the area it manages with prescribed burns by 35 percent. A consolidation created the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, but the restructuring eliminated thousands of skilled firefighters and closed 57 of 77 research labs, according to one outlet Federation of Federal Employees.

The agency’s headquarters relocation to Salt Lake City and the closure of nine regional offices have further eroded on-ground expertise. The shortage was evident during the August Hawk Fire near Reno, Nevada, which relied on assistance from California, Australia, New Zealand and state crews, while federal firefighters faced overtime burdens. Internationally, U.S. federal fire teams were largely absent from Canadian wildfire efforts this year, a stark contrast to previous seasons. Critics argue these cuts have left millions of Americans vulnerable to increasingly frequent megafires.