Walden questions U.S. Forest Service on wildfire preparedness during pandemic

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and three Democratic home-state colleagues last week requested details from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on how it is preparing for the upcoming wildfire season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with high levels of drought throughout the West, will create unprecedented wildfire firefighting challenges in the Pacific Northwest making the 2020 wildfire season potentially one of the most dangerous seasons to date,” wrote Rep. Walden and his colleagues in a May 27 letter sent to USFS Chief Vicki Christiansen.

“Beyond the basic need to ensure the protection of communities, critical infrastructure, and firefighter safety, we recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is placing additional and unprecedented demands upon agencies that provide essential public services,” the lawmakers wrote.

In their letter, Rep. Walden and the members asked Christiansen to answer several questions about how USFS will address the challenges posed by the pandemic, including coordination with federal, state and local health departments to aid communities impacted by smoke and wildfire; and limiting exposure to and transmission of the virus to USFS employees, non-agency personnel, firefighters, and local residents.

Additionally, Rep. Walden and the lawmakers asked what the agency is doing to continue planning and implementing forest management and hazardous fuels reduction activities to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, according to their letter.

The members also asked the agency to list the status of Exclusive Use contracts for Type 1 helicopters and fixed wing air tanker contracts, both essential tools in aerial suppression efforts, among numerous other questions.