Interior launches consolidated U.S. Wildland Fire Service

It appears the new agency is suppression-focused, Steve Ellis, a western Oregon resident who chairs the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, told Capital Press. 

“While consolidating agencies might appear to be more efficient for fixing the catastrophic wildfire problem, successful wildland fire management involves much more than suppression,” he said. “The critical linkage between fire suppression and land management, including fuels reduction and prescribed fire, must be maintained.”