Last year catastrophic wildfires burned more than 6 million acres of land, killed more than 20 firefighters, destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, and caused severe environmental damage. These catastrophic wildfires destroy everything in their path – people, their property, wildlife habitats, watersheds and entire ecosystems. It can take decades for these forests to recover. For over a century, the federal government has done nothing to eliminate dense undergrowth and ladder fuels, and it has suppressed most of the natural fires that serve to clear out brush and undergrowth. As a result, about 190 million acres of our nation's forests are in bonfire conditions.
