Federal Fire Management: Evaluation of Changes Made After Yellowstone

GAO discussed the federal government's fire program for parks and wilderness areas, focusing on program changes resulting from the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park. GAO noted in a video presentation that the prescribed program has been reaffirmed as a valuable tool in the management of the nation's parks and wilderness areas. GAO found that: (1) the management of the prescribed fire program may not be as well controlled as an interagency task force envisioned or the public has been led to expect; (2) there are no changes in how a prescribed natural fire is to be fought if declared wild; and (3) coordination of fire-fighting efforts continues to be a problem. GAO believes that: (1) several factors may constrain implementation of the program; (2) monies specifically allocated to the prescribed fire program are less than what many Park Service and Forest Service managers say they need; (3) regardless of funding availability, some managers still subscribe to the old philosophy of suppressing all fires; (4) the government may still lack the organizational structure essential to respond to national fire emergencies; and (5) increases in funding and fire-fighting resources, as well as changes in attitudes, are necessary to realize the program's full potential.