Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill requires the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to ramp up how much federal land they thin or treat with controlled burns. By 2027, they must treat 20% more acres than the recent average, and by 2029, that target jumps to 40% more. These goals would be permanent going forward.
• Utility companies would be allowed to clear trees within 50 feet of power lines on federal land, up from the current 10-foot limit. This is meant to prevent trees and branches from hitting electrical equipment and sparking wildfires.
• A new pilot program would test cutting-edge wildfire technology, including artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, augmented reality, and 5G mesh networks. Private companies, nonprofits, and universities could apply to test their tools in real wildfire scenarios. The program would last 7 years.
• The bill creates a fast-track environmental review process (categorical exclusion) for removing hazard trees near roads, trails, and campgrounds in national forests. Projects using this shortcut can cover up to 3,000 acres, but it cannot be used in wilderness areas or inventoried roadless areas.
• Livestock grazing would be explored as a wildfire prevention tool. The bill directs federal agencies to develop a strategy for using cattle and other animals to eat away overgrown grass and invasive plants that fuel wildfires on federal land.
• Local governments and Indian Tribes get automatic legal standing to intervene in lawsuits about nearby forest management projects on federal land. This gives them a seat at the table in any settlement negotiations over projects that reduce wildfire risk or involve timber harvesting.