Wildfire policy showdown: full-suppression vs forest health in the West

Under the Trump administration, federal wildfire policy has shifted to a 'full suppression' default via a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a move critics say prioritizes firefighting over forest health and could strain resources while altering long-standing land-management decisions. The effort is being watched closely in California, which has spent heavily on wildfire safety and may face added public-safety risks if coordination with land managers changes. Officials defend the policy as necessary to protect communities during a severe fire season, but experts warn that ignoring ecological benefits of allowing some fires to burn could worsen future catastrophic blazes.