Every Dollar Spent on Forest Fuel Treatments Saves $3.75 in Wildfire Damages, Study Finds

How controlled burns can help save taxpayers billions

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For decades, the US Forest Service has actively managed public lands to reduce wildfire risks by clearing underbrush and trees, or employing prescribed burns—something Indigenous nations have practiced for centuries. Scientists have generally lauded the ecological benefits of what is also known as “fuel treatment.” Now, they say there’s…

Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves $3.75 in wildfire damages, study finds

Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The study estimated that the treatments, such as forest thinning and prescribed burns, prevented $2.8 billion in losses, reduced wildfire spread and fire severity.

Which wildfire treatment saved most damage?

Fuel treatments cut wildfire damage by nearly fourfold A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, finds that “forest fuel treatments” can deliver unusually large benefits when wildfires occur. The analysis reports that every dollar spent on fuel treatments saves about…