The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Otherwise

The Forest Service claims it’s fully staffed for a worsening fire season. Data shows otherwise

The Laguna Fire burns along a canyon ridge July 4. As many as 27% of US Forest Service jobs remain vacant as of July 17, according to a Pro Publica analysis. Despite the Trump administration’s public pronouncements that it has hired enough wildland firefighters, documents obtained by ProPublica show a high vacancy rate, as well as internal concern among top officials as more than 1 million acres burn across 10 states. This story was originally…

The Forest Service claims it’s fully staffed for fire season. Data shows thousands of unfilled jobs • Washington State Standard

Hundreds of firefighters battled two quickly spreading fires in the Willamette National Forest in June 2023. (Oregon Department of Forestry/Flickr)This article was first published by ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Despite the Trump administration’s public pronouncements that it has hired enough wildland firefighters, documents obta…