PAG Report 37 | Published August 2017 | The number of large wildfires and area burned by wildfires in the western U.S. have increased significantly over the last 30 years and are expected to continue to do so. This study examines state costs for wildfire suppression in the western U.S. over the last decade and compares funding approaches to paying those costs. The purpose is to improve management of state fiscal resources and to identify alternative funding mechanisms in the context of potentially escalating costs and policy questions about who should bear those costs.
