For example, some state and local  governments have adopted laws and ordinances requiring property  owners to establish and maintain defensible space. Figure 3 shows  various actions federal agencies and nonfederal entities may take to  reduce wildfire risk in and around communities. Some federal-nonfederal collaboration at the national level encompasses  all types of risk-reduction efforts. Factors Such as Agency Initiatives and Joint Planning Were Cited by Federal Officials and Stakeholders in Our Review as Affecting Collaboration

Federal officials and stakeholders we interviewed identified federal  authorities, agency initiatives, joint community-level planning, leadership,  community engagement, and agency resources for collaboration as  directly affecting federal-nonfederal collaboration aimed at reducing  wildland fire risk to communities. In some cases these factors enhanced  collaboration, according to officials, while in other cases they hindered  collaboration. Federal officials and stakeholders also identified factors  that indirectly affect federal and nonfederal collaboration to reduce  wildland fire risk in the WUI. Some federal officials and stakeholders said that federal and nonfederal  entities are reluctant to use the Good Neighbor Authority and the Tribal  Forest Protection Act of 2004 because the authorities are unclear or  because not all agency staff are aware of how to use them. In addition, many officials and stakeholders said that the Cohesive  Strategy, issued in 2014, enhances collaboration because it emphasizes  the importance of coordination across multiple agencies through an “all  lands approach” and frames comprehensive goals that, taken together,  may mitigate wildland fire risk. In contrast, some federal officials and stakeholders identified several  potential impediments to community engagement. Federal Officials and Stakeholders in Our Review Identified Several Actions They Said May Improve Their Ability to Reduce Wildland Fire Risk

Federal officials and stakeholders we interviewed said that improving  implementation of the Cohesive Strategy, increasing collaborative  planning, expanding education, increasing prevention efforts, and  improving local timber-processing capabilities could improve federal  agencies’ and nonfederal entities’ ability to reduce wildland fire risk to  communities. Officials and stakeholders also identified actions that, while  not necessarily within federal agencies’ control, could help reduce  wildland fire risk to communities. Some officials and stakeholders said it is important to increase  accountability for implementing the Cohesive Strategy, such as through  the use of performance measures as part of implementing the strategy. The Cohesive Strategy states that its successful implementation depends  in part on monitoring and accountability, noting that “A set of national  outcome performance measures will allow Congress, the national  wildland fire management community, and other stakeholders to monitor  and assess progress toward achieving the results for each of the three  national goals.” This emphasis on monitoring and accountability is  consistent with key characteristics we have described for developing and  implementing effective national strategies. More broadly, the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC)—the  interagency organization responsible for oversight and leadership in  implementing the Cohesive Strategy (and which includes the Forest  Service and Interior as members)—has not developed measures to  assess progress on the part of federal and nonfederal participants in  meeting the national goals of the Cohesive Strategy. By working with the interagency body  WFLC to establish such measures, the Forest Service and Interior,  together with federal and nonfederal partners, could better assess  national progress toward achieving the goals of the Cohesive Strategy. Recommendation for Executive Action

To help determine the extent to which the goals of the Cohesive Strategy  are being met, we recommend that the Secretaries of Agriculture and the  Interior direct the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Office  of Wildland Fire, respectively, to work with WFLC to develop measures to  assess national progress toward achieving the strategy’s goals. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) factors federal officials and nonfederal  stakeholders cited as affecting federal-nonfederal collaboration aimed at  reducing wildland fire risk to communities and (2) actions federal officials  and nonfederal stakeholders said could help improve their ability to  reduce wildland fire risk to communities. We also interviewed headquarters officials from each of the  five federal land management agencies responsible for wildland fire  management—the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and  the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and  Wildlife Service, and National Park Service in the Department of the  Interior—as well as Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire.
Why GAO Did This Study

Dense vegetation, drought, and other factors have resulted in more severe wildland fires in recent years. At the same time, development in and around wildlands continues to increase, with some communities experiencing devastating effects from wildland fire. To reduce risk to communities, federal agencies and nonfederal stakeholders can collaborate in various ways.
GAO was asked to review collaboration to reduce wildland fire risk to communities. This report examines federal officials' and stakeholders' views on (1) factors that affect federal-nonfederal collaboration aimed at reducing wildland fire risk to communities and (2) actions that could improve their ability to reduce risk to communities.
GAO reviewed laws and documents about collaboration on wildland fire management; compared agency efforts with guidance; and interviewed officials from a nongeneralizable sample of 10 federal land management units selected based on wildland fire potential, geographic diversity, and other factors. GAO also interviewed stakeholders including community members near the selected units and representatives of nonfederal entities involved in fire risk-reduction efforts.

What GAO Found

Officials GAO interviewed from the five federal agencies responsible for wildland fire management—the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service within the Department of the Interior—and nonfederal stakeholders, including state and local officials, homeowners, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, identified several factors as affecting federal-nonfederal collaboration aimed at reducing wildland fire risk to communities. In some cases these factors were cited as enhancing collaboration, while in other cases they were cited as hindering it. Among the factors identified were federal authorities, agency initiatives, joint community-level planning, and others. For example, several officials and stakeholders cited laws such as the Good Neighbor Authority and Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 as enhancing collaboration because they provide federal and nonfederal entities the authority to work across jurisdictions on projects to reduce risk. In addition, several officials and stakeholders cited the 2014 National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) as helpful for collaboration because it emphasizes the importance of coordination across multiple agencies and includes comprehensive fire management goals. In contrast, some officials and stakeholders said collaboration on certain types of projects was hindered by the difficulty in sharing project costs between federal and nonfederal entities.
Federal officials and nonfederal stakeholders also identified several actions they said could improve federal agencies' and nonfederal entities' ability to reduce wildland fire risk to communities. Among the actions cited was improving the implementation of the Cohesive Strategy. Some agency officials and stakeholders noted the importance of increasing accountability for implementing the Cohesive Strategy, such as through the use of performance measures. The strategy states that its success depends in part on monitoring and accountability, and calls for national outcome measures. This is consistent with previous GAO findings regarding national strategies. However, GAO found that the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC)—the interagency body charged with overseeing and implementing the Cohesive Strategy and which includes the Forest Service and Interior as members—has not developed measures to assess progress on the part of federal and nonfederal participants in meeting the national goals of the Cohesive Strategy. In 2013, WFLC proposed several measures but concluded that implementing them could place undue burden on the agencies and nonfederal partners. In 2016, however, WFLC reported that recent research findings could help quantify the strategy's effects over time. By working with WFLC to develop such measures, the Forest Service and Interior, together with federal and nonfederal partners, could better assess national progress toward achieving the goals of the Cohesive Strategy. Federal officials and nonfederal stakeholders also identified actions that, while not necessarily within the federal agencies' control, could be taken to reduce wildland fire risk to communities. For example, these actions include adopting state laws that require property owners to take risk-reducing actions such as using fire-resistant building materials or reducing vegetation around their homes. Some states have adopted laws to promote such actions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Forest Service and Interior work with WFLC to develop measures to assess progress toward achieving the Cohesive Strategy's goals. The Forest Service agreed with GAO's recommendation, while Interior did not. GAO believes the recommendation is valid, as discussed in the report.