The congressional Agriculture Committee has planned hearings for next year regarding how the U.S. Forest Service handled last summer 's stubborn wildfires that scorched the West . The focus will be on firefighting policies , rehabilitation of charred areas , and on scientific research being conducted on the summer fires . The U.S. Forest Service said 5 million acres were charred in the raging blazes , including 700 acres in Yellowstone . The Forest and National Park Service spent a combined $ 300 million fighting the fires . Drought conditions , high winds , and a " tremendous build - up " of tinder helped make the 1988 fires the worst in a hundred years .
The House Agriculture Committee has planned hearings for next year examining how the U.S. Forest Service handled last summer's stubborn wildfires that scorched the West. The focus will be on firefighting policies, rehabilitation of charred areas, and on scientific research being done on the summer fires. The U.S. Forest Service said 5 million acres were charred in the raging blazes, including 706,000 acres in Yellowstone. The Forest and National Park Service spent a combined $300 million fighting the fires. Drought conditions, high winds, and a "tremendous build-up" of tinder helped make the 1988 fires the worst in a hundred years.