The Trump administration upended how we fight wildfires. Then came the West’s worst fire season in years.

A consolidated federal firefighting force and a push for “full suppression” are responses to Western wildfires. Critics worry the changes could strain scarce resources and leave forests more vulnerable in the long run.

(Mike Sweeney | The Colorado Sun) Smoke from the Aspen Acres Fire billows skyward near Pueblo, Colo., July 2, 2026. The Trump administration has consolidated fire crews from across the federal government, and are pursuing “full suppression" with every fire, which has stretched resources thin amid a deadly fire season.