Giving Compass' Take:

• The Conversation explores how much costs for fire suppression have damaged the budget of the U.S. Forest Service. Congress tried a fix, but there seems to be no let-up in sight due to climate change factors.

• Could private funding help provide some relief for areas most affected by wildfires in California and the Pacific Northwest? What else can policymakers do to address the growing crisis?

• This is not just a seasonal thing. Cities must deal with the new normal of year-round wildfires.

Just six months after the devastating Thomas Fire — the largest blaze in California’s history — was fully contained, the 2018 fire season is well under way. As of mid-July, large wildfires had already burned over 1 million acres in a dozen states. Through October, the National Interagency Fire Center predicts above-average wildfire activity in many regions, including the Northwest, Interior West and California.

Rising fire suppression costs over the past three decades have nearly destroyed the U.S. Forest Service’s budget. Overall funding for the agency, which does most federal firefighting, has been flat for decades, while fire suppression costs have grown dramatically.

Earlier this year Congress passed a 'fire funding fix' that changes the way in which the federal government will pay for large fires during expensive fire seasons. This is vital for helping to restore the Forest Service budget. But the funding fix doesn’t affect the factors that drive costs, such as climate trends and more people living in fire prone landscapes.

Why are costs increasing so dramatically? Many factors have come together to create a perfect storm. Climate change, past forest and fire management practices, housing development, increased focus on community protection and the professionalization of wildfire management are all driving up costs.

Read the full article about spiraling wildfire costs by Cassandra Moseley at The Conversation.