Order 3448: Establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service

On January 12, 2026, Department of Interior Secretary Doug Bergum issued Order No. 3448  establishing a consolidated firefighting agency: the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS). The order further directs the “orderly transition of the wildland fire program” from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service to the USWFS. On February 5, 2026, members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary Burgum expressing concern with the consolidation and requesting detailed information on the positions, functions, and duty stations to be consolidated under the USWFS. The letter also noted that “the appropriations act does not authorize transfer of the U.S. Forest Service firefighting functions to the Department of Interior.”