US President Donald Trump issued a high-profile Executive Order on 12 June aimed at overhauling federal wildfire response and turning woody biomass – branches, fallen timber, underbrush – into a strategic resource.
“We’re restoring common sense to federal wildfire management,” Trump claimed in a White House briefing, noting the order directs Interior and Agriculture to consolidate firefighting programmes, streamline regulations around prescribed burns and commission AI-based mapping to predict wildfire risks.
A key focus is innovative reuse of woody biomass – turning what was once fire fuel into products like biochar, construction materials or energy sources.
The order tasks agencies with identifying novel biomass applications to reduce fuel loads in fire-prone landscapes. It aims to accelerate action during wildfire season, with a 90-day deadline for implementation.
The policy emerges amid mounting wildfire pressure across the western United States
Bipartisan reaction has been mixed
House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman said the directive promotes collaboration with state and local partners and modernises technology use, including new biomass markets.
Environmental advocates, however, warn the consolidation may be ill-timed: “We’re already into wildfire season… it’s not a good time to reorganise the entire programme,” said Kate Groetzinger of the Centre for Western Priorities.
The move builds on March’s presidential order for a rapid expansion of American timber production, which relaxed environmental reviews to accelerate logging and biomass utilisation.
It also aligns with proposed legislation like the Fix Our Forests Act, which seeks to incentivise sustainable forestry and biomass removal while also aiding fire-prone communities.
US Executive Order accelerates woody biomass adoption amid wildfire threats
