https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated December 2, 2022
Wildfire Statistics
Wildfires are unplanned fires, including lightning-caused
fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped
prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for
responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state,
local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by
federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal
government is responsible for responding to wildfires that
begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)—within the
U.S. Department of Agriculture—carries out wildfire
management and response across the 193 million acres of
the National Forest System (NFS). The Department of the
Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400
million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and
preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations.
Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire
activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National
Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) indicate that the
number of annual wildfires is variable but has decreased
slightly over the last 30 years and the number of acres
affected annually, while also variable, generally has
increased (see Figure 1). Since 2000, an annual average of
70,072 wildfires has burned an annual average of 7.0
million acres. The acreage figure is more than double the
average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million
acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually
in the 1990s (78,600 average).
Table 1. Annual Wildfires and Acres Burned
Number of Fires (thousands)
Source: National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC)
Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports.
Notes: FS = Forest Service; DOI = Department of the Interior.
Column totals may not add due to rounding.
Figure 1. Annual Wildfires and Acres Burned, 1992-2021
Source: NICC Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports.
Note: Data reflect wildland fires and acres burned nationwide,
including wildland fires on federal and nonfederal lands.
From 2012 to 2021, there were an average of 61,289
wildfires annually and an average of 7.4 million acres
impacted annually. In 2021, 58,968 wildfires burned 7.1
million acres.
As of December 2, 2022, around 64,100 wildfires have
impacted 7.3 million acres this year; nearly half of those
acres were in Alaska (3.1 million acres).
Figure 2. Top Five Years with Largest Wildfire
Acreage Burned Since 1960
Source: NICC Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics annual reports.
Note: Number of fires in thousands.
The number of fires and acreage burned are indicators of
the annual level of wildfire activity. However, these
numbers may be misleading with respect to their impact on
human development or communities since many fires may
occur in large, relatively undeveloped areas. Acreage
burned also does not indicate the severity of the wildfire,
the degree of impact upon forests or soils, or other
ecological effects.
Most wildfires are human-caused (89% on average from
2017 to 2021), although the wildfires caused by lightning
tend to be slightly larger and burn more acreage (52% of
the average acreage burned from 2017 to 2021 was ignited
by lightning).
