WASHINGTON — The Interior and Agriculture departments announced plans Monday to create a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, marking a significant reorganization of federal wildfire management as officials seek to streamline the response to increasingly destructive fires.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued Secretary’s Order 3443, which directs the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service with a plan for implementation in January 2026, elevating wildfire management to reflect what officials called the growing threat to lives and property nationwide.

The move implements President Donald Trump’s June 12 Executive Order 14308, which responded to devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January by directing federal agencies to streamline wildfire response and promote technology-driven strategies.

“For too long, outdated and fragmented systems have slowed our ability to fight fires and protect lives,” Burgum said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines.”

The new service will unify Interior’s fire management across four bureaus — the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — which currently manage fire response on more than 500 million acres of public and tribal lands. A new fire chief position will oversee the consolidated operations.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the departments would work together to modernize wildfire response systems and strengthen effectiveness through shared procurement, predictive services and policy reforms.

“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness,” Rollins said. The departments estimated wildfires cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars annually through infrastructure damage, agricultural disruption and suppression costs.

The secretaries previously signed a joint memo on wildfire preparedness in May 2025 to ensure coordination between the departments during fire season.

The restructuring plan focuses on five key areas: modernizing aviation and coordination systems, strengthening interagency response, improving federal partnerships, ensuring research investments support field operations, and integrating pre- and post-fire activities into a comprehensive strategy.

Specific changes include creating a joint federal firefighting aircraft service, consolidating predictive services into a national intelligence capability, and establishing unified contracting and procurement centers. Officials also plan to deploy new wildfire risk mapping tools and modernize personal protective equipment standards for firefighters.

The departments said permanent pay reform for federal and tribal firefighters is now law, ensuring competitive wages. The fiscal year 2026 budget requests an extension of premium pay cap waivers during peak fire seasons.

Officials emphasized the restructuring would not reduce collaboration with land managers on fuel treatments, fire response and post-fire recovery. Bureau line officers will continue sharing responsibility for wildfire missions on their lands.

Burgum, the former North Dakota governor, was confirmed as Interior Secretary in January on a bipartisan 79-18 Senate vote. His department oversees vast public lands that face increasing wildfire risks due to climate change, fuel buildup and extended fire seasons.

Fire seasons have grown longer and more intense in recent years, with blazes burning hotter and more destructively than in previous decades.