Maxine Dexter: We Need ‘Proactive Solutions’ To Solve Heightened Wildfire Risk Caused By Climate Change

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing before the congressional recess, Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) spoke about the effect climate change plays on the wildfire crisis.

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00:00discussion today on how we can protect our wildland urban interface communities and our

00:06forest through proper management. Thank you and I now recognize Ranking Member Dexter for her

00:11opening statements. Thank you Mr. Chair and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

00:17Wildfire has always been a natural part of ecosystems across the country helping to

00:22sustain biodiversity and forest health but what we're facing now is different. Wildfires are

00:27burning hotter, faster, and more unpredictably than ever, putting lives and entire communities at

00:34risk. This isn't an abstract problem. It's a crisis and we know all too well this crisis in Oregon.

00:41We've seen entire neighborhoods reduced to ash, hazardous smoke choking our skies, and families

00:47forced to flee with nothing but what they could carry. And it's not just the flames we have to

00:52worry about. A 2025 study found that between 2006 and 2020, smoke from climate-fueled wildfires was

01:00responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths in the United States. Vulnerable groups such as children,

01:07older adults, pregnant people, and those who work outdoors are especially at risk. The science is

01:13clear. Climate change is driving this crisis. It's increasing average temperatures, drying out

01:18vegetation, extending fire seasons, and contributing to pest and disease outbreaks that weaken forest health

01:25and increase flammability. Nearly one quarter of the contiguous United States is at moderate to very

01:31high risk of wildfire. This isn't just a western problem. More than 1,100 communities across 32 states

01:38share wildfire risk characteristics with Los Angeles and other areas that have recently experienced

01:44devastating urban wildfires. In fact, one-third of all homes in the United States are in the Wildland

01:50Urban Interface, or WUI. These are places where homes and infrastructure meet undeveloped natural

01:56areas. That means millions of families are at risk, not just from wildfires themselves, but also from

02:02toxic smoke, displacement, and economic devastation. Some of the most catastrophic fire disasters in recent

02:09memory, the Pacific Palisades fire in California, the Lahaina fire in Hawaii in 2023, the Marshall fire in

02:17Colorado in 2021, and the Alameda Drive fire in Oregon in 2020, all share key features. Their triggers likely

02:25involved human activity, they occurred near developed areas, and they were fueled by extreme wind events.

02:31If we neglect the built environment, communities will continue to be vulnerable regardless of how well we

02:37manage forests. We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes. We need proactive solutions like zone zero

02:43policies that prohibit combustible materials such as brush, mulch, wooden fences, sheds, or outdoor furniture

02:50within five feet of structures. At the same time, we must encourage home hardening techniques, including the

02:56use of fire-resistant roofing, ember-resistant vent and eave covers, and non-flammable exterior walls and

03:02inciting. Studies show that the cost of constructing a fire-resilient home is nearly the same as a

03:09conventional constructed home. Yet widespread adoption of these practices has been impeded by

03:16bureaucracy, limited resources, weak enforcement, and misinformation. The growing impact of urban wildfires is

03:24also disrupting the home insurance market. Between 2020 and 2023, homeowners saw insurance premiums increase

03:30by an average of 13 percent nationwide due to climate-related disasters. In California alone, four of the

03:37five most expensive wildfires on record occurred between 2018 and 2022, causing major insurers to stop

03:44issuing new home insurance policies in the state. A 2021 study found that applying ecological forest

03:51forestry practices to appropriate areas could lead to a 41 percent drop in residential insurance premiums and save

03:5821 million dollars per year in reduced insurance losses. Science-based practices like prescribed

04:05burning, selective thinning, and maintaining strategic fuel breaks have also proven effective in lowering

04:11wildfire risk. But we must also confront what doesn't work. Policies that prioritize corporate profits over

04:18public safety, gut environmental protections, or ignore the root cause of these mega fires. In March, President

04:25Trump issued two executive orders expanding commercial logging on public lands. Logging operations that

04:31often leave behind flammable debris and remove large fire-resistant trees are making forests more

04:37vulnerable to catastrophic fire, not less. Annually, less than one percent of wildfires intersect with

04:43four service-treated fuel reduction zones, indicating that timber harvests are not an effective metric for saving our

04:50forests. And let's be clear. The Trump administration's cut to key wildfire prevention offices have also

04:56severely weakened our ability to prepare for and respond to fires. Hundreds of federal firefighters were

05:03laid off in February, and some of them are hired back. But the broader loss of foresters, scientists, and natural

05:09resource managers mean we won't have the interdisciplinary workforce we need to fight wildfires.

05:15We have many great things to discuss today. I'm excited to hear some of the amazing innovative

05:21ideas happening out there. But we must meet this moment. We need a comprehensive science-based

05:27wildfire strategy. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.

05:29I thank you. Now the chairman for the full committee is now recognized.

05:36Thank you, Chair.

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