CARSON CITY, Nev. — A new report by the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition shows that the true costs from large wildland fires are much greater than the costs of suppressing the fire — up to 30 times more than commonly reported.

Annual fire suppression costs since 2000 for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior exceed $1 billion, according to the report, which also shows that this number is a fraction of the true cost to society, which is anywhere from two to 30 times higher than the reported suppression costs.

“The cost of a wildland fire starts with suppression, but it doesn’t end there,” said Pete Anderson, Nevada’s state forester and co-chair of the coalition. “After a fire a community could experience long-term economic impacts due to the loss of tourism, agricultural operations and wildlife habitat. In these hard economic times, something like this will devastate a community.”

Reducing wildfire impacts is not only good for the environment but also good for the economy, the report says. “The True Cost of Wildfire in the Western U.S.” examines data from six large wildfires across the West in order to give an accurate account of the cost to communities and the environment.

“True Cost” considers long-term and complex costs, including impacts to watersheds, property damage, business and individual financial losses, flooding, erosion, diminished water and air quality, health care costs, injuries and fatalities, lost tax revenue and a host of ecosystem service costs that extend into future. True costs are ultimately paid by taxpayers.

“When we look at all the impacts that a large wildfire can have, it is obvious to see why a wise investment in preventing devastating wildfires makes sense in every way,” said Bov Eav, director of the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station.

The report offers recommendations to help focus the way these costs might be better considered, including:

• Supporting improved data collection by government agencies to foster more effective budgeting.

• Developing a new funding mechanism for emergency fire suppression activities that includes a partitioned account for wildfire suppression costs associated with emergencies, and.

• Investing in management activities that improve forest health.

The report is available online at www.wflcweb. org/infomaterials/reports.php.

The Western Forestry Leadership Coalition is a unique state-federal partnership working with the people and resources in the west. The WFLC 34-person membership consists of western state and territorial forestry agencies and the U.S. Forest Service; western regional foresters, research station directors, and the Forest Products Lab Director. The coalition has staff support based in Denver, Colo. Their mission is to promote science-based forest management that serves the values of society and ensures the health and sustainability of western forests. For more information, visit www.wflcweb.org.