U.S. Forest Service says cross-border wildfire support for Canada remains in place despite cuts and restructuring

Despite political tensions and major restructuring inside the U.S. Forest Service, officials on both sides of the border say Canada and the United States remain prepared to help one another during wildfire season.

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the province’s wildfire service would support the United States if called upon, regardless of the ongoing trade dispute and U.S. tariffs affecting B.C.’s forest sector. Parmar has also said B.C. is preparing for another difficult wildfire season, with drought already affecting parts of the province.

Officials say wildfire co-operation will continue

The U.S. Forest Service says budget changes do not affect its firefighting capacity or its ability to provide support under long-standing mutual-aid agreements.

That assurance comes as concern grows over the agency’s internal restructuring and reduced funding. The USDA’s FY 2026 budget documents show the Forest Service received less funding than the previous year, while also outlining a broader federal shift toward a more unified wildland fire structure.

Even with those changes, officials say co-operation between U.S.-based wildfire agencies and the B.C. Wildfire Service is expected to remain in place. B.C. has repeatedly emphasized the importance of interagency wildfire readiness ahead of the 2026 season.

Restructuring has raised outside concerns

The U.S. Forest Service is in the middle of a broader organizational overhaul.

Federal budget documents say the government is moving toward a unified federal wildland fire model, with future wildfire suppression funding expected to shift under a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service structure housed through the Department of the Interior rather than remaining within the Forest Service budget itself.

That transition, combined with lower overall funding and a smaller operational footprint than the agency says current resources can support, has raised questions about long-term wildfire capacity even if officials insist near-term mutual-aid commitments remain intact.

B.C. says wildfire support rises above politics

Parmar has said wildfire response should remain separate from broader Canada-U.S. political friction, even as B.C. continues to press Washington over softwood lumber and other trade issues.

The province’s wildfire preparations this year include expanded staffing, year-round positions, new equipment and readiness investments aimed at handling what could again be a severe season.

That matters because many parts of B.C. are already dealing with drought pressures, and officials have warned that wildfire risk remains elevated in several regions despite localized improvements elsewhere.

For now, both sides are signalling that when it comes to wildfire response, cross-border support remains one area where co-operation is expected to hold.