U.S. Forest Service

Firefighters will now be able to use N95 masks on the fireline – building on a more limited, voluntary rollout of masking that started last fall. There will also be expanded access to showers, time for routine gear cleaning and so-called “clean air recovery periods” that can limit other risks.

The Forest Service says it's fully staffed with seasonal firefighters going into summer but there are still questions about whether the government is prepared if major wildfires get out of hand.

The tree for the 2026 Capitol Christmas Tree, also called “The People’s Tree,” will come from the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests this year. The hunt to find the perfect evergreen is on.

It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up to date on all the news that made headlines this past week.

In June, the Trump administration called for a consolidation of federal wildfire agencies “to achieve the most efficient and effective use of wildland fire offices.” Now federal leaders have released plans about how to carry out the order.

The federal government has issued new guidelines to wildland firefighters for the voluntary use of protective masks. The move comes as knowledge of long-term health risks faced by such workers – including cancer – grows.

Idaho’s two Republican senators are signing on to a bipartisan bill that would triple the budget of a program to clean up water sources in national forests.

The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is suing the U.S. Forest Service over its denial of a public records request seeking federal wildfire suppression policies used in the state since 2012.

The plan, released last week by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would eliminate the Forest Service’s nine regional offices over the next year, including offices in Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Retirees from the agency said they were "extremely concerned."

The Forest Service's new chief recently published a letter that called for wildfires to be suppressed "as swiftly as possible." That may sound prudent to many, but it raised eyebrows among some who study fire policy. They worried that it may signal a return to aggressive suppression that has been linked to growing wildfire severity.