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Wildfire season is already off to an early and dangerous start across parts of the U.S.

And experts are warning that the risk for an above-average season is high.

At the same time, the Trump administration is planning a major overhaul of the U.S. Forest Service,

closing regional offices and research facilities, and relocating the agency's headquarters.

Supporters say it will streamline the agency and bring it closer to the places they serve.

Critics warn it could weaken the agency's ability to predict and fight wildfires, just as the risks are rising.

Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Friday, April 17,

2026. Joining me to look at what's at stake and what these changes could mean as the country heads into another high-risk fire season is John Rogan, a professor of geography, at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

It's good to speak with you, John.

Thank you, Dana. It's a pleasure to be here.

To start, let's look at the forecast for this year's fire season. What is the National interagency fire center predicted? And do you agree

with that assessment? The prediction is to have a very active wildfire season that has actually

already started. The area burned in the United States is beyond expectations already. It's over 1.6 million acres burned,

which is way above the 10-year average historically

for this time of year.

...