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Boise, Idaho - Governor Brad Little and Lt. Governor Scott Bedke hosted high ranking officials in the Trump administration this week for a roundtable on the 2025 wildfire season before they joined the Governor’s trail ride, an annual gathering of officials and people who work the land to discuss important natural resources issues.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in attendance at the wildfire roundtable included:
The purpose of the wildfire roundtable was to ensure the utmost coordination is occurring between the state and federal government leading into the 2025 wildfire season.
Under President Trump’s leadership, federal officials reinforced their agencies’ aggressive prepositioning of resources and 100 percent full suppression approach for federally managed fires to increase initial attack response times and minimize fire risk to communities while ensuring firefighter safety. They emphasized the administration’s actions in strengthening partnerships with ranchers and loggers who are often the first to respond to wildfires.
They also stressed “land management IS wildfire prevention,” highlighting the interconnection between reduced fire risk and activities such as targeted forest thinning, grazing, and prescribed fires. Idaho has led the nation in standing up programs such as Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship where the State of Idaho helps the federal government increase the pace and scale of management activities on federal lands. Governor Little’s April executive order, the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” along with President Trump’s “Freeing Our Forests Act” and accompanying USDA secretarial orders ramp up coordination to scale up management activities. The federal officials said they are pushing hard on policy reforms that have long been discussed but not yet acted upon and are actively using authorities already in place to get more work done on the ground in coordination with states like Idaho.
The Governor’s annual trail ride is a two-day gathering of representatives of the ranching and agriculture industries, state elected and agency officials, federal agency officials, and congressional office representatives. Wildfire and fuels management, federal regulations, sage grouse conservation, energy development, and policy reforms were among the topics of discussion around the campfire.
“Getting together to talk about the issues in person is always the best way to get things done. None of the progress we’re making on land and fire management would be possible without President Trump’s sheer ambition to drive big changes, and Idaho is grateful for it. I appreciate all of our partners for working so closely with the State of Idaho to protect our people and lands from destructive wildfires,” Governor Little said.
“We are moving full speed ahead with reforms that empower land managers and put the right tools in the hands of those on the front lines. Under President Trump and Secretary Burgum’s leadership, we’re working shoulder to shoulder with states like Idaho to protect communities, safeguard our natural resources, and ensure we’re not just reacting to wildfires, we’re doing the groundwork to get ahead of them,” said Kate MacGregor, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior.
“Governor Little’s trail ride is a unique opportunity to see firsthand the truly unique natural treasures in this great country and hear how we can work closely to ensure the future viability of our public lands. President Trump and Secretary Rollins have made it a priority to further our working relationship with the States to improve responsible forest management and be the most prepared in history for this summer’s already active fire season,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources & Environment Kristin Sleeper.
“I want to thank Governor Little for bringing state and agency leaders together to connect with Idaho's landscapes and each other. The challenges we face today require an all-hands, all-lands approach to safeguard our communities and return health and productivity to our forests and grasslands. The Governor’s deep appreciation for public land and unwavering commitment to shared stewardship is truly valued. We extend our gratitude for his leadership and hospitality,” said USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz.