Wildland Fire Management merit badge helps Scouts understand a growing global challenge

As Scouts gathered for the 2026 National Jamboree, wildfires in Canada were making national news. It was a timely backdrop for the July 29 introduction of Scouting America’s new Wildland Fire Management merit badge.

Less than a month later, the Ross Fire in north Texas destroyed buildings at Worth Ranch, a Scouting America youth camp.

Nobody was injured in the Texas fire. But when at least 200 firefighters work to contain a blaze engulfing at least 80,000 acres, you know the wildfire issue is serious. And Scouting America is stepping up.

“That’s why this merit badge is so important,” says Michael Huneke, chair of Scouting America’s national conservation and outdoor ethics subcommittee. “Fire is a natural part of our landscape in many parts of the country. We need to better understand its role and how we can continue to improve our management of it.”

The merit badge and its digital resource guide teach Scouts that fire can destroy forests, homes and communities. But it can also play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Understanding that difference is key, Huneke says. Developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service and the Society of American Foresters, the badge introduces Scouts to wildfire prevention, fire ecology, land stewardship, emergency preparedness and career opportunities.

Huneke, whose day job is national program manager for U.S. Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management, says three major goals emerged as the badge was being developed.

First, earning this badge will help Scouts better understand the difference between destructive wildfires and beneficial prescribed fires. Prescribed fire is intentional and carefully planned to meet natural resource objectives. Conditions such as weather, fuel conditions and the time of year are considered before it begins.

“Fire management isn’t just about putting out every fire,” he says.

Scouts earning the badge also learn how prescribed fire can benefit wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels.

Goal Two: Safer Homes and Communities

Huneke says the second major goal focuses on making homes and communities more resilient. The badge includes lessons about prevention and mitigation, from making sure campfires are completely extinguished to examining homes, camps and other buildings for ways to create more defensible space.

Huneke sees that work as an opportunity for Scouts to serve their communities.

“Scouts could do service projects that help reduce wildfire risks,” says Huneke, referring to jobs like raking dead leaves or moving flammable materials away from houses. “Scouts can help change how we manage our properties and communities. As a result, fires could be less catastrophic.”

Huneke is especially excited about the third goal — the badge’s potential to introduce young people to careers in a field that needs them.

The badge explores wildland firefighting, fire management and related professions, giving Scouts a look at possible careers in conservation and public service. And with wildfires creating challenges across the country, Huneke says Scouting can help develop a future workforce.

“These are young people who are attracted to careers in the outdoors,” Huneke said. “This is a great opportunity to recruit the next generation and future generations of wildland fire professionals.”

Huneke said the need for more firefighters, conservationists and public servants is part of a broader national challenge.

“The thing to understand is that we have a national wildfire crisis in America,” he says. “That crisis is something we’re going to have to continue to deal with, and Scouts are perfect candidates for the job. Scouting creates leaders, and the world needs leaders who are conservation-minded.”

Photos showing fire damage at Worth Ranch in Palo Pinto County courtesy of the Longhorn Council.