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The new GOP tax and spending law could increase the risk of massive wildfires by stripping critical National Forest System funding and increasing logging on National Park Service lands.

That’s according to a new analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Lead author and center Climate Analyst Matt Sedlar said the new law removes $450 million needed to manage forests not owned by the federal government or states.

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"It removes funding from a competitive grant program called the Landscape Scale Restoration Program," said Sedlar. "And what that does is it sets aside money for states, localities, tribal governments, and private land owners to conduct forest management on their land."

In addition to reducing wildfire risk, the grant program helps protect fish and wildlife habitats, maintain or improve watersheds, and mitigate invasive species, insect infestation, and disease. The Trump administration defends its funding cuts by claiming they will reduce waste, fraud and abuse.

The annual costs of wildfires in the U.S. range from $394 to $893 billion. Sedlar said even Coloradans who don't live in wildfire-prone zones are feeling those costs in rising insurance premiums.

He said he believes investing in programs that prevent wildfires is money well spent.

"When you’re talking about cutting 0.01 percent of the budget, and it prevents those types of fires, then what kind of waste are you actually getting rid of?" said Sedlar. "It seems like we’re creating more costs for the American people, and not getting rid of waste."

The new law also claws back funding for environmental reviews conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. The Trump administration says they take too long and slow development.

Sedlar said the administration’s recent decision to cancel rules that prohibited development on roadless areas of the National Park system could also increase wildfire risks.

"By rescinding that rule, and then removing environmental reviews," said Sedlar, "they’re opening up a lot of areas to development within the National Parks. And there’s a lot of research out there that shows that logging increases wildfire risk, mostly due to the waste that’s left over."