The northwestern U.S. has diverse social-ecological systems and fire risks, and thus diverse science needs. Extreme wildfire events and climate impacts further increase the complexity of decision making. Land and fire management institutions are implementing new policies and strategies and allocating funding; but they also face increased workloads and a plethora of new knowledge and innovations. The Northwest Fire Science Consortium (NWFSC) proposes to serve as a regional fire science exchange that can respond to these issues by providing a corresponding diversity of science engagement efforts and increasing relationships among science producers, managers, and practitioners. To be effective, the NWFSC will coordinate with the region’s many boundary-spanning organizations with related goals for science application, engage collaborative forest management groups and all-lands partnerships, provide durable and adaptive information sharing platforms, and host convenings and field-based, experiential learning tailored to local ecological and social contexts.
The NWFSC’s objectives are to 1) improve information access, accuracy, awareness, and delivery across diverse end-users; 2) increase inclusion, multi-way engagement, and co-production between research and the field; and 3) promote collaboration and co-learning that addresses inequities and sustains and conserves resilient social and ecological systems. Managers and practitioners need both timely information for ongoing decisions and support for longer-term shifts in relationships and systems to evolve the wildland fire management system. Activities to meet these objectives will consist of: annual submissions to the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) research needs database, summaries of partner sensing group input, two science application bundles (each containing two science syntheses, six research briefs or infographics, six webinars, two convenings, and one training), one landscape resiliency science summit, three field-based workshops, organizational support for at least four other events, monthly newsletters, one website, PI and coordinator participation in wildfire-related partnerships and organizations, and outreach to agency leadership. Progress toward objectives and impacts will be evaluated for 20 outcomes (see logic model) through qualitative and quantitative methods including metrics of participation and engagement in NWFSC offerings, number and types of co-produced projects and proposals, changes in relationships and resources, and applications of science to management and practice. Anticipated outcomes most linked to activities during the project period are increased awareness and action around reducing hazards to communities, inclusive community engagement, and strategic management of pre- and post-fire landscapes with a diversity of actors.
Broadly, we will increase use of the most relevant science by land managers across the region, building their capacity and benefiting the technical soundness and efficacy of their efforts to reduce wildfire risk and restore fire-adapted landscapes. This will ideally contribute to an array of socio-environmental benefits for northwest communities. Our outcomes directly align with U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior (USDA and USDOI) Secretarial priorities of supporting climate-smart land management, and advancing justice, equity, and opportunity; the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, and the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy. Knowledge and relationships fostered through the NWFSC will help reduce negative effects of wildfire and inform strategic decisions about conservation priorities and actions. Our emphasis on centering equity and environmental justice, including respectful relationships with Tribal managers, will help expand inclusion of diverse perspectives in decision making, increasing access to mitigation resources and reducing disproportionate impacts of wildfires.
