Wildland Fire
The U.S. is experiencing more frequent and intense wildland fires, but policy informed by science, evidence, and Indigenous perspectives can lessen the disastrous effects.
By September 2023, the legislatively authorized Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will deliver a comprehensive set of new wildfire-related policy recommendations to Congress. As part of this “make-or-break” year for federal wildland fire policy, the Federation of American Scientists is conducting foundational work that will help the Commission achieve its goals, through both talent placement and targeted policy development.
The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission called for input from diverse stakeholders and FAS, along with partners Conservation X Labs (CXL), COMPASS, and the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), answered the call. Recruiting participants from academia, the private sector, national labs, and other nonprofits, the Wildland Fire Policy Accelerator produced 24 ideas […]
In an environment where fire seasons are turning to fire years, and summer skies across North America are filled with wildfire smoke from as far away as another coast, the need for scientifically accurate wildland fire policy has never been greater. Over the past several months, COMPASS Science Communication has been working in collaboration with […]
Wildland fires are becoming larger, more frequent, and more severe. Wildland fire suppression funding, in turn, has become more complex.
California has seen historic and catastrophic wildfires in the past several years. But it would be a mistake to assume the impacts of these wildfires are contained by California’s borders. It’s known from existing research that wildfires in one area can have public health impacts far from the source. The wildfires in California and throughout […]
Over the past two years, the federal government has invested unprecedented amounts of funding in wildfire suppression, hazardous fuels reduction, community preparedness, and restoration through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Together, the IIJA and IRA provide $24 billion in funding for wildfire issues, distributed over 40 different programs and administered […]
This week, we’re launching a Wildland Fire Policy Accelerator to develop policy ideas aimed at improving how we live with fire in the United States.