Redefining the wildfire problem and scaling solutions to meet the challenge

ABSTRACT

As the climate warms, extended drought and heat events in the United States are driving an increase in acres burned and homes lost to wildfire. The most devastating wildfires happen when dry winds carry embers long distances, start spot fires and ignite homes. Burning homes then become the fuel that ignites other nearby homes, causing mass conflagrations. Today wildfire is largely approached as a problem that can be controlled through vegetation treatments and firefighting, but that strategy has not stopped the loss of homes and even entire communities. However, new observational and analytical tools have given firefighters, governments, and the public a better understanding of wildfire and how to prepare for it. By redefining the wildfire problem as a home ignition problem, communities can survive even extreme fires and can safely reintroduce fire to the land.

KEYWORDS:

• Adaptation
• resilience
• wildfire impacts
• wildfire solutions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Funding

Ralph Bloemers and Nancy Colleton received support from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration for a portion of the research conducted for this article.

Funding

Ralph Bloemers and Nancy Colleton received support from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration for a portion of the research conducted for this article.

Additional information

Funding

Ralph Bloemers and Nancy Colleton received support from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration for a portion of the research conducted for this article.

Notes on contributors

Beverly Law

Beverly Law is a professor emeritus of Global Change Biology & Terrestrial Systems Science at Oregon State University, where she has worked for 25 years. She is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and has served on the US Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group and on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expert panels. She has been a lead author of the National Climate Assessment, and co-author of National Research Council reports on verifying greenhouse gas emissions and air quality management.

Ralph Bloemers

Ralph Bloemers is the Director of Fire Safe Communities, Green Oregon Alliance. He produced the award-wininng documentary Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire (2023), https://www.elementalfilm.com. For over two decades, he has worked with scientists, tribes, conservation groups, government agencies and communities throughout the Pacific Northwest on the conservation of forests, including burned landscapes. He has investigated the causes of fires, documented wildlife and recovery in burned landscapes, and worked to help people and communities prepare for more fire in a hotter drier world.

Nancy Colleton

Nancy Colleton leads the Arlington, Virginia-based Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, is a member of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group, and frequently writes on the need for improved environmental intelligence to better respond to climate change.

Mackenzie Allen

Mackenzie Allen is a research assistant at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. She has degrees in Environmental Science & Policy and Spanish from the University of Maryland and was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant to Spain in 2022.