Wildland Fire Science Strategy
New USGS Strategy Harnesses State-of-the-Art Science to Tackle Wildfires Before, During and After the Flames
New USGS Strategy Harnesses State-of-the-Art Science to Tackle Wildfires Before, During and After the Flames
USGS Wildland Fire Science
Supporting the Nation's Wildland Fire Management Challenges
Supporting the Nation's Wildland Fire Management Challenges
USGS Emergency Assessment of Post-Fire Debris-Flow Hazards
How Wildfires Threaten U.S. Water Supplies
The USGS is working to measure and predict post-fire water quality and quantity.
The USGS is working to measure and predict post-fire water quality and quantity.
Wildland Fire Science
USGS Fire Science is fundamental to understanding the causes, consequences, and benefits of wildfire and helps prevent and manage larger, catastrophic events. USGS scientists possess diverse technical capabilities that are used to address a variety of problems posed by wildland fires. Outcomes of USGS science can be used by fire and land managers to respond to fire-related issues when they arise.
Diverse Fire Science Topics
Diverse Fire Science Topics
Learn more about the different ways that USGS science is used for wildland fire management.
Browse USGS Fire Science Publications
Browse USGS Fire Science Publications
Get more information about recent scientific publications produced by USGS that deal with wildland fire science.
Current Wildfire Hazards in the U.S.
Current Wildfire Hazards in the U.S.
Use the Intterra National Fire Situation map tool to view current wildfires and related information.
News
In a recently published study, FORT scientists and collaborators synthesize data from 26,729 post-burn vegetation plots to determine the effects of fire and climate on non-native plant invasion
In a recently published study, FORT scientists and collaborators synthesize data from 26,729 post-burn vegetation plots to determine the effects of fire and climate on non-native plant invasion
New "Fueling Discovery" Wildland Fire Science Webinar Slated for October 10, 2023
New "Fueling Discovery" Wildland Fire Science Webinar Slated for October 10, 2023
Webinar Series - Fueling Discovery with USGS Wildland Fire Science
Webinar Series - Fueling Discovery with USGS Wildland Fire Science
Publications
A retrospective assessment of fuel break effectiveness for containing rangeland wildfires in the sagebrush biome
Escalated wildfire activity within the western U.S. has widespread societal impacts and long-term consequences for the imperiled sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome. Shifts from historical fire regimes and the interplay between frequent disturbance and invasive annual grasses may initiate permanent state transitions as wildfire frequency outpaces sagebrush communities’ innate capacity to recover. The
Forecasting natural regeneration of sagebrush after wildfires using population models and spatial matching
ContextAddressing ecosystem degradation in the Anthropocene will require ecological restoration across large spatial extents. Identifying areas where natural regeneration will occur without direct resource investment will improve scalability of restoration actions.ObjectivesAn ecoregion in need of large scale restoration is the Great Basin of the Western US, where increasingly large and frequent w
Future direction of fuels management in sagebrush rangelands
Sagebrush ecosystems in the United States have been declining since EuroAmerican settlement, largely due to agricultural and urban development, invasive species, and altered fire regimes, resulting in loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitat. To combat continued conversion to undesirable ecological states and loss of habitat to invasive species fueled by frequent fire, a variety of fuel treatment
Science
The Impact of Climate-Driven Phenological Shifts on Cheatgrass in Western North America
Climate change-induced warming can alter plant phenology and disrupt ecosystems like the sagebrush steppe in western North America. The invasive annual grass cheatgrass can thrive under these altered conditions, exacerbating wildfires and threatening wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and other important ecosystem services. We are studying how different densities of cheatgrass respond to increased...
Estimating spatial variation in greater sage-grouse lek buffers using seasonal space use models
Greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) management relies on the identification and protection of core habitat for the species. Core areas are often centered on leks where the potential impacts of anthropogenic development and other disturbances can be evaluated based on buffer distances around active leks. While buffer distances have been quantified for some regions, sage-grouse space...
A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations
Researchers within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University (CSU) worked with BLM and State Wildlife Agencies to develop a hierarchical population monitoring framework for managing greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) populations and the sagebrush ecosystems that they depend upon for survival and reproduction. This hierarchical population monitoring strategy now...