September 2022

Science Spotlight: Wildfire and Smoke Research

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station has a long history of providing science information and tools that address the challenges faced by wildland fire managers and responders in the United States. Every year, wildfires negatively affect natural resources and communities; however, in many western landscapes, fire is also a necessary and beneficial ecological process. The cascading effects of more than a century of fire exclusion and fuel buildup, changes in land use, extended drought, warming temperatures, and the spread of invasive species have led to widespread changes in fire regimes across the country. These changes have added further complexity to an already complex issue.

Station scientists work closely with wildland fire and land managers to characterize and mitigate wildfire risks, to enhance the positive effects of fire on landscapes, and to anticipate future changes in wildfire activity. Read on to learn about some of the station's latest wildfire and smoke science projects, findings, and resources.

Featured Ongoing Projects

Featured Research

Hotter, drier night air may be making wildfire containment more difficult

Hot, dry air conditions fuel more intense wildfires, while cool, moist air conditions can make fires easier to manage.

Investigating the ecological tradeoffs of postfire management strategies

Large, stand-replacing wildfires are expected to become increasingly common due to climate change, but there are limited scientific data available to help managers evaluate options for forest management after wildfire.

Testing methods for estimating wildfire effects on aboveground forest woody carbon mass in Washington and Oregon

As wildfires increase in size and frequency throughout the western United States, and interest in carbon accounting grows, accurate and efficient methods for measuring carbon flux are critical. This study provides an applied example of a quasi-experimental approach to quantify the effects of a natural disturbance for which experimental settings are unavailable.

Tracking variation in California’s Santa Ana winds to improve fire-risk modeling

The Santa Ana winds are notorious in southern California for their role in spreading large wildfires during the fall and winter seasons. Combined with southern California's complex topography that is marked by mountain passes and canyons, Santa Ana winds create challenges for modeling wind-fire relationships in the region.

Most mechanical fuel treatments immediately enhance resistance to crown fire

Forest managers face the challenge of integrating fuels management with other management objectives across land ownerships.

Climate change likely to alter postfire forest restoration patterns

Wildfires are a regular occurrence for many western forests, but increases in the size and severity of recent wildfires have led to concerns about long-term forest recovery. It can take decades to centuries for forests to fully recover from a severe fire, but most studies focus on short-term regeneration outcomes.

Featured Tool

Passive or active management? Understanding consequences and changes after large stand-replacing wildfires

Every summer, wildfires burn thousands of acres of forests in the American West. After the fire, forest managers must decide whether to leave the postfire landscape to recover naturally or harvest some of the burned trees for timber. 

Reducing fuels and advancing equity: Incorporating environmental justice into hazardous fuels management

In 1994, an executive order on environmental justice directed federal agencies to identify and address any disproportionately high adverse effects their actions and policies may have on the health and environment of minority and low-income populations.

Taking an “all-lands” approach to managing wildfire across diverse forest ownerships

Across the American West, forests have diverse owners and are managed for different goals. But when wildfire ignites on one parcel—whether managed by the USDA Forest Service, a corporation, a tribe, or a family forest land owner—all neighbors are at risk.

Browse the complete Science Findings archive. 

Webinar

Evaluating rural Pacific Northwest towns for wildfire evacuation vulnerability

Road network and fire hazard metrics were used to evaluate the wildfire evacuation vulnerability of nearly 700 rural towns in Washington and Oregon.

Webinar

Identifying plausible community wildfire disasters in low-frequency fire regimes

A comparison of simulated wildfires and historical disasters from 1984 to 2020 identified plausible future disasters in communities in western Washington and Oregon.

Webinar

Understanding the consequences of passive and active forest management following large stand-replacing wildfires

Highlights of studies that are exploring what combination of management actions is most likely to reduce the severity of a repeat wildfire and make forests more resilient.

Story Map

A “new normal” for West-side fire in Oregon and Washington



As the climate becomes warmer and drier, forests of western Oregon and Washington are experiencing longer fire seasons, longer burns, and increased wildfire risk. These trends are expected to continue in the future with climate change.  

PNW SciCast is the station's Webinar series, held on the last Thursday of the month. Browse its episodes and other recorded Webinars featuring station scientists. 

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