Building wildfire resilient communities through research-practice partnerships

When the flames draw near, it's too late to start planning. The Wildfire Research Center is collaborating with communities to rewrite the narrative on wildfire preparedness and safety. Wildfire is a natural part of many forested areas and grasslands. However, residential expansion into fire-prone landscapes and the growing intensity and severity of wildfires has amplified wildfire risk to communities. Nevertheless, this is not a tale of devastation, but of resilience, innovation, science, and collective action. Communities across the west are stepping up to face the threat of wildfires head-on. Applying cutting edge-research in the fields of social science and fire mitigation through researcher-practitioner partnerships is empowering homeowners to take actions to help protect themselves, their neighbors, and the entire community from damaging wildfire.   

The Wildfire Research Center, also known as WiRē, is working with local wildfire mitigation and education organizations across the western U.S. to build community resilience to wildfire. As partners, they conduct risk assessments and survey research that can support residents’ efforts to mitigate wildfire hazards around their homes and prepare for evacuation. “There's increasing recognition of the role that private landowners and residents have in this space,” explains Dr. Patricia Champ, Research Economist at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and research lead at the WiRē Center. “If we want to chip away at the wildfire problem, these local programs are essential.”

Dr. Champ’s journey with WiRē began with a simple yet profound question: how can public preferences be used to support effective programs and policy? This query led her into the realm of wildfire preparedness, where the stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction can be devastating. Dr. Champ’s expertise in economics and human behavior have equipped her to examine how the preferences and actions of individuals intersect with community-level activities. Her research helps dissect and understand the nuanced motivations driving homeowners in fire-prone communities across the country to engage in wildfire preparation and risk mitigation.

The WiRē Center studies how people living in these vulnerable zones make decisions about wildfire preparation and risk mitigation. Dr. Champ realized that understanding these decisions required local data and engagement with the communities themselves. “You need this engagement with a person on the ground who’s knowledgeable and who community members trust,” says Dr. Champ. Because each community has its own unique relationship with wildfire, solutions need to be tailored to community needs.

The WiRē research approach has two core components: expert risk assessments and social surveys. Researchers, practitioners, and community partners work together throughout the research process. First, a professional and often a community partner, conducts wildfire risk assessments of private properties in the study area. For each property, they look at things like building materials, nearby vegetation, and how easily a fire truck could reach the property. Second, the team conducts social surveys with residents to understand how households view wildfire risk and what actions they take to reduce it. The WiRē team and community partners analyze these data and discuss how the data can inform solutions tailored for each community. Another key element is making sure the findings are shared with the entire community and are used to inform similar efforts in other areas.

As Dr. Champ and the WiRē team have collected data from projects across diverse communities, they’ve discovered that many community decision makers didn’t have a full picture of residents’ views. For instance, one study community encountered beliefs that wealthy residents were indifferent to wildfire risks. However, Dr. Champ’s team has often found the opposite to be true. These residents were indeed taking steps to mitigate risk, but they may have underestimated complexity and standards required for effective mitigation. "Local managers often hear from a vocal minority," Dr. Champ notes. “This can distract them from understanding what the broader community thinks.” The evidence-based approach helps communities see the bigger picture and act accordingly.

The WiRē Project seeks to unravel the intricate web of community attitudes and actions toward wildfire preparedness. Dr. Champ explains, "they've been receptive to this evidence-based approach because it often supports them doing what they know is important but lacked evidence to back up."

An exemplary case of the project's impact is the Genesee community in the foothills of Colorado west of Denver. Dr. Champ tells the story of a board member of the Genesee Fire Board of Directors that heard an interview with one of the WiRē scientists on NPR. They decided to engage in a WiRē project, which was the impetus for this partnership. The project helped the community to conduct wildfire risk assessments and address critical needs like evacuation routes, leading to practical solutions such as designing a new road for safer evacuation, which is now ready for community approval.

Additionally, the Genesee project underscores the necessity of local engagement and accurate risk assessment. Initial risk assessments from the Community Wildfire Protection Plan identified low-risk areas that, upon closer inspection with WiRē project data, were found to be among the highest risk, highlighting the importance of detailed, on-the-ground assessments.

The WiRē Project's success has not gone unnoticed. In a ceremony held November 15 at the Denver Museum of Natural Science and History, WiRē received the prestigious 2024 Colorado Governor’s Pathfinding Partnerships Award for high impact research. This award, sponsored by CO-Labs, recognizes the state’s scientific community and highlights their central role in the innovation that contributes to Colorado’s economy. Chris Barth with USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management was also named in this award along with six additional partners and members of the WiRē team. "It's a partnership award, and the partnership aspect of the work is foundational," Dr. Champ highlights. The award is a testament to the collective effort and dedication of all involved.

One partner, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Aaron Johnson of the West Region Wildfire Council, eloquently captured the essence of the project: "If we’re going to meet the moment, we need to understand the moment." This philosophy underscores every aspect of the WiRē project’s work, from refining community programs to enhancing communication methods.

The WiRē team’s website has more information and is full of great examples like Genesee and other communities illuminating a path towards safer, more resilient futures. They remind us that when it comes to fire, unity, knowledge, and proactive action are our most powerful tools.