Science and Technology Gaps and Priority Areas in Wildland Fire

The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission was established in 2021 by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to develop recommendations across the wildfire system. In September 2023, the Commission released a report to Congress that recommended an effort to identify research gaps and science priorities documented in existing reports. In support of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Science and Technology Policy Institute analyzed existing science and technology gaps and priority areas described in eight reports focused on wildfire management published between 2014 and 2023. Six areas of common gaps and priorities emerged: detection and monitoring, firefighter operations and safety, land and fuels management, construction and zoning, health and safety, and relief and recovery. The analysis revealed seven cross-cutting priority areas for improvement across the research, development, and application of science and technology for wildfire risk mitigation: education; interagency and cross-sector coordination; practitioner-informed science and technology; data management; research leadership; information at appropriate scales; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Taken together, these gaps will help inform federal agency prioritization of wildfire-related science and technology issues by highlighting ongoing challenges and opportunities for collaboration and improved resilience.