Fire has shaped the diverse landscapes of the Southwest for thousands of years. This series explores the fire regimes of different vegetation types, examining historical fire frequency, intensity, extent, and seasonality. We also discuss how modern fire suppression, climate change, and management strategies impact these ecosystems today. By understanding the natural role of fire, we …
Fire has shaped the diverse landscapes of the Southwest for thousands of years. This series explores the fire regimes of different vegetation types, examining historical fire frequency, intensity, extent, and seasonality. We also discuss how modern fire suppression, climate change, and management strategies impact these ecosystems today. By understanding the natural role of fire, we …
The Southwest Fire Science Consortium leveraged funding from the AZ Governor’s Office-funded program, the Arizona Wildfire Initiative. As a result, the Consortium was able to triple their output.
Our Fire Ecology Learning Lab (FELL for short) is a place-based, standards-aligned, K-12 curriculum designed for students in Arizona and New Mexico. FELL includes lesson plans that can be used by teachers and agency members to use during classroom visits.
This the twelfth annual report in a series Southwest wildfire season overviews available from the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Ecological Restoration Institute. This overview provides a concise summary of the 2024 fire season and facilitates comparisons with past fires and fire seasons. It follows the format of past years’ overviews and describes the …
Learn about the potential uses of biological soil crust sods (biocrust sods) for degraded soils restoration and as fire and fuel breaks in desert environments. Recorded on: Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Description: Biocrust sods (portable islands of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, and other organisms that form the cohesive soil communities known as biological soil crusts) are …
Watersheds in the Southwest can be greatly impacted by wildfire events. This fact sheet provides a quick overview of the sections and materials in our May 2025 synthesis. Check it out and learn about nature-based solutions, case studies, and other resources that can help ameliorate post-fire flooding. Find the full working paper here.
Wildland fire prevention is underfunded despite its proven value. This fact sheet covers best practices of prevention education, engineering, enforcement, and administration.
In a nutshell: Presenters from University of Arizona discuss how wildland fire managers use decision support tools and how those weather and climate tools can be revised or reinvented to better fit managers’ needs. Recorded on: Thursday, June 26, 2025 Description: Three short presentations about recent work from the University of Arizona on understanding how …
Most wildfire prevention science is over thirty years old and as such needs to be updated to reflect today’s diverse recreationalist user groups. Read our fact sheet to learn more about what kind of studies are needed to connect with those who visit our wildlands.