NW Fire Science June Newsletter
Autumn Ellison, Program Coordinator
NW Fire Science Consortium
215 Richardson Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
nw.fireconsortium@oregonstate.edu Subscribe to this newsletter! June 2025 Newsletter --> Hello NW Fire Science Readers,
We hope you are all doing well, and have the monthly recap of pubs, resources, and news below as usual. It's a big month for new publications–be sure to browse the list below to see if any resonate with you and your ongoing work! Also see the recap from the Fire and Fuels Monitoring Workshop we held with partners in 2 locations in May, it was definitely a highlight of our month!
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, resources to highlight in future newsletters, or other news to share; we are always happy to hear from you.
Autumn Ellison
NWFSC Program Coordinator --> Recent publications:
(Published an article? Send it to us!)
New journal articles (pdf available):
- Bartelink et al., WIREs Forensic Sci: Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Search and Recovery of Fatal Wildland Fire Victims
- Chiodi et al., Journal of Climate: Multifactor Change in Western U.S. Nighttime Fire Weather
- Clark-Wolf et al., Ecosphere: Ecological scenarios: Embracing ecological uncertainty in an era of global change
- Coogan et al., Fire Ecol: Lightning ignition efficiency in Canadian forests
- Dyer et al., Landsc Ecol: Post-fire delayed tree mortality in mesic coniferous forests reduces fire refugia and seed sources
- Eissa et al., Int. J. Wildland Fire: Review of thermal behaviour of firebrands and their role in fuel bed and structure ignition
- Gourley et al., Int. J. Wildland Fire: Mobile radar provides insights into hydrologic responses in burn areas
- Hart et al., Divers Distrib: Rapid Declines in Southern Sierra Nevada Fisher Habitat Driven by Drought and Wildfire
- Jiang et al., Fire Ecol: Quantifying Western US tree carbon stocks and sequestration from fires
- Jones et al., Biological Conservation: Collapse and restoration of mature forest habitat in California
- Mansuy et al., Commun Earth Environ: Integrating fire-smart fuels management with bioenergy benefits remote and Indigenous communities in Canada
- Murphy et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences: Insights Into Nature-Based Climate Solutions: Managing Forests for Climate Resilience and Carbon Stability
- Nassikas et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med: Climate Change Contributions to US Wildfire Smoke PM2.5 Mortality Between 2006-2020
- Webster et al., Ecological Economics: Are wildfire risk mitigators more prepared to evacuate? Insights from communities in the Western United States
- Yemshanov et al., PLoS One: Evaluating fuelbreak strategies for compartmentalizing a fire-prone forest landscape in Alberta, Canada
- York et al., Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research: Planted seedling regeneration using gap-based silviculture without herbicide in a wildfire-impacted forest of the Sierra Nevada
New paywall journal articles (pdf/full text not available via NWFSC site):
- Fuller et al., Ecological Modelling: A cellular necrosis process model for estimating conifer crown scorch
- Price et al., Journal of Environmental Management: Reliability of satellite-based vegetation maps for planning wildfire-fuel treatments in shrub steppe: Inferences from two contrasting national parks
- Ramírez Sánchez et al., Ardeola: A Systematic Review of Trends and Methodologies in Research on the Effects of Wildfires on the Avifauna in Temperate Forests
- Reed et al., New Phytol: Fire directly affects tree carbon balance and indirectly affects hydraulic function: consequences for post-fire mortality in two conifers
- Shriver et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.: Long-term tree population growth can predict woody encroachment patterns
Reports, practitioner guides, & related resources
- Walls & Wibbenmeyer, Resources for the Future: Shaping Land Use Patterns in the Wildland-Urban Interface: The Role of State and Local Governments in Reducing Exposure to Wildfire Risks
- The Oregon State University Extension Service has published Not All Flame’s the Same, a collection of accessible resources exploring how fire has shaped Oregon’s landscapes — past and present.
- Community engagement in fire preparedness: It’s how that matters. A primer for community wildfire practitioners. Davis et al., 2025. Oregon State University Extension Catalog EM 9467.
- Aging and Wildfire Risk to Communities. Report. Winkler & Mockrin 2025. USDA Economic Research Service.
- Job Exposure to Wildfire Risk in the American West. Report, assesses job growth and wages in the West across five wildfire hazard categories. Joiner et al., 2025. Resources for the Future.
New data and datasest resources:
- Quality assured spatial dataset of wildfire containment firelines and engagement outcomes 2017 to 2024. Arkowitz et al., Nature Sci. Data descriptor.
- Maps of mechanical fuel reduction treatment constraints for the United States Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes. Woolsey et al., Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive.
The workshop entailed 2 half-days of virtual training via videos and presentations, followed by a field day to learn more and practice in 2 different locations: the Yakama and Flathead Reservations. We had attendees from many partners at the field days, including from multiple Tribes across the PNW, WA DNR, US Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Columbia Land Trust, and Salish Kootenai College. While the Flathead group got hit with a severe rainstorm in the afternoon, weather on the Yakama Reservation was delightful!
See below for some of the feedback we received from attendees on the value of this workshop, and stay tuned for a resources page with the presentations and tools shared during the hybrid portion, coming to our website in the next month. We can't wait to do it again in 2 new locations in spring 2027! Gratitude to our lead instructors for the field days:
Yakama location: Heather Heward, University of Idaho
Flathead location: Sarah Flanary, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Special thanks to the planning team for this year's workshop:
Monique Wynecoop, BIA Tri-Regional Ecologist
Darcy Hammond, Northern Rockies Fire Science Network
Tom DeMeo, US Forest Service R6 Ecology
Autumn Ellison, NWFSC "I adored the field day. Heather was an amazing teacher, and the opportunity to get out in the field, hands-on, was truly priceless. It was definitely a huge learning opportunity that I will be applying in my work."
"Highly support future iterations of events like this one! Opportunities for fuel/fire monitoring folks to come together across academia/agencies etc. is huge benefit to hear other approaches in sample design, as well as hear what other people in same region are working on!"
"I really appreciated the willingness of the experts to be available to share their experience, answer questions from the students, and to just be open and available for conversations and questions throughout the workshop. I also appreciated the Tribes taking the time to open their doors to other agencies for the monitoring field days and to share some of their experiences and local knowledge of the land and resource management approaches they implement. None of this would have been possible without their willingness to host and share their expertise and time."
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- Northeast Oregon IGNITE Prescribed Fire Skills Training. June 6-8. Wallowa, OR. Hosted by Wallowa Resources. More info and register.
- Leading the Modern CWPP Process Class. June 9-10. Redmond, OR. Hosted by OR State Fire Marshall and The Ember Alliance. Learn more.
- Western Governors' 2025 Annual Meeting. June 23-24.Santa Fe, NM.
- 50th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop. July 13-16. Broomfield, CO. Natural Hazards Center. More info.
- 9th American Forest Congress. July 15-18. Washington, DC. More info.
- New! Columbia Gorge TREX 2025. Sept. 21-Oct. 4. Trout Lake, WA. Save the date! Positions are available for participants with or without NWCG qualifications.
Applications open in May. Send questions to sarah@mtadamsstewards.org - The 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration. Sept. 30-Oct. 4. Denver, CO. Society for Ecological Restoration. More info.
- 17th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit & 7th Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference. The International Association of Wildland Fire has released its 2024 Annual Report and is seeking presentation proposals for upcoming conference. Calgary, Alberta. Oct. 20-23rd. Deadline to submit proposals is May 31st.
- WA DNR Certified Burner Program courses. See website for more information and application form.
- Fall 2025: October 28-30 at the Klickitat Community Center. Apply by 9/25.
- 11th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress. Dec. 2-6, 2025. New Orleans, LA. Association for Fire Ecology.
- New listing: 6/5 Webinar: Wildfire smoke air monitoring response technology and AirNow fire and smoke map. EPA Tools & Resources Training. Register.
- New listing: 6/18 Webinar: Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP): Integrating smoke preparedness. Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. Register.
- New listing: 6/23 Webinar: Pacific Northwest DEWS June Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar. Register.
- New listing: 6/24 Webinar: Cross-boundary collaborative stewardship. Montana Forest Collaboration Network. Register.
- New listing: 6/25 Webinar: First comes fire then comes flood. Coalitions & Collaboratives with ATF. Register.
- New listing: New post-fire resource website: After the Fire Washington. Information and resources for survivors of wildfire in Washington State.
- LANDFIRE Office Hours 2025 Series. 10-11a PDT. More info and register.
- 6/25: Applying Rangeland tools and concepts for fire and fuel management
- 7/30: How LANDFIRE Uses Image-Based Modeling to Map Vegetation and Update Fuels
- 8/27: FUEL + (LAND)FIRE = SMOKE
- 9/24: IFTDSS & LANDFIRE
- 10/29: Coordinating Smoke Management: Insights from Albany, Georgia’s Pilot Project
- 12/3: LANDFIRE Fuels Process
- Recorded webinars:
Due to the rapidly changing nature of fires, we do not cover news related to current/individual wildfires in our newsletter. For current info on fires and smoke in the region, please check out the CURRENT FIRE INFO page on our website.
See also: National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, June-->September 2025.
Jobs & funding
- National Forest Foundation 2025 Matching Awards Program Nationwide Grant Opportunity. The NFF is soliciting proposals to provide funds for projects that directly benefit America’s National Forests and Grasslands. Applications due June 27. Learn more.
- Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP). Helps the owners of non-industrial private forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters. USDA, Ongoing. Learn more.
- Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP). USDA. See 5/29 Press Release and ELRP page for more details.
- Hazardous fuels transportation grants: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $23 million in grants to support transporting hazardous fuels (such as dead or downed trees) from national forests to processing facilities. The funding requires 50% match; see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for details. Applications are due by June 20.
- Position: Chief Executive Officer: West Region Wildfire Council. Ridgway, CO. Open until filled. Learn more.
- Position: The Nature Conservancy in Oregon is hiring for an Oregon Prescribed Fire Specialist ((job ID 56676).
- Resource: Federal Grants Fundamentals for Wildfire Resilience Practitioners. A new post by Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network summarizes best practices and links to several virtual trainings to familiarize fire practitioners with important federal funding tools like grants and agreements, as well as key aspects of grants compliance.
News & media:
- Important Fire Tool Updates and New Tools. USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station Science You Can Use.
- 6/2: California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some important truths about flammability. The Conversation.
- 5/29: Press Release: USDA to Provide $1 Billion to Livestock Producers Impacted by Drought or Wildfire in 2023 and 2024. USDA.
- 5/27: Managing forests and other ecosystems under rising threats requires thinking across wide-ranging scenarios. The Conversation.
- 5/25: How prescribed burns are reshaping Southern Oregon forests and communities. OPB.
- 5/24: Fire restrictions in effect in Oregon and Washington. OPB.
- 5/22: Wildfire season in WA: Above-normal risk in forecast. Seattle Times.
- 5/22: Oregon lawmakers are now considering a ‘cap-and-trade’ program to fund roads, wildfire prevention. OPB.
- 5/21: Kotek says Oregon is ready for fire season, but federal help is uncertain. OPB.
- 5/21: Washington DNR faces staffing cuts, halves wildfire prevention budget. KATU.
- 5/19: Managing Risk from Good Fire: Prescribed Fire and Liability Insurance. Insurance for Good.
- 5/19: Gov. Tina Kotek now supports withholding $1B of Oregon’s ‘kicker’ for wildfire costs. OPB.
- 5/5: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: How Wildfires Reshape Landscapes. USGS Featured Story.
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