USDA/USDOI Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP)

GRANT OPPORTUNITY FORECAST USDA/USDOI Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): July – September 2020 Potential Topics March 2020 Background The interagency Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) intends to request proposals through one or more formal Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) beginning approximately July 2020 and remaining open 60 days. The intent of this announcement is to provide an early alert to investigators interested in the topics listed below so that they can begin considering responsive ideas with potential partners and collaborators. Investigators should recognize that final decisions regarding topic selection will not be made until Spring of 2020 and that final topic selection may differ from that posted here. One or more topics could be dropped or added, and the specific focus of individual topics may be altered. Investigators should recognize this uncertainty and not invest substantial time or resources working on proposals until the FOAs and their associated topics are formally posted. Investigators should not contact the JFSP Office or Governing Board members seeking further information on these topics. No further information will be released until the FOAs are formally posted. Primary FOA A. Relative impacts of prescribed and wildland fire Although the documented benefits of prescribed fire are numerous including habitat improvement and hazardous fuel reduction, there are drawbacks as well, such as reductions in air quality, which may impact human health. Prescribed fire is often implemented with the assumption that it will mitigate the effects of uncontrolled wildfire, because prescribed fire has been shown to reduce the intensity of subsequent wildfire under certain conditions. This is desirable because the impacts of wildfire are usually of a higher magnitude, larger in size and intensity, and pose a risk to public safety. To fully evaluate the trade-offs between prescribed fire programs and current wildfire impacts, an assessment framework is vital. Currently, there is little information on the spatial scale, frequency and spatial pattern at which prescribed fire begins to have an impact on subsequent wildfire extent, intensity and severity. As a result, JFSP is interested in proposals that improve our understanding of the relationship between prescribed fire programs and subsequent...

The following types of entities are eligible to apply for award under this announcement. Failure to meet eligibility requirements will result in precluding the BLM from making an award. Types are: - State, local government, Indian Tribe; - Institution of Higher Education (IHE); - Nonprofit Organizations

Proposals are peer-reviewed. The twelve person Joint Fire Science Program Governing Board will analyze peer review comments and make all funding decisions. General criteria used to select assistance proposals are based on their direct relationship to federal wildland fire management, qualifications of principal investigator and institution, and a balanced review including relevance to program objectives, merit and cost effectiveness. Joint Fire Science Program proposals will be reviewed for relevancy in relation to the posted announcement for proposals task statement, scientific methods and study design, science deliverables, collaboration/leverage, and administrative adequacy. Successful proposals will provide a strong science delivery and application plan that clearly demonstrates the use of both passive and active technology transfer methods.

Fiscal year 2025: In FY25 Joint Fire Science Program focused on Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN), the Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN) and science topics related to accelerating science in fire-prone ecosystems, effective fire communication and outreach, cultural burning and wildfire resilience and risk, Invasive plants and fire regimes, and wildland fire impacts, mitigations, responses and recovery. Fiscal year 2026: Treating the Burn: How do post fire-fuel treatments affect landscape patterns of reburn severity? Evaluation and validation of seven operational fire potential decision-support tools with observations and forecasts. Inventory and Evaluation of Fire Potential Forecast Products Across Scales for Decision Support Southern Rockies Fire Science Network Southern Fire Exchange: Putting Fire Science on the Ground