Joint Fire Science Program

The Joint Fire Science Program encourages interested parties to perform research and studies pertaining to wildland fire and resource management, to enhance decision-making ability of fire, fuels, natural resource, and land managers and others to meet management objectives. This program solicits research and science delivery proposals that respond to its announcements for proposals that seek information on workforce development including Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN), the Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN), and critical wildland fire and fuels management research needs.

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