Making an Impact in Fire and Forest Management
The National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis (FireCenter) develops, synthesizes, and delivers scientific products, applications, and geospatial technology to improve fire and forest management. It advances collaborative scientific research and student education while improving the capabilities of natural resource professionals.
What Are We Working on Now?
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As part of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, FireCenter faculty and staff teach a variety of courses in the Forest Management department and support the Fire Sciences and Management minor and the Wildland RxFire Practicum. We work directly with both undergraduate and graduate students, through short-term research projects, independent studies, and graduate-level research. Students also participate in prescribed fire unit preparation and burning, and interact with property owners to evaluate and mitigate wildfire risk in the urban interface on private lands.
The UM Student Association of Fire Ecology and Management (UM-SAFEM) was started by FireCenter faculty and graduate students. The student-run fire club, advised by FireCenter staff, connects students, faculty, and community members from diverse backgrounds with a network of fire peers, active fire managers, and fire ecologists.
By providing students and managers meaningful, relevant, and impactful experiences and opportunities, the FireCenter ensures that the future wildland fire workforce continues to improve in capability, efficiency, and effectiveness.
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The FireCenter approaches development of new science and technologies as partners of people and uses these partnerships to identify and act quickly on fire management needs. By facilitating science transfer from the academic to the applied realm, we ensure land managers in the United States are using the best available science and technology. The FireCenter is applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to localize forest and fuel attributes by integrating remote sensing data of different spatial, temporal, and radiometric resolutions. By partnering with scientists and managers we can provide people in the fire community with new ideas and tools to address the increasingly complex issues facing fire management today and tomorrow.
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By connecting ongoing activities to a broader strategic context and providing data-driven and adaptive plans for all-lands, the FireCenter is working on implementing and planning for prescribed fire more efficiently on larger spatial and temporal scales. Everything we learn during implementation with our partners will inform and refine the assessment, analysis, and products produced, delivering long-term benefits to all natural resource managers, regardless of location, agency affiliation, or management objectives.
