The objective is to identify realistic land-use and other risk-reduction policies that likely will reduce potential harms from wildfire across alternative plausible futures

Summary

Oregon State University received a $287,952 Cooperative Agreement from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP, CFDA 15.232) awarded September 16, 2025, with completion scheduled for November 30, 2027. The award funds research and stakeholder engagement to identify evidence-based land-use and risk-reduction policies that mitigate wildfire harm across plausible future scenarios. Deliverables include analytical work to inform iterative selection of wildfire risk-reduction actions and locations, and development of a shared vision for wildfire resilience among public and private entities that accounts for uncertainties in regional and global trends. The project leverages partnership between university researchers and the state agency responsible for public land-use planning, alongside collaboration with multiple federal, state, and local organizations.

As part of the project scope, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development (DLCD) serves as a sub-awardee under the primary project titled "Increasing Oregonian's Resilience to Wildfires" (sub-award initiated January 15, 2026). This collaborative structure positions DLCD to contribute state-level land-use planning and coastal resource management expertise to support the research team's efforts to translate wildfire science into actionable policy recommendations for Oregon stakeholders.

Through a partnership between researchers and the state agency charged with addressing public land-use needs, and in collaboration with many other agencies and organizations, we aim to inform iterative selection of actions and locations for wildfire risk reduction. We also aim to catalyze a vision of resilience to wildfire that is shared by public and private entities and is robust to uncertainties in regional and global trends.