Wildfires are a complex physical process that occur both naturally and at the hands of humans. Fires are necessary to support many ecosystems and cultures, but are producing increasingly disastrous human outcomes globally, and particularly in the western US. While engineering and technological advances have substantially mitigated other types of natural disasters over decades, there is a considerable lag in this arena for wildfire, which is a product of how fire has been historically viewed in the US. Here, I review both why the frameworks applied to disaster mitigation have been overlooked with respect to wildfire and also the state-of-the-science regarding common misconceptions about wildfire mitigation. Further, I highlight key areas where engineering, technology, and data sciences could produce substantial and rapid advances in mitigating wildfire disasters. I also offer suggestions for development of near-term research in wildfire mitigation and adaption, particularly through replication, amplification, and expansion of natural biological solutions.

Crystal Kolden

Assistant Professor in the Management of Complex Systems Department, School of Engineering, at the University of California, Merced. Her research focuses on characterizing and understanding wildfire intersections with the human-environment system through geospatial, temporal, and mixed-methods approaches.