swfsc, Author at Southwest Fire Science Consortium

Community discussion: Changing fire regimes in the Sonoran Desert

by swfscFactsheet April 16, 2025April 17, 2025No Comments

Scientists, land managers, and students gathered at the 4th Southwest Fire Ecology Conference to discuss the challenges posed by the alterations to the historic fire regime in the Sonoran Desert. This fact sheet summarizes the key insights and proposed solutions that emerged from these discussions, highlighting the urgent need for informed and adaptive fire management …

Protecting the Sonoran Desert from wildfire: Providing critical fire science to address a growing threat

by swfscSuccess Stories April 15, 2025April 16, 2025No Comments

The Southwest Fire Science Consortium has recognized the growing need for science on how to protect the sensitive ecology of the Sonoran Desert from the dual, and related, threats of invasive grass spread and wildfire. We have worked diligently on collaborative efforts aimed at meeting the need of land managers in the Desert. Read the …

Demonstration of a lesson from our Fire Ecology Learning Lab in a classroom

The Fire Ecology Learning Lab: Preparing the next generation for wildfire challenges

by swfscSuccess Stories April 15, 2025April 16, 2025No Comments

The Southwest Fire Science and others have partnered over the last five years to create and grow the Fire Ecology Learning Lab (FELL), a placed-based and standards-aligned K-12 curricula. FELL is a success story, especially over the last two years, when, with additional funding and resources, FELL reached 16,000+ students in the Southwest. Read more …

After the Wildfire Guide for Arizona

by swfscScience Synthesis April 8, 2025April 16, 2025No Comments

2025 AZ Wildland Urban Fire Summit

by swfscWorkshops April 2, 2025April 8, 2025No Comments

About the Summit Held in Prescott on October 28-30, 2025, the Arizona Wildland Urban Interface Summit is a statewide event for wildfire preparedness, planning, and postfire recovery. Participants will discuss emergent strategies for landscape-scale wildfire planning and implementation, access professional networking opportunities, and leave with a renewed confidence on how to collaboratively address and manage …

Fire in the Southwest: Fire season 2024 overview and 2025 outlook

by swfscUpcoming Webinars, Webinars April 1, 2025April 8, 2025No Comments

In a nutshell: Learn about commonalities and unique events within the 10 largest Southwestern fires of 2024 and hear a meteorologist explore the fire season outlook and expectations for fire weather behavior in 2025. Date and Time: Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM Mountain / 12:00 PM Arizona Description: Most frequent-fire forests throughout the …

Grasses and wildflowers after a monsoon storm near the San Francisco Peaks. Photo By Annie Elko

How does understory vegetation respond to fuel treatments?

by swfscFactsheet March 28, 2025April 8, 2025No Comments

Recent research shows that fuel treatments can benefit the understory in southwestern forests. Grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs contribute to the overall health of a forest. What happens to these plants after thinning and prescribed fire? Read our fact sheet to find out!

Dark green forest with ReSHAPE and SWERI logos in print on top.

ReSHAPE: Reshaping wildfire and fuels reduction information

by swfscUpcoming Webinars, Webinars March 19, 2025April 9, 2025No Comments

In a nutshell: This presentation will introduce the Treatment and Wildfire Interagency Geodatabase (TWIG), a geodatabase and viewer integrating nationwide federal—and soon state-level—fuel treatment and wildfire data, demonstrating how it differs from other decision support tools and exploring its applications, through research examples, for both advanced statistical analysis and use in direct management decisions. Date/Time: …

Short Term Rental Packet

by swfscFactsheet March 18, 2025April 8, 2025No Comments

Short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO are increasing across the Southwest. While beneficial for local economies, many visitors are unaware of the state’s wildfire risks or how to stay informed. To address this, the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Arizona Wildfire Initiative created a wildfire information packet for short-term rentals. This customizable resource educates …

Read more “Short Term Rental Packet”

Two photos of the same forest, one prior to treatment and one after thinning treatment

A Long-Term View of Collaborative Forest Management: The 15-Year Southwest Jemez CFLRP Report

by swfscWebinars March 3, 2025April 17, 2025No Comments

In a nutshell: Presenters from the Southwest Jemez Mountains CFLRP offer lessons gleaned from 15 years of cooperative work about the impact of managed and prescribed fire, forest thinning, and a collaborative approach to land management on landscape resiliency. Recorded on: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM Mountain/11:00 AM Arizona Description: Multi-party monitoring is …