Science for wildfire and safety: Pioneers of cutting-edge fire science
Eloise Gerry, a professional staff member at the agency's Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI circa 1910.
For over a century, USDA Forest Service Research and Development has built the foundation for what we know about forests, fire, and firefighter safety across the country.
In 1898, Gifford Pinchot, as Chief of the Division of Forestry, commissioned a study of fires with the goal of reducing losses from wildfire. The fires of 1910 spawned investigation into fire prevention and suppression methods, and by 1912, research in the agency was robust, spanning topics from silviculture to the effects of fire.
In 1915, the Forest Service initiated its research branch and long-term fire research programs. By the 1920s, fire research occurred across the organization and at eight different experiment stations. Early research focused on understanding fire hazards, predicting conditions based on weather, showing the effects of light burning, planning for fire control, studying effects of fire on forest composition, and — perhaps most notably — developing a fire danger forecasting and rating system.
Early burn chamber tests at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana.
In the 1950s, on the heels of the Mann Gulch Fire tragedy, the agency founded three research laboratories, two of which are still operational: the California Fire Lab in Riverside, California, and the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana. These facilities became centers for a basic understanding of fire, and now, for advanced fire behavior modelling using combustion chambers, wind tunnels, burn tables, and other sophisticated equipment. The Athens Prescribed Fire Science Lab in Georgia was founded more recently in 2020.
The progression of agency fire research has evolved alongside the country’s challenges and interests. Most of the tools, methods, and applications used in wildland firefighting around the globe today are based on knowledge, data, and innovations from Forest Service fire researchers. Many private sector tools and non-profit initiatives are made possible because of Federal investments in fire science. Forest Service Research and Development has been, and continues to be, the world leader in fire research.
