Wildfire social science: How scientists and practitioners are collaborating to create evidence-based research

The establishment of a Social Science Research Group (SSRG) for wildfire – a group of social scientists from multiple disciplines along with highly experienced practitioners – offers a unique opportunity to examine the complex interactions required to address wildfire. For much of the Forest Service’s history, investments related to wildfire risk have focused on calculating risk based on biophysical characteristics of fire-prone areas, identifying opportunities to engage an active fire incident more successfully, and then delivering this information to end users and other decision makers. While these investments have yielded important outputs and insights, they do not always take local context, social-demographic factors of at-risk communities, and organizational working relationships into account. Further, these efforts do not shed light on the culturally and organizationally specific roles that the Forest Service could play in different fire-prone places. This is precisely where social scientists can make a difference in reducing wildfire risk.

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Natalie Cooper

Members of the Social Science Research Group for wildfire pose during their inaugural meeting in 2024 in Fort Collins, Colorado.