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BOISE, Idaho – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced nearly $11 million available through the Joint Fire Science Program in fiscal year 2024 for current wildland fire research priorities. This funding opportunity, supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, can be accessed via firescience.gov and will remain open through September 28, 2023. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes critical investments of $8.25 billion to strengthen wildfire resilience efforts through the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, including through funding for fuels management work, burned area rehabilitation, support for the federal wildland firefighting workforce and funding for wildland fire science and research.

“With climate change driving a shift from a specific fire season to an entire fire year, it is crucial we continue funding wildland fire science research and knowledge exchange at local, regional and national scales. Research funded by the Joint Fire Science Program will continue to aid in our understanding of the complex wildland fire environment,” said Grant Beebe, Bureau of Land Management Assistant Director for Fire and Aviation at the National Interagency Fire Center.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been instrumental in supporting firefighter health, safety and many other wildfire management issues,” said Dana Skelly of the USDA Forest Service and chair for the Joint Fire Science Governing Board. “The Joint Fire Science program not only helps fund critical research to improve wildfire management, it also ensures that the best available science is getting to the field through our Fire Science Exchange Network.”

“To help combat climate change and confront the wildfire crisis, the call for proposals this year will focus on minimizing the impact of prescribed fire on water quality and flow, improving fire risk assessments in the wildland-urban interface and managing fire to reduce emissions in high-carbon soils,” said Paul Steblein of the U.S. Geological Survey and co-chair for Joint Fire Science Program Governing Board. 

In 1998, the Joint Fire Science Program was statutorily authorized by Congress as a joint partnership between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to provide funding and science delivery for studies associated with managing wildland fire, fuel and fire-impacted ecosystems. The program is unique in its ability to bring the scientific and management communities together to identify high priority fire science research needs and develop effective and sound solutions for managers on the ground. The program responds to stakeholders’ emerging needs by tailoring timely wildland fire research through an annual proposal solicitation cycle.

Thousands of research projects funded by the Joint Fire Science Program have resulted in efficiency land management tools and practices. 

This year, the Joint Fire Science Program is soliciting proposals from both government and non-government entities in three areas: Primary, Graduate Research Innovation and Regional Fire Science Exchange. Funding for research and science delivery will come from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The following topics are included in the fiscal year 2024 solicitation:

Primary

The Primary announcement is seeking proposals focused on:

1. Accelerating science to action in fire-prone ecosystems
2. Effective fire communication and outreach
3. Prescribed fire effects on water quality and quantity
4. Managing carbon emissions in ecosystems with deep organic soils
5. Social equity and wildland fire impacts, mitigation, response, and recovery
6. Characterizing wildfire risk in wildland-urban interface and urban settings

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) anticipates up to $6 million in funding for FY 2024 under this category.

Graduate Research Innovation

Under the second category, the Joint Fire Science Program invites current masters and doctoral students enrolled at colleges or universities within the U.S. and studying in the field of wildland fire or related physical, biological or social sciences to apply for a Graduate Research Innovation award. Proposals will be considered that address:

• Fuels management and fire behavior
• Changing fire environment
• Emissions and air quality
• Fire effects and post-fire recovery
• Relative impacts of prescribed fire versus wildfire
• Human dimensions of fire

The BLM anticipates between $300,000 to $500,000 in funding for FY 2024 under this category. 

Regional Fire Science Exchange

The Joint Fire Sciences Program is also seeking proposals for the Regional Fire Science Exchange. The Exchange announcement is focused on leading and executing a regional fire science exchange in nine areas: Appalachians, California, Great Plains, Lake States, North Atlantic, Southern, Southern Rockies, Southwest and Tallgrass Prairie.

The BLM anticipates up to $4,206,000 in funding for FY 2024 through this announcement, depending on program funding availability.

The Fire Science Exchange Network is a national collaboration of 15 regional fire science exchanges that provides the most relevant, current wildland fire science information to federal, state, local, Tribal and private land managers within ecologically similar regions. It brings together fire managers, Tribes, scientists and other stakeholders to address regional fire management needs and challenges.

Proposals are due by September 28, 2023, through https://www.firescience.gov.  For any questions about these funding opportunities, please contact Coleen Haskell, JFSP program manager, at chaskell@blm.gov or (208)-387-5975.