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BOISE, Idaho – Today the interagency Joint Fire Science Program announced its Fiscal Year 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for wildland fire research priorities. Nearly $11 million will be awarded across federal, state, Tribal and local governments, other Tribal entities, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and private groups to advance wildland fire research and scientific exchange. The opportunity is supported by a combination of annually appropriated funds and the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Joint Fire Science Program provides funding and science delivery for scientific studies associated with managing wildland fire, fuel, and fire-impacted ecosystems to respond to emerging needs of managers, practitioners, and policymakers from local to national levels.

“Land managers are increasingly challenged with responding to the complex wildland fire environment. It is therefore important to understand the science behind wildland fire to improve decisions and apply scientifically proven solutions on the ground” said Coleen Haskell, Joint Fire Science Program Manager.

In 1998, Congress directed the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to develop a Joint Fire Science Program and Plan to prioritize and provide sound scientific studies to support land management agencies and other stakeholders in addressing issues associated with wildland fire.

The Joint Fire Science program advances efficient and effective land management tools and practices, such as the Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System, COVID-19 Risk Assessment Tool, and fuels treatment effectiveness research.

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. Proposal details are available on the “Funding” tab at firescience.gov. The following topics are included in the fiscal year 2025 solicitation:

Primary

The Primary announcement is seeking proposals focused on:

1. Accelerating science to action in fire-prone ecosystems: Spurring innovation in adaptation through knowledge exchange and place-based partnerships;
2.  Cultural burning: bridging conventional science gaps with Indigenous Knowledge and relationship between cultural burning and wildfire resilience/risk
3. Interactions between invasive plants and fire regimes and incorporation of invasives into wildland fire fuel models, risk assessments, and other decision support tools; and
4. Social equity and wildland fire impacts, mitigation, response, and recovery.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) anticipates awarding up to $6 million in funding for FY 2025 under this category.

Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN)

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 (GRIN) 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; and
• Human dimensions of fire.

The BLM anticipates awarding between $300,000 to $500,000 in funding for FY 2025 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 five geographic areas: Alaska, Great Basin, Northern Rockies, Northwest, and Pacific.

The BLM anticipates awarding close to $4,100,000 in funding for FY 2025 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 and current wildland fire science information to federal, state, local, Tribal, and private land managers within ecologically similar regions. It brings together fire managers, scientists, and other stakeholders to address regional fire management needs and challenges.

Proposals are due by September 19, 2024, through https://www.firescience.gov.  For any questions about these funding opportunities, please contact Coleen Haskell, JFSP program manager, at chaskell@blm.gov or (986)-217-7782.