Joint Fire Science Program

The Joint Fire Science Program provides funding for scientific studies associated with wildland fire, fuels, and fire-impacted ecosystems that respond to the emerging needs of land managers, practitioners, and policymakers.

A man holds tools as he collects scientific samples in a burned area.

An employee collects scientific samples in a recently burned area. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey.  

Quick Facts

$3 million:  amount appropriated to this program in Fiscal Year 2025
18: research projects funded in Fiscal Year 2024
1998: year Joint Fire Science program was established by Congress

The Joint Fire Science Program provides funding for scientific studies associated with managing wildland fire, fuels, and fire impacts to ecosystems. Science and data are then used by land managers, practitioners, and policymakers at local, regional, and national levels. This work informs wildland fire policy and practical solutions leading to fire adapted communities and more fire-resilient landscapes. The program was established by Congress in 1998 and is jointly funded by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service. 

The Joint Fire Science Program plays a central role in delivering practical, science-based solutions and knowledge exchange by funding and managing the Fire Science Exchange Network. Fifteen regional fire science exchanges provide the most relevant, current wildland fire science information to Federal, Tribal, State, local, and private stakeholders within ecologically similar regions. 

2024 Highlights

In fiscal year 2024, JFSP focused research dollars on key scientific and emerging needs, including prescribed fire effects on water quality and quantity, managing carbon emissions, and characterizing wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface.

FY2024 highlights include:

  • Strengthening partnerships among scientists, practitioners, managers, and other interested parties to accelerate the identification and adoption of science-based management strategies that facilitate adaptation to changing fire regimes.
  • Evaluating the effects of prescribed fire on water quality and quantity.
  • Studying carbon emissions in ecosystems with deep organic soils to inform effective strategies for managing carbon stores in deep organic soils that are increasingly impacted by wildfire.
  • Studying wildfire risk in wildland-urban interface and urban settings to evaluate and improve existing methods to characterize wildfire risk.

Learn more, apply for funding, or browse ongoing and completed research projects at firescience.gov. 

You can also learn about other Interior Department wildland fire science efforts on the U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science webpage.

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