A Science-Management Partnership to Reduce Human-Caused Large Wildfires in the Southwest: Lessons Learned and Pathways Forward

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 2pm ET

Description: The size and frequency of human-caused large wildfires continue to increase across the U.S. Southwest due to an array of evolving social and ecological conditions. Evidence-based prevention strategies are urgently needed, but foundational research that bridges geospatial and social data to inform these efforts is scarce. Achieving a substantial reduction in human-caused large wildfires also requires effective science-management partnerships that promote interventions grounded in best available science. In this webinar, speakers will present an assortment of interconnected studies from Arizona and New Mexico that were developed in partnership with federal, state, and local prevention staff to address these needs. This includes key findings from GIS analyses, surveys, interviews, and focus groups with community members and practitioners that highlight existing successes and opportunities to strengthen human-caused wildfire prevention moving forward.

Presenters: Catrin Edgeley, Assistant Professor, Utah State University; Zander Evans, Executive Director, Forest Stewards Guild; Sarah Devenport, Human Dimensions Specialist, Ecological Restoration Institute; Gabe Kohler, Renew Forest Works