Connecting Research to On-the-Ground Wildfire Priorities

PFX strives to serve the needs of wildfire practitioners, island communities and landscapes by working with our partners to identify and pursue relevant science and research across the Pacific region.

2014 Stakeholder Priorities

In 2014, wildfire stakeholders prioritized knowledge about pre-fire management; prevention, outreach, and education; wildland urban interface; after-fire response; wildfire suppression; collaboration; drivers and impacts of wildfire and the use of technologies. These priorities provided a road map for PFX products and activities and a resource to identify and develop research that meets on-the-ground needs (right). Read more here about these stakeholder priorities.

Current Wildfire Research Needs

PFX engages in many questions concerning the relationship of fire to the natural and built (human) environment. This include understanding how the climate crisis is impacting fire outcomes in the Pacific. In addition, building a better understanding of the social, cultural, economic and human dimensions of fire are critical Pacific Island research needs.

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Wildfire Research Regions

savanna-forest mosaic on Yap

Federated States of Micronesia

Guam2

Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands

Hawaii

Hawai‘i

Hawaii

Hawai‘i – old

Hawai`i Island: Leilani Fire, August 12, 2022

Hawai‘i Island

Kauai Fire Ignitions Heat Map 2012-2020

Limahuli Kaua`i, June 2019.  (Credit: Mike Walker, DLNR)

Kaua‘i

Lahainaluna, Maui, Aug 2018 (Credit: Hank Oppenheimer)

Maui Nui (Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i, Kaho‘olawe)

Makaha Valley, O`ahu, Aug 2018. (Credit: Clay Trauernicht)

O‘ahu

Palau

Republic of Palau

Recent Resources for Researchers

A Screening System to Predict Wildfire Risk of Invasive Plants (Biological Invasions, November 2021)

November 23, 2021

Download Paper Here Search Wildlife Risk Database Here Hawaii, Fire Ecology & Effects, invasive species, Tool Authors Kevin Faccenda and Curtis Daehler developed a screening system to identify introduced plant…

Maintaining the Many Societal Benefits of Rangelands: The Case of Hawai‘i (Land, 2021)

June 2, 2021

Authors Leah Bremer et al suggest that well managed rangelands as part of a mosaic, contribute to social and ecological health and well-being in Hawai‘i.

Changing Climate and Fire: a Crisis Brewing in the Pacific

April 13, 2021

As the climate crisis rages on, wildfires will become ever more frequent, more intense, and more wide-spreading in Hawai’i and across the Pacific. This fact sheet summarizes the latest climate…