Project Overview
This $4 million NSF-funded project is led by Boise State University in partnership with the University of New Mexico, Navajo Technical University, Northwest Nazarene University, and the University of Oklahoma. In collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies, the project integrates artificial intelligence, hydrology, ecology, and economic and social sciences to overcome bureaucratic and environmental barriers to prescribed burning and the use of managed wildland fire.
Vision Statement
Foster stakeholder-engaged collaborations to develop transformative, actionable wildfire solutions and enhance societal resilience.
Mission Statement
Conduct innovative, use-inspired research, develop a skilled workforce, and build trusting partnerships to enhance fire-focused ecosystem sustainability and community safety.
The project is organized into three core research thrusts:
- Research Thrust 1- Societal Impacts: Identifying the bureaucratic, economic, and public-perception barriers to using managed fire.
- Research Thrust 2- Hydrology: Assessing how managed fires affect watershed health, including water yield, baseflow, and post-fire water quality.
- Research Thrust 3- Ecology: Using machine learning and physics-based models to understand how managed fires impact a forest’s long-term carbon carrying capacity.
Additionally, the project focuses heavily on workforce development and capacity building to train the next generation of fire professionals.
Key educational initiatives include:
- Launching a Fire Science Certificate at Boise State
- MS in Artificial Intelligence at Northwest Nazarene University
- Support of the FiRES Center at UNM
- K-12 teacher training
- Intensive public outreach initiatives
The Good Fire Project
Conceptual model of the Good Fire project. NIFC: National Interagency Fire Center, BIA: Bureau of Indian Affairs, USDA: US Department of Agriculture, ARS: Agricultural Research Service, NPS: National Park Service; BLM: Bureau of Land Management, NWS: National Weather Service, BoR: Bureau of Reclamation, USGS: US Geological Survey.
The Good Fire Project conceptual model illustrates how the project connects agency partners — including NIFC, US Forest Service, BIA, USDA ARS, NPS, BLM, NWS, BoR, Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, and Academicians — with Boise State disciplines including Geosciences, Ecology, Social Science, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Graphic Design. The model centers on three core goals: Optimal Managed Fires to Address Critical National Need, Foundational Capacity for Use-Inspired Research, and Education, Outreach, and Workforce Development. Research approaches include Hydrology (Big Data and ML, Experimental) and Ecology (Computational Science, Ecosystem Modeling), with AI and Disaster Risk Reduction as cross-cutting themes. Education activities include partnerships, mentoring, cross-training, externships, science communication, storytelling, grant writing, open science, K-12 teacher training, recruitment, educational modules, a fire science certificate, a wildfire center, and an MS in AI.