Describing the 2013 summer fire season, the Oregon Department of Forestry called it “epic.” On those lands protected by the state, it was the costliest ever, and the first time in over 60 years that more than 100,000 acres burned. Oregon’s forests are changing. The management objectives and priorities of federal and private landowners are evolving.

Oregon Health Authority and the University of Oregon partnered to conduct a survey-based evaluation of wildfire smoke communications and impacts experienced by Oregon residents during the 2020 wildfire season.

Large areas of federal lands in the western states are currently at high risk of severe wildfire and have many insect and disease problems, indicating a significant decline in forest health and resilience.

Strong scientific evidence shows that climate change is producing hotter, drier conditions that contribute to larger fires and longer fire seasons in the American West today. The annual number of large wildfires on federally managed lands in the 11 western states has increased by more than 75 percent: from approximately 140 during the period 1980–1989 to 250 in the 2000–2009 period.

The effects of wildland fire on communities have become more intense, frequent, and far-reaching. Increased development in the wildland urban interface means higher wildfire risk and more suppression needs, costing billions every year. A comprehensive approach to preparedness and mitigation is an effective way to address increasing suppression costs and reduce risk to communities.

Recentfire seasons in the western United States are some of the most damaging andcostly on record. Wildfires in the wildland-urban interface on the ColoradoFront Range, resulting in thousands of homes burned and civilian fatalities,although devastating, are not without historical reference.

This paper describes methods developed to (1) assess current risks, vulnerabilities, and gaps in knowledge; (2) engage internal agency resources and external partners in the development of options and solutions; and (3) manage forest resources for resilience, not just in terms of natural ecosystems but in affected human communities as well.

Following a wildfire, regeneration to forest can take decades to centuries and is no longerassured in many western U.S. environments given escalating wildfire severity and warming trends. Afterlarge fire years, managers prioritize where to allocate scarce planting resources, often with limited informationon the factors that drive successful forest establishment.