April 19 – New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan introduced legislation on Thursday to establish wildfire research centers in the US
The Wildland Fire Research Act is intended to support more research into wildland fire management models and research to help make decisions before a controlled fire, as well as build pipelines for more wildland firefighters. Democrat Luján introduced the bipartisan bill along with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
“Too many communities in New Mexico and in states across the country know that wildfire season can cost you everything,” Luján said, pointing to the devastation caused by the 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.
The bill would establish regional research centers at institutions of higher education to develop new technology for managing wildfires, conduct research on fire suppression and rehabilitation strategies, and address fire management needs specific to the areas where research centers are located.
Current fire modeling is inadequate, said Luján, who cited the example of the 2020 Creek Fire in Sierra Nevada, California. Research published in 2022 in collaboration with the Forest Service showed that operational fire behavior models failed to predict the behavior of the Creek Fire.
The bill would also establish a National Center Coordinating Council and regional advisory councils of state and tribal governments and wildfire management agencies.
“There is currently a shortage in the ability to recruit and retain wildland firefighters across the country,” Luján said. “This is a very tough job. So it is crucial to ensure that there are additional career paths for individuals, as well as strengthening the models that will be used to manage or extinguish these fires, which will lead to creating safer conditions for wildland firefighters to work with .”
According to Luján, the bill would support expanding research that colleges such as New Mexico Highlands University and the University of New Mexico have already begun.
“We have two leaders in our state that all western states also benefit from, but what we can also do to create more tools, research that will strengthen the modeling needed to manage forest fires, put them out and help save them of more lives. , more communities and creating pipelines for more wildland firefighters is why this legislation is absolutely needed.”
UNM President Garnett Stokes said the school supports the bill. The legislation also received support from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Federation of American Scientists.
“Extreme weather has caused wildfires to increase in size and severity, rendering our current wildfire models inadequate. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act is a significant investment in understanding how wildfire risks continue to evolve,” said Daniel Correa , Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists, in a statement.
