Bridging Research and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:23:42 +0000

Bridging Research and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 02/24/2026 - 09:23

Madeline Brant

Wildfire risk in Colorado and the U.S. is growing at an alarming rate, putting more homes and lives in danger than ever before. The growing threat prompts more education about wildfire risk and mitigation, and every community faces different challenges.

Effective strategies for advancing resistance and resilience are increased when researchers and community practitioners work together. Practitioners in this field work at the interface of wildfire and communities, meaning they are responsible for connecting disciplines such as ecology, firefighting, forest management or emergency management and relating them to wildfire risks.

Collaborative efforts for wildfire education have been long-standing, with online forums, discussions and workshops playing an important role with linking practitioners and researchers, particularly when practitioner organizations face funding and staffing challenges that can limit opportunities for in-person meetings.

The WiRē (Wildfire Research) Center, a nonprofit formed by researchers and practitioners involved with wildfire prevention, resilience and research, works to support the efforts of both groups through collaborative projects. Recognizing that researchers and practitioners typically work separately, the WiRē Center launched a Community of Practice (CoP) in 2021. Meeting quarterly, the CoP enhances opportunities for reciprocal learning. The first in-person CoP was hosted in Denver, Colorado in 2023. In 2025, funding from CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) supported a second in-person workshop, which brought a more geographically and professionally diverse group of practitioners together.

Hannah Brenkert-Smith, research associate professor at the Institute of Behavioral Science and board member for the WiRē Center, described how the workshop is essential to the development of wildfire mitigation and preparedness across, not only communities in Colorado, but the whole nation.

“The funding from the PACES grant brought everybody together to have a workshop where we presented research, and they presented what they’re doing with their programs. Participating practitioners highlighted where they were using those data to really grow their programs in new and successful ways,” said Brenkert-Smith.

Passionate about bridging the gap between action and research, WiRē Center works to develop data and convey findings to communities across Colorado. Each project includes parcel-level wildfire risk assessments for every residential property in the study area. The assessment data collection includes building materials (e.g., roof and siding), the distance from the home to nearby vegetation, background conditions such as the density of nearby vegetation, slope and topography, and the accessibility of the residence for firefighters. Each homeowner is also mailed a household survey to collect data on a range of topics including wildfire risk perceptions and mitigation and preparedness actions. When paired together, the data enable the creation of tailored outreach approaches for different communities.

“[Participants] are using [the data] to tailor their programs and to foster conversations with land management agencies adjacent to the communities they serve, so that the management process goes more smoothly and is more successful,” said Brenkert-Smith. These conversations lead to strengthened strategies within local fire departments, leading to better preparation and mitigation practices across communities.

During the workshop, conversations with practitioners allow the researchers to witness the impact of their research, instead of merely summarizing it and sending it along. “[Older methods] are more extractive, and this is more collaborative. This is a co-production,” said Brenkert-Smith. “Collaborative, co-productive research gives back to the practitioner, and values practitioner insights, work and time as co-equals. I think that is the future of the best type of research.”

Organizers plan to continue quarterly CoP meetings to foster the connections made and propel necessary conversations. With projects across the West, the efforts made by each researcher and practitioner transcend Coloradoto other parts of the U.S. For example, a collaborative project currently underway in North Carolina brings practitioners serving fire-prone communities in the Southeast, where wildfire risks look different from Colorado.

Brenkert-Smith and her colleagues at the WiRē Center help develop wildfire prevention and mitigation and further necessary engagement with the public. Their unique model accounts for not only those with boots on the ground, but for community members and researchers resulting in more resilient communities.

In fire-prone communities, wildfire practitioners are often the sole advocates for making adaptations and are isolated from professional peers and researchers. A community of practice—representing 82 practitioners from eight states—convened for its second workshop to learn from one another and researchers.

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Bridging Research and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response

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