How Can We Span the Boundaries between Wildland Fire Science and Management in the United States?

Abstract

In 2009, the federal Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) initiated a national network of boundary organizations,known as regional fire science consortia, to accelerate the awareness, understanding, and use of wildland firescience. Needs assessments conducted by consortia in eight regions of the United States are synthesized hereusing a case survey approach. Although regions used different methods based on their different ecosystems,geography, and demography, results showed striking similarities in how fire science is accessed and used,barriers to its use, and research information needed. Use of Internet-based information is universally high;however, in-person knowledge exchange is preferred. Obstacles to fire science application include lack of time,resources, and access to the most relevant information as well as communication barriers between scientists andmanagers. Findings show a clear need for boundary organizations to span fire science and management to (a)organize and consolidate fire science information through easily accessible websites and (b) strengthenrelationships between scientists and managers to facilitate production and communication of science relevant tomanagers’ concerns. This article contributes to boundary spanning theory by underscoring and documenting theadvantages of regionally focused boundary organizations in meeting user needs and building bridges betweenfire scientists and managers.Keywords: fire science, boundary organization, fire management, Joint Fire Science Program, technologytransfer