Reimagine fire science for the anthropocene
Authors: Shuman Jacquelyn K , Balch Jennifer K , Barnes Rebecca T , Higuera Philip E , Roos Christopher I , Schwilk Dylan W , Stavros E Natasha , Banerjee Tirtha , Bela Megan M , Bendix Jacob , Bertolino Sandro , Bililign Solomon , Bladon Kevin D , Brando Paulo , Breidenthal Robert E , Buma Brian , Calhoun Donna , Carvalho Leila M V , Cattau Megan E , Cawley Kaelin M , Chandra Sudeep , Chipman Melissa L , Cobian-Iñiguez Jeanette , Conlisk Erin , Coop Jonathan D , Cullen Alison , Davis Kimberley T , Dayalu Archana , De Sales Fernando , Dolman Megan , Ellsworth Lisa M , Franklin Scott , Guiterman Christopher H , Hamilton Matthew , Hanan Erin J , Hansen Winslow D , Hantson Stijn , Harvey Brian J , Holz Andrés , Huang Tao , Hurteau Matthew D , Ilangakoon Nayani T , Jennings Megan , Jones Charles , Klimaszewski-Patterson Anna , Kobziar Leda N , Kominoski John , Kosovic Branko , Krawchuk Meg A , Laris Paul , Leonard Jackson , Loria-Salazar S Marcela , Lucash Melissa , Mahmoud Hussam , Margolis Ellis , Maxwell Toby , McCarty Jessica L , McWethy David B , Meyer Rachel S , Miesel Jessica R , Moser W Keith , Nagy R Chelsea , Niyogi Dev , Palmer Hannah M , Pellegrini Adam , Poulter Benjamin , Robertson Kevin , Rocha Adrian V , Sadegh Mojtaba , Santos Fernanda , Scordo Facundo , Sexton Joseph O , Sharma A Surjalal , Smith Alistair M S , Soja Amber J , Still Christopher , Swetnam Tyson , Syphard Alexandra D , Tingley Morgan W , Tohidi Ali , Trugman Anna T , Turetsky Merritt , Varner J Morgan , Wang Yuhang , Whitman Thea , Yelenik Stephanie , Zhang Xuan 
Published: August 2022

Fire is an integral component of ecosystems globally and a tool that humans have harnessed for millennia. Altered fire regimes are a fundamental cause and consequence of global change, impacting people and the biophysical systems on which they depend. As part of the newly emerging Anthropocene, marked by human-caused climate change and radical changes to ecosystems, fire danger is increasing, and fires are having increasingly devastating impacts on human health, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. Increasing fire danger is a vexing problem that requires deep transdisciplinary, trans-sector, and inclusive partnerships to address. Here, we outline barriers and opportunities in the next generation of fire science and provide guidance for investment in future research. We synthesize insights needed to better address the long-standing challenges of innovation across disciplines to (i) promote coordinated research efforts; (ii) embrace different ways of knowing and knowledge generation; (iii) promote exploration of fundamental science; (iv) capitalize on the “firehose” of data for societal benefit; and (v) integrate human and natural systems into models across multiple scales. Fire science is thus at a critical transitional moment. We need to shift from observation and modeled representations of varying components of climate, people, vegetation, and fire to more integrative and predictive approaches that support pathways toward mitigating and adapting to our increasingly flammable world, including the utilization of fire for human safety and benefit. Only through overcoming institutional silos and accessing knowledge across diverse communities can we effectively undertake research that improves outcomes in our more fiery future.