What is a Fire Adapted Community?
Fire adapted communities are groups of professionals, other local residents and agency staff working together to take action before, during and after wildfire. Actions address resident safety, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces and other community assets. Every community has a unique set of circumstances and capacities, so the kinds of actions they take will vary. Further, there is no end-point in becoming a fire adapted community. Sustaining, growing and adapting strategies, partnerships and capacity through time are key.
Accelerating the Spread of FAC Concepts
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FAC Net), which is modeled after the Fire Learning Network, is a national network of fire professionals, agency staff and others that encourages the development and sharing of best practices and innovations in order to accelerate community wildfire resilience nationwide. The network has different levels of membership, and between our "core" members (most of whom receive funding), our "affiliate" members, and state fire adaptation networks, we have about 100 members. This interactive map has more information about the locations and backgrounds of our members.
Learn more about FAC Net:
The Watershed Research and Training Center and The Nature Conservancy manage FAC Net, providing support to the pilot communities, capturing learning and organizing the annual workshops.
We publish blogs twice a week that offer lessons learned, models, success stories and interviews related to helping communities live more safely with wildfire.
National Context
Fire adapted communities is one of three themes of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, and agencies and other stakeholders across the United States are working in a variety of ways to help local communities safely coexist with fire. The Fire Adapted Communities Coalition is a consortium of agencies and organizations (including the Conservancy) working to advance the overall effort.
Why is the Conservancy Involved?
Fire is a key, natural process that restores and maintains the health of forests and grasslands. In the United States, if we are to allow fire to play its “natural role” at a meaningful scale, we must first make both our wildlands and nearby communities more “fire-ready.” The methods for doing this are tested and straightforward, but require money, social license and an ongoing commitment to action. The Conservancy promotes ecologically appropriate thinning and fire use in wildlands and adjacent to communities, and we promote fire adapted community concepts in places where homes and flammable ecosystems intersect.
Contact: Wendy Fulks (The Nature Conservancy) or Michelle Medley-Daniel (Watershed Research and Training Center).
