The UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Fire Network is dedicated to improving fire resilience for all Californians, developing and delivering science-based information to support healthy communities and ecosystems.
The Fire Network offers programming through our statewide team of local extension advisors, campus faculty and specialists, and staff. Our team has expertise across a wide range of disciplines, including fire science and ecology, home hardening and defensible space, community and regional planning, beneficial fire, targeted grazing, and much more.
Our Key Programmatic Areas
California faces a wide array of fire-related challenges across both rural and urban landscapes. To help address these issues, the Fire Network delivers research and extension programming in four key thematic areas related to land stewardship, wildfire preparedness, post-fire recovery, and workforce development. Learn more about our programming here.
Empowering science-informed land stewardship
Fire is a common theme across California’s diverse ecosystems and communities, and the UC ANR Fire Network provides resources, training, research, and inspiration to help Californians better steward their local landscapes. The Network:
- Researches the efficacy and impacts of fuels and vegetation management strategies across a wide range of ecosystems.
- Leads, mentors, and supports California’s fast-growing network of Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) (https://calpba.org/).
- Delivers workshops and trainings across a wide range of fire-related topics.
Community resilience
Catastrophic fires in recent years have shown that fire issues are not just in the wildlands; there are critical actions that must also be taken at the home, neighborhood, and community scales. The Fire Network provides:
- Research on plant flammability.
- Targeted ranch hardening trainings and leadership in local Ag and/or Livestock Pass Programs.
- Home hardening and defensible space trainings for residents, resource professionals, and other community members.
Post-fire recovery and restoration
With every fire season, more of California’s landscapes and communities are in need of post-fire resources and recovery tools. The Fire Network provides :
- Research and monitoring to address ongoing challenges in ecosystem restoration in novel post-fire environments.
- Statewide Post-Fire Forest Resilience Workshops for private forest landowners.
- Technical expertise and support for urban and rural communities recovering from wildfires.
Workforce development and professional belonging
Fire issues in California demand a robust workforce with a wide range of talents and skills. The Fire Network helps grow the workforce through targeted training, mentorship, and policy efforts, including:
- Programs that grow our fire and forestry workforces, including the California State-Certified Burn Boss (CARX) Program, the Forestry and Natural Resources Career Mentorship Program, and the Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchange Program (WTREX).
- Statewide policy work that supports the advancement of California’s prescribed fire workforce.
Want to stay up to date with the Fire Network?
Contact Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Fire Network Director (lquinndavidson@ucanr.edu) or Katie Low, Fire Network Coordinator (katlow@ucanr.edu) to be connected with your local Network expert. You can also visit our website (https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/) or follow us on BlueSky (@ucanrfirenetwork), Facebook (UC ANR Fire Network), Instagram (@ucanrfirenetwork), LinkedIn, X (@anrfirenetwork), and YouTube (@ucanrfirenetwork)!