Scientists at the U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana are raising concerns about wildfires spreading to populated areas as more communities push closer to forests.
Senior scientist Mark Finney highlighted a pattern seen in recent deadly California fires — blazes start in wildland vegetation, spread rapidly under dry, windy conditions, and move into urban zones.
The Missoula lab, founded after a tragic 1949 fire that killed 13 firefighters in Montana, is now the only U.S. facility solely focused on wildland fire behavior. Other labs have either shifted focus or closed.
Despite rising wildfire threats, Finney warned that funding for fire science has dwindled. “We have bigger questions and more consequences to society, ecosystems, and communities, yet fewer resources for scientific study,” he said.
The lab’s research helps identify high-risk wildfire zones across the country. This data supports the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program, part of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The program helps communities — especially rural ones lacking the resources to tackle wildfire mitigation — prepare for disasters.
Greg Dillon, head of the lab’s Fire Modeling Institute, emphasized the gap in support: “Larger communities often have the means to plan for wildfires, but rural areas with high risk simply don’t.”
Though some federal programs faced cuts after President Donald Trump took office, the Forest Service confirmed the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program remains funded, with the application deadline extended to March 14.
A cost-sharing waiver for Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Island, and US Virgin Islands communities was limited in February to low-income areas.
The USDA acknowledged 2,000 probationary Forest Service employees were laid off but did not specify if Missoula lab staff were affected.
Also read: Bitcoin Drops Below $90K Amid Tariffs and Bybit Hack Fallout
