Task Force Science Advisory Panel Releases Synthesis of Latest Research Guiding California's Wildfire Resilience Efforts

June 5, 2026 – The Task Force’s Science Advisory Panel released A Science-based Synthesis to Safeguard People, Communities, and Ecosystems from Wildfire in California (Science Synthesis), which provides a strong scientific framework for the Task Force’s 5-year Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Action Plan.

The Science Advisory Panel was tasked with synthesizing topically specific, science-based, and decision-relevant research findings to guide investments and actions to protect human lives and communities and reduce risk to ecosystems and the services they provide from extreme wildfire events in California. The Panel identified seven key messages, including:

• A brief overview of California’s wildfire crisis
• Socioeconomic and public health implications of wildfires
• Land use planning and design for protecting communities
• Wildfire impacts to ecosystems and the services and values they provide
• Applications and approaches to reduce extreme wildfire risk
• Post-fire recovery, reforestation, and management interventions
• The value and role of data, modeling, remote sensing, and novel technological applications