Research Program Areas

This program leverages extensive TWIG data and statistical techniques to understand when, why, and how forest treatments reduce fire severity and prevent fire spread.

James Biggs and Nathan Tomczyk 2026. Effects of small-scale forest treatments on reducing wildfire burn severity

Fuel treatment effectiveness is well documented, but less is known about whether small treatments work. Most guidance implicitly assumes bigger is better — some studies recommend treatment widths of 400–500 m to stop crown fire. That's out of reach for a private landowner with a few acres, or an agency with a limited budget and a scattered ownership pattern. The 2022 Hermit's Peak–Calf Canyon Fire, which burned over 138,000 hectares (~341,000 acres), ran across dozens of small treatments completed in the years before it — a rare chance to ask whether they mattered. 

James Biggs and Nathan Tomczyk 2026. Fact Sheet

Fact sheet for "Effects of small-scale forest treatments on reducing wildfire burn severity".

Stevens-Rumann et al. 2025. Extreme Colorado 2020 fires: remotely sensed burn severity influenced by treatments, forest types and days of burning

During Colorado’s intense 2020 wildfire season, areas with prior forest treatments, like thinning, prescribed fire, or previous wildfire, burned less severely than in untreated areas. Even during extreme fire weather, treated areas generally experienced lower burn severity than untreated areas did during milder conditions. This pattern was especially pronounced in lower elevation forests, such as those dominated by ponderosa pine. These findings highlight the importance of strategically placed and ecologically appropriate treatments to shape wildfire outcomes within changing fire regimes.

Stevens-Rumann et al. 2025 Fact Sheet

Fact sheet for "Extreme Colorado 2020 fires: remotely sensed burn severity influenced by treatments, forest types and days of burning"

Vorster et al., 2023. Metrics and Considerations for Evaluating How Forest Treatments Alter Wildfire Behavior and Effects

The influence of forest treatments on wildfire effects is challenging to interpret. Using a case study from the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado, this paper discusses ecological metrics of forest treatment effects, fire behavior, important considerations and recommendations for evaluating treatments, and provides definitions for critical concepts to bring a common language and understanding to conversations about treatment effects.

A Path Forward: Understanding How Forest Management Mitigates Wildfires

Fact sheet for "Metrics and considerations for evaluating how forest treatments alter wildfire behavior and effects"

Conducted by our partner, the Conservation Economics Institute, this program researches the return on investment (ROI) and economic benefits of forest restoration efforts.

Hjerpe et al. 2026. Economic costs of U.S. wildfires: A meta-analysis

Hjerpe et al. 2026. Economic Meta-analysis Fact Sheet

Hjerpe et al. 2026, Economic Efficiency of Fuel Treatments in Western U.S. Forests: A Methodological Framework

To help establish economic efficiency analysis of fuel treatments, the authors provided a methodological framework illustrating benefit-cost analysis and considerations for dealing with valuation complexity. Further analyses of the benefits and costs of fuels treatments would support a clearer understanding of the economic trade-offs involved. This information could highlight opportunities for long-term savings from proactive investments in wildfire resilience.

Hjerpe et al. 2026. Summary Sheet

Summary sheet for " Economic Efficiency of Fuel Treatments in Western U.S. Forests: A Methodological Framework".

Hjerpe, E.E., M.M. Colavito, A.E.M. Waltz, A.J. Sánchez Meador. 2024. Return on investments in restoration and fuel treatments in frequent-fire forests of the American west: A meta-analysis

Restoration and fuel treatments have emerged as leading wildfire risk- reduction strategies in the American West, yet little is known about the cost-effectiveness of such programs. To evaluate forest restoration and fuel treatment benefits and costs, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of benefit-cost ratios for restoration benefit types documented in the literature for Western U.S. dry mixed conifer forests at risk of uncharacteristic wildfires.

Hjerpe, E.E. et al. Fact Sheet

Fact sheet for "Return on investment in restoration and fuel treatments in frequent-fire forests of the American west: A meta-analysis.

Focused on the continual compilation and display of fuel treatment data, this program area manages the development and maintenance of the TWIG geodatabase.

TWIG Evaluation Report

The Treatment and Wildfire Interagency Geodatabase (TWIG) Viewer is a new public mapping tool developed by SWERI through the ReSHAPE program that makes it easier to find, view, and download federal fuel treatment and wildfire data. Early evaluation shows TWIG has strong potential to support planning, coordination, and communication among land managers, collaborators, and policymakers—though gaps in data and functionality remain. Ongoing user feedback is helping guide improvements as SWERI works to expand TWIG’s utility across jurisdictions.

Fact Sheet: TWIG Evaluation Report

Fact sheet for the full TWIG Evaluation Report, above.