Conducting Large, Multi-Agency Wildland Fire Research Projects: A case study of their development and lessons learned from the Fire and Smoke Modeling Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE)

Webinar Speaker:

Adam Watts

Affiliation:

Fire and Environmental Research Applications (FERA), Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Research Station, USA

  • 23 October 2025
  • 9:00 AM ET (UTC-5)
  • Sponsored by GRSS
  • MIRS/REACT- TC Webinar

About the Webinar

Despite decades of investments in wildland fire management, science, and technology development, wildfires seemingly threaten people and natural systems more and more. Among the findings of a few key projects to address the “wildfire crisis” have been the realization of a need for coordinated approaches to improve the wildland fire system (here defined as the scientific understanding of wildland fire processes and effects, as well as the derived tools that are used for predicting, managing and responding to wildland fire). The largest such effort to date is the Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE), which was designed as a multi-agency, decadal investment to improve fire and smoke models and their scientific foundations through a series of active-fire campaigns. The history, design, and implementation of FASMEE has led to some important insights for the future of large fire projects, and in the interest of improving concurrent and successor projects a few of these will be shared.

About the Speaker

Adam Watts is Supervisory Research Biologist and Team Lead for Fire and Environmental Research Applications (FERA) at the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Research Station. Dr. Watts is an AFE-certified Wildland Fire Ecologist and certified Wildland Fire Practitioner with research interests in global fire ecology, atmospheric science, technology development, and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and as a volunteer firefighter like three prior generations of his family. He completed his undergraduate studies in ecology and biology at Emory University, and his Master’s degree in interdisciplinary ecology at University of Florida. Between degrees he also worked as an alligator biologist and a UAS program coordinator. His Ph.D., also from UF, is in interdisciplinary ecology with an emphasis in wildland fire science. His current activities include research, mentoring, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to address the most complex issues facing the global wildland fire system.

Recorded Webinar

Looking for an older Event? See our Past Events. Events prior to April 2024 can be found in our Events Archive.