Wildfire Research Center

What Wildfire Research Center does

Wildfire Research Center (WiRē Center) is a U.S. nonprofit organization, headquartered in Niwot, Colorado, that partners with wildfire practitioners to collect paired parcel-level wildfire risk and social data in wildland-urban interface communities. Founded in 2014 and formalizing into a staffed organization in 2022, WiRē serves local wildfire councils, fire protection districts, city fire departments, state forest services, and federal land management agencies (USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, USGS) across nine western states plus North Carolina. The organization operates through a research-practice partnership model in which embedded researchers from the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and the University of Colorado Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Science work alongside practitioners.

The WiRē Approach combines two core data collection instruments: the WiRē Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment (WiRē RA), a 13-attribute roadside assessment covering building materials, near-home fuels, background fuels, topography, and property access; and a standardized household survey capturing resident perceptions of wildfire risk, mitigation behaviors, and incentive responses. These two streams are paired at the parcel level and analyzed together, then visualized through parcel-level maps, ArcGIS Online Risk Assessment geodatabases, Risk Assessment Summaries, Household Survey Summaries, and comparison documents. Supporting deliverables include training materials, tailored outreach products (mailers, handouts, postcards), Community Reports published through the U.S. Forest Service, and project presentations. Across 33 partner projects and 68 fire-prone communities, WiRē has accumulated 31,735 parcel-level assessments and 9,632 social surveys.

The business model is nonprofit grant funding, with no commercial pricing. Revenue flows primarily through cooperative agreements with the USDA Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, supplemented by National Science Foundation grants for specific research projects (notably a 2018-2021 behavioral-nudges study). WiRē maintains an active Community of Practice connecting partners through quarterly virtual meetings and annual in-person workshops, and runs a Partner of the Year recognition program. The organization has been recognized with the 2024 CO-LABS Governor's Awards for High Impact Research: Pathfinding Partnerships Award and the 2025 USDA Economists Group Fred Woods Award for Excellence in Public Policy Research and Education.

Name

Wildfire Research Center

Legal name

WiRē – Wildfire Research Center

Website

https://wildfireresearchcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wildfire Research Center (WiRē) is a Colorado-based nonprofit that partners with fire protection districts, wildfire councils, and federal agencies to collect paired parcel-level wildfire risk assessments and household surveys, producing evidence-based community wildfire adaptation programs across nine U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildfire Risk Research and Community Adaptation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Health Surveys & Risk Assessment (Tree Hazard, Mortality) (AFAMAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG)

Keywords

• Wildfire risk assessment
• Community wildfire adaptation
• Parcel-level risk data
• Household survey research
• Wildland-urban interface

Headquarters

HQ city

Niwot

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants and Agreements: The work of the WiRē Center is made possible through support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The organization also receives funding from the National Science Foundation for specific research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wildfire Research Center delivers a research-practice partnership service (the WiRē Approach) in which its staff conduct rapid parcel-level physical wildfire risk assessments and administer standardized household surveys within wildland-urban interface communities, then co-produce tailored outreach products, community reports, and datasets with partner fire organizations. The two foundational methods are the WiRē RA (13 roadside-observable attributes covering building materials, fuels, topography, and access) and the WiRē Household Survey (social data on resident risk perceptions, mitigation behaviors, and incentive responses), paired parcel-by-parcel for comparative analysis.

Product overview

The WiRē Center offers a unified research-practice approach called the WiRē Approach, which consists of two core products: the WiRē Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment (WiRē RA) for parcel-level physical risk evaluation, and the WiRē Household Survey for collecting social data on resident perceptions and behaviors. These core offerings are supported by a suite of data products including Risk Assessment Summaries, Parcel Level Maps, Household Survey Summaries, Paired Data Comparisons, and ArcGIS Online Risk Assessment Maps. The portfolio also includes tailored outreach products, community reports published through the U.S. Forest Service, and presentation services for various community audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WiRē Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment (WiRē RA) A parcel-level wildfire risk assessment tool consisting of 13 attributes related to building materials, fuels near the home, background fuels and topography, and access to the property; designed for wildfire professionals to quickly assess properties from the roadside and delivered to fire protection districts, wildfire councils, and natural resource agencies.
• WiRē Household Survey A standardized survey instrument collecting social data on resident perceptions of wildfire risk, mitigation behaviors, incentive responses, communication preferences, and preparedness activities; administered by WiRē partner communities to households corresponding to assessed parcels and analyzed to support tailored community outreach.
• WiRē Approach Research-Practice Partnership An end-to-end research-practice partnership service for wildfire organizations in which WiRē staff co-design projects with partners, deliver paired parcel-level risk assessments and household surveys, perform analysis, and produce tailored outreach products, community reports, and presentations for the partner community.
• Risk Assessment Training Materials and Data Collection Tool Training materials including the WiRē RA Scoring Guide and Assessor Reference Guide provided to community partners to enable them to conduct parcel-level wildfire risk data collection from the roadside during WiRē projects.
• Tailored Outreach Products Custom communication products co-designed with community partners, including two-page resident mailers, policymaker handouts, websites, and postcards built from project-specific WiRē assessment and survey data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helping double or triple community participation in mitigation actions through improved outreach and behavioral insights
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Community of Practice PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Network of WiRē partners across the country participating in quarterly meetings and annual workshops to share technical information and perspectives on wildfire mitigation. 19 partners attended 2023 Denver workshop.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal partner providing sustained investment in WiRē's mission. Includes Rocky Mountain Research Station scientists embedded in the WiRē team, contributing expertise in wildfire economics and human dimensions research.
• Bureau of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing continued investment in WiRē's mission, particularly for wildfire education and community adaptation programs.
• University of Colorado BouldercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner through the Institute of Behavioral Science. Provides research faculty including Hannah Brenkert-Smith and hosts postdoctoral researchers. Supports Community Outreach and Engagement Programs for data collection.
• Colorado State Forest ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner with multiple field offices (Alamosa, Salida) conducting WiRē projects and supporting on-the-ground implementation. Partner of the Year awards received.
• West Region Wildfire CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative interagency organization promoting wildfire preparedness across six Colorado counties. Lilia Falk serves as Director and Board member. Former recipient of Wildfire Mitigation Innovation Award.
• Wildfire Adapted Partnership (formerly FireWise of Southwest Colorado)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer partner organization now operating as Wildfire Adapted Partnership. Conducted WiRē projects in La Plata, Montezuma, and Archuleta counties in Colorado.
• Cascadia Conservation DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington state partner working with Chelan County Fire Districts on WiRē projects in the Wenatchee area including Lake Wenatchee, Stemilt Basin, and Chumstick Corridor.
• U.S. Geological SurveymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research partner including James Meldrum at Fort Collins Science Center. Co-authors academic publications and presents research findings through USGS communities of practice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): Broad fire safety standards and codes organization that co-sponsors the Fire Adapted Communities program. Larger organization with overlapping wildfire education mission but much wider scope.
• National Association of State Foresters: Organization representing state forestry agencies on wildfire policy and federal coordination. Overlaps with WiRē in serving state-level wildfire partners and is a recognized co-sponsor of community wildfire awards.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation nonprofit with major wildfire resilience and forest restoration programs. Comparable in mission area but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station: Federal research arm that embeds scientists into WiRē. Operates extensive wildfire and human dimensions research, but as a federal agency rather than a nonprofit partnership model.

Emerging players

• Vibrant Planet: Technology company building shared planning and risk analysis tools for forest and wildfire management. Overlaps with WiRē on parcel-level risk analytics but applies a software-product model.

Direct peers

• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Research organization that conducts empirical wildfire and wind research on building vulnerability. Comparable in producing rigorous, parcel-level research used to inform mitigation practices and policy.
• Headwaters Economics: Independent nonprofit research firm that produces data-driven analyses on wildfire risk, community economics, and rural development. Most direct peer to WiRē's research-practice model applied to wildfire adaptation.
• Pacific Forest Trust: Nonprofit working at the intersection of forest conservation, climate resilience, and community wildfire adaptation. Similar research-practice orientation on forest and wildfire issues.
• Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network: National network connecting fire-adapted community programs and sharing best practices. Closely aligned with WiRē's Community of Practice model and shared focus on community wildfire mitigation.
• EcoAdapt: Nonprofit focused on building resilience to climate change through adaptation planning, with ecosystem-based and community-based programs. Comparable as a research-practice nonprofit in climate adaptation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WiRe-WildfireResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/WiReCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildfire-research-center
• Xx.com/wire_center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wildfire Research Center