A coalition of research institutes from the southwestern U.S. has developed a new nationwide, open-access geodatabase that they believe will revolutionize tracking and understanding wildfires.
Land management agencies, policymakers, and researchers alike have historically struggled to access data about wildfires — and about their long-term effects.
Institutes in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico have launched the Wildlife Interagency Geodatabase, which they call TWIG. This program provides an open-access platform where federal fuel treatment and wildfire data can be accessed. Users can assess, plan, and monitor wildfires across boundaries by tapping into a centralized comprehensive compilation of data.
“As wildfires continue to pose a significant threat, tools like TWIG are essential for proactive planning and management,” said Andrew Sánchez Meador, executive director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University. “TWIG not only provides access to critical data but also promotes collaboration and transparency among researchers, land managers, and policymakers.”
TWIG was developed as part of the ReSHAPE program, which is being led by the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes, also known as SWERI. To develop this project, SWERI received funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden i n 2021.
This program was developed jointly by SWERI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the Department of Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire.
“With TWIG, we are building a platform to meet the audience’s needs,” said Aaron Kimple, ReSHAPE program director. “We are encouraging users to explore TWIG and provide feedback, which is essential to refining this new tool.”
Colorado has experienced several devastating wildfires this year, especially across the Western Slope and the northern Front Range. These disasters affected nearly 16,000 acres between July and August, resulting in extensive property damage and loss of life. The largest of these fires was the Alexander Mountain Fire to the West of Loveland which burned a total of 9,668 acres. Wildfires in Colorado have been occurring at a higher frequency and have been increasingly more intense in recent years, in part caused by the impacts of climate change.
