Catalyzing social and ecological innovation.
We launched Wonder Labs in early 2020 and through the first year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, led NSF-funded longitudinal research on ‘Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation Planning in a Pandemic’ and supported the Yuba-Bear Burn Cooperative's first prescribed burn in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. In 2021, we catalyzed private donors and startups to better respond to California’s increasing wildfire risk, culminating in the development and release of the first State of FireTech: Progress, gaps, futures Report in 2022.
|
In 2021-22, we continue to expand on these fronts. Our Reimagining 2025: Living with Fire program and Design Challenge showcase the implementation of a comprehensive Policy, People, and Places approach to wildfire risk reduction. Guided by this framework, we are exploring the potential of more diversified fuel management options for small private landowners and incubating BurnBot––a mechanized solution for safer, cleaner, and cheaper prescribed burning at scale.
|