WHAT

Partnerships & Community Engagement

A crucial part of creating fire adapted communities is the principle that it is not up to any one organization or individual to “do it all.” Fire adaptation requires all of us to work together, engaging with partners and our whole community in inclusive and meaningful ways.

True community engagement is about more than information delivery and communication. Active engagement requires us to listen deeply and to learn as much as we teach. We, as practitioners and researchers, cannot be extractive in how we approach community members and partners. We must be supportive of a variety of lived experiences, cultural differences and language access needs. Resources like these toolkits created by the Washington State Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network help communities get a jump-start on wildfire preparation in an inclusive and accessible way.

Working with community members to further wildfire mitigation and adaptation can take many different forms. The Neighborhood Ambassador approach developed and shared by Wildfire Adapted Partnership is one example.

Regardless of the methods you use to engage your community, our approaches to community engagement must be as diverse as our communities themselves. This resource page includes tools, activities and information that will help foster and deepen partnerships and community engagement in your fire adaptation work.

Considerations

1
Effective partnerships and community engagement depend upon engagement with the whole community. Consider your community needs. Are all those who live and reside within your area represented in your engagement efforts? If not, work with partners to help develop approaches and partnerships that are inclusive.
2
Research exists which can help! Consider the available social science and work to better understand the social landscape within your community.

EXPLORE Partnerships & Community Engagement RESOURCES

  • WHO

  • WHERE

  • FORMAT

FAC Framework Graphic
Explore the rest of the FAC resource categories.
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National Forest Foundation- Collaboration Resources

Website / Interactive Map
National Forest Foundation
Resources and funding opportunities for community-based collaborative groups across the nation. Read More

National Conservation Easement Database

Database
Ducks Unlimited; Trust for Public Land
The National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) is the first national database of conservation easement information, compiling records from land trusts and public agencies throughout the United States. This public-private partnership brings together national conservation groups, local and regional land trusts, and local, state and federal agencies around a common objective. This effort helps agencies, land... Read More

Land Conservation Assistance Network

Website / Interactive Map
Land Conservation Assistance Network
The Land Conservation Assistance Network (LandCAN) has resources on conservation grant and assistance programs, a professional directors, information on carbon sequestration markets, a research article library, a toolbox for land conservation and more. Read More

Keepers of the Flame: Supporting the Revitalization of Indigenous Cultural Burning

Research
Christopher Adlam, Diana Almendariz, Ron W. Goode, Deniss J. Martinez & Beth Rose Middleton
This article describes lessons learned from two Indigenous Fire Workshops that brought together cultural fire practitioners, researchers, agency and NGO representatives, and members of the public to learn about the use and benefits of cultural burning in California. Full Citation: Christopher Adlam, Diana Almendariz, Ron W. Goode, Deniss J.Martinez & Beth Rose Middleton (2022) Keepers... Read More

Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership

Website / Interactive Map
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
This site contains descriptions of previously funded Joint Chiefs’ projects as well as announcements of current funding opportunities. “The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership enables NRCS and the Forest Service to collaborate with agricultural producers and forest landowners to invest in conservation and restoration at a big enough scale to make a difference. Working in... Read More

Hupa Fire: Traditional and Cultural Fire Management

Video
Hoopa Fire Department
This video from the Hoopa Fire Department, is a story told by Hupa culture keepers about their relationship to fire. Read More

How We Formed, Funded and Dispatched a State and Private Lands Burned Area Response Team

Blog Post / Story
Craig Nelson, Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network Blog
This blog, written by Craig Nelson of the Okanogan Conservation District and published by the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, provides insight into post-fire work on private lands. Read More

Hispanic Access Foundation Wildfire Management Toolkit

Website / Interactive Map
Hispanic Access Foundation
“In the face of rising temperatures, a more arid climate, and a growing wildland urban interface, acting now is particularly critical for Latino communities living in these fire prone regions with inequitable access to resources and services.” This toolkit provides resources and tools focused on regulations and policies and public and mental health with a... Read More

Guide to Equitable, Community-Driven Climate Preparedness Planning

Guide / Pamphlet / Handout
Urban Sustainability Directors' Network
“Delivering more equitable outcomes requires a different approach to planning. Many climatepreparedness and adaptation guides exist and most acknowledge the importance of equity and publicparticipation; however, few address equity issues by addressing specific adaptation solutions, tacticsfor inclusive community engagement, or the root causes of inequities in climate risk. This documentaddresses these gaps. The purpose of... Read More

From Ideas to Action: A Guide to Funding and Authorities for Collaborative Restoration

Website / Interactive Map
Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition
“This guidebook presents a menu of USDA Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) tools and programs available to implement land stewardship on public and private lands, as well as insider tips and lessons learned. It is intended to increase understanding of the options for effectivecollaborative forest management. While not exhaustive, this primer represents... Read More
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Photo Credit: Ed Keith, Deschutes County
Community Profile
Fire Adaptation in the Field
Barnegat Township, New Jersey

The New Jersey Fire Safety Council worked with Sustainable Jersey to create an innovative partnership for wildfire resiliency. Building upon Sustainable Jersey’s successful municipal outreach program, partners worked to add wildfire adaptation actions to the menu of actions which count toward a community’s achievement of Bronze or Silver certification. This creative partnership enabled wildfire to become part of the conversation for communities working toward sustainability certification in New Jersey. With 800,000 people living near the 1.1 million acres of Pine Barrens, partnerships like these are essential to fire adaptation in New Jersey.

Photo Credit: Matt Hecht, U.S. National Guard shared via Flickr Creative Commons