The Johnston Draw Prescribed Fire (above), located within the USDA-ARS Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in the Owyhee Mountain Range in Idaho, was conducted to reduce fuel load and control Western Juniper encroachment. According to ARS researchers, controlling fuel load helps reduce wildfire risk. (Photo by Pat Clark)

The Key to Fire Prevention: A Closer Look

ARS researchers in Boise, ID, are using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to help prevent wildfires. Currently, wildland fire prevention, suppression, and restoration in the United States costs more than $3 billion annually. By mapping several types of vegetation that serve as the fuel for fires, researchers created publicly available data that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to combat the fires. Learn more...

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.