**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WILDFIRE DISASTERS HAVE INCREASED RAPIDLY ACROSS THE US RESULTING IN HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE KILLED AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ECONOMIC LOSSES. IN RESPONSE GOVERNMENTS HAVE SOUGHT TO IDENTIFY EVERY POTENTIAL SOLUTION THAT COULD HELP REDUCE THESE LOSSES INCLUDING IMPROVING FOREST HEALTH REDUCING HAZARDOUS FUELS AND PROTECTING HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS WITH FIRE-RESISTANT BUILDING MATERIALS AND LANDSCAPING. IN RURAL AGRICULTURAL COUNTIES HOWEVER SCIENCE HAS LARGELY OVERLOOKED ONE POTENTIAL TOOL FOR MITIGATING WILDFIRE LOSSES: AGRICULTURE. HISTORICALLY PLACES WHERE WILDFIRES BURN INTO CROPS HAVE ONLY BEEN OF INTEREST TO CROP INSURANCE COMPANIES AND FIRE BEHAVIOR IN DIFFERENT CROP TYPES IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD AND NOT MODELED AT ALL IN FIRE PREDICTION MODELS. BUT FARMERS AND WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS HAVE KNOWN FOR DECADES THAT IRRIGATED CROPS LIKE VINEYARDS AND FRUIT ORCHARDS MAKE EXCELLENT FIREBREAKS WHILE THE FLAMMABILITY OF CEREAL GRAINS AND OTHER DRYLAND AGRICULTURE DEPENDS UPON THE CROP TYPE AND HOW GREEN IT IS. FURTHER THE ABANDONMENT OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND PASTORAL PRACTICES IN PARTS OF EUROPE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO NUMEROUS DISASTROUS FIRES IN RECENT YEARS AS THE ABANDONED FIELDS BECOME OVERGROWN AND CONTRIBUTE TO RAPID INTENSE WILDFIRE SPREAD.THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR CONSISTENTLY DOCUMENTING FIRE BEHAVIOR IN CULTIVATED CROPLANDS TO IDENTIFY WHICH CROPS COULD BE INTENTIONALLY PLANTED AROUND HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AS BOTH FOOD AND FIREBREAKS. WE WILL FOCUS ON FOUR RURAL AGRICULTURAL COUNTIES IN THE PALOUSE REGION OF WASHINGTON AND IDAHO WHERE SEVERAL DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES IN SUMMER 2024 BURNED ACROSS MULTIPLE CROP TYPES AND DESTROYED DOZENS OF HOME AND BUSINESSES. RESEARCHERS WILL USE PARTICIPATORY GIS A METHOD THAT INVOLVES INTERVIEWING FARMERS AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS FROM THE COMMUNITY WHILE LOOKING AT MAPS AND SATELLITE IMAGES OF THE LANDSCAPE TO IDENTIFY WHERE CROPS AND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS LIKE IRRIGATION OR DISCING FIELDS CHANGED FIRE BEHAVIOR OR STOPPED FIRE ADVANCE. FROM THESE INTERVIEWS WE WILL CONSTRUCT A DATABASE OF CROP IMPACTS TO WILDFIRE BEHAVIOR AND CREATE A REPLICABLE PROTOCOL THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO FUTURE CROPLANDS BY WILDFIRE TO GATHER MORE DATA. WE WILL ALSO DEVELOP EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO HELP LOCAL FARMERS THAT WANT TO PLANT CROPS SPECIFICALLY FOR MITIGATING WILDFIRE IN KEY AREAS.THIS RESEARCH WILL BRING WILDFIRE AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENTISTS TOGETHER TO FIND A NEW SOLUTION FOR THE WILDFIRE CRISIS THAT WORKS FOR RURAL AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES. THESE RURAL TOWNS ARE OFTEN NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TRADITIONAL WILDFIRE MITIGATION FUNDING THAT FOCUSES ON FORESTS BUT THEY HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST WILDFIRE RISK IN THE WESTERN US AND OFTEN RELY ENTIRELY ON LIMITED LOCAL FIRE SUPPRESSION RESOURCES AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHEN A WILDFIRE BREAKS OUT. INVESTING IN FIRE-RESISTANT AGRICULTURE COULD BE A KEY MULTI-BENEFIT SOLUTION THAT NOT ONLY SUPPORTS SMALL FAMILY FARMS AND PROTECTS RURAL COMMUNITIESBUT ALSO MAINTAINS LOCAL HEALTHY FOOD SOURCES AND AGROECONOMIES IN PLACES THAT ARE OTHERWISE IN DANGER OF BECOMING FOOD DESERTS. WE PLAN TO CONDUCT THE RESEARCH THAT DEFINES THAT SOLUTION.