The California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force was established by the California Governor’s office to address the combination of climatic and human-caused conditions that have heightened the negative impacts of wildfire. It is a collaborative effort to align the activities of federal, state, local, public, private and Tribal organizations to support programs and projects tailored to the unique priorities and risks of diverse parts of the state. 

To bring the best available science to landscape management and community protection efforts, the Task Force established a Science Advisory Panel (SAP). The SAP consists of experts across a broad range of fire resilience topics and provides support for science-based decision making to Task Force leadership and work groups. 

Members of the Berkeley Forest Ecology lab serve as staff support for the SAP, fielding requests from the Task Force, coordinating among the SAP members, bringing emerging science to the Task Force’s attention, identifying research gaps to inform future projects, and synthesizing results for policymakers. SAP staff also provide support by developing theoretical frameworks, piloting methods for tracking progress and documenting effectiveness, and evaluating data products generated by the Task Force’s consultants.