Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge Program (Canada)

Deadline: 14-May-24

Government of Canada is pleased to announce call for applications that seeks proposals for the Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program that leverage the science and technology capabilities in Canada to pursue ambitious research goals and engage in comprehensive, in-depth investigations to reduce the impacts of wildfires on Canadians.

Contribution and grant agreements through this program will provide funding to accelerate the development and adoption of risk assessment and mitigation approaches and innovative, adaptive forestry practices to reduce risk to communities and support a sustainable and resilient forest sector.

Objectives

• The objective of the Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program is to improve our ability to assess wildland fire risk and to develop effective and enduring preventative measures that will minimize its impact and protect communities and people while considering the full range of ecological, economic, social and cultural values provided by forest ecosystems. This includes improving our understanding of how fuel treatments and silviculture modify fire behaviour with a view to informing how to deploy preventative measures across landscapes in advance of catastrophic fire seasons as well as seeking new economic opportunities associated with these practices.

Themes

• Below, are three defined research themes that will orient and align the knowledge activities along a continuum of projects from research focusing on proof of concept and experimental validation to demonstration sites facilitating deployment of research:
  • Theme 1: Wildland fire risk assessment: Develop, enhance, conduct research, communicate and implement integrated mapping and decision support tools, including:
    • Developing methods and baseline data for conducting risk assessments at community and regional scales;
    • Contributions to meaningful improvements in our understanding of one or more of the elements of wildland fire risk in order to achieve more fulsome measures of risk;
    • Integrating and assessing trade-offs among multiple values including air quality, carbon balance, fibre recovery, biodiversity and other forest values of concern;
    • Leveraging new technologies to accelerate assessment of one or more of the elements of wildland fire risk; and
    • Leveraging new technologies, and integration of research into predictive models and decision making tools.
  • Theme 2: Wildfire risk mitigation: Evaluate, synthesize, conduct research and communicate the effectiveness of wildfire prevention and mitigation strategies including:
    • Testing and demonstrating the real-world feasibility, cost, return on investment and effectiveness of risk reduction, prevention or mitigation strategies or technologies, including new approaches;
      • Risk mitigation strategies include actions and activities taken to reduce any of the four elements of wildland fire risk and, therefore, can target wildland fire hazard to reduce ignition likelihood or fire spread and fire magnitude through fuel treatments, cultural burning, prescribed burning and fuel conversion, among others.
      • Risk mitigation activities can also be targeted at reducing wildland fire impacts by focusing on reducing susceptibility to wildfire and reducing exposure to wildland fire.
    • Understanding social acceptability of different interventions;
    • Creating awareness that leads to action by increasing the efficacy of education, outreach and mobilization strategies.
  • Theme 3: Adaptive forestry practices: Promote healthy and resilient landscapes that are less susceptible to wildfire, including:
    • Testing and demonstrating enhanced fibre recovery from fuel management activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offset the costs of treatment;
    • Developing approaches to integrate wildfire risk reduction with timber resources, ecological services and surrounding communities as an outcome in forest management practices; and
    • Identifying, testing and demonstrating new forest management practices that minimize impacts and hazards of future wildland fires.

Funding Streams

• Three funding streams will be available through this call for applications:
  • Stream 1. Collaborative research projects: Accelerate the development of novel approaches, practices and technologies to reduce fire risk on the landscape.
    • This stream will invest in solutions-oriented research within the themes identified above to identify and advance effective risk management approaches that are affordable and adaptable; evidence-based; and, relevant to diverse contexts across Canada and maintain them over time; and increasing awareness and acceptance of novel approaches and technologies, such as prescribed burning or Indigenous fire management.
  • Stream 2: Demonstration Sites: Evaluate and demonstrate the operational feasibility of innovative adaptive vegetation management and forestry practices in different regions and forest types across Canada.
    • This stream aims to catalyze multi-stakeholder place-based partnerships (e.g., between industry, Indigenous communities, a province/territory, academia, etc.) to showcase adaptive silviculture/forest management practices that reduce fire risk at landscape scales, including cultural or prescribed burning, and identify economic opportunities to use wood fibre recovered from vegetation management treatments. Demonstration sites will provide a venue to evaluate and demonstrate the operational feasibility by testing implementation costs, scalability, logistics and other factors. Demonstration sites are intended to be accessible for engagement and learning activities and to serve as important platforms for knowledge transfer to forest-dependent communities and businesses during and after the program.
  • Stream 3: Grant Supporting and Mobilizing Indigenous Fire Knowledge: Support and Mobilize Indigenous Fire Knowledge
    • This stream focuses on building and enhancing capacity to support Indigenous communities in identifying and managing their own wildfire risk, informed by Indigenous knowledge and land management practices by providing support for sharing knowledge and the development of tools and resources by and for Indigenous communities

Funding Information

• Funding Streams:
  • Stream 1: Collaborative Research
    • Maximum project duration: Four years (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028)
    • Minimum NRCan funding per project: $250,000
    • Maximum NRCan funding per project: $2,500,000.00
  • Stream 2: Demonstration Sites
    • Maximum project duration: Four years (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028)
    • Minimum NRCan funding per project: $500,000
    • Maximum NRCan funding per project: $5,000,000
  • Stream 3: Grant Supporting and Mobilizing Indigenous Fire Knowledge
    • Maximum project duration: Four years (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028)
    • Maximum NRCan funding per project: $500,000

Eligible Activities

• Contribution Agreements
  • The nature and type of activities that are considered eligible could include:
    • Development, sharing and/or application of tools, practices, and knowledge to support reducing wildland fire risk and adaptive forest practices such as risk assessments, decision support technical guides, best practices, case studies and summary reports, etc.;
    • Studies, research and data collection assessments, evaluations, benchmarking studies, pilot or demonstration projects, regional modelling, scientific research, etc.;
    • Activities that support the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge in studies, research, modelling and mapping, etc.;
    • Outreach and training activities or services that enhance capacity, education and outreach materials for stakeholders, rights holders, networks, and communities;
    • Planning and implementing wildfire risk assessment and reduction activities in communities, including hazard reduction and cultural burning, when conducted as part of a research initiative or demonstration project;
    • Events or activities that support wildfire planning, preparedness, mitigation and response, when conducted as part of a research initiative or demonstration project;
    • Community engagement, awareness, capacity-supporting and capacity-building activities, including internships and mentoring.
• Grant Agreements 
  • The nature and type of activities that are considered eligible could include:
    • Indigenous community engagement, awareness, capacity-supporting and capacity-building activities, including internships and mentoring;
    • Activities that support the meaningful incorporation of Indigenous people and their knowledge in studies, research, modelling and mapping, etc.;
    • Planning and implementation of wildfire risk assessment and reduction activities in Indigenous communities and on Indigenous territories, including activities aimed at hazard reduction such as cultural burning as part of a demonstration project or knowledge development activity;
    • Studies, research and data collection assessments, evaluations, benchmarking studies, pilot or demonstration projects, regional modelling, scientific research, that establish conditions for Indigenous Peoples and communities to manage their own wildfire risk;
    • Activities that support wildfire planning, preparedness, mitigation, and response in Indigenous communities and on Indigenous territories.

Expected Outcomes

• This new program will address gaps in foundational knowledge by developing and evaluating wildland fire risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies and technologies that support Indigenous Peoples, local and provincial/territorial governments and fire management agencies to reduce wildfire risk in the face of a changing climate.
• A key performance indicator (KPI) for the program is to increase the number of HQP in Canada with expertise in wildland fire risk planning and management. Consequently, proponents will be required to identify the proposed number of HQP (including Indigenous Knowledge Carriers) that will be engaged in their projects and report on any training or knowledge sharing completed.
• Knowledge production and dissemination is another KPI, as measured by outputs including project reports, published articles, research reports, theses, handbooks, risk maps, software, methodologies, databases and numbers and type of participants engaged. The interest in proposed solutions, as evidenced by the quality and breadth of the project partnerships and direct involvement of land managers in projects, will be a consideration in evaluating knowledge dissemination.

Eligibility Criteria

• The eligible recipients for contribution funding under the Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program include:
  • Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including not-for-profit organizations; Canadian academic institutions; and for-profit organizations.
  • Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies.
  • Indigenous organizations including Indigenous communities or governments; Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general council); national and regional Indigenous councils and tribal organizations; Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. (For the purposes of these terms and conditions, the term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Métis, First Nation, Status Indian and non-Status Indian individuals, or any combination thereof.)
• The eligible recipients for grant funding under the Supporting and Mobilizing Indigenous Fire Knowledge program include:
  • Indigenous communities or governments (including Indian Act bands, self-governing First Nations, Métis community organizations, modern treaty implementation organizations including economic development corporations constituted under a modern treaty, etc.);
  • Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general council);
  • Regional and national Indigenous organizations;
  • Indigenous not-for-profit (50% or greater control by Indigenous Peoples) and for-profit (50% or greater control by an Indigenous community/communities) corporations, businesses, joint ventures, partnerships, associations, co-operatives and institutions;
  • Academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations working with an Indigenous partner organization.

For more information, visit Government of Canada.