One year in: reflections from the IJWF Co-Editor-in-Chief

It has now been a year since I stepped into the role of co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Wildland Fire (IJWF). As summer sets in and the day-to-day demands of my government position ease, I find myself with a moment to reflect on this transformative experience. In this Editorial, I aim to share some of the challenges we are facing as a journal, celebrate our achievements and offer thoughts on where I believe both the field of wildland fire science and this publication are heading.

Journal context and legacy

The IJWF stands as a cornerstone of wildland fire research – a not-for-profit society scientific journal covering all aspects of wildland fire science and management. Published under the stewardship of the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to facilitating communication and providing leadership for the wildland fire community worldwide, the journal has served as the premier venue for fire science discourse for over three decades.

Since its founding in 1991, IJWF has continuously grown and evolved under the distinguished guidance of three exceptional Editors-in-Chief. Mike Flannigan, my former PhD co-advisor, served throughout 2002–2008, establishing the journals reputation for rigorous peer review and broad scientific scope. He was succeeded by Stefan Doerr and Sue Conard, who served as co-Editors-in-Chief and worked together to strengthen the journals international reach and interdisciplinary approach, providing remarkable stability and growth to the publication. Most recently, Sue continued in the role from 2009 until her well-deserved retirement in the summer of 2024, at which point I was nominated to succeed her as co-Editor-in-Chief.

My connection to IJWF extends well beyond this past year. Having served as an Associate Editor since 2006, I was already deeply familiar with the journals culture, standards and the dedicated community of researchers, practitioners and stakeholders who contribute to its success. This long-standing involvement provided invaluable preparation for the transition to the Editor-in-Chief role, though nothing could have fully prepared me for the breadth and complexity of the challenges ahead.

A year in numbers: growing impact and reach

Taking over an Editor-in-Chief role inevitably comes with its challenges, and the past 12 months have been both demanding and deeply rewarding. Over this period, IJWF has received 216 submissions from 33 countries, a testament to both the international scope of our readership and the increasingly global nature of wildland fire science. We published 119 articles last year, each representing months of dedicated work by our authors and the rigorous review process maintained by our Associate Editors, editorial board members and peer reviewers.

The numbers alone tell a compelling story of growth and engagement. Over the last 6 months, we have observed a notable acceleration in manuscript submissions, reflecting the mounting global attention on fire-prone ecosystems in the context of climate change. The expansion in research activity we observe at IJWF mirrors broader trends in the field. Contemporary submissions span traditional fire ecology and behaviour studies, cutting-edge modeling innovations, community resilience and social impact assessments, fire management strategies and emerging interdisciplinary research that bridges natural and social sciences.

Climate change has thrust wildland fire into the global spotlight, transforming it from a specialised area of study into a critical component of environmental science, public policy and societal resilience planning. As wildfire activity intensifies across many regions worldwide – from the Mediterranean basin to the boreal forests of Canada, from the chaparral of California to the eucalyptus forests of Australia – research efforts have expanded dramatically. The breadth of topics reflects not only the maturation of fire science as a discipline but also the urgent need for comprehensive, evidence-based solutions to increasingly complex fire management challenges. This transformation brings both opportunities and responsibilities for our journal and the broader fire science community.

Navigating editorial challenges in a rapidly evolving field

While this growth is encouraging, it has also presented us with a complex set of challenges that require thoughtful adaptation and strategic planning.

Our editorial team is composed of experienced Associate Editors, many of whom are senior researchers and generalists with deep disciplinary knowledge across the breadth of fire science. This foundation has served us exceptionally well over the years, providing the expertise needed to evaluate diverse submissions and maintain our standards of scientific rigour. However, the pace of technical innovation in our field is accelerating at an unprecedented rate.

New modeling frameworks, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data synthesis, advanced remote sensing techniques and sophisticated computational approaches are emerging faster than most researchers – let alone editors – can fully absorb and evaluate. Machine learning applications in fire prediction, high-resolution satellite-based fire detection systems and complex coupled climate-fire models represent just a few examples of the increasing technical sophistication of submissions. Ensuring robust peer review for such specialised topics while maintaining our commitment to accessibility and broad relevance poses a significant challenge.

In parallel, emerging research priorities increasingly reflect the complexity of fire-climate-vegetation interactions. The field is evolving beyond traditional fire weather indices to encompass compound events, long-term system thresholds and diverse knowledge systems. This includes critical advances in understanding fire-drought synergies, paleo-informed reconstructions of reference conditions and climate attribution of extremes – as well as a growing recognition of Indigenous fire stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge.

While there is strong confidence that fire weather will intensify with ongoing climate change, the direction and magnitude of vegetation responses – especially under various management interventions – remain far more uncertain. Understanding the impacts of silvicultural strategies such as fuel treatments, species selection and the assisted migration of genetically differentiated, drought-adapted populations is central to forecasting future fire regimes. These vegetation dynamics will ultimately shape the spatial and temporal patterns of biomass burning across near- and long-term horizons. These developments are not only expanding the scope of wildland fire science, but also challenging us to integrate across disciplines in ways that support more holistic and actionable understanding.

Renewing and diversifying editorial leadership

Compounding this challenge, several of our long-serving Associate Editors have recently concluded their terms, taking with them decades of experience and institutional knowledge. While we celebrate their many contributions to the journal and the field, this transition presents an opportunity and an imperative for renewal to further enrich our editorial board – aligning its composition with the evolving frontiers of fire science and the diversity of our global readership.

To that end, as a community journal, we’re always looking to expand the experience, breadth of scope and diversity of our editorial board. We want our editorial board to reflect the diversity of our audience, providing unique perspectives and coverage in niche topics. We encourage applications from researchers with broad methodological expertise, including early-career scientists who bring fresh perspectives, quantitative modelers with cutting-edge technical skills and interdisciplinary researchers working at the intersections of ecology, climate science, data science and social research.

This strategic renewal will support our continued ability to engage with the rapidly expanding scope of wildland fire science, while ensuring that we maintain the rigorous standards and broad accessibility that define IJWF.

One of our ongoing editorial challenges involves maintaining an appropriate balance between encouraging methodological innovation and ensuring practical applicability. While we actively welcome innovation – particularly in fire modeling, process-based ecological approaches and machine learning applications – we require that all manuscripts remain grounded in scientific rigour and demonstrate clear implications for fire management, policy development or a fundamental understanding of fire processes.

As the field matures, the need for synthesis and methodological review papers is also becoming more pronounced. These articles can consolidate knowledge across disciplines, highlight research gaps and provide much-needed guidance for future work. This balance is crucial because the real-world impact of our published research remains a core tenet of IJWF. Our readers include not only academic researchers but also fire managers, policymakers and practitioners who depend on our publications to inform critical decisions affecting communities and ecosystems worldwide.

A shared responsibility

As wildland fire science continues to evolve, I remain optimistic about the direction of both wildland fire science and IJWF. This not-for-profit society journal thrives because of its community. I am deeply grateful to our Associate Editors, editorial board members and reviewers for their expertise and generosity. Their dedication ensures that IJWF continues to publish thoroughly peer-reviewed research that advances both scientific understanding and practical fire management.

Martin P. Girardin

Co-Editor-in-Chief, IJWF

Research Scientist

Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada