End of Summer 2026 Newsletter

What a summer it has been. First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone impacted by hurricanes across the state, especially those still recovering and rebuilding. We are deeply grateful to the first responders, emergency managers, community organizations, and neighbors who continue to support communities across Hawaiʻi.

It has also been a full and productive season for HWMO and our partners, with new programs, training, outreach, mitigation projects, and resources moving forward across the state. In this issue, we’re sharing highlights from the 2026 Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit, Wildfire LOOKOUT!, the HUI Wildfire Grant Program, Wildfire Home Assessments on Kauaʻi, and more.

Mahalo for continuing to be part of this work with us.

Summer at a Glance

Wildfire LOOKOUT!
HWMO and partners launched the 2026 Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign to raise awareness of increasing wildfire risk and remind residents that everyone has a role to play: Stop Sparks. Cut Fuels. Make a Plan.
HUI Wildfire Grant Program
Eight organizations across five islands are putting $1.8 million in wildfire mitigation funding to work through the HUI Wildfire Grant Program, tackling projects ranging from hazardous fuel reduction and firebreaks to evacuation improvements and community preparedness.
Wildfire Home Assessments
HWMO launched the Wildfire Home Assessment Program on Kauaʻi in partnership with the Kauaʻi Fire Department, giving residents personalized guidance to identify vulnerabilities around their homes and prioritize practical wildfire risk-reduction actions.
HIZAM Training
In late August, HWMO held a four-day Home Ignition Zone Assessment & Mitigation (HIZAM) training to prepare additional assessors for our Home Assessment Program. Participants learned how to identify home ignition zone vulnerabilities and provide practical wildfire mitigation recommendations. Additional HIZAM trainings are planned for the future.
New Firewise Communities
More Hawaiʻi neighborhoods are taking coordinated action to reduce wildfire risk, with new communities joining the Firewise USA® program and strengthening preparedness at the neighborhood level. Learn more.
Connecting With Our Communities
HWMO staff participated in more than 50 community events, workshops, presentations, and outreach opportunities across the islands this summer, connecting with countless residents and sharing practical information about wildfire prevention, preparedness, and mitigation.
2026 Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit
The 2026 Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit, hosted by HWMO on Kauaʻi, brought together nearly 250 wildfire professionals, community leaders, land managers, researchers, and partners from across Hawaiʻi and beyond. The two-day event focused on shared learning, stronger coordination, and practical solutions to reduce wildfire risk across the state.
Pacific Islands Wildfire Data Explorer
The Pacific Fire Exchange program (jointly run by HWMO and UH Manoa) promoted the Pacific Islands Wildfire Data Explorer, a publicly accessible tool that documents and maps wildfire activity across the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands. The dashboard helps users explore where fires are occurring, how much area is burning, and where repeat fires are happening, providing more consistent wildfire data to support planning, mitigation, and decision-making across the region.

2026 HUI Grantees Announced

This summer, HWMO announced the awardees for the second year of the Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program, with $1.8 million awarded to eight projects across five islands. The program supports high-impact wildfire mitigation projects in areas where communities and natural landscapes meet, funding practical work that reduces risk to residents, homes, infrastructure, cultural resources, and surrounding lands. Projects can include hazardous fuels reduction, managed grazing, vegetation management, firebreak construction, defensible space improvements, evacuation planning, emergency access improvements, and landscape restoration.

Funding is provided through the State of Hawaiʻi Major Disaster Fund in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR-DOFAW), with the program administered by HWMO.

The 2026-2027 awardees are Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteaders Association on Maui; Kailapa Community Association, West Kohala Wildfire Alliance, and Wailea Property Owners Association on Hawaiʻi Island; ʻĀina Alliance on Kauaʻi; Mālama Learning Center and Waialae Iki Ridge and Waialae Iki V on Oʻahu; and ʻĀina Momona on Molokaʻi. Together, their projects are addressing wildfire risk in different ways, from managed grazing and community-scale fuel reduction to green firebreaks, emergency access improvements, evacuation planning, invasive vegetation removal, and landscape restoration.

This builds on the program’s first year, when nine projects across four islands helped reduce wildfire risk for more than 8,000 homes and treated more than 12,500 acres statewide, while also supporting improvements to evacuation routes, firebreaks, and other infrastructure. The increase from $1.5 million awarded in 2025 to $1.8 million in 2026 allows the program to continue expanding on-the-ground wildfire mitigation throughout Hawaiʻi.

Visit the 2026-2027 HUI Wildfire Grant Program page to learn more about each awardee, their project, and how this funding is being put to work across the state.

Wildfire LOOKOUT! Campaign Launch

On June 30, HWMO and partners launched the 2026 Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign, bringing together state, county, federal, nonprofit, and community partners to remind residents that wildfire preparedness is a year-round responsibility. The campaign is a continuing statewide effort to raise awareness about wildfire and drought conditions, share Hawaiʻi-specific wildfire education, and help residents take practical steps to protect their homes, families, and communities. This year’s message focuses on three actions everyone can take: Stop Sparks. Cut Fuels. Make a Plan.

Wildfire and drought may not be top of mind right now. Recent hurricanes, tropical storms, Kona lows, and other weather systems have brought substantial rainfall to many parts of Hawaiʻi, leaving landscapes greener and wetter. But that rain can also fuel new vegetation growth. As conditions dry again later in the year and into winter, those grasses and other plants can cure and become additional wildfire fuel. That is why now is an important time to keep vegetation maintained, reduce fuels around homes and properties, prevent accidental ignitions, and make sure your household has an evacuation plan.

Throughout the campaign, HWMO is sharing new content every few days with wildfire facts, preparedness tips, information about how fire behaves in Hawaiʻi, and simple actions residents can take to reduce risk. We encourage organizations, agencies, community groups, and individuals to share these resources with their own networks and help wildfire preparedness reach even more people across the state. The campaign website also includes downloadable social media content, translated resources, preparedness materials, and other tools designed to be shared.

Visit the Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign website to explore the full collection of campaign resources and learn more about wildfire preparedness in Hawaiʻi.

As part of the Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign, HWMO Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett joined Jason Scanlan of Ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha on Hawaii Matters to talk about practical ways to reduce wildfire risk. The conversation covered the 5-foot zone around structures, vegetation management, evacuation planning, and everyday actions that can help communities prepare.

You can also follow HWMO on Facebook and Instagram to see and share the latest Wildfire LOOKOUT! posts as they are released. Use #WildfireLookout to help spread the word.

2026 Wildfire Summit

In May, HWMO hosted the 2026 Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit on Kauaʻi, bringing together nearly 250 wildfire professionals, community leaders, land managers, researchers, policymakers, and partners from across Hawaiʻi and beyond. Held May 7–8 in Līhuʻe, the two-day Summit created space for shared learning, relationship-building, and coordination across the many disciplines and organizations working to reduce wildfire risk. Guided by the theme “One Team. A Shared Mission. Our Kuleana.”, the event focused on strengthening statewide collaboration and advancing practical, Hawaiʻi-specific approaches to wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response, and resilience.

Sessions explored wildfire resilience from multiple angles including Fire Adapted Communities, wildfire-resilient landscapes, and safe and effective fire and emergency response. Presentations and discussions covered Hawaiʻi’s dry-season outlook, national perspectives on wind-driven wildfire, Firewise Communities, Kauaʻi wildland-urban interface planning, statewide mitigation projects and the HUI Wildfire Grant Program, emergency response coordination, and lessons learned as Hawaiʻi continues moving forward following the 2023 fires. Throughout the Summit, the focus remained on turning knowledge into action and strengthening the relationships and coordination needed to reduce wildfire risk over the long term.

A special mahalo to the Kauaʻi Fire Department, Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, additional County of Kauaʻi partners, and the many fire, emergency management, research, land management, and community partners from across Hawaiʻi and the country who helped make the Summit possible.

Visit the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit 2026 page to explore photos from the event, watch session recordings, and view presentation slides and other Summit resources.

Kauaʻi launches Wildfire Home Assessment Program

This summer, the County of Kauaʻi, in partnership with HWMO, launched a new Wildfire Home Assessment Program to help residents better understand wildfire vulnerabilities around their homes and identify practical ways to reduce risk. Beginning August 1, Kauaʻi homeowners can receive a free, voluntary, one-hour educational assessment of their home and property. The program is currently available through December 31, 2026.

During an assessment, trained home assessors walk around the property with the homeowner to look at factors such as vegetation and combustible materials near the home, opportunities for home hardening and reducing ember intrusion, property access, evacuation considerations, and other site-specific wildfire risks. Assessors answer questions along the way and provide personalized recommendations to help residents prioritize actions they can take to make their homes and properties more wildfire-ready. The assessment is an educational service, not a code inspection.

The program builds on wildfire preparedness efforts underway across Kauaʻi and expands the number of trained people available to help residents understand wildfire risk at the home level. Earlier this year, approximately 40 participants from County departments and community partners completed specialized training focused on assessing how homes may ignite during a wildfire and identifying practical risk-reduction measures.

Learn more about Wildfire Home Assessments and schedule an appointment.

Read the County of Kauaʻi announcement about the program.

News From Our Partners

Lessons from 30 years of wildfire ignition data | Headwaters Economics highlights a free online tool using U.S. Forest Service data to explore 30 years of human-caused wildfire ignition trends in every U.S. county.
Gaamadwekoneng: Teaching the Next Generation About Fire | The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network explores how wildfire education for young people can build a deeper understanding of fire ecology, Indigenous fire stewardship, and what it means to live in a fire-adapted community.
Navigating wildfire and insurance: A technical guide for communities and homeowners | A new CPAW technical guide outlines practical steps communities and homeowners can take to help keep wildfire insurance available and affordable.
Tracking Western states’ diverse approaches to wildfire building codes | Headwaters Economics explores how Western states are approaching Wildland-Urban Interface building codes and introduces a new dashboard tracking wildfire building standards, risk maps, and regulatory approaches across the West.
Community Wildfire Defense Grants fill a critical gap for rural communities | Headwaters Economics examines the first three rounds of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, showing strong demand and its role in helping rural, low-income, and high-risk communities fund wildfire planning, fuels reduction, defensible space, and other mitigation work.
Community Wildfire Recovery Resource Round-Up | The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network compiled tools, guidance, and lessons from wildfire resilience practitioners to help communities plan for and navigate long-term recovery, including pre-fire recovery planning, trauma-informed approaches, landowner assistance, and post-fire resources.
Voice of the Sea: Lāhainā Coastal Recovery | This new episode visits Lāhainā to follow scientists monitoring the recovery of nearshore waters, coral reefs, and marine ecosystems after the 2023 wildfire, highlighting ongoing research and innovative tools helping communities better understand and protect coastal health.
Volunteer for the 19th annual Run For Dry Forest 2026 on October 17 at Puʻuwaʻawaʻa. Sign-up here.

Upcoming Webinars

Wildfire Commons Webinar: FIRE-MAPS - Fire Intelligence & Risk Evaluation – Maturing Advanced Products from Space | September 24, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. HST | Learn how the FIRE-MAPS project is using advanced remote sensing, landscape, vegetation, and weather data to improve pre-fire intelligence, wildfire modeling, forecasting, and community resilience across the Western United States.
Communicating Wildfire Session 2: Journalism and Local Storytelling | October 1, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. HST | Wildfire Resilience Funders brings together communications and journalism professionals, including Honolulu Civil Beat, to explore how storytelling, framing, and wildfire narratives shape public understanding of fire, risk, and resilience.
Fire Deficit Across North American Forests | October 6, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. HST | Dr. Sean Parks of the University of Montana will examine the persistent “fire deficit” in North American forests and what changing fire activity means for forest resilience, fuels, and future wildfire risk.
Using Fire Festivals to Engage Communities | October 7, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. HST | Learn how fire festivals can build public understanding of prescribed fire, strengthen partnerships, and engage communities through education, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences.
Wildfire Management Innovations | October 8, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. HST | Yale Forest Forum welcomes Alexander Held of the European Forest Institute for a discussion of emerging approaches to wildfire management, landscape resilience, knowledge exchange, and innovation.

Webinars You May Have Missed

USAPI Wildfire Tracking Dashboard Webinar | September 16 at 2:00 p.m. HST | Join HWMO Geospatial Fire Data Specialist Ashley Bare for an overview of the interactive dashboard and learn how to explore wildfire trends and burn-area data across the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands.
NASA’s Earthdata webinar: Empowering Fire Managers: New HLS Capabilities In NASA’s FIRMS.
Watch Duty App Overview with David Altamirano | July 2026 Firewise Meeting | Watch Duty Agency Representative David Altamirano explains how the app can help residents track wildfires, evacuation information, and changing fire conditions while reinforcing the importance of following official emergency notifications from local authorities.
Better Together: The Power of Relationships in Fire Management | Recorded August 5, 2026.
WFSI Data Portal: Supporting Collaborative Data Management for Fire Research | Recorded August 6, 2026 | Wildfire Commons now lists this as a past event with a “Watch the Recording” option.
After the Fire: Practical, Science-Backed Steps for Recovery | Purdue University experts share practical, evidence-based guidance for wildfire recovery, including debris removal, soil safety, drinking water, private wells, building plumbing, and other environmental health considerations after a fire.

Conferences

3rd Annual Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Science and Management Symposium | September 22–24, 2026 | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom | Researchers, land managers, and biosecurity professionals will share the latest science, management strategies, and regional updates on coconut rhinoceros beetle detection, control, and response.
Wildland Fire Canada Conference + Canadian Smoke Forum | October 19–23, 2026 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | This biennial conference brings together wildland fire management agencies, Indigenous knowledge holders, scientists, and partners from Canada and around the world to share knowledge and advance wildfire management, science, and collaboration.
HILA Biennial Landscape Management Conference | October 23, 2026 | Hawaiʻi Island | HILA’s one-day conference, themed “Regenerative Landscaping – Feeding the Future,” will bring together landscape and tree care professionals for educational sessions, practical management tools, continuing education opportunities, and an industry trade show.
10th International Conference on Forest Fire Research | October 31-November 6, 2026, Coimbra, Portugal.
Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference | November 10–11, 2026 | Headingley Stadium, Leeds, England | Bringing wildfire professionals together under the theme “New Perspectives, Shared Solutions” to share research, expertise, and innovative approaches to wildfire management.

HWMO in the News

Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign launches statewide: The City and County of Honolulu highlighted the June 30 launch of the 2026 Wildfire LOOKOUT! campaign, coordinated by HWMO and DLNR-DOFAW, emphasizing how wet-season vegetation growth can become wildfire fuel as conditions dry and encouraging residents to take action before fire risk increases.
$1.8 million awarded for wildfire mitigation projects across Hawaiʻi: DLNR highlighted the 2026 HUI Wildfire Grant Program, which awarded $1.8 million to eight organizations across five islands for projects focused on fuels reduction, evacuation planning, preparedness, and wildfire resilience.
Kona Palisades green waste removal reduces wildfire risk: Big Island Now covered a multi-agency green waste removal effort supported by HWMO that helped residents clear combustible yard waste while also reducing breeding habitat for coconut rhinoceros beetles
North Shore preparedness forum highlights wildfire readiness: Kauaʻi Now featured HWMO’s Erin Conway and Jasmyn Welch as speakers at a community preparedness forum, where they shared strategies for protecting homes and neighborhoods from wildfire alongside emergency management and weather experts.
Guam hosts 1st wildfire training amid dry outlook: The Guam Daily Post highlighted a first-of-its-kind wildfire training focused on preparedness, mitigation, and reducing risk as the island faces increasingly dry conditions.
Maui Fire Department and Partner Organizations Conduct Training for Home Wildfire Assessors | Daily Dispatch highlights HWMO’s four-day Home Assessor Training with the Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety and Mayor’s Office, which trained firefighters and community volunteers to help expand local capacity for future home wildfire assessments on Maui.

Job and Internship Opportunities

Keep an Eye Out…

Voice of the Sea: Stopping Wildfire in Hawaiʻi | TV premieres October 4 and 10 at 6:00 p.m. on K5 | YouTube premiere October 22 at 12:00 p.m. HST | Be on the lookout for this new Hawaiʻi Sea Grant special featuring HWMO and partners working across the state to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience.
2026 HUI Wildfire Grant Video Series | HWMO will be rolling out a new video series taking viewers into each of this year’s HUI Wildfire Grant project sites. Follow along to meet the grantees, see mitigation work in action, and learn how $1.8 million in funding is being put to work across five islands. Videos will be shared on our YouTube channel and across our Facebook and Instagram channels.