College of Forestry

March 4th-6th 2026 at Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, WA, in the Columbia River Gorge  

Join Oregon State University, the Fire Adapted Communities Network, Northwest Fire Science Consortium, and partners for an engaging workshop to transform how we adapt and coexist with wildfire. As new fire policies and adaptation strategies have grown across the Northwest, it is essential that we work together to learn, share and craft actionable visions. ADAPTING TOGETHER focuses on diverse approaches to place-based wildfire adaptation within and across this region. We hold:  

          Place as a community, ancestral territory, watershed, or other kind of unit that people care about and organize around; and

          Adaptation as an ongoing process of co-existence and adjustment to live with fire.

Purpose and framing questions

By bringing people together from diverse sectors, geographies, and cultures, we will delve into the following questions:   

1. What kinds of place-based adaptation are happening around the broader Northwest, and what capacity and resources do they require?
2. How do we maintain and grow a focus on fire's ecological and cultural roles while protecting communities?
3. What kinds of local partnerships, economic strategies and policies will help us become more fire-adapted?
4. In the next five and ten years, who needs to work together and how so that we can collectively coexist with fire?

Fire adaptation is a big puzzle with many pieces. This workshop explores these questions through selected topics to offer reframings, new conversations, creative ideas and meaningful connections.

What to expect

The workshop will be a space that honors wildfire adaptation as a collective and long-term journey involving diverse voices, place, generations and experiences. It is for students, early career professionals, nonprofit organizations, agencies, scientists, practitioners, Tribes, and policymakers involved in wildfire adaptation in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.  

Come ready to imagine and engage. Participants will...

• Share their personal experiences, perspectives, and ideas on the workshop's themes and guiding questions.
• Build relationships, learn with peers, and leave with new connections.
• Contribute to fire adaptation practice in the region by visioning the future of how we live with wildfire.

The workshop begins at 1:30 p.m. on March 4th and ends around noon on March 6th. Expect a mix of panels, learning circles, case studies, interactive activities and informal time to connect.  

Whether you're shaping fire policy, stewarding the land, engaging your community or learning where to start, your voice matters here. This is our moment to co-create the future of fire in the Northwest — please join us!