PNNL Releases Database Tracking Wildfire Mitigation Plans Nationwide

To aid in wildfire preparedness, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has released a publicly accessible online database of wildfire mitigation plans. The new resource offers a centralized, searchable collection of more than 280 publicly available wildfire mitigation plans developed by 180 unique entities across 19 U.S. states. These plans span from 2019 through 2027 and provide a broad overview of how utilities are preparing for wildfire risk.

The database, now live and available for public use, was built to support electric utilities, state governments, policymakers, and regulators in understanding and improving wildfire risk and resilience strategies. It comes at a time when wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, posing increasing threats to power infrastructure, public safety, and taxpayer dollars.

Users can search by location, by year or range of years, and by utility or type.

The database is funded by the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) and is part of a larger research program focused on establishing credible industry metrics for assessing and mitigating wildfire risk.

A growing threat—and an urgent response

“Wildfires are no longer a seasonal threat—they’re a year-round, national challenge with many areas in the country experiencing a new emerging risk,” said André Coleman, chief scientist at PNNL. “This database empowers decision-makers at every level to see the different approaches being used, understand what’s working and where gaps exist, aid in new plan development, and collaborate on more effective mitigation strategies.”

The impact of wildfire-related outages and the associated damage can be staggering. In recent years, electric utilities have been at the center of catastrophic wildfires, resulting in billions of dollars in damage and long-term costs to ratepayers.

According to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, wildfires in the United States result in costs between $394 and $893 billion a year, with up to $202 billion in electricity loss. On average, in the United States, wildfires caused by power utilities represent about 10 percent of wildfire starts, though they account for roughly 19 percent of the annual average national burn area.

These events have highlighted the critical need for forward-looking, comprehensive mitigation planning.

“Our vision is to share a complete archive of all publicly available utility wildfire plans to see what the extended community of wildfire stakeholders wants to know. This open data enables conversations and analysis beyond the doors of the laboratory while giving us keen insight into proposed and potential industry solutions and trends,” said Rebecca O’Neil, advisor of electricity infrastructure at PNNL. “We will continue to update the database and to offer wayfinding tools, through short topic-based analyses and a tool to search plans intelligently. Most of all, though, we want to hear from the user community what they are doing with the information and what more we can make possible.”

What’s next in wildfire resiliency

PNNL is already working on the next phase of the database, slated for release by the end of summer 2025. The upcoming updates will include enhanced search capabilities and provide analytical tools for assessing current wildfire mitigation practices, identifying industry gaps, and highlighting common challenges. Utilities without existing plans—or those seeking to improve their current strategies—will benefit from these new features.

In parallel, PNNL is developing a comprehensive framework to align the diverse models, metrics, and methodologies currently used to measure wildfire resilience in the utility sector. Expected in summer 2026, this framework will provide standardized evaluation rubrics and key questions that help utilities assess their mitigation efforts and plan more effectively for the future.

To ensure these tools reflect real-world needs and constraints, PNNL will launch a series of utility-focused case studies and regional workshops in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute. These efforts will incorporate perspectives from utilities, land managers, regulators, and regional coordinating councils across a variety of geographies and utility types.

A call for industry collaboration

PNNL encourages utilities, agencies, and other stakeholders to explore the database, contribute to the case studies, and participate in upcoming workshops and interviews. Together, these initiatives aim to support smarter, more coordinated wildfire mitigation efforts and pave the way toward a more resilient energy future.

Researchers from PNNL who contributed to the development of the database include Tycko Franklin, Jennifer Fanning, Francisco Lope Jr., Xinhao Je, Kerry Abernethy-Cannella, Micah Taylor, Hung Luu, Allister Aniceto, Yusuf Afzal, Mikaela Corney, Jesus Fernandez, Angelica Vargas Escobar, Reem Osman, and Ocean Van. 

For more information or to participate in upcoming workshops, contact wildfire@pnnl.gov.