The four cosponsors of the national Wildfire Mitigation Awards have named the individuals and organizations chosen to receive honors this year in recognition of their exemplary commitment to community wildfire risk reduction.
WASHINGTON—The Wildfire Mitigation Awards committee has named twelve recipients chosen to receive 2026 Wildfire Mitigation Awards (WMAs), including a WMA Hero Award and WMA Legacy Award. This year’s WMA recipients come from across the country where their local efforts have made national impacts, earning them the highest commendation for innovation and leadership in wildfire mitigation. They are:
HANNAH OHLSON
Frisco, Colorado
Hannah developed an innovative sliding-scale rubric that helps distribute funds more equitably to incorporate more homeowners, creating a more contiguous defensible space. She is persistent in working with challenging HOAs and seeks to actively engage new stakeholders, rather than waiting for a homeowner or community request.
TIM SWANER
Edwards, Colorado
Tim single-handedly led the development of a county-wide chipping and slash disposal program that meets residents where they are, rather than adhering to a strict and often inconvenient schedule. His community education taught homeowners what to clear and resulted in the removal of over 1 million pounds of vegetation in Eagle County.
PULASKI COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Pulaski, Virginia
Pulaski County Emergency Management worked with community organizations and local governments to conduct prescribed burns on federal, local, and private lands. They partnered with Virginia Tech’s Fire Ecology program to allow students to conduct research and introduce a new generation to fire mitigation. This program also gave back to the community by donating wood from fuels mitigation projects to a church’s firewood bank program.
CITY OF JACKSONVILLE
Jacksonville, Oregon
The small but mighty City of Jacksonville, Oregon developed a multi-pronged approach to wildfire mitigation, conducting fuels treatment across 87 private properties, city-owned land, and Bureau of Land Management land. They also held community clean-up days with dumpsters and woodchippers and engaged roughly 60% of residents.
KA’AINA HULL
Lihue, Hawai’i
Ka’aina led an innovative, policy-focused approach and strong collaborative efforts with multiple organizations. The county implemented a wildfire mitigation ordinance, integrating wildfire mitigation into zoning and development standards for sustainable, long-term mitigation. Director Hull engaged multiple government agencies, community experts, and nonprofit partners to create a comprehensive regulatory framework.
MARIN WILDFIRE PREVENTION AUTHORITY
San Rafael, California
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority adopted a systems-based approach to wildfire mitigation, inspecting tens of thousands of homes, treating thousands of acres, and hardening evacuation routes. They empower community members to proactively reduce wildfire risk with chipper days and education outreach.
MIKE WEST
Kalispell, Montana
Mike has gone above and beyond his typical job responsibilities as a Prevention Specialist on the Flathead National Forest by leading community collaborations for wildfire mitigation. He has helped secure significant funding for hazardous fuels reduction work and communicates well with residents and visitors alike to explain the importance of fuels reduction.
TANNER SPEAS
Garberville, California
Volunteer Fire Chief Tanner Speas helped transform his community’s attitude toward wildfire mitigation, spearheaded multiple successful gran applications, and convened 12 Volunteer Fire Departments into alliance to collaborate on fuels reduction and community education. His leadership led to the implementation of hundreds of defensible space projects.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S WILDFIRE RESILIENCE TEAM
Stanford, California
Stanford University’s Wildfire Resilience Team members routinely devoted additional time to their innovative, self-funded program in research, technology, and fuels mitigation. In addition to over 750 acres of fuels treatment, the team led community education with over 900 homeowners and is planning prescribed fires in coordination with CAL FIRE.
BRENDA PILGRIM AHLBERG
Soldotna, Alaska
Brenda developed Alaska’s first Community Wildfire Protection Plan template, effectively leveraging multiple tools and resources across all lands. She partnered with Tribal Nations, municipal governments, volunteer fire departments, state and federal land managers, utilities, transportation entities, and community organizations demonstrating exceptional initiative, leadership, and commitment to wildfire preparedness and planning.
The Wildfire Mitigation Awards program was established in 2014 by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the USDA Forest Service to help demonstrate the tremendous societal value wildfire mitigation efforts provide.
“The impressive work of this year’s WMA recipients reflects a broad range of innovative, impactful approaches to reducing wildfire risks at the community level,” said Michele Steinberg, director of the NFPA wildfire division. “Their tremendous efforts are a shining beacon of the many ways wildfire mitigation can be successfully executed and I’m hopeful that other communities are inspired to follow their lead.”
“This year’s recipients are truly forward-thinking in their wildfire mitigation projects,” said Mark Goeller, Vice President of Fire Programs for NASF. “These individuals and organizations have created practical models for fire-resilient landscapes that could be adapted anywhere in the country. Their proactive approaches minimize property loss potential, reduce wildfire suppression costs, and increase firefighter and public safety.”
“This year’s award winners have shown exceptional innovation, creativity, and leadership,” said Chief Trisha Wolford, IAFC President and Board Chair. “They implemented strategies to reduce loss of life and property and strengthened partnerships. Their work reflects the very best in wildfire mitigation and community protection. The IAFC congratulates this year’s National Wildfire Mitigation Award winners for their outstanding contributions to wildfire risk reduction in their communities.”
“Congratulations to this year’s recipients,” said Sarah Fisher, Deputy Chief of Fire and Aviation Management for the USDA Forest Service. “It’s an honor for us to help recognize such outstanding work in the field of wildfire mitigation. The work of mitigation specialists often goes unnoticed but can make a substantial difference to communities at risk of wildfires.”
NATIONAL WILDFIRE MITIGATION HERO AWARD
The effectiveness of community risk reduction work is often not fully appreciated until the community is tested by wildfire. The Hero Award recognizes an individual or organization whose community-wide mitigation project reduced damage and risk to a community when a wildfire impacted the community. The inaugural award is presented to the City of Borger, Texas for its reduced fuel load and expanded defensible space that was tested during the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce Fires in 2024, the largest fires in the state’s history.
NATIONAL WILDFIRE MITIGATION LEGACY AWARD
The Legacy Award recognizes an individual’s outstanding contribution to the larger world of mitigation who have persisted in vocalizing the mitigation message, spoken truth to power, and helped create the tools and best practices that make up fire adaptation today. Chief James Morgan of Pinetop Fire District has consistently gone above and beyond over many years, assuming administrative, business, and program management duties in addition to his regular responsibilities. Fuel breaks and mitigation work in the community will help not just the homes treated but those nearby. His leadership helped shape the community’s approach to wildfire mitigation and inspired those around him.
The 2026 Wildfire Mitigation Awards will be presented at the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Conference in Reno, Nevada, on March 25th, 2026. The WMA partner organizations are proud to host a meet and greet between the WMA winners and partner leaders prior to the WUI conference. The nominations period for the 2027 Wildfire Mitigation Awards will open this fall. For more information about the awards program and how you can nominate your mitigation hero for national recognition, visit www.stateforesters.org/wildfire-mitigation.