Nevada State Forester Ryan S. Shane Addresses Participants at 2026 Wildland Urban Interface Conference

Nevada State Forester Ryan S. Shane delivered opening remarks at the 2026 Wildland Urban Interface Conference, in Reno, NV, where he welcomed attendees. The conference combines nearly 1,000 wildfire professionals, land managers, and community leaders from across the country.

Shane described the uniqueness of Nevada. “It is a place of many contrasts; it’s a place where you can experience the solitude of a rugged, desert landscape or be on the ski slopes. “It is a place of many contrasts; it’s a place where you can experience the solitude of a rugged, desert landscape or be on the ski slopes. Both options lie just a short drive away from the neon lights of big city life.”

Nevada is also one of the fastest growing states in the US and has experienced a high rate of growth in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Approximately half of all homes in Nevada are within the WUI.

The Silver State is the most mountainous state in the lower 48 and the driest one in the nation. As such, wildfire risks are considerable and have increased over the past two decades. On average, the state has lost nearly 400,000 acres per year since 2005, which is double the average losses recorded during the prior twenty-year period.

“We have experienced significant wildfires in the last 20 years, and these events are increasing in size, frequency and intensity,” said Shane. Nevertheless, Nevada’s initial attack success averages above 90%, thanks to a strong mutual aid response strategy.

“Our multi-jurisdictional and interagency approach has proven successful in wildfire suppression.”

The Wildland Urban Interface presents challenges that, though not unique to Nevada, require solutions tailored to each community's characteristics and needs. “We have taken the lessons learned from our approach to wildfire suppression and translated them into interagency partnerships that focus on pre-fire mitigation and post-fire rehabilitation,” Shane explained.

The process began under State Forester Bob Roper, who adopted the Nevada Cohesive Strategy in 2016. This led to the signing of the Nevada Shared Stewardship Agreement in 2019 and its renewal in 2024 under State Forester Kacey KC. Through this agreement, federal and state agencies like the USDA Forest Service and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have jointly decided priorities for pre-fire mitigation and post-fire rehabilitation. Shane highlighted Nevada’s Shared Stewardship approach as crucial, saying that, “These efforts have drawn over $100 million in investments since 2019 and has resulted in partner agencies treating more acres than have burned in four out of the last five years.”

Nevada is making progress in other ways as well. For example, Carson City is the site for the only new sawmill west of the Mississippi, which will provide an outlet for biomass from thinning and fuel reduction projects, particularly in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Sierra Nevada range. Fire Adapted Nevada, a partnership supporting the establishment and maintenance of Fire Adapted Communities in the state, has reached record levels of Firewise community enrollment. The program is also supporting a wave of Community Wildfire Protection Plan updates and has launched a successful community ambassador program to foster empowerment, ownership, and coordination.

“There are many examples of stellar work going on in Nevada, and across the United States. At the same time, we have many opportunities to do and be better. We are here to learn from you and with you,” concluded Shane.

The WUI Conference concludes on March 26.