Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization
Working with communities across Hawaii on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and planning activities in the Hawaii-Pacific region through proactive, collaborative, and forward-thinking projects.
Hawaii has a wildfire problem.
Each year, about 0.5% of Hawaii's total land area burns each year, equal to or greater than the proportion burned of any other US state. Over 98% of wildfires are human caused. Human ignitions coupled with an increasing amount of nonnative, fire-prone grasses and shrubs and a warming, drying climate have greatly increased the wildfire problem.
Hawaii's communities and resources are at risk.
Wildfires are a mauka to makai issue, affecting everything from human safety, infrastructure, drinking water, agricultural production, cultural resources, native forests, watersheds, and coral reefs.
We are working with you to protect our ʻāina.
Through our extensive partnerships and grassroots efforts, we are making our way towards reducing the number of wildfires and significantly reducing the wildfire risk for communities and precious natural resources throughout the State of Hawaii.
There's no better way to get to know our organization than interacting with us face-to-face. The next best thing: watching us in action on YouTube!
In 2016, Maui had its worst wildfire season in many years. With barely any vegetation left in the burned areas to hold down silty soils, a mid-September storm rained down on the burned lands and carried trash and debris through our watersheds and out into the ocean.