{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T21:45:17Z","timestamp":1792014317712,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":83,"publisher":"American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)","issue":"6798","content-domain":{"domain":["www.science.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Wildfires are among the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century, intensified by the accumulation of forest fuels after a century of fire suppression policies. Although fuel-reduction treatments (\u201cfuel treatments\u201d) are a primary tool for reducing wildfire risk, they remain underutilized, partly owing to limited evidence of their economic value. In this study, we integrated high-resolution data on wildfires, fuel treatments, suppression effort, and damages across the Western United States to assess their cost-effectiveness. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that fuel treatments reduced wildfire spread and severity, avoiding an estimated $2.8 billion in damages by limiting structure loss, cutting carbon dioxide emissions, and lowering fine particulate matter (PM\n                    <jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>\n                    ) exposure. Each dollar invested yielded $3.73 in expected benefits. Our findings demonstrate the value of fuel treatment investments and offer guidance for maximizing their effectiveness.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aea6463","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T18:00:48Z","timestamp":1778176848000},"page":"629-635","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Wildfire damages and the cost-effective role of forest fuel treatments"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"392","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-5036-3911","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Frederik","family":"Strabo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2295-0619","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Calvin","family":"Bryan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6087-9115","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Matthew N.","family":"Reimer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","unstructured":"United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) \u201cSpreading like wildfire\u2014The rising threat of extraordinary landscape fires \u201d Tech. 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