Forests, rural landscapes and local communities are increasingly at risk from wildfires. The fire agencies responsible for managing these risks require specialist knowledge of fire behaviour, fuel types and public safety factors. An understanding of how fires are likely to behave in different weather conditions, terrain and fuel types is essential to fire management.

Scion's research programme is aimed at increasing knowledge of fuels and fire behaviour, with a strong focus on the development and improvement of the New Zealand Fire Danger Rating System. Other research areas cover improving firefighter productivity and the social aspects of fire management, such as community recovery and communication mechanisms.