The Nevada Forest and Woodland Restoration Institute (NFWRI) is a federally designated Southwest Ecological Restoration Institute (SWERI) at the University of Nevada, Reno focused on reducing fire risk and improving ecological resilience in forests and woodlands of the Great Basin and eastern Sierra.
Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes were established by the Southwestern Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004. The Nevada Forest and Woodland Restoration Institute was designated a Southwest Ecological Restoration Institute in 2026.
Addressing a critical need
Nevada and much of the western U.S. are experiencing a significant increase in wildfire activity and declining forest and woodland health. This has led to degraded air quality and water resources, the destruction of property, and has threatened the resilience of Nevada’s forest and woodland ecosystems.
Ecological restoration treatments are a proven way to reduce fire risk and improve forest health; however, uncertainty about how best to apply them in Nevada's unique dry forest and woodland ecosystems remains a major barrier to effective implementation. In addition, Nevada's forests and woodlands exist across jurisdictional boundaries, including federal, state, Tribal and private land, and wildfire risk does not end at these boundaries.
Successful restoration of these ecosystems to reduce fire risk will require coordination and collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries and diverse stakeholders.
Mission
The Nevada Forest and Woodland Restoration Institute, in collaboration with land managers and other partners, supports and informs adaptive ecosystem management for the restoration and conservation of dryland forests and woodlands in Nevada and beyond, through co-development of knowledge, application and tools to mitigate wildfire impacts and improve ecosystem health.
If you are interested in learning more or collaborating, please contact nfwri@unr.edu.
