Vibrant Planet Data Commons

Climate change, a century of intensive management, and decades of fire suppression have made forests in the western United States highly susceptible to wildfire and other catastrophic impacts. Restoration efforts, disconnected from more than 10,000 years of Tribal Ecological Knowledge, are hampered by lack of access to good information and comprehensible data resources, uneven decision making, and mistrust from local communities. There is no north star consensus about where we are collectively headed in the coming decades, which makes it difficult to generate public will for meaningful action. At VP Data Commons, we are combining the best available science and information with real world stories – in particular highlighting Indigenous practices – to show how we can return our forests to function, for the benefit of wildlife, people, and ecosystems. With a team of natural resource professionals, data scientists, and creative communicators, the organization is designed to facilitate and anchor a shared, common truth for the future of Western forests. WE ARE: Optimistic: We focus on what’s possible. Data-driven: We use the best available information as the basis for decision making. Engaging: We create vivid stories to make meaning and galvanize people around a shared, common truth. Long-term: We look decades into the future to map a path forward. Replicable: We work at recovery and wildfire-relevant scales, such as watersheds and landscapes. By activating people with trustworthy and transparent science and vivid stories, we will help restore forest health and mitigate the impact of high-severity wildfires. We are working toward forests that are adaptable to the impacts of climate change and that deliver diverse forest products and services, including habitat, water, carbon storage, timber, recreation, cultural resources, and more. We believe that Indigenous practices must shape the dominant forest management paradigm and that healthy fire is possible.