Wildfire affects the health and well-being of people, yet the science behind its management grapples with uncertainties that have led to scientific debates. In particular, diverging views over how “natural” highseverity fire is in conifer forests across the western US have, in some cases, impeded the effective integration of science into policy and management decisions. Given the inevitability of wildfire and the growing threat of climate change, there is a need to work toward science-based solutions for a sustainable coexistence between people and wildfire, rendering the establishment of a scientific consensus urgent. A team of fire science experts representing multiple viewpoints sought to identify and explain areas of common ground and divergence among fire researchers, focusing specifically on conifer forests. Their work is in support of informing high quality public discourse, policy, and management.