Climate change is altering fire regimes and post-fire conditions, contributing to relatively rapid transformation of landscapes across the western US. Studies are increasingly documenting post-fire vegetation transitions, particularly from forest to non-forest conditions or from sagebrush to invasive annual grasses. The prevalence of climate-driven, post-fire vegetation transitions is likely to increase in the future with major impacts on social–ecological systems. However, research and management communities have only recently focused attention on this emerging climate risk, and many knowledge gaps remain. We identify three key needs for advancing the management of post-fire vegetation transitions, including centering Indigenous communities in collaborative management of fire-prone ecosystems, developing decision-relevant science to inform pre- and post-fire management, and supporting adaptive management through improved monitoring and information-sharing across geographic and organizational boundaries. We highlight promising examples that are helping to transform the perception and management of post-fire vegetation transitions.

In a nutshell:

• As the western US dries and warms under a changing climate, leading to larger and more frequent severe wildfires, some areas have experienced shifts in post-fire vegetation (eg forests being replaced by grassland or shrubland)
• These changes are leading to difficult questions about how to manage fire-prone landscapes: should anticipated changes in resident plant communities be resisted, passively accepted, or actively directed?
• We provide helpful examples of the kinds of information, coordination, and values needed to manage these changes ethically and effectively as they become more common in the face of climate change