New research from the University of Washington tackles fire forecasting -- all in an effort to better manage powerful wildfires in the future. Scientists hope that improved fire predictions can save more lives and homes. Intense wildfires can quickly grow out of control. Strong winds, low humidity and dry fuels can all contribute to extreme fire behavior. Researchers at UW and Michigan Technological University have created a new database that’s compiled detailed information about vegetation across North America. "So our ability to be able to predict not only what’s happening in the moment, but what might happen in the next few days over the course of a wildfire is going to be really important and we need to understand the vegetation in order to predict that," said UW Tacoma Assistant Professor Dr. Maureen Kennedy.All of this data about trees and brush could go into what are called “emissions models” to better predict smoke growth days in advance.