On February 25, 2003, climate experts from the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Experimental Climate Prediction Center (ECPC), the NOAA/NCEP/NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC), the NOAA/CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center (CDC), and the Desert Research Institute Program for Climate, Ecosystem and Fire Applications (CEFA) met to produce a national seasonal climate forecast for wildland fire management. The primary purpose of the consensus forecast was three-fold; 1) to produce seasonal climate forecasts for use in developing a national seasonal wildfire outlook; 2) to determine whether or not additional probabilistic information could be provided for areas where individual forecasts showed little confidence; and 3) to directly integrate climate forecast information into specific stakeholder decision-making. The forecast development was facilitated as part of a national seasonal assessment workshop for wildfire and climate held on February 25-28, 2003 in Mesa, Arizona and organized by the University of Arizona, National Interagency Coordination Center, and the Desert Research Institute. Several agencies cooperated to facilitate the workshop including the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC; representing agencies of the Department of Interior and the USDA Forest Service), the University of Arizona Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS; a NOAA funded Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments project), and the program for Climate, Ecosystem and Fire Applications (CEFA) of the Desert Research Institute. The USDA Forest Service, the NOAA Office of Global Programs, and the University of Arizona Institute for the Study of Planet Earth provided funding for the workshop. The climate forecastportion of the workshop followed closely the format described in Brown (2002).