The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) was established in FY 1998 to provide scientific information and tools in support of fuel and fire management programs.This is the third annual report of the Joint Fire Science Program.The program funded 23 new research projects during its inaugural year. Since then, 155 additional projects have been funded, and results from these projects are being made available to agency field offices and other users. All JFSP projects require scientist-manager partnerships along with a strong emphasis on technology transfer. These partnerships are helping ensure that urgent research needs at the field level are being met. Further, close collaboration among the JFSP Governing Board, National Fire Plan research coordinators, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other research organizations and scientists helps to provide compatible and mutually beneficial products with optimal efficiency and minimal redundancy. In FY 2002, the JFSP funded 53 new research projects, co-sponsored 3 wildland fire workshops, began development of an administrative database, expanded 2 previous projects, and provided third-year funding for the 5-year 'Fire and Fire Surrogates' project. Information on JFSP products included 172 published papers, 170 field trips with managers, 186 workshops or symposia, 164 training sessions, 30 Web pages for posting current and relevant project information, and 48 compact disks or other technology transfer media.