Advancing Wildfire‐Retardant Materials: Engineering Strategies for Direct and Indirect Suppression

Wildfires cause widespread destruction to ecosystems and critical infrastructure, with rising frequency and severity due to climate change. These growing challenges have spurred significant innovation in fire suppression strategies and materials. Over time, direct suppression methods have progressed from inorganic chemical solutions to advanced materials such as water‐enhancing polymers and hydrogels, which have also demonstrated effectiveness in retardation and long‐term fire prevention. While prescribed burns and fuel management remain vital for wildfire management, concerns regarding the ecological sustainability and long‐term forest health impacts of traditional methods persist. This has driven increased emphasis on the development of advanced fire retardants, particularly those formulated with biodegradable and environmentally friendly materials, to enhance suppression capabilities while supporting long‐term ecosystem conservation. Despite these advancements, significant limitations persist, including scalability, cost‐effectiveness, and performance variability under diverse wildfire conditions. This review focuses on the evolution, ecological impact, and performance of current fire‐retardant materials and suppression strategies, offering an engineering perspective to address existing challenges and propose pathways for the development of more effective, scalable, and sustainable solutions to meet the demands of a changing climate.