A composition for increasing the fire resistance of a wood product in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present technology includes intumescent particles, gas-containing elements, and a binder in which the intumescent particles and the gas-containing elements are dispersed. The composition is configured to form a coating in which the intumescent particles are present at a concentration of at least 1% by mass, and the gas-containing elements are present at a concentration of at least 0.5% by mass. The binder includes a thermosetting polymer curable from a liquid state in the composition to a solid state in the coating. In the solid state, the binder has a Young's modulus of at least 7 GPa.