people, fire, and forests: community perspectives

People, Fire & Forests: People, Fire & Forests: Community PerspectivesCommunity Perspectives

Matt CarrollMatt CarrollPatricia CohnPatricia Cohn

Department of NaturalDepartment of NaturalResource SciencesResource Sciences

Washington State UniversityWashington State University

PremisePremise

(With apologies to Tip O(With apologies to Tip O’’Neill):Neill):

All fire is local!!!All fire is local!!!

IntroductionIntroduction

Fire is a biophysical/ecological Fire is a biophysical/ecological disturbance disturbance Fire is also a Fire is also a socialsocial disturbancedisturbanceFire is a cause and effect of bothFire is a cause and effect of both–– Ecological dynamicsEcological dynamics–– Social dynamicsSocial dynamics

HumanHuman--Forest Fire InteractionForest Fire Interaction

Biophysical environmentBiophysical environmentSocioSocio--demographic demographic characteristics/dynamicscharacteristics/dynamicsSocioSocio--cultural cultural characteristics/dynamics characteristics/dynamics

HumanHuman--Forest Fire InteractionForest Fire Interaction

Temporal Temporal framework of framework of communitycommunity--fire fire dynamics: dynamics: –– BeforeBefore–– During During –– AfterAfter

Communities Affected by FireCommunities Affected by Fire

Before the fire event: preparedness Before the fire event: preparedness and risk reduction and risk reduction During the fire event: disruption, During the fire event: disruption, uncertainty and coordinationuncertainty and coordinationAfter the fire event: rehabilitation After the fire event: rehabilitation and recoveryand recovery

ObjectiveObjective

Summarize what is currently known Summarize what is currently known about human community dynamics, about human community dynamics, decisions and dilemmas before, decisions and dilemmas before, during and after major fire eventsduring and after major fire events

Jakes & Nelson: Critical Initiatives Jakes & Nelson: Critical Initiatives prior to a Fireprior to a Fire

Rich literature of Rich literature of case studies case studies showing what showing what individuals & individuals & communities are communities are doing to address doing to address physical and social physical and social preparednesspreparedness

Physical PreparednessPhysical Preparedness

Safety of physical facilities to Safety of physical facilities to minimize loss of life, injury and minimize loss of life, injury and property damageproperty damage–– Vegetation managementVegetation management–– Communications systemsCommunications systems–– Water access systemsWater access systems–– Public education programs Public education programs

Social PreparednessSocial PreparednessOutcome of the Outcome of the social processes and social processes and institutions essential institutions essential for community for community actionaction–– PartnershipsPartnerships–– Laws/ordinancesLaws/ordinances–– Planning institutionsPlanning institutions–– DecisionDecision--making making

networksnetworks

Carroll & Cohn: Consequences of Carroll & Cohn: Consequences of Actions During the FireActions During the Fire

Suppression tactics and strategySuppression tactics and strategyConflict may occur among firefighting Conflict may occur among firefighting entitiesentitiesImprove integration, collaboration, Improve integration, collaboration, training, and coordination of federal training, and coordination of federal and nonand non--federal firefighting agenciesfederal firefighting agencies

Fire Event ProcessesFire Event Processes

Evacuation Evacuation Law enforcement Law enforcement Media coverage Media coverage Communication Communication Purchases and Purchases and hiringhiringFirefightingFirefightingAssistance Assistance organizationsorganizations

Impacts and ConsequencesImpacts and Consequences

What impacts do fire events have on What impacts do fire events have on the day to day lives of residents of the day to day lives of residents of affected communities?affected communities?Impacts occur at different levels of Impacts occur at different levels of social organizationsocial organization–– IndividualIndividual–– FamilyFamily–– NeighborhoodNeighborhood–– Social groupSocial group–– CommunityCommunity

SummarySummary

Communities often find themselves Communities often find themselves illill--prepared for the multiprepared for the multi--dimensional dimensional nature of the problems of large fires nature of the problems of large fires What happens What happens duringduring a fire has the a fire has the potential to affect internal potential to affect internal community dynamics and community dynamics and community/land management community/land management agency relations for years to comeagency relations for years to come

Burchfield: Consequences of Burchfield: Consequences of Actions After the FireActions After the Fire

Agencies will be Agencies will be burdened by burdened by rehabilitation and rehabilitation and recovery needsrecovery needsPostPost--fire fire ‘‘bouncebounce’’ for for innovation, land use innovation, land use planning and planning and institutional changeinstitutional changeCommunityCommunity--level level recovery from recovery from wildfires is difficult to wildfires is difficult to predictpredict

Consequences to Human Consequences to Human CommunitiesCommunities

BiophysicalBiophysicalSocialSocial--demographicdemographicSocialSocial--culturalcultural

Paucity of research on the impacts of Paucity of research on the impacts of fire on human communitiesfire on human communities

ConsequencesConsequences

BiophysicalBiophysical–– Vast literatureVast literature–– Salvage logging is a controversial aspect Salvage logging is a controversial aspect

in relation to human communitiesin relation to human communities–– Soil movement: landslides, mud/debris Soil movement: landslides, mud/debris

flowsflows

ConsequencesConsequences

SocioSocio--demographicdemographic–– Emotional & Emotional &

aesthetic impactaesthetic impact–– Real estate Real estate

downturns shortdownturns short--livedlived

–– EconomicsEconomics--suppression costs suppression costs continue to continue to increaseincrease-- do costs do costs outweigh benefits? outweigh benefits?

ConsequencesConsequences

SocioSocio--culturalcultural–– Emotional, psychological impacts: Emotional, psychological impacts:

mirrors findings from disaster literaturemirrors findings from disaster literature–– Integration and coordination among Integration and coordination among

organizations important in the recovery organizations important in the recovery processprocess

–– Greatest opportunities for institutional Greatest opportunities for institutional change or land use planning are change or land use planning are greatest afterwardsgreatest afterwards

PostPost--fire Recoveryfire Recovery

Parallels other natural disastersParallels other natural disastersVariability of communities makes Variability of communities makes generalization difficultgeneralization difficultNested layers of complexity affect Nested layers of complexity affect community responses to firecommunity responses to fire

SummarySummary

Chapters present a reasonably Chapters present a reasonably comprehensive overview about comprehensive overview about research on human communities and research on human communities and fire.fire.Communities are the focus when Communities are the focus when talking about the human and social talking about the human and social impacts of wildfire.impacts of wildfire.