Human Dimensions of Fire
View Chapter 11 of the book, Exotic brome-grasses in arid and semiarid ecosystems of the western US: causes, consequences, and management implications.
Human land uses are the primary cause of the introduction and spread of exotic annual Bromus species. Initial introductions were likely linked to contaminated seeds used by homesteading farmers in the late 1880s and early 1900s. Transportation routes aided their spread. Unrestricted livestock grazing from the 1800s through the mid-1900s reduced native plant competitors leaving large areas vulnerable to Bromus dominance. Ecosystems with cooler and moister soils tend to have greater potential to recover from disturbances (resilience) and to be more resistant to Bromus invasion and dominance. Warmer and drier ecosystems are less resistant to Bromus and are threatened by altered fire regimes which can lead to Bromus dominance, impacts to wildlife, and alternative stable states.
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In the United States, multi-jurisdictional fire suppression demand is met by a national-scale pool of suppression resources that come from a variety of jurisdictions and provide a wide range of skills, experience, and associated mobility limitations and logistical needs. We designed and implemented an online survey of U.S. Forest Service employees who hold direct or indirect responsibility for ordering suppression resources; our main research objective was to identify the field’s perceptions of resource importance, scarcity, and substitutability. Importantly, we asked questions to help distinguish between resources that are high value, scarce, and without substitutes versus ones that are low value, readily available, and highly substitutable. We hypothesized that resource ordering patterns change with elevated resource scarcity and that, because of this, true resource demand and frequent resource associations and substitutions are not reflected in dispatch summary reports. In this webinar, we will present an overview of our survey results, including future research and analysis plans. Additionally, we will relate the discussion back to firefighter risk, exposure, and risk transfer themes.
Crystal Stonesifer, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Human Dimensions, presents.
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This study found evidence of a gap between risk perceptions of WUI residents and wildfire professionals. On average, residents underestimated the overall risk of their property. One third of the study participants reported having a neighbor that they think is increasing their risk. Perceived likelihood of fire reaching the property and causing damages was positively correlated with perceiving a neighbor is not taking action. The only consistent predictor of defensible space was the level of defensible space on neighboring properties. Our results suggest that programs that are effective in getting single homeowners to mitigate risk may have benefits that spillover to neighboring properties, and risk neutral/tolerant individuals lived on parcels that were rated by the professional as having less defensible space and more ignitable structure materials.
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Smoke is challenging. It can be lofted high into the atmosphere to interact with cloud processes. It can smolder near the ground, depositing emissions. The combination of aerosols and trace gases create their own chemical mix, with reactions that are as yet unidentified. Temperature and atmospheric water content interact with the smoke plume and fog processes. Smoke also blocks the transmission of solar radiation, hindering photolysis reactions. Many of the trace gases emitted from wildland fires have yet to be identified, as do the intermediary products produced in a plume. With the outlook for more wildfires in the future, especially in a changing climate—and with tighter health standards—understanding these processes will become more critical in the years to come.
This webinar discusses Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, which are unique partnerships wherein ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management work together to suppress rangeland wildfires. Using four case studies in Oregon and Idaho, the value and outcomes of this approach, as well as challenges and future implications for fire adaptation on the range are discussed. Presented by Emily Jane Davis, Oregon State University.
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This video discusses the BLMs plans to create 350 miles of fire breaks between Boise and Glenns Ferry in hopes of catching fires when they’re small. The BLM Boise District is working together with the rancher-led Mountain Home Rangeland Fire Protection Association, Idaho Dept. of Lands, and the Idaho Transportation Department.
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This video produced by the NW Fire Science Consortium, shows how collaborative efforts are not only working to help find consensus on addressing large landscape-level restoration, but also in management of the post-fire environment. How do you address the cross-boundary, diverse interests on over 100,000 burned acres?
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This audio story discusses the southwestern range: the number of stakeholders who own land, each with a very different understanding of what it should be used for: private owners—who could be ranchers or developers, as well as average residents– Native American tribes, state agencies that own land, federal agencies that manage public land (which is further divided between national forest, Bureau of Land Management land, and national wildlife refuge property). Of course, the ecology is unaware of these boundaries.
In this webinar, Gordon Foster, Rangeland Fire Protection Coordinator with the Oregon Department of Forestry, discusses working with Rangeland Fire Protection Associations; what they do, how they work, and public agency and association cooperation.
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This rapid review investigates recent evidence (post-2009) regarding the effectiveness of public health messaging during smoke events. Principal results were: 1) Smoke-related public health messages are communicated via a variety of channels, but limited evidence is available regarding their effectiveness for the general public or at-risk groups. 2) Messages that use simple language are more commonly recalled, understood, and complied with. Compliance differs according to socio-demographic characteristics. 3) At-risk groups may be advised to stay indoors before the general population, in order to protect the most vulnerable people in a community.