Human Dimensions of Fire

A closed bound booklet with binoculars

Trust: A planning guide for wildfire agencies and practitioners

View guide.

This planning guide is the outcome of an international collaboration of researchers and practitioners/field managers working in communities at risk of wildfire in three countries. Initially, the team of social scientists from Australia, Canada, and the United States utilized the collective research literature to examine factors that influence stakeholder trust.

Open book with a bar chart on left page and line graph and lines simulating text on the right page

Overcoming barriers to Firewise actions by residents

View report.

This study was designed to improve the understanding of both individual and community actions that homeowners currently do or might take to protect their home or property, and the barriers that impede homeowners from completing firewise treatments to their home or property.

A closed bound booklet with binoculars

Guide to stakeholder groups for Great Basin sagebrush steppe restoration

View guide.

This guide provides information about stakeholder groups to assist managers as they deal with issues facing these systems. The guide was created for land managers to consult as they plan and carry out projects, particularly on public land where groups often have conflicting interests.

Open book with a bar chart on left page and line graph and lines simulating text on the right page

Research perspectives on the public and fire management: A synthesis of current social science on eight essential questions

View synthesis.

This synthesis reviewed existing scientific knowledge on the following questions:

  • What is the public’s understanding of fire’s role in the ecosystem?
  • Who are trusted sources of information about fire?
  • What are the public’s views of fuels reduction methods, and how do those views vary depending on citizens’ location in the wildland-urban interface or elsewhere?
  • What is the public’s understanding of smoke effects on human health, and what shapes the public’s tolerance for smoke?
  • What are homeowners’ views of their responsibilities for home and property protection and mitigation, e.g., defensible space measures?
  • What role does human health and safety play in the public’s perceptions of fire and fire management?
  • What are the public’s views on the role and importance of costs in wildfire incident response decisions?
  • To the extent that information is available, how do findings differ among ethnic and cultural groups, and across regions of the country?
Open book with lines simulating text on left and right pages

What is limiting more flexible fire management – Public or agency pressure?

View article.

For this study, researchers traveled to two fires—the Gap in California and Gunbarrel in Wyoming—each of which used a different strategy for managing the fire. At each site, they interviewed key agency individuals and asked them about internal and external factors that influenced their fire management decisions. We also interviewed community members to understand whether they sought to influence fire management. Findings did not wholly support conventional wisdom and suggest that internal pressures are as important as external pressure in shaping fire management strategy.

 

Open book with a bar chart on left page and line graph and lines simulating text on the right page

Collaborating for healthy forests and communities: Building partnerships among diverse interests

View report.

This report provides examples of working partnerships can be found in a wide-range of management settings. There is no single formula for building a partnership and partnerships per se are not a panacea; however, through extensive research, we have found a set of characteristics that are common to most partnership success stories. They are described in this guide to be used as a practical reference for agency personnel and citizens who seek to improve collaborative efforts in local communities.

Narrow your search

Stay Connected