Authors:
Schultz, Courtney; Public Lands Policy Group, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472.   
Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Institute for Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. 
McCaffrey, Sarah; U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Quirke, Douglas; School of Law’s Environmental & Natural Resources Law Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.
Ricco, Gwenn;Public Lands Policy Group, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472. 
Moseley, Cassandra; Institute for Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.

Contact: Heidi Huber-Stearns, hhuber@uoregon.edu

Title: Code Descriptions for EWP Working Paper 86, "Prescribed Fire Policy Barriers and Opportunities"
 
Date:3/19/2021
 
Abstract: This data consistes of themes used in qualitative analysis to code interview data collected during a study investigating policies that limit managers’ ability to conduct prescribed fire on US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the 11 Western states. The goals for this analysis were to understand the extent to which various policies are limiting prescribed fire programs, strategies to maintain and increase prescribed fire activities, and opportunities for improving policies or policy implementation. To understand the diversity of challenges faced and strategies in use across the West, we conducted a legal analysis of the laws and policies that affect prescribed fire programs on Forest Service and BLM lands (available online at http://ewp.uoregon.edu/publications/working) and approximately 60 interviews with land managers, air regulators, state agency partners, and several NGO partners.

Keywords: Qualitative codes, Prescribed Fire, Public lands, Western US 

Details: This project was funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (#16-1-2-8) in 2016 with the objectives of identifying the origin and range of interpretation of perceived policy barriers, characterizing the opportunities and mechanisms that are available to overcome barriers at various scales, and educating stakeholders about the most ready opportunities for change. Interviews with fuels program lead persons or fire and aviation management leads from the BLM and Forest Service were conducted in 2017-2018 accross 11 western states. This data consists of themes used to code these interviews. Themes include challenges or barriers to more prescribed burning accomplishments, stragies for communicating between agencies to overcome barriers related to prescribed fire, roles that different partners or collaborating organizations played to help facilitate prescribed burning.