Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE)
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The Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE) at the University of Oregon links, leverages, and aligns applied social science research and resources to help organizations and communities adapt and thrive in the face of adversity.
Note: The organization was formerly known as The Institute for a Sustainable Environment
For more information, visit the web site at: https://resilient.uoregon.edu
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Browsing Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE) by Issue Date
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Item Open Access Fire in the heart of the Oregon Cascades: exceptional variability in fire across the western Cascades(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-08) Coughlan, Michael R.; Cummings, Tressa; Derr, Kelly M.; Johnson, Bart R.; Johnston, James D. (James Daniel); Lewis, David G. (David Gene), 1965-Wildland fire is a fundamental forest ecosystem process. However, resilience to wildfires is declining in forests of the western US, in part because of the loss of complex and varied forest structures that can reduce wildfire spread and severity. In the past, Indigenous traditions served the ecological and spiritual needs of human communities and landscapes through land stewardship practices such as cultural burning and selective harvesting of natural resources. We hypothesize that these practices played a critical role in the maintenance of fire regimes and resilience of the forest to catastrophic wildfire and climate change broadly. Displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples and prohibition of their cultural practices led to the diminishment of cultural burning. This, coupled with fire exclusion and suppression policies by federal and state agencies, has contributed to a decline in forest health and a shift toward less resilient landscapes.Item Open Access Federal Forest Restoration Program update: activities and outcomes(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2024-07) Sullivan-Astor, Kyle; Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, Naomi; Ellison, AutumnThe Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program is pleased to share updates at the mid-point of the 2023-25 biennium. This period has seen significant progress in our ongoing efforts to enhance the resilience of Oregon’s federal forests and support rural economies. The biennial investments in forest collaboratives and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning have been awarded, and the program’s activities under the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) are entering a busy summer season. This report shares where the program’s collaboration and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning investments are targeted this biennium and shows the accomplished on-the-ground work over time and across the state.Item Open Access Social and economic monitoring for Klamath-Lake Forest Health Partnership : 2023 updates(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-03) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce ProgramIn 2021, Klamath-Lake Forest Health Partnership (KLFHP), together with the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon and Lake County Resource Initiative (LCRI) drafted a new plan for the socioeconomic and ecological monitoring of all-lands projects led by the KLFHP. After nearly a decade of monitoring focused on the Lakeview Stewardship Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), monitoring efforts under the new plan are shifting beyond the CFLRP footprint to include all-lands restoration projects. This factsheet provides an overview of KLFHP’s accomplishments during FY 2023 and an update on socioeconomic monitoring results.Item Open Access Federal Forest Restoration Program update : 2016-2024 activities and outcomes(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024-01) Sullivan-Astor, Kyle; Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, Naomi; Ellison, AutumnOregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program looks forward to playing a role in implementing Oregon’s 20-year Landscape Resiliency Strategy, which has identified over five million acres of forestland as a top priority for treatment due to high wildfire risk, and other ecological and social factors. 57% of these priority geographies are under federal jurisdiction. The FFR Program’s federal partnership and work with forest collaboratives will play a key role in helping realize the strategy. The work of the FFR Program is also guided by the Oregon state law ORS 526.275 which created “…the policy of the state to pursue projects under the [Good Neighbor Authority] that increase timber harvest volume, contribute to job creation, reduce wildfire risks to all lands, improve wildlife habitat and watershed health, and stimulate local economies.” For this biennium, the FFR Program will be releasing four fact sheets roughly every six months containing program updates, activities and outcomes instead of one comprehensive monitoring report released prior to the end of the biennium. After June 30, 2025, the program will publish a comprehensive report that captures all activities within the 2023-25 biennium.Item Open Access Oakridge-Westfir Smoke and Air Quality: Community Survey(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2024) Coughlan, Michael R.; Downey, Jess; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Serio, Naomi; Smith, HollieThis report summarizes the results of a 2024 Oakridge Air community survey on air quality and smoke from wildfire and woodstoves. This community survey was informed by interviews conducted with community leaders to identify key information needs and actions related to air quality and smoke locally. Oakridge, in Lane County, Oregon, has historically been ranked among the top 20 communities in the United States with the worst air quality due to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) from home wood heating (woodstove) and wildfire smoke. Supplemental materials that accompany this report include two appendices: Appendix I: Oakridge Smoke & Air Quality Survey is the survey instrument, Consent Form, Gift Card form, and Oakridge Air Survey Hand-Out. Appendix II: Detailed Survey Methods and Results reports all response categories for all survey questions, in the order the survey was designed. The full de-identified survey results are also included.Item Open Access Communication Audit: Oakridge Air(Center for Science Communication Research, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2023-05) Smith, Hollie; Shafer, AutumnOakridge Air serves the communities of Oakridge and Westfir and promotes healthy air quality through individual and community resources. Oakridge Air, which is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, has five program areas: home heating upgrades, community firewood, school education, cleaner indoor air, and code enforcement. Oakridge Air uses several communication strategies to engage community members in these programs. This audit provides an overview of Oakridge Air’s communication engagement and messaging strategy, focusing on messaging from 2021-2022, to provide strategic communication recommendations for future work. This audit focuses primarily on the Oakridge Air Communication Plan and messaging templates, community newsletters, text messaging service, Oakridge Air’s Facebook page, and Oakridge Air’s website. The newsletters and text messaging service have been essential and valued communication tools with substantial engagement growth spurred by major wildfire smoke events in 2022. The Facebook page and website are likely one of the first channels community members use to begin engaging with Oakridge Air. The communication plan and messaging templates provide internal guidance for message design and delivery. Given the increased engagement with Oakridge Air, there is an opportunity to leverage the positive experience and community-supported impact of these communication efforts to motivate more understanding of air quality and wildfire smoke effects along with short and long-term actions to mitigate risk and impacts.Item Open Access OAKRIDGE CEDAR CREEK FIRE 2022 INTERNAL AFTER ACTION REPORT(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2023-01) Smith, Hollie; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Serio, NaomiAn After Action Review workshop was facilitated on Monday, December 5, 2022 for City of Oakridge, Lane County staff, and Oakridge community members who participated in the emergency responses in Oakridge for wildfire evacuation and hazardous air quality related to the Cedar Creek Fire (see timeline for details). Oakridge had 37 days from August-October 2022 when air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups (AQI of 101-150). In an effort to learn from this unprecedented and extended event, Southern Willamette Forest Collaboratives partnered with researchers at the University of Oregon to conduct this internal After Action Review. The review consisted of one workshop that lasted 2 hours and was broken up into two sessions: 1) evacuation and 2) smoke and air quality. For evacuation, participants noted that several components of the evacuation went well, primarily related to communication timing and modes, early planning, and the use of public resources (e.g., buses). Key areas for evacuation improvement include staffing capacity, establishing an Emergency Operation Center (EOC), and improving communication and emergency planning for multiple scenarios (with and without electricity or external funding and support). For smoke and air quality, participants noted the success of the air purifier distribution program, the installation of Purple Air sensors, a field trip for school children, and strong communication about cleaner air spaces. The key areas for improvement include communication and emergency planning for multiple scenarios, streamlining (and improving the accessibility of) the purifier screening criteria and resource availability, and providing additional support for schools. The remainder of this report is divided into: 1) summarized/overall recommendations from both events; 2) Evacuation Timeline; 3) Smoke Response Timeline; and 4) more information from the discussions from each session and the resulting recommendations.Item Open Access Indigenous fire stewardship for fire management and ecological restoration in the Pacific Northwest(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2023) Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, Naomi; Loeb, Harper; Lewis, David G. (David Gene), 1965-; Thompson, SallyIndigenous fire stewardship (IFS) plays a critical role in the maintenance of North American forest resilience. This synthesis reviews literature on IFS in the PNW as represented in scholarly peer reviewed publications. We also conducted a systematic search of the internet to identify informational resources, networks, and organizations engaged with IFS in the PNW. This paper synthesizes information on ecological, social, and policy aspects of IFS that are relevant to fire managers and restoration practitioners in the PNW. We identify current knowledge and knowledge gaps, as well as policy opportunities and barriers relevant to the application of IFS to fire management and ecological restoration. Supplemental information on spreadsheets: 1. Search_Citations.csv: This is a list of citations identified in the systematic review. It identifies the database and search terms associated with the article, information on citations, authorship, article type, and ranking used for annotation. 2. Columndescriptions.csv: Defines column headings for the Search_Citations spreadsheet. 3. SearchLog.csv: Provides details for each systematic search. 4. IFS_Websites.csv: List of websites related to Indigenous fire stewardship in the PNW.Item Open Access Oregon Department of Forestry's Landscape Resiliency Program : assessing implementation and outcomes for the 2021-2023 biennium(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2023) Serio, Naomi; Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Santo, Anna; McEvoy, Andy, 1987-; White, Eric M.The Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Landscape Resiliency Program (LRP) is a grant program to support cross-boundary restoration of landscape resiliency and fuels reduction within Oregon. In fall 2021, ODF requested the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon (UO) to devise and carry out a plan for monitoring investments and outcomes of the LRP. The LRP monitoring plan focused on three stages: Project Selection, Implementation, and Outcomes. The purpose of this working paper is to report the results of the Implementation and Outcomes monitoring phases. This report presents 1) an overview of selected projects, 2) project participants' experiences with project implementation successes, challenges, and lessons learned, 3) on-the-ground accomplishments of LRP projects, and 4) an assessment of the economic aspects of LRP.Item Open Access Wildfire smoke and athletic events : understanding public concerns, experiences, and preparedness(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2023) Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, Naomi; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Clark, Benjamin Y., 1977-; Smith, Hollie M., 1986-The increasingly longer and more severe wildfire smoke events in the Pacific Northwest are likely to occur during outdoor athletic events. We investigated wildfire smoke concerns, air quality communication preferences, and protective action behaviors among sporting event attendees through a survey created by our interdisciplinary research team from the UO. This report presents survey results and implications for improving communication and protocol for air quality and smoke during future outdoor athletic events.Item Open Access Monitoring investments in Oregon's Federal Forest Restoration Program, 2021-2023 biennium(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2023) Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, Naomi; Downey, Jess; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Santo, Anna; White, Eric M.; Davis, Emily JaneThe Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program is a joint effort among the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), federal forest managers, and public lands stakeholders to increase the pace, scale, and quality of federal forest restoration across Oregon. The program supports management for forest resilience on federal lands as well as economic opportunities for surrounding communities. This working paper provides an update on FFR Program investments and outcomes for the 2021-2023 biennium. Reports from the previous biennium (2019-2021) can be found elsewhere. Here we report: 1) FFR Program expenditures, 2) economic activity from timber sales and the FFR grant investments, 3) on-the-ground accomplishments of the FFR Program, and 4) stakeholders’ perspectives on the FFR Program’s successes and challenges.Item Open Access Data: Oregon Wildfire Smoke Communications and Impacts(University of Oregon, 2022) Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Clark, BenjaminItem Open Access Perceptions of Air Quality and Smoke in Oakridge, Oregon Perceptions Oregon: Results from pilot interviews with key informants(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022) University of Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program; Kaplowitz, Grace; Deak, Alison; Coughlan, Michael; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Smith, Hollie; Shafer, AutumnThis report summarizes the results of the Oakridge Air community key informant (or community leader) interviews on air quality and smoke. This research was conducted as a pilot project to discern community understanding, perceptions, and awareness of air quality and smoke issues in the Oregon communities of Oakridge and Westfir, and to inform a survey to be distributed to households in Oakridge-Westfir for further study. Oakridge has historically been ranked among the top 20 communities in the United States with the worst air quality due to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) from home wood heating (wood stove) and wildfire smoke. Due to the steep topography of the area and Oakridge’s location in a basin-shaped valley bottom, the community is prone to atmospheric inversions that trap seasonal wildfire smoke and wintertime home heating woodsmoke in the community.Item Open Access Oregon Department of Forestry's Landscape Resiliency Program : assessing the project selection process for the 2021-2023 biennium(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2022) Serio, Naomi; Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Santo, AnnaThe Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Landscape Resiliency Program (LRP) is a grant program to support cross-boundary restoration of landscape resiliency and fuels reduction within Oregon. In fall 2021, ODF requested the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon (UO) devise and carry out a plan for monitoring investments and outcomes of the LRP. LRP monitoring focuses on three stages– Project Selection, Implementation, and Outcomes. The purpose of this working paper is to report the results of the Project Selection monitoring phase. This report presents 1) stakeholders’ experiences with the LRP program development, application process, and project selection, 2) characterization of grantee organizations, and 3) characterization of project geographies.Item Open Access Federal Forest Restoration Program use of the Good Neighbor Authority : 2016-2021 activities and outcomes(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022) Sullivan, Kyle; Coughlan, Michael R.; Kauffman, MarcusRestoration is a pressing need across Oregon’s forests—over 7 million acres are experiencing declining forest health and are at elevated risk of large and destructive wildfires. Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Federal Forest Restoration Program partners with federal agencies to restore and steward these important lands to enhance and protect the valuable benefits they provide for Oregonians. ODF supports three key elements of restoration: Planning – Implementation – Monitoring, all integral to restoring land in an ecologically sound, scientific manner. This fact sheet summarizes the results of ODF’s efforts to increase the pace, scale and quality of restoration on federal lands in Oregon.Item Open Access ODF Landscape Resilience Program monitoring plan(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022) Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Santo, Anna; McEvoy, Andy, 1987-; White, Eric M.The Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Landscape Resiliency Program (LRP) is a grant program established by Senate Bill 762 (SB762), Section 18-20 (2021) to support crossboundary forest restoration and resiliency within Oregon. In early 2022, the grant program awarded funding in the amount of $20 million to nine landscape-scale projects to reduce wildfire risk on public and private forestlands and rangelands and around homes and critical infrastructure through the restoration of forest resiliency and hazardous fuels reduction for the 2021-2023 biennium. ODF requested the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon (UO) to devise a plan for monitoring investments and outcomes of the LRP. This draft document outlines a monitoring plan that proposes questions, indicators, methods, deliverables, and timelines for the LRP monitoring.Item Open Access Social and economic monitoring for the Lakeview stewardship CFLR project, FY 2020-2021 : addendum to the 2012-2019 ecological, social, and economic monitoring report(Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon, 2022) Deak, Alison; Coughlan, Michael R.The Lakeview Stewardship Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Project was awarded funding in 2012 to improve forest ecological health within 662,289 acres of the Fremont-Winema National Forest and contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of nearby communities. The Fremont-Winema National Forest and Lakeview Stewardship Group have partnered to collaboratively design, implement, and monitor activities within the Lakeview Stewardship CFLR Project. This report is the culmination of the first ten years of the CFLR Project, presenting results for the project’s five socioeconomic monitoring questions for federal fiscal years (FYs) 2020 and 2021, alongside results from previous years.Item Open Access Oregon Wildfire Smoke Communications and Impacts: An Evaluation of the 2020 Wildfire Season(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022) Coughlan, Michael R.; Huber-Stearns, Heidi; Clark, Benjamin; Deak, AlisonOregon Health Authority and the University of Oregon partnered to conduct a survey-based evaluation of wildfire smoke communications and impacts experienced by Oregon residents during the 2020 wildfire season. The purpose of this survey was to (1) understand how Oregonians respond to wildfire smoke and (2) provide an open-source evaluation tool and data to support wildfire smoke communication practitioners in Oregon. This evaluation is intended to guide improvement of public risk communication, programs, and recommendations. This document is intended to inform practitioners and staff at public agencies (public health, emergency management, natural resource management), academics, and community members about key findings and recommendations from the survey related to: 1. patterns and correlations surrounding information sources and needs. 2. patterns around health behaviors related to preventing smoke exposure. 3. information relevant for raising awareness and preparedness of specific risk groups. 4. potential areas and questions for future research.Item Open Access Federal Forest Restoration Program update : 2016-2022 activities and outcomes(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022) Sullivan-Astor, Kyle; Coughlan, Michael R.; Serio, NaomiOregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Federal Forest Restoration (FFR) Program is continuing its work partnering with federal land managers, who manage 60% of Oregon’s forests, to address the 5.6 million acres of Oregon’s forests in need of landscape treatments to reduce threats such as insect, disease, and stand-replacing wildfire, and create economic opportunities and jobs in the natural resources sector. With 65% of the highest risk acres occurring on federal lands, efforts to create landscapes resilient to disturbance must involve federal lands in a meaningful way. This report summarizes the state’s activities to mitigate the effects of severe wildfires and create healthy federal forests in Oregon. The report also fulfills the requirement of ORS 526.276 to report activities and outcomes of ODF’s work on federal forestlands in Oregon.Item Open Access OAKRIDGE AIR COMMUNITY INTERVIEWS ON AIR QUALITY AND SMOKE(Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2022)The Oregon communities of Oakridge and Westfir have historically been ranked amongst the top 20 communities in the United States with the worst air quality due to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) from home wood heating (wood stove) and wildfire smoke. We partnered with Oakridge Air, a community-level program funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, that seeks to mitigate health threats from smoke-related poor air quality in Oakridge, to conduct a pilot study. Approach: We conducted interviews with 22 key informants and community leaders from the Oakridge-Westfir community between April and June of 2022. The key informants were purposively chosen for this pilot study because they provided a connection to multiple parts of the Oakridge-Westfir community. We asked respondents questions related to community understanding of air quality information, effective communication sources, community preparedness for smoke events, and smoke-related air quality concerns and behaviors. These pilot data will be used to inform future research about air quality in the community.