People, Fire, and Forests: A Synthesis of Wildfire Social Science

Abstract

Years of drought and decades of aggressive fire exclusion have left North American forests at high risk for catastrophic fires.

Forest settings are a magnet for recreation and for rapidly growing residential development--putting an increasing number of citizens and their property into the path of wildfires. To be effective, wildfire risk management must be informed by science--but that requires more than just knowledge about the physical and biological dynamics of fire and forest ecosystems. Social values, socioeconomic factors, demographic trends, institutional arrangements, and human behavior must also be taken into consideration by the agencies and individuals responsible for wildland fire decision making.

The first book of its kind to integrate the social science literature on the human dimensions of wildfire, People, Fire, and Forests reviews current studies from this broad, interdisciplinary field and synthesizes them into a rich body of knowledge with practical management implications. Sections in the book cover such topics as public perception of wildfire risk, acceptability of fire management policies, and community impacts of wildfire.

Designed to make relevant social science information more available and useful to wildfire risk managers and policy makers, as well as to scholars and students, People, Fire, and Forests explores the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding human interactions with wildfire and describes the practical implications of this research.