LANDHOLDERS AND FIRE: A TWO COUNTY CASE STUDY FROM WASHINGTON STATE, USA

摘要

The threat of wildfire is not the primary factor affecting forest management decisions for many landowners. Income and management costs are often more pressing. Fire hazard reduction treatments or improvements in forest conditions through the use of fire are not seen as compatible with financial objectives. Further, the barriers to prescribed burning are formidable and the fear of an escaped fire coupled with the resulting liability make it a non-viable option for many landowners. An implication of this research on the use of prescribed fire by NIPF landowners is the apparent need for changes in liability laws related to escaped fires if an increase in the use of such burning is desired. Also, technology transfer on the techniques and application of prescribed fire as well as additional study concerning the acceptability of smoke from such burning are needed. If there is one message from our study, it is that "one size does not fit all" either in terms of the extent to which the specter of wildfire is important in influencing management decisions or in the possibilities of using fire as a management tool. There is a complex interaction of risk perception factors, different biological conditions and fire regimes in the two counties along with social and cultural differences in land management practices and objectives that influences decisions and risk perception. The economic and institutional constraints of using a particular tool also play into the decision-making matrix. It would be unrealistic to expect a uniform response by forest landholders to the threat or promise of fire. However, the reasons for owning the land and the ownership histories clearly make possible the use of fire as a tool more likely in some places. Many have called for landscape level analysis to understand ecological dynamics of forests generally and fire dynamics specifically. Our data suggest that understanding the motivations and constraints of the changing cast of relatively small landholders is a key element of this broader picture.