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Article
Wildfire Risk as a Socioecological Pathology
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
  • A. Paige Fischer, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  • Thomas A. Spies, USDA Forest Service
  • Toddi A. Steelman, University of Saskatchewan
  • Cassandra Moseley, University of Oregon
  • Bart R. Johnson, University of Oregon
  • John D. Bailey, Oregon State University
  • Alan A. Ager, USDA Forest Service
  • Patrick Bourgeron, University of Colorado, Boulder
  • Susan Charnley, USDA Forest Service
  • Brandon M. Collins, USDA Forest Service
  • Jeffrey D. Kline, USDA Forest Service
  • Jessica E. Leahy, University of Maine
  • Jeremy S. Littell, US Geological Survey
  • James D. A. Millington, King’s College London
  • Max Nielsen-Pincus, Portland State University
  • Christine S. Olsen, Oregon State University
  • Travis B. Paveglio, University of Idaho
  • Christopher I. Roos, Southern Methodist University
  • Michelle M. Steen-Adams, University of New England
  • Forrest R. Stevens, University of Louisville
  • Jelena Vukomanovic, University of Colorado, Boulder
  • Eric M. White, USDA Forest Service
  • David Bowman, University of Tasmania
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2016
Subjects
  • Wildfire risk -- Social aspects,
  • Ecosystems,
  • Bioindicators,
  • Forests and forestry,
  • Social systems
Abstract

Wildfire risk in temperate forests has become a nearly intractable problem that can be characterized as a socioecological “pathology”: that is, a set of complex and problematic interactions among social and ecological systems across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Assessments of wildfire risk could benefit from recognizing and accounting for these interactions in terms of socioecological systems, also known as coupled natural and human systems (CNHS). We characterize the primary social and ecological dimensions of the wildfire risk pathology, paying particular attention to the governance system around wildfire risk, and suggest strategies to mitigate the pathology through innovative planning approaches, analytical tools, and policies. We caution that even with a clear understanding of the problem and possible solutions, the system by which human actors govern fire-prone forests may evolve incrementally in imperfect ways and can be expected to resist change even as we learn better ways to manage CNHS.

Rights

Copyright 2016 The Ecological Society of America.

Description

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The Version of Record can be found on Wiley Online Library.

DOI
10.1002/fee.1283
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17678
Citation Information
Fischer, A. P., Spies, T. A., Steelman, T. A., Moseley, C., Johnson, B. R., Bailey, J. D., … Bowman, D. M. (2016). Wildfire risk as a socioecological pathology. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(5), 276–284. http://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1283