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Article
The Community Economic Impacts of Large Wildfires: A Case Study from Trinity County, California
Society and Natural Resources
  • Emily Jane Davis, Oregon State University
  • Cassandra Moseley, University of Oregon
  • Max Nielsen-Pincus, Portland State University
  • Pamela J. Jakes, USDA Forest Service
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2014
Subjects
  • Wildfires,
  • Wages -- United States,
  • Employment -- United States
Abstract

Wildfires are increasing in severity and frequency in the American West, but there is limited understanding of their economic effects at the community level. We conducted a case study of the impacts of large wildfires in 2008 in Trinity County, California, by examining labor market, suppression spending, and qualitative interview data. We found that the 2008 fires had interrelated effects on several economic sectors in the county. Labor market data indicated a decrease in total private-sector employment and wages and an increase in public-sector employment and wages during the summer of 2008 compared to the previous year, while interviews captured more nuanced impacts for individual businesses.

Rights

To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work. This is the publisher’s final PDF.

The published article is copyrighted by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC and can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2014.905812

DOI
10.1080/08941920.2014.905812
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/11675
Citation Information
Davis, E.J., Moseley, C., Nielsen-Pincus, M., Jakes, P.J. (2014). The Community Economic Impacts of Large Wildfires: A Case Study from Trinity County, California.