JFSP Products and Deliverables

FY 2001

Evaluation Communication Strategies and Local Partnerships: Methods for Reducing Fuels, Sharing Responsibility, and Building Trust

Project # 01C-3-3-17; Principal Investigator: Bruce A. Shindler

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of federal agency communication strategies and partnerships with local organizations for fuel reduction programs. Research was conducted at the community level where federal fire personnel have begun to work cooperatively with local jurisdictions and citizen groups to gain acceptance for agency programs and build joint responsibility for fire management activities.

Further information at: http://jfsp.nifc.gov/JFSP_Bruce_Shindler.htm

A Social Assessment of Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Values Related to Wildland Fire, Fire Risk, and Fire Recovery

Project #01-1-3-30; Principal Investigator: J. Michael Bowker

This study focuses on the broad topic of public values, attitudes, and behaviors toward wildfire. It contributes to the development of a comprehensive understanding of public values, attitudes and behaviors and understanding public preferences related to fire and wildland management. Unlike previous and ongoing research, the current
study is aimed to provide national or “macro” level information. The primary project objectives
were to:
1. Obtain knowledge, attitude, and preference information from the general public regarding fire, fire risk, and fire management in wildland and wildland/urban interface areas;
2. Identify and measure factors which condition individual responses toward fire, fire risk, fire management;
3. Test hypotheses relating to various social strata and fire knowledge and preferences;
4. Identify and develop market segments that can be specifically targeted by education and outreach efforts designed to enhance public understanding and support for science-based fire management regimes.

Final Report

A national study of the economic impacts of biomass removals to mitigate wildfire damages on federal, state, and private lands

Project #01-1-2-09; Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Prestemon

Large-scale biomass removal programs done to lower wildfire risks and associated damages on public and private lands may have short-term and long-term economic impacts on local, regional, and national forest product markets. These kinds of market, timber growing, and land use economic effects should be a central part of any economic analysis of the trade-offs of using alternative fuel treatments to reduce fire risk. Researchers will evaluate the economic consequences of introducing biomass removals into wood products markets. The information will be used to project effects of various scales of biomass removal programs on prices and economic surplus of private and public producers and the timber demand sector.

Final Report

Abt, K.L. and J.P. Prestemon. 2006. Timber markets and fuel treatments in the Western U.S. Natural Resource Modeling 19(1):15-43.

In-woods Decision Making of Utilization Opportunities to lower costs of Fire Hazard Reduction Treatments

Project #01-1-2-03; Principal Investigator: Eini Lowell

Fuels reduction treatments generate a large amount of biomass - most of it small in diameter. While this material may be suited for wood products, opportunities to process this material are few in the southwestern U.S. Harvesting and transportation costs are often limiting factors. Scientists plan to examine innovative ways to lower costs of harvesting and transporting this material by evaluating in-woods decision-making regarding tree selection, residuals left on site, product suitability, and market opportunity. Options for in woods processing such as chipping or rough sawing will also be examined as ways to reduce transportation costs. Resulting information will be used to produce a field guide to help planners in developing cost effective fuels management prescriptions.

Final Report

Additional information can be found at the Ecologically Sustainable Production (ESP) of Forest Resources website.

FY 1999

Evaluating Public Responses to Wildland Fuels Management: Factors that Influence Acceptance of Practices and Decision Processes

Project # 99-1-2-08; Principal Investigator: Bruce A. Shindler

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the public’s perspectives and acceptance of wildland fuel programs on federal forests and rangelands. Surveys took place in seven fire-prone areas in Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, Florida and the Great Lakes Region where citizens are familiar with forest conditions and have a stake in management outcomes.
Specific objectives include:
-Assess public opinion about treatment alternatives, smoke management, and agency communication strategies in affected communities.
- Identify factors that influence the acceptability of wildland fuel reduction strategies and decision processes.
- Measure public confidence in resource agencies for effective implementation of fuels reduction practices.

Further information can be found at: http://oregonstate.edu/%7Eshindleb/jfsp/

Integrated Fuels Treatment Assessment: Ecological, Economic, and Financial Impacts

Project # 99-1-1-05; Principal Investigator: Hayley Hesseln

This project evaluated financial, economic and ecological information to provide a guide to examine the implications of different fuels management goals and understand the feasibility of applying various fuel treatment methods over time. The project consisted of a compilation of seven research initiatives relating to fuels management including:
-Two Cost Studies;
-Three Economic Analyses based on contingent valuation and travel cost methodologies;
-A landscape-level analysis of fuels treatment effectiveness; and
-A synthesis using Multiple-resource Analysis and Geographic Information System (MAGIS) to evaluate decision-making at the landscape level

The final report is available at:99-1-1-05Final Report.pdf
A list of papers and presentations is available at:
99-1-1-05_Product_Summary.pdf

FY 1998

Study of Florida Residents Regarding Three Alternative Fuel Treatment Programs

Project # 98-S-04; Principal Investigator: Armando Gonzalez-Caban

The objective of this study was to determine the level of support Florida residents ascribed to three alternative fuel reduction techniques given location to recent large-scale wildfire events and differences in ethnicity and/or language. Gaps in knowledge and attitude toward prescribed fire exist between English and Spanish speaking residents. Although these disparities are present, the willingness to pay (WTP) for alternative fuel treatment programs was not shown to be statistically influenced by language, ethnicity, or location to recent large-scale wildfire events.

A Survey of Florida Residents Regarding Three Alternative Fuel Treatment Programs

Ecological and Economic Consequences of the 1998 Florida Wildfires

Project # 98-S-03; Principal Investigator: Sue Grace

The 1998 wildfire season in Florida was particularly severe due to a variety of interrelated factors including: high rainfall totals partly attributable to El Nino, more than usual plant growth, and high moisture levels through the dormant season that prohibited prescribed burning of vegetation. Over a period of 6 weeks starting in early June 1998 more than 2,500 fires burned over 500,000 acres in Florida. This situation provided a rare opportunity to study the ecological and economic impacts of such an extreme event on southeastern forests. Individual study topics, objectives, results, and some management implications are presented in this report.

This paper can be found at: http://flame.fl-dof.com/joint_fire_sciences/exec_sum.pdf