Matthew S. Carroll Brad R. Weisshaupt William D. Robinson Patricia J. Cohn

1. Toward Understanding the Acceptability of Smoke from Prescribed Forest Burning in the Northern Inland West Matthew S. Carroll Brad R. Weisshaupt William D. Robinson Patricia J. Cohn

2. Background • History and use of fire and fire suppression • Fire risk and fuel conditions • Forest treatments

3. Background • Smoke is a barrier to prescribed burning • Population growth, air quality regulations, health concerns

4. Background • Growing body of research on social acceptability of prescribed burning • Many issues regarding burning • Knowledge of prescribed burning is linked to acceptance

5. Research Question • Gauge the extent of tolerance to smoke from prescribed broadcast burning in the wildland-urban interface of the northern Inland West • Does the origin of smoke make a difference in the acceptability of that smoke ?

6. Research Rationale • Yankelovich: Coming to Public Judgment • “Working Through” In…hours of objective and balanced discussions, hawks were not transformed to into doves, nor doves into hawks, but many second thoughts in the direction of greater realism were stimulated.” (Yankelovich 1991: 158).

7. Research Rationale • Focus groups • Allow for the kind of “working through” that Yankelovich suggests is necessary for successful governance • Are not a substitute for broader public forums, but the dynamics can approximate what happens in such forums

8. Methods • Focus groups • Hear alternative perspectives • Work through issues • Discuss trade-offs

9. Methods • Five different population sectors • Urban • Anti-smoke • Rural • Native American • Recently experienced a wildfire • Conducted October 2003-January 2004

10. Methods • Topics • Quality of life in the area • Forest conditions • Fire risk • Prescribed burning • Acceptability of smoke Forestry Images

11. Results • Forest conditions and fuel reduction strategies • Conditions have changed • Harvest, thinning, chipping • Mechanical treatment and burning “There are very few hillsides now that you can climb up… Now you have logs and dead trees and it’s a mess. If there’s a fire, I guarantee it’s going to be a big one.” (Native)

12. Results • Knowledge of prescribed burning • Definition of prescribed broadcast burning • Types of burning Forestry Images

13. Results • Smoke issues • We can’t expect to live smoke-free • Wildfire smoke vs. prescribed fire smoke “If it is a prescribed burn, there’s the possibility for intelligent smoke management…and it is an inexact science, but at least its better than not having any control over it (smoke) when it goes off.” (Anti-smoke)

14. Results • Smoke sources • Agricultural field burning vs. prescribed forest burning “I can’t expect the whole world to change just because I have asthma. I have to adapt to the fact that I live where I live and there’s smoke.” (Rural)

15. Results • Smoke trade-offs: “The question before public land managers and citizens is not whether there will be fire and smoke in their future, but how they might want their fire and smoke” (Hessburg and Agee 2003: 49).

16. Results • Similarities across groups • Smoke from prescribed burns is more acceptable than that from agricultural field burning • Prescribed fire is needed in the WUI… but not necessarily in my immediate backyard! • More education and information

17. Results • Differences across groups • Native Americans • Rural non-native • Urban • Wildfire experience • Anti-agricultural smoke

18. Discussion • Will people tolerate smoke from prescribed broadcast burning if such burning would be a beneficial tool for forest restoration?

19. Discussion • Challenges to implementation • Education about prescribed broadcast burning • Gain public trust • Fear of escaped fire may be a bigger barrier than smoke Forestry Images

20. Discussion • Recommendations for public involvement • Standard terminology • Better, specific knowledge of prescribed broadcast burning • Use succinct, easily understandable terminology forest (fôr'ist, fär'-) n. [ME. < OFr. (Fr. forêt) < ML. (silva) forestis, as if (wood) unenclosed (< L. foris, out-of-doors), but prob. (wood) under court control (< L. forum, court, FORUM)] 1. a thick growth of trees and underbrush covering an extensive tract of land; large woods: often used figuratively 2. any of certain tracts of woodland or wasteland, usually the property of the sovereign, preserved for game

21. Discussion • Recommendations for public involvement • Identify the essence of the concept • What is prescribed burning? • What will prescribed burning do?

22. Discussion • Develop appropriate visual material • Text and images

23. Discussion • Develop inventory of success stories • Examples of benefits to forest • Examples of successful fires

24. Discussion • Quantitative research on effective terminology and messages • Which terms are understandable and resonate with the public? • What works for the opposition?

25. Conclusion • Messages for managers • Smoke is tolerable • Tolerance increases with education and information • Bridge the “expert”-public gap on acceptability of smoke