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• 1. [Article] Forest Fire Impacts on Carbon Uptake, Storage, and Emission: The Role of Burn Severity in the Eastern Cascades, Oregon

  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 Springer ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Forest Fire Impacts on Carbon Uptake, Storage, and Emission: The Role of Burn Severity in the Eastern Cascades, Oregon Author: Law, Beverly E., Meigs, Garrett W., Donato, Daniel C., Campbell, John L., Martin, Jonathan G. 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 Springer and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/journal/10021 Title: Forest Fire Impacts on Carbon Uptake, Storage, and Emission: The Role of Burn Severity in the Eastern Cascades, Oregon Author: Law, Beverly E., Meigs, Garrett W., Donato, Daniel C., Campbell, John L., Martin, Jonathan G. 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 Springer and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/journal/10021 Close

• 2. [Article] The Effects of Forest Fuel-Reduction Treatments in the United States

  This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and can be found at: http://www.aibs.org/bioscience/. To the best of our knowledge, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Effects of Forest Fuel-Reduction Treatments in the United States Author: Schwilk, Dylan W., Fontaine, Joseph B., Fettig, Christopher J., Hartsough, Bruce R., Kennedy, Patricia L., Stephens, Scott L., McIver, James D., Boerner, Ralph E. J. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and can be found at: http://www.aibs.org/bioscience/. To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work. Title: The Effects of Forest Fuel-Reduction Treatments in the United States Author: Schwilk, Dylan W., Fontaine, Joseph B., Fettig, Christopher J., Hartsough, Bruce R., Kennedy, Patricia L., Stephens, Scott L., McIver, James D., Boerner, Ralph E. J. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and can be found at: http://www.aibs.org/bioscience/. To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work. Close

• 3. [Article] A land manager's guide for creating fire-resistant forests

  Published September 2013. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A land manager's guide for creating fire-resistant forests Author: Fitzgerald, Stephen Arthur, Bennett, Max, 1963-, Oregon State University. Extension Service Published September 2013. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog Title: A land manager's guide for creating fire-resistant forests Author: Fitzgerald, Stephen Arthur, Bennett, Max, 1963-, Oregon State University. Extension Service Published September 2013. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog Close

• 4. [Article] Carbon dynamics following landscape fire: influence of burn severity, climate, and stand history in the Metolius Watershed, Oregon

  Fire is a fundamental disturbance that drives terrestrial and atmospheric carbon dynamics. Previous studies have quantified fire effects on carbon cycling from local to global scales but have focused ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Carbon dynamics following landscape fire: influence of burn severity, climate, and stand history in the Metolius Watershed, Oregon Author: Meigs, Garrett W. Fire is a fundamental disturbance that drives terrestrial and atmospheric carbon dynamics. Previous studies have quantified fire effects on carbon cycling from local to global scales but have focused nearly exclusively on high-severity, stand-replacement fire. Since 2002, variable-severity wildfires have burned more than 65 000 ha across the east slope of the Oregon Cascades, including 4 large fires that burned ca. 50% of the forested area within the Metolius Watershed in 2002 and 2003. This thesis integrates data from 64 field plots, remote-sensing, and an ecosystem process model to investigate the effects of low-, moderate-, and high-severity fire. The primary research objectives were to: (a) quantify combustion and mortality effects on carbon pools, postfire net ecosystem production (NEP), and potential regeneration trajectories at the stand scale; (b) introduce novel remote-sensing datasets into a modeling framework to assess the importance of low- and moderate-severity fire across the landscape and region. At the stand-scale, the 3 levels of burn severity (overstory tree mortality) resulted in profoundly different impacts on combustion, mortality, postfire carbon balance, and potential regeneration trajectories. Simulated combustion ranged from 16.6 to 32.3 Mg C ha-1, or 13% to 35% of prefire aboveground carbon. C transfers from fire-induced tree mortality were larger in magnitude than combustion, as live aboveground C decreased by >90% from low- to high-severity stands. Despite this decline, total net primary productivity (NPP) was only 40% lower in high- vs. low-severity stands, reflecting a compensatory effect of non-tree NPP. Dead wood respiratory losses were small relative to C uptake (range: 10-35% of total NPP), suggesting important decomposition lags in this seasonally-arid system. Although soil C, soil respiration, and fine root NPP were conserved across severity classes, NEP declined with increasing severity, driven by trends in aboveground NPP. Postfire conifer seedling density was generally abundant and varied over 5 orders of magnitude (study-wide median: 812, range: 0 – 62 134 seedlings ha-1). Seedling density was negatively correlated with overstory mortality, whereas shrub biomass showed the opposite response, indicating a wide range of potential successional trajectories. Despite substantial combustion and mortality effects on carbon pools and fluxes, the rapid response of postfire vegetation, coupled with conservation of belowground processes, may offset long-term declines in carbon storage, indicating a surprising degree of postfire stability. These stand-scale results describe a broad range of fire effects—a high degree of pyrodiversity—but because burn severity was not evenly distributed across space, the landscape-level fire effects depend on the severity mosaic. At the landscape-scale, moderate- and low-severity fire contributed 25% and 11% of total estimated pyrogenic carbon emission, respectively (0.66 Tg C total, or ca. 2.2% of statewide anthropogenic CO2 emissions equivalent from the same 2-year period). Moderate- and low-severity fire accounted for 23% and 5% of landscape-level tree mortality, respectively, which resulted in the transfer of 2.00 Tg C from live to dead pools. This carbon transfer was ca. 3-fold higher than the one-time pulse from pyrogenic emission, but it will likely take decades for this dead wood to decompose via heterotrophic respiration. The inclusion of moderate-severity fire reduced postfire (2004) mean annual NEP by 39% compared to the high-severity only scenario; low-severity fire influence on NEP was small (additional reduction of 11% in mean NEP), likely because of high tree survivorship and the relatively lower areal coverage of low-severity fire. One year postfire, burned areas were a strong C source (net C exchange across 53 000 ha: -0.065 Tg C y-1; mean ± SD: -123 ± 110 g C m-2 y-1) vs. a prefire mean near C neutral (1997-2001 mean NEP ± SD: -5 ± 51 g C m-2 y-1). The model has been known to underestimate carbon uptake in mature and old semi-arid forests, so the prefire value is likely underestimated. Despite the resurgence of wildfire across western North America, including a substantial increase in the proportion of high-severity fire in the ecoregions studied here, low- and moderate-severity wildfire accounts for the majority of burned area in the Pacific Northwest region. This non-stand-replacement fire has important consequences for carbon loss and uptake at landscape- and regional-scales. The results from this thesis suggest that by accounting for the full gradient of fire effects, carbon modelers can substantially reduce uncertainties in key components of regional and global carbon budgets, particularly pyrogenic emissions, mortality, and NEP. Understanding the effects of disturbance variability on terrestrial carbon cycling will become increasingly important in the context of emerging regional and global carbon policies. Title: Carbon dynamics following landscape fire: influence of burn severity, climate, and stand history in the Metolius Watershed, Oregon Author: Meigs, Garrett W. Fire is a fundamental disturbance that drives terrestrial and atmospheric carbon dynamics. Previous studies have quantified fire effects on carbon cycling from local to global scales but have focused nearly exclusively on high-severity, stand-replacement fire. Since 2002, variable-severity wildfires have burned more than 65 000 ha across the east slope of the Oregon Cascades, including 4 large fires that burned ca. 50% of the forested area within the Metolius Watershed in 2002 and 2003. This thesis integrates data from 64 field plots, remote-sensing, and an ecosystem process model to investigate the effects of low-, moderate-, and high-severity fire. The primary research objectives were to: (a) quantify combustion and mortality effects on carbon pools, postfire net ecosystem production (NEP), and potential regeneration trajectories at the stand scale; (b) introduce novel remote-sensing datasets into a modeling framework to assess the importance of low- and moderate-severity fire across the landscape and region. At the stand-scale, the 3 levels of burn severity (overstory tree mortality) resulted in profoundly different impacts on combustion, mortality, postfire carbon balance, and potential regeneration trajectories. Simulated combustion ranged from 16.6 to 32.3 Mg C ha-1, or 13% to 35% of prefire aboveground carbon. C transfers from fire-induced tree mortality were larger in magnitude than combustion, as live aboveground C decreased by >90% from low- to high-severity stands. Despite this decline, total net primary productivity (NPP) was only 40% lower in high- vs. low-severity stands, reflecting a compensatory effect of non-tree NPP. Dead wood respiratory losses were small relative to C uptake (range: 10-35% of total NPP), suggesting important decomposition lags in this seasonally-arid system. Although soil C, soil respiration, and fine root NPP were conserved across severity classes, NEP declined with increasing severity, driven by trends in aboveground NPP. Postfire conifer seedling density was generally abundant and varied over 5 orders of magnitude (study-wide median: 812, range: 0 – 62 134 seedlings ha-1). Seedling density was negatively correlated with overstory mortality, whereas shrub biomass showed the opposite response, indicating a wide range of potential successional trajectories. Despite substantial combustion and mortality effects on carbon pools and fluxes, the rapid response of postfire vegetation, coupled with conservation of belowground processes, may offset long-term declines in carbon storage, indicating a surprising degree of postfire stability. These stand-scale results describe a broad range of fire effects—a high degree of pyrodiversity—but because burn severity was not evenly distributed across space, the landscape-level fire effects depend on the severity mosaic. At the landscape-scale, moderate- and low-severity fire contributed 25% and 11% of total estimated pyrogenic carbon emission, respectively (0.66 Tg C total, or ca. 2.2% of statewide anthropogenic CO2 emissions equivalent from the same 2-year period). Moderate- and low-severity fire accounted for 23% and 5% of landscape-level tree mortality, respectively, which resulted in the transfer of 2.00 Tg C from live to dead pools. This carbon transfer was ca. 3-fold higher than the one-time pulse from pyrogenic emission, but it will likely take decades for this dead wood to decompose via heterotrophic respiration. The inclusion of moderate-severity fire reduced postfire (2004) mean annual NEP by 39% compared to the high-severity only scenario; low-severity fire influence on NEP was small (additional reduction of 11% in mean NEP), likely because of high tree survivorship and the relatively lower areal coverage of low-severity fire. One year postfire, burned areas were a strong C source (net C exchange across 53 000 ha: -0.065 Tg C y-1; mean ± SD: -123 ± 110 g C m-2 y-1) vs. a prefire mean near C neutral (1997-2001 mean NEP ± SD: -5 ± 51 g C m-2 y-1). The model has been known to underestimate carbon uptake in mature and old semi-arid forests, so the prefire value is likely underestimated. Despite the resurgence of wildfire across western North America, including a substantial increase in the proportion of high-severity fire in the ecoregions studied here, low- and moderate-severity wildfire accounts for the majority of burned area in the Pacific Northwest region. This non-stand-replacement fire has important consequences for carbon loss and uptake at landscape- and regional-scales. The results from this thesis suggest that by accounting for the full gradient of fire effects, carbon modelers can substantially reduce uncertainties in key components of regional and global carbon budgets, particularly pyrogenic emissions, mortality, and NEP. Understanding the effects of disturbance variability on terrestrial carbon cycling will become increasingly important in the context of emerging regional and global carbon policies. Close

• 5. [Article] Postwildfire Soil Trajectory Linked to Prefire Ecosystem Structure in Douglas-Fir Forest

  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 Springer ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Postwildfire Soil Trajectory Linked to Prefire Ecosystem Structure in Douglas-Fir Forest Author: Homann, Peter S., Bormann, Bernard T., Darbyshire, Robyn L., Morrissette, Brett A. 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 Springer and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/journal/10021. Title: Postwildfire Soil Trajectory Linked to Prefire Ecosystem Structure in Douglas-Fir Forest Author: Homann, Peter S., Bormann, Bernard T., Darbyshire, Robyn L., Morrissette, Brett A. 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 Springer and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/journal/10021. Close

• 6. [Article] Effects of wildfire on growth and demographics of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater streams

  Wildfire is a largely terrestrial perturbation broadly recognized as an agent of disturbance and ecological change in forested biomes. Effects of post-fire conditions on biotic components of aquatic systems ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Effects of wildfire on growth and demographics of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater streams Author: Heck, Michael P. Wildfire is a largely terrestrial perturbation broadly recognized as an agent of disturbance and ecological change in forested biomes. Effects of post-fire conditions on biotic components of aquatic systems have been less well-documented, although hypothetically, the two are strongly connected. In fact, the influence of wildfire may be most profound in headwater streams because of the tight linkage between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. We sought to understand the influence of post-fire conditions on fish in headwater streams by observing growth and demographics of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) following wildfire. During the summer of 2002, wildfire burned portions of three headwater watersheds in the North Umpqua basin of western Oregon. Burn severities ranged from moderate to severe. A reference stream was selected from a nearby fourth watershed. All fish-bearing portions of the stream network in the four watersheds were surveyed for 3 years following the wildfire, and 1,295 scale samples were collected from coastal cutthroat trout for age and growth analysis. Stream temperatures in the burned watersheds changed significantly following the wildfire (p < 0.016), with increases of up to 23% in the most severely burned watershed. During summer electrofishing surveys in the burned watersheds, both young-of-the-year and fish ≥ age 1 were captured; in the unburned watershed, the vast majority of fish captured were ≥ age 1. Age-frequency analyses revealed that fish in older age classes (age ≥ 3) were more prevalent in the unburned watershed than in the burned watersheds. Relative growth rates and length at last annulus formation of coastal cutthroat trout were positively related to the number of degree days during the growing season, and Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.60 (p < 0.07) to 0.90 (p < 0.01). Growth rates and size of fish were not significantly correlated with relative density of fish (p ≥ 0.14). Contrary to the commonly held assumption that wildfire is detrimental to biota in aquatic systems, these results suggest that in the short term (≤ 3 years), fish in the study streams adjusted to environmental change caused by wildfire. Title: Effects of wildfire on growth and demographics of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater streams Author: Heck, Michael P. Wildfire is a largely terrestrial perturbation broadly recognized as an agent of disturbance and ecological change in forested biomes. Effects of post-fire conditions on biotic components of aquatic systems have been less well-documented, although hypothetically, the two are strongly connected. In fact, the influence of wildfire may be most profound in headwater streams because of the tight linkage between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. We sought to understand the influence of post-fire conditions on fish in headwater streams by observing growth and demographics of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) following wildfire. During the summer of 2002, wildfire burned portions of three headwater watersheds in the North Umpqua basin of western Oregon. Burn severities ranged from moderate to severe. A reference stream was selected from a nearby fourth watershed. All fish-bearing portions of the stream network in the four watersheds were surveyed for 3 years following the wildfire, and 1,295 scale samples were collected from coastal cutthroat trout for age and growth analysis. Stream temperatures in the burned watersheds changed significantly following the wildfire (p < 0.016), with increases of up to 23% in the most severely burned watershed. During summer electrofishing surveys in the burned watersheds, both young-of-the-year and fish ≥ age 1 were captured; in the unburned watershed, the vast majority of fish captured were ≥ age 1. Age-frequency analyses revealed that fish in older age classes (age ≥ 3) were more prevalent in the unburned watershed than in the burned watersheds. Relative growth rates and length at last annulus formation of coastal cutthroat trout were positively related to the number of degree days during the growing season, and Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.60 (p < 0.07) to 0.90 (p < 0.01). Growth rates and size of fish were not significantly correlated with relative density of fish (p ≥ 0.14). Contrary to the commonly held assumption that wildfire is detrimental to biota in aquatic systems, these results suggest that in the short term (≤ 3 years), fish in the study streams adjusted to environmental change caused by wildfire. Close

• 7. [Article] Letting wildfires burn : modeling the change in future suppression costs as the result of a suppress versus a let-burn management choice

  Wildfire management policy over the past century, which attempts to exclude fire from fire-adapted ecosystems, has led to a build-up of fuels across the western United States. As a result, current wildfires ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Letting wildfires burn : modeling the change in future suppression costs as the result of a suppress versus a let-burn management choice Author: Houtman, Rachel M. Wildfire management policy over the past century, which attempts to exclude fire from fire-adapted ecosystems, has led to a build-up of fuels across the western United States. As a result, current wildfires contain larger areas of high severity, high intensity burns than seen prior to the policy implementation. There are three leading methods for dealing with this build-up of fuels. The first two, mechanical thinning and prescribed fire, are techniques used to enter an ecosystem and reduce the fuel loads in a specific area. Either can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per hectare. The third method, wildland fire use, is comparatively cheap, while maintaining the benefit of reduced current and future suppression costs. However, it is commonly over-looked, in part because the fire management officer who allows a wildfire to spread when it could have been suppressed can be held liable for damage to property and loss of life, should such events occur. In this thesis, I describe a method for estimating the future suppression cost savings that result from allowing a fire that occurs in the current year to burn. It was hypothesized that under some known, current conditions, given a random selection of future ignitions and weather, the present value of a landscape would be higher given that a fire in the current year was allowed to burn, rather than suppressed. A computer program was used to simulate 100-year sample pathways, which included fire and growth events, on a study area in the southeastern Deschutes National Forest. Based on avoided suppression costs, and a crude estimate of timber losses, some of these potential futures demonstrated a higher present value of the landscape resulting from the let-burn management choice. Size of the current fire was the most important characteristics of a given sample pathway in determining the magnitude of the change in future suppression costs. As the size of the current fire increased, the benefit from the sample pathway also increased. In the future, this analysis can be used as a framework for exploring questions pertaining to the use of weather, fuel, and ignition characteristics of current fires to determine when an ignition should be suppressed, and when it might be advantageous to let a fire burn. Title: Letting wildfires burn : modeling the change in future suppression costs as the result of a suppress versus a let-burn management choice Author: Houtman, Rachel M. Wildfire management policy over the past century, which attempts to exclude fire from fire-adapted ecosystems, has led to a build-up of fuels across the western United States. As a result, current wildfires contain larger areas of high severity, high intensity burns than seen prior to the policy implementation. There are three leading methods for dealing with this build-up of fuels. The first two, mechanical thinning and prescribed fire, are techniques used to enter an ecosystem and reduce the fuel loads in a specific area. Either can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per hectare. The third method, wildland fire use, is comparatively cheap, while maintaining the benefit of reduced current and future suppression costs. However, it is commonly over-looked, in part because the fire management officer who allows a wildfire to spread when it could have been suppressed can be held liable for damage to property and loss of life, should such events occur. In this thesis, I describe a method for estimating the future suppression cost savings that result from allowing a fire that occurs in the current year to burn. It was hypothesized that under some known, current conditions, given a random selection of future ignitions and weather, the present value of a landscape would be higher given that a fire in the current year was allowed to burn, rather than suppressed. A computer program was used to simulate 100-year sample pathways, which included fire and growth events, on a study area in the southeastern Deschutes National Forest. Based on avoided suppression costs, and a crude estimate of timber losses, some of these potential futures demonstrated a higher present value of the landscape resulting from the let-burn management choice. Size of the current fire was the most important characteristics of a given sample pathway in determining the magnitude of the change in future suppression costs. As the size of the current fire increased, the benefit from the sample pathway also increased. In the future, this analysis can be used as a framework for exploring questions pertaining to the use of weather, fuel, and ignition characteristics of current fires to determine when an ignition should be suppressed, and when it might be advantageous to let a fire burn. Close

• 8. [Article] The Influence of fire on the Radiocarbon Signature and Character of Soil Organic Matter in the Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, USA

  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 Association ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Influence of fire on the Radiocarbon Signature and Character of Soil Organic Matter in the Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, USA Author: Powers, Heath, Swanston, Chris, Law, Beverly, Campbell, John, Heckman, Katherine 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 Association for Fire Ecology and can be found at: http://fireecology.org/. Title: The Influence of fire on the Radiocarbon Signature and Character of Soil Organic Matter in the Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, USA Author: Powers, Heath, Swanston, Chris, Law, Beverly, Campbell, John, Heckman, Katherine 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 Association for Fire Ecology and can be found at: http://fireecology.org/. Close

• 9. [Article] Understanding Public Perceptions of Post-Wildfire Landscape Recovery

  Forest disturbances, such as wildfires, pine beetle outbreaks, and floods are important features of many landscapes and ecosystems. Many disturbances are increasing in size, frequency, and intensity due ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Understanding Public Perceptions of Post-Wildfire Landscape Recovery Author: Kooistra, Chad Forest disturbances, such as wildfires, pine beetle outbreaks, and floods are important features of many landscapes and ecosystems. Many disturbances are increasing in size, frequency, and intensity due to changing climates and land management decisions. The changing ecological and aesthetic conditions following a disturbance can lead to negative short- and long-term social impacts. This dissertation research examines one aspect of the relationship between people and their environment in the context of forest disturbances and landscape changes. Specifically, it explores how people perceive a changing landscape after a forest disturbance, a trajectory referred to here as landscape recovery. After describing the larger context of forest disturbances in the introductory chapter, with a focus on wildfires, my second dissertation chapter developed a conceptual framework for understanding how people perceive post-disturbance landscape recovery. It examined the social factors that are most likely to influence those perceptions based on literature from various disciplines. These factors included visual cues and aesthetic preferences, landscape values and connections, and beliefs about the ecological role of disturbances. I described how the concepts and methodological approaches from mental models and social representations traditions help depict and explain how perceptions of landscape recovery can be studied in a way that explores the process shaping the perceptions. I explained how these perceptions likely exist along a spectrum from more simple perceptions focused on aesthetic judgments to more complex perceptions based more on ecological knowledge. I then proposed a research agenda to further investigate this framework, along with a summary of management considerations. The third chapter empirically explored the framework from the previous chapter by applying social representations theory (SRT) to qualitative research in Montana about how people perceive post-wildfire landscape recovery. I examined the mechanistic (i.e., anchoring and objectification) and structural (i.e., central core and peripheral elements) aspects of representations by integrating the factors proposed earlier as most influential in affecting perceptions of recovery. Interviews were conducted in 2014 with 30 residents who experienced the 2012 Dahl Fire, near Roundup, MT. Participants were purposively selected to represent a range of the factors described in Chapter 2. The main propositions from Chapter 2 were explored in the data collection and analysis steps. The core of all respondents' representations was centered on the concept of "Mother Nature." The factors identified in Chapter 2 further shaped representations uniquely across the two main groups of residents (rural lifestyle and working landscape residents) through the anchoring and objectification processes. People's representations about recovery were anchored in general beliefs about the past ecological and socio-cultural role of fire in the landscape as influenced by their past experiences and knowledge about ecological disturbances. Interpretations of different aspects of the landscape, including vegetation composition and key ecosystem functions, were filtered through people's values for the landscape and their specific beliefs about how the fire affected the landscape. This led to variation in specific notions of what constitutes a recovered landscape across the two main social groups there. These findings are discussed in the context of SRT and post-wildfire management. My fourth chapter took a broader look at the variables that influence perceptions of landscape recovery across different wildfires. Twenty-five fires that occurred in 2011 or 2012 in WA, OR, MT, and ID were selected to represent a range of fire behavior characteristics and landscape impacts. Then, residents who live near each of the 25 fires were randomly selected to receive survey questionnaires which asked about multiple facets of their experiences with the fire, the perceived social impacts from the fire, and specifically how the landscape had changed/recovered since the fire. Results showed that, overall, perceptions of landscape recovery no more than two years after the fire were positive. Regression analysis suggested that perceptions of recovery can be explained fairly well with several key variables. More negative evaluations of recovery were related to negative impacts to people's attachment to the landscape, negative perceptions of erosion problems, and longer lasting fires. More positive evaluations of recovery were related to more positive beliefs about the beneficial role of fire in terms of landscape health. Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) analysis showed that these relationships were mostly consistent across fires, though there was some variability in the relationships between perceptions of landscape recovery and the variables that measured perceptions of erosion and beliefs about the ecological role of fire. These findings are discussed in terms of the scope of the study as well as their management implications. My fifth and concluding chapter summarized the main findings from each chapter and integrated them into a larger social-ecological context. Key limitations, considerations related to the validity and reliability of my research, and future research needs are discussed. My dissertation furthers the conceptual and empirical understanding of how people perceive landscape changes from natural disturbances and how managers can include these social dimensions into future planning and implementation efforts. Title: Understanding Public Perceptions of Post-Wildfire Landscape Recovery Author: Kooistra, Chad Forest disturbances, such as wildfires, pine beetle outbreaks, and floods are important features of many landscapes and ecosystems. Many disturbances are increasing in size, frequency, and intensity due to changing climates and land management decisions. The changing ecological and aesthetic conditions following a disturbance can lead to negative short- and long-term social impacts. This dissertation research examines one aspect of the relationship between people and their environment in the context of forest disturbances and landscape changes. Specifically, it explores how people perceive a changing landscape after a forest disturbance, a trajectory referred to here as landscape recovery. After describing the larger context of forest disturbances in the introductory chapter, with a focus on wildfires, my second dissertation chapter developed a conceptual framework for understanding how people perceive post-disturbance landscape recovery. It examined the social factors that are most likely to influence those perceptions based on literature from various disciplines. These factors included visual cues and aesthetic preferences, landscape values and connections, and beliefs about the ecological role of disturbances. I described how the concepts and methodological approaches from mental models and social representations traditions help depict and explain how perceptions of landscape recovery can be studied in a way that explores the process shaping the perceptions. I explained how these perceptions likely exist along a spectrum from more simple perceptions focused on aesthetic judgments to more complex perceptions based more on ecological knowledge. I then proposed a research agenda to further investigate this framework, along with a summary of management considerations. The third chapter empirically explored the framework from the previous chapter by applying social representations theory (SRT) to qualitative research in Montana about how people perceive post-wildfire landscape recovery. I examined the mechanistic (i.e., anchoring and objectification) and structural (i.e., central core and peripheral elements) aspects of representations by integrating the factors proposed earlier as most influential in affecting perceptions of recovery. Interviews were conducted in 2014 with 30 residents who experienced the 2012 Dahl Fire, near Roundup, MT. Participants were purposively selected to represent a range of the factors described in Chapter 2. The main propositions from Chapter 2 were explored in the data collection and analysis steps. The core of all respondents' representations was centered on the concept of "Mother Nature." The factors identified in Chapter 2 further shaped representations uniquely across the two main groups of residents (rural lifestyle and working landscape residents) through the anchoring and objectification processes. People's representations about recovery were anchored in general beliefs about the past ecological and socio-cultural role of fire in the landscape as influenced by their past experiences and knowledge about ecological disturbances. Interpretations of different aspects of the landscape, including vegetation composition and key ecosystem functions, were filtered through people's values for the landscape and their specific beliefs about how the fire affected the landscape. This led to variation in specific notions of what constitutes a recovered landscape across the two main social groups there. These findings are discussed in the context of SRT and post-wildfire management. My fourth chapter took a broader look at the variables that influence perceptions of landscape recovery across different wildfires. Twenty-five fires that occurred in 2011 or 2012 in WA, OR, MT, and ID were selected to represent a range of fire behavior characteristics and landscape impacts. Then, residents who live near each of the 25 fires were randomly selected to receive survey questionnaires which asked about multiple facets of their experiences with the fire, the perceived social impacts from the fire, and specifically how the landscape had changed/recovered since the fire. Results showed that, overall, perceptions of landscape recovery no more than two years after the fire were positive. Regression analysis suggested that perceptions of recovery can be explained fairly well with several key variables. More negative evaluations of recovery were related to negative impacts to people's attachment to the landscape, negative perceptions of erosion problems, and longer lasting fires. More positive evaluations of recovery were related to more positive beliefs about the beneficial role of fire in terms of landscape health. Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) analysis showed that these relationships were mostly consistent across fires, though there was some variability in the relationships between perceptions of landscape recovery and the variables that measured perceptions of erosion and beliefs about the ecological role of fire. These findings are discussed in terms of the scope of the study as well as their management implications. My fifth and concluding chapter summarized the main findings from each chapter and integrated them into a larger social-ecological context. Key limitations, considerations related to the validity and reliability of my research, and future research needs are discussed. My dissertation furthers the conceptual and empirical understanding of how people perceive landscape changes from natural disturbances and how managers can include these social dimensions into future planning and implementation efforts. Close

• 10. [Article] Bridging the worlds of fire managers and researchers: Lessons and opportunities from the Wildland Fire Workshops

  In March and April of 2003, over 250 managers, researchers, and other participants gathered for a series of workshops at Oregon State University, the University of Arizona, and Colorado State University, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Bridging the worlds of fire managers and researchers: Lessons and opportunities from the Wildland Fire Workshops Author: White, Seth M. In March and April of 2003, over 250 managers, researchers, and other participants gathered for a series of workshops at Oregon State University, the University of Arizona, and Colorado State University, near the largest wildfires of 2002. In response to the need for better understanding of large fires, the Wildland Fire Workshops were designed to create an atmosphere for quality interactions between managers and researchers and to accomplish the following objectives: (1) create a prioritized list of recommendations for future wildland fire research; (2) identify the characteristics of effective partnerships; (3) identify types of effective information, tools, and processes; and (4) evaluate the workshops as a potential blueprint for similar workshops in other regions. Through a series of professionally facilitated workshops, participants worked toward speaking with one voice about many key issues. Although differences emerged among individuals, disciplines, and geographic locations, many common themes emerged. Participants suggested that research should be framed in the larger picture of fire ecology and ecosystem restoration, be interdisciplinary, be attentive to the effects of fire at different scales over the landscape and through time, and be focused on social issues. Effective partnerships occur when direct interaction takes place between people at multiple stages, adequate time is allowed for partnership building, partners are rewarded and held accountable for their roles, and when dedicated individuals are identified and cultivated. Participants identified effective information, tools, and processes as those that are adequately and consistently funded, user-friendly, interactive between people at multiple levels, and often championed by key, dedicated individuals. A survey of participants at the final meeting in Colorado revealed that the workshops did in fact create an atmosphere for positive interactions between managers and researchers, and that with some refinements, similar workshops could be carried out in other regions with productive results. Title: Bridging the worlds of fire managers and researchers: Lessons and opportunities from the Wildland Fire Workshops Author: White, Seth M. In March and April of 2003, over 250 managers, researchers, and other participants gathered for a series of workshops at Oregon State University, the University of Arizona, and Colorado State University, near the largest wildfires of 2002. In response to the need for better understanding of large fires, the Wildland Fire Workshops were designed to create an atmosphere for quality interactions between managers and researchers and to accomplish the following objectives: (1) create a prioritized list of recommendations for future wildland fire research; (2) identify the characteristics of effective partnerships; (3) identify types of effective information, tools, and processes; and (4) evaluate the workshops as a potential blueprint for similar workshops in other regions. Through a series of professionally facilitated workshops, participants worked toward speaking with one voice about many key issues. Although differences emerged among individuals, disciplines, and geographic locations, many common themes emerged. Participants suggested that research should be framed in the larger picture of fire ecology and ecosystem restoration, be interdisciplinary, be attentive to the effects of fire at different scales over the landscape and through time, and be focused on social issues. Effective partnerships occur when direct interaction takes place between people at multiple stages, adequate time is allowed for partnership building, partners are rewarded and held accountable for their roles, and when dedicated individuals are identified and cultivated. Participants identified effective information, tools, and processes as those that are adequately and consistently funded, user-friendly, interactive between people at multiple levels, and often championed by key, dedicated individuals. A survey of participants at the final meeting in Colorado revealed that the workshops did in fact create an atmosphere for positive interactions between managers and researchers, and that with some refinements, similar workshops could be carried out in other regions with productive results. Close