Community Perceptions of Wildfire and Controlled Burning
Date
2018-04-27
Author
Advisors
Albright, Elizabeth
Christensen, Norm
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Abstract
Community backlash following the western North Carolina wildfires in 2016 revealed
patterns of miscommunication and distrust regarding forest management practices. To
improve messaging in fire-impacted communities, a pilot survey study was conducted
in Morganton, NC. The study explored community perceptions of wildfire and controlled
burning threats, the variables that might explain them, and whether perceptions of
controlled burning can be affected by messaging. Results show that survey respondents
perceived fire to be beneficial for North Carolina forests. Survey respondents generally
perceived wildfire to be an overall threat while they generally did not perceive controlled
burning to be an overall threat. Political alignment, perceived wildfire risk to personal
residence within ten years, and belief that wildfire is a natural part of the ecosystem
were found to be statistically significant predictors of wildfire threat perceptions.
Political alignment, years lived in Morganton, and the belief that wildfire is a natural
part of the ecosystem were found to be statistically significant predictors of controlled
burning threat perceptions. Perceptions of controlled burning may also be changed
due to effective and targeted messaging.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/16579Citation
Gaasch, Kathryn (2018). Community Perceptions of Wildfire and Controlled Burning. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/16579.Collections
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