Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Wildfires, Communities, And Agencies: Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Postfire Forest Restoration And Rehabilitation, Elisabeth M. Hamin, Robert L. Ryan

Elisabeth M. Hamin

After wildfire, land managers are often called on to undertake complex restoration activities while also managing relations with wildfire-devastated communities. This research investigates the community–US Forest Service agency relations in the postwildfire period in three western US communities. In each community, we interviewed key informant representatives from government, business, environmental organizations, and recreation groups and conducted focus groups to gather input from residents located near burn areas. The goal was to understand how forest restoration and rehabilitation efforts and agency outreach were perceived by stakeholders who were recently affected by wildfire and how these perceptions were related to underlying community …