Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Culture Of Fire: Identifying Community Risk Perceptions Surrounding Prescribed Burning In The Flint Hills, Kansas, Zoey Rosen, Giovanna Henery, Kellin D. Slater, Olivia Sablan, Bonne Ford, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Emily V. Fischer, S. L. Magzamen

Journal of Applied Communications

In the Flint Hills region of eastern Kansas, there is a long tradition of spring prescribed burns. However, air quality concerns in downwind communities have sparked conversation regarding the environmental and social impacts of these burns. This study aimed to identify the risk perceptions associated with prescribed burns using two theoretical frameworks: the social amplification of risk framework and the protective action decision model. In April 2022, we conducted 18 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Flint Hills community members from different social stations. Participants identified several benefits of prescribed burns: cattle production gains, invasive species management, prairie ecological health maintenance, and …