Landowner response to wildfire risk: Adaptation, mitigation or doing nothing.

Area of Science:

• Forestry
• Environmental Management
• Social Science

Background:

• Wildfire poses significant ecological, economic, and social challenges globally.
• Effective wildfire risk management necessitates coordinated efforts, especially across fragmented private land ownerships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate wildfire response strategies of family forestland owners in the southern US.
• To identify factors influencing landowners' wildfire risk response behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A landowner survey was conducted in the southern United States.
• Multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to link landowner characteristics with their response strategies.

Main Results:

• Landowners employed diverse wildfire risk response strategies, with 'doing nothing' and combined adaptation/mitigation being most frequent.
• Proactive responses (adaptation or mitigation alone) were more likely among landowners who had experienced property loss, resided on their land, possessed a forest management plan, and had higher education.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest opportunities to enhance collective action in wildfire risk response among private forestland owners.
• Coordinating wildfire response with forest conservation and certification efforts is feasible and recommended.
• This research provides insights for engaging private landowners in wildfire management in the southern US and other regions.