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Wildfire risk as a socioecological pathology
Citation
Fischer, AP and Spies, TA and Steelman, TA and Moseley, C and Johnson, BR and Bailey, JD and Ager, AA and Bourgeron, P and Charnley, S and Collins, BM and Kline, JD and Leahy, JE and Littell, JS and Millington, JDA and Nielsen-Pincus, M and Olsen, CS and Paveglio, TB and Roos, CI and Steen-Adams, MM and Stevens, FR and Vukomanovic, J and White, EM and Bowman, DMJS, Wildfire risk as a socioecological pathology, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14, (5) pp. 276-284. ISSN 1540-9295 (2016) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2016 by the Ecological Society of America
DOI: doi:10.1002/fee.1283
Abstract
Wildfire risk in temperate forests has become a nearly intractable problem that can be characterized as a socioecological "pathology": that is, a set of complex and problematic interactions among social and ecological systems across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Assessments of wildfire risk could benefit from recognizing and accounting for these interactions in terms of socioecological systems, also known as coupled natural and human systems (CNHS). We characterize the primary social and ecological dimensions of the wildfire risk pathology, paying particular attention to the governance system around wildfire risk, and suggest strategies to mitigate the pathology through innovative planning approaches, analytical tools, and policies. We caution that even with a clear understanding of the problem and possible solutions, the system by which human actors govern fire-prone forests may evolve incrementally in imperfect ways and can be expected to resist change even as we learn better ways to manage CNHS.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | fire |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Terrestrial ecology |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Bowman, DMJS (Professor David Bowman) |
| ID Code: | 113186 |
| Year Published: | 2016 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 129 |
| Deposited By: | Plant Science |
| Deposited On: | 2016-12-15 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
| Downloads: | 190 View Download Statistics |
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