Fire Continuum Presentation: Risk Co-Management on Interjurisdictional Lands

Team members Branda Nowell, Toddi Steelman, and Anne-Lise Velez presented at the Fire Continuum Conference in Missoula, Montana this May. The conference focused on the science and management of wildland fires that are made up of many multifaceted continuums. A clear understanding of these continuums and their relationship to planning, preparation, learning, response, implementation, and evaluation activities is important in order to fully understand the magnitude and extent of what is involved in this increasingly complex area.

The presentation examined how ineffective risk co-management manifests in conflict and problematic communication and coordination among the variety of stakeholders during an incident, hindering the effectiveness in incident response. The adoption of collaborative risk management has been offered as a path forward to deal with the ongoing challenges associated with wildfire management, however, realizing its promise is difficult. The presentation focused on the models and practices that facilitate or impede risk management dialogue and the socio-psychological mechanisms through which these models operate, leading to greater insight into the theories, practices, and mechanisms associated with more effective co-management of risk. Drawing from a national sample from the 2017 fire season and interviews with key informants across different jurisdictional levels (local, state, federal), this research documents substantive differences in risk perception among key stakeholders, including their relative levels of intensity in risk perception and how they prioritize different risks.

Full presentation slides below.

Risk Co-Managment: Fire continuum conference presentation 2018