Managing Wildfire Risk in Fire-Prone Landscapes: How Are Private Landowners Contributing?
The fire-prone landscapes include both public and private lands. Wildfire burns indiscriminately across property boundaries, which means that the way potential fuels are managed on one piece of property can affect wildfire risk on neighboring lands. KeY FINdINGS
• Private forest landowners who perceive great fire risk or are concerned about hazardous fuel conditions on nearby public lands are more likely to reduce fuels on their properties and cooperate with public agencies on fuel reduction.
• Most private landowners surveyed reduce fuel independently, rather than in cooperation with others, primarily because of distrust and social norms about private property ownership.
• Forest owners who live on a forested parcel of land are much more likely to reduce fuels on that parcel than are owners who maintain residences elsewhere.
• Limited opportunity to offset the costs of fuel reduction (e.g., with public incentive programs or income from markets for logs and wood products) poses greater constraints to fuel reduction by private forest owners than does lack of knowledge or skills.
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