Dealing with public concerns in restoring fire to the forest

Abstract

Public support is important to all restoration efforts on public lands. Some types of restoration activities are easier for the public to support than others. Restoring wetlands, habitat restoration for salmon or burrowing owls, and vegetative rehabilitation are generally acceptable practices. Most restoration projects and activities such as these do not have much direct impact on people. However, restoring ecological processes, such as fire, is a different story. In this paper, I describe the challenges of restoring fire to the forest. I share.some of the opinions of people in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana regarding management ignited prescribed fire, and examine some of the major barriers to public acceptance. I also suggest ways to increase public support for fire restoration-concepts that should be part of every fire restoration effort.

Parent Publication

• The use of fire in forest restoration

Citation

Weldon, Leslie A. C. 1996. Dealing with public concerns in restoring fire to the forest. In: Hardy, Colin C.; Arno, Stephen F., eds. The use of fire in forest restoration. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-341. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. p. 56-58.