CAREER: Understanding vulnerability to wildland fire by assessing wildfire disturbance as a multi-scalar system

This project considers wildland fire and society in a multi-scalar system to understand the geography of wildland fire impacts and management decisions across local to national scales. This research examines how wildland fire exposure, demographic factors, and the capacity to reduce or manage risk influence outcomes. Specifically, this project analyzes the characteristics of communities with differential wildland fire impacts to provide new insights into vulnerability to wildland fire hazards. The findings identify ways to incorporate vulnerability into decision-making processes for resource allocation. Broader impacts include creating educational opportunities for university and high school students, engaging local communities through participatory research, and equipping resource managers with tools to aid wildland fire decision-making. This project addresses research gaps in wildland fire resource allocation by advancing the understanding of distributive, recognitional, and procedural resource management in wildland fire contexts. Specifically, it will (1) analyze patterns of vulnerability to wildland fire on a national scale to elucidate how wildland fire impacts are distributed among populations, (2) evaluate the perceptions and experiences of affected people regarding wildland fire impacts and adaptation strategies, and (3) explore ways to integrate vulnerability assessments into wildland fire resource allocation decision-making. This project employs large-scale quantitative methods and participatory approaches to bridge gaps between researchers, communities, and decision-makers. Ultimately, this work aims to advance knowledge that informs effective wildland fire management practices, increases wildland fire resilience, and offers a framework broadly applicable to other natural hazard contexts. This project is jointly funded by Human-Environment and Geographic Sciences (HEGS) Program, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences (DRMS) Program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.