Homeowners' Responses to Wildfire Risks and Hazards in Sothwestern Montana

by Wall, Tamara

The findings of this research suggest that the responses and vulnerability of individuals living in these areas to wildfire maybe partially determined by their cognitive and emotional attachments to the landscape. Many of the study participants appeared to have a sufficient understanding of wildfire hazards, possible mitigation actions, and adequate resources to implement these actions, and chose not to do so to protect specific place-based attributes. These findings suggest that current national wildfire mitigation concepts and terminology may be incompatible with the place values and emotional attachments of area residents. With the continued urbanization of forested areas, the need to understand how homeowners vulnerability to wildfire risk and hazards can be reduced becomes increasingly relevant to national, state, and local wildfire policy and risk mitigation programs.