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Community Forests advance local wildfire governance and proactive management in British Columbia, Canada

Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
As wildfires are increasingly causing negative impacts to communities and their livelihoods, many communities are demanding more proactive and locally driven approaches to address wildfire risk. This marks a shift away from centralized governance models where decision-making is concentrated in government agencies that prioritize reactive wildfire suppression.

Stories of Fire: Resources for Media CoveringWildfire Events and Topics in Oregon

Year of Publication
2023
Product Type
Date Published
Media provide crucial information about wildfires and can be key messengers about fire’s role in our landscapes and communities. This summer, the Oregon State University Extension Fire Program and University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication collaboratively published a new resource guide to support effective media coverage of wildfires and related topics. Although developed for Oregon, the guide’s insights and suggestions are applicable across the Northwest. Join the authors to learn more about how media in all forms can report diverse stories of fire, including strategies for physical and mental preparedness, engaging with incident personnel, and using scientific knowledge.

The Oregon State Wildfire Hazard Map

Year of Publication
2023
Product Type
Date Published
To enhance Oregon’s wildfire resilience, the State Legislature passed the 2021 SB 762 Omnibus Wildfire Bill that enacted recommendations from the Governor’s 2019 Wildfire Council. This included a $220M investment in landscape resilience, suppression response, as well as some new regulations for the home ignition zone for community protection. Upon release of a map showing statewide hazard, there was a significant public outcry, often based on misunderstandings or misinformation, that ultimately led to the map being rescinded and reworked. Join us for this webinar, where we will explore the broader intent of the legislation, its requirements for mapping, where the effort stands today, and what we continue to learn from the public’s reaction.

Social Vulnerability in USCommunities Affected by WildfireSmoke, 2011 to 2021

Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Objectives. To describe demographic and social characteristics of US communities exposed to wildfire smoke. Methods. Using satellite-collected data on wildfire smoke with the locations of population centers in the coterminous United States, we identified communities potentially exposed to light-, medium-, and heavy-density smoke plumes for each day from 2011 to 2021.

Predicting snag fall in an old-growth forest after fire

Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Snags, standing dead trees, are becoming more abundant in forests as tree mortality rates continue to increase due to fire, drought, and bark beetles. Snags provide habitat for birds and small mammals, and when they fall to the ground, the resulting logs provide additional wildlife habitat and affect nutrient cycling, fuel loads, and fire behavior.

Oregon Certified Burn Manager Program

Year of Publication
2023
Product Type
Date Published
This fact sheet provides an overview of the Oregon Certified Burn Manager Program, including benefits, how it works, required and restricted actions, and links to additional resources.

Indigenous fire stewardship for fire management and ecological restoration in the Pacific Northwest: A literature synthesis and annotated bibliography

Year of Publication
2023
Product Type
Date Published
This systematic literature review focused on the following questions: 1. What is Indigenous fire stewardship and how has it been represented in peer reviewed literature? 2. What are the salient social issues, debates, and concerns about IFS and its application to restoration management? 3. What aspects of IFS has literature in fire ecology and ecological restoration included? 4. What does the literature say about the policy opportunities and challenges of integrating IFS into various fire management contexts across the PNW? The synthesis includes an annotated bibliography with 66 articles and a review of the themes present in this body of literature including social, ecological, and policy aspects of IFS. It further summarizes recommendations for land management agencies, policymakers, and researchers to support IFS integration and revitalization.