NWFSC Research Brief #11: Pathology of Wildfire Risk: A Characterization of Social and Ecological Dimensions

In this paper, researchers examine the problem of growing wildfire risk through a coupled natural and human systems (CNHS) perspective. They characterized the primary social and ecological dimensions of what they termed a socioecological pathology of wildfire risk in temperate forests, or “a set of complex and problematic interactions among social and ecological systems across multiple spatial and temporal scales.” By paying particular attention to the wildfire risk governance system, which is influenced by both ecological conditions and diverse parties with competing goals, policies, and practices, the authors investigate strategies for reducing wildfire risk.