Fire events often have a large impact on recreation and tourism, yet these issues had not been addressed from a social science perspective. There are three distinct lines of research to address: examine values/attitudes and behaviors of recreation residence owners and year-round residents in the wildland-urban interface; examine recreationists¿ perceptions about fire suppression and postfire forest health issues; and examine perceptions and beliefs about recreation activities and impacts to fire-prone ecosystems in the wildland-urban interface. This report includes 17 of these studies grouped into four major topical headings: recreation use research, commun. research, program eval. and interface residents research, and trust research. Charts and tables.

Social science fire research including economics, sociology, geography, and anthropology has always been a part of Forest Service Research and Development but has received increased attention since the advent of the National Fire Plan in 2000. To guide fire research, the Forest Service developed the Wildland Fire and Fuels Research and Development Strategic Plan (see USDA FS 2006). The strategic plan provides broad direction to "conduct research on social and economic dimensions of fire and fuels management" and identifies three broad social science research needs. The first deals with "public interactions with fire and fuels management" and includes issues such as public trust, public perceptions, incentives, cooperation and planning, and communication.

Years of drought and decades of aggressive fire exclusion have left North American forests at high risk for future catastrophic fires. Forest settings are a magnet for recreational opportunities and for rapidly growing residential developmentputting an increasing number of citizens and their property into the path of wildfires. Recordsetting wildfires initiated the twentyfirst century and motivated the rise to prominence of wildfire on the political agenda, prompting important and farreaching new public policy initiatives. To be effective, these policies must be informed by sciencebut that requires more than just improved knowledge about the physical and biological dynamics of fire and forest ecosystems. Social values, socioeconomic factors, demographic trends, institutional arrangements, and human behavior must also be taken into consideration by the agencies and individuals responsible for wildland fire decision making. The first book to integrate the social science literature on the human dimensions of wildfire, People, Fire, and Forests reviews current studies from this broad, interdisciplinary field and synthesizes them into a rich body of knowledge with practical management implications. Chapters in the book highlight principal findings and common threads in the existing research and identify strengths and gaps. They cover such topics as public perception of wildfire risk, acceptability of fire management policies, and community impacts of wildfire. Designed to make relevant social science information more available and useful to wildfire risk managers and policy makers, People, Fire, and Forests is also intended to encourage and guide further research into wildfire. By exploringthe theoretical and methodological issues surrounding human interactions with wildfire and describing the practical implications of this research, this volume provides an essential resource for students, scholars, and professionals.

Are the social sciences a dying fire? This book skilfully lays out how, apart from their misguided approach to knowledge production and specializations, social sciences continue to remain prisoners of a prescribed historical, cultural and anthropogenic narrative.

The wildland fire community has spent the past decade trying to understand and account for the role of human factors in wildland fire organizations. Social research that is relevant to managing fire organizations can be found in disciplines such as social psychology, management, and communication. However, such research has been published primarily for scientific and business audiences, and much of the fire community has not been exposed to it. Here, we have compiled and organized knowledge from a variety of social science disciplines so that it can be used to improve organizational practices related to firefighter and public safety, to assess the effectiveness of safety campaigns, and to improve firefighter safety trainings. This annotated reading list summarizes approximately 270 books, articles, and online resources that address scientific and management concepts helpful for understanding the human side of fire management. The first section, Human Factors and Firefighting, introduces readers to key workshops and writings that led to the recognition that human factors are prime ingredients of firefighter safety. The second section, Foundations for Understanding Organizations, consists of social science research that provides a foundation for understanding organizational dynamics. This section includes readings on decision making and sensemaking, organizational culture, identification and identity, leadership and change, organizational learning, and teams and crews. The third section, Understanding Organizations in High Risk Contexts, explores organizations that deal regularly with risk, uncertainty and crisis. This section includes readings on risk and uncertainty, high reliability organizing, and crisis communication. The publication concludes with Internet resources available for those interested in the management of fire organizations.

This book is a guide that addressees social science research issues within the aviation industry. Studies involving human factors, personality, training systems evaluation, decision-making, crew resource management and situation awareness are used to illustrate not only the process, but also the outcomes that can emerge from social science research. The book describes the principles involved in conceptualising a research problem, obtaining management support, developing an appropriate timeframe, obtaining ethics approval and collecting and managing data. It also provides useful guidelines concerning the publication of research in magazines, academic journals and conference presentations. The topics are illustrated with aviation examples and the principles are deliberately broad. This book will be a useful guide for both novice and experienced researchers, especially pilots, air traffic controllers, maintenance personnel, aviation management, aviation researchers, safety personnel and undergraduate and postgraduate university students.

Presents key social science findings from three National Fire Plan-sponsored research projects. Articles highlight information of likely interest to individuals working to decrease wildfire hazards on both private and public lands. Three general topic areas are addressed: (1) public views and acceptance of fuels management, (2) working with homeowners and communities, and (3) tools that can help us understand social issues.