Setting the Land Ablaze: Rancher Perceptions and Experience with Wildfire May Not be a Deterrent to Prescribed Burning on U.S. Central Rocky Mountain Rangelands

Fire is an inherent disturbance in western North American ecosystems, but wildfire mitigation and prescribed fire application is complicated by human social perspectives and behaviors. Given the variability of rancher use of fire within and across regions of the United States, we interviewed thirty-three ranchers in U.S. Central Rocky Mountain (CRM; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado) rangelands to understand how wildfire experiences and perceptions are related with rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire. Results indicate rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems may not be explained by rancher perceptions and experience with wildfire. Specifically, CRM rancher willingness to utilize prescribed fire may not be constrained by wildfire experiences [which was statistically similar between burner (n = 12) and non-burner (n = 21) orientations; all p-values > 0.05] regardless of wildfire proximity (on the ranch or nearby) and may be enhanced by their perceived benefits of wildfires.

野火是北美西部生态系统中固有的干扰因子，但野火防控与计划火烧（prescribed fire）的实施却因人类的社会观念与行为模式变得复杂。鉴于美国境内及跨区域牧场主用火行为存在显著差异，本研究对美国落基山中部（CRM；涵盖蒙大拿州、怀俄明州、科罗拉多州）牧地上的33名牧场主开展访谈，以探究野火经历与认知如何影响牧场主实施计划火烧的意愿。研究结果显示，牧场主在牧地生态系统中实施计划火烧的意愿，无法仅通过其野火经历与认知水平进行解释。具体而言，落基山中部牧场主的计划火烧实施意愿，不受其野火经历的制约——经统计，火烧实施者（burner，n = 12）与非火烧实施者（non-burner，n = 21）的野火经历并无显著差异（所有p值均> 0.05）；且无论野火发生在牧场内还是邻近区域，这种意愿均可能因牧场主感知到的野火益处而得到提升。