Integrative Complexity of Wildfire Management: Development of a Scale
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
INTEGRATIVE COMPLEXITY OF WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT: DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE Joshua Carroll 1.1 Current Wildfi re Management University of New Hampshire Due to nearly 100 years of fi re suppression by federal Department of Recreation Management and Policy land management agencies, many forests in the U.S. 195 Hewitt Hall Durham, NH 03824 are now loaded with fuels and, as a result, severe [email protected] wildfi re conditions exist (Pyne 2001). Response to the historical strategy of strict fi re suppression has included Alan Bright two common management actions designed to reduce Colorado State University fuels in the forest: prescribed burning and mechanical Abstract.—Wildfi re in the West has become a thinning. Prescribed burning is defi ned as fi re applied to controversial natural resource issue that has divided the a specifi c land area under selected weather conditions to public’s perceptions regarding its management, and forest accomplish predetermined, well-defi ned management managers are now faced with the diffi cult task of making objectives. Mechanical thinning reduces the amount sound decisions while balancing these varying concerns. of vegetation in the forest by physically removing Two widely used wildfi re management practices are selected trees and plants with the intention of decreasing prescribed fi re and mechanical thinning. In order to the likelihood of large, uncontrollable fi res. It often better understand the public’s position regarding these involves heavy equipment (e.g., bulldozers) and/or light two techniques, we have drawn upon the concept of equipment (e.g., chainsaws) entering the forest for the integrative complexity, which is defi ned as a protocol cutting of trees based upon a predetermined spacing or for measuring the complex way that people think about pattern technique. It has become a viable option along issues. This paper presents the psychometric process by with prescribed fi re for removing fuel and reducing which a combination open-ended and fi xed-item scale wildfi re potential. was developed to measure complexity of thought that is 1.2 Identifying Public Perceptions of Wildland consistent with integrative complexity. The resulting scale Fire Management is designed for use in large surveys across any number The policy of government land management agencies of natural resource issues, thus allowing the information has only recently emphasized more proactive approaches generated to be generalizeable to broader populations, to reducing wildfi re risk through the use of prescribed which is often impractical with this originally qualitative burning and mechanical thinning. This shift has research method. troubled some communities and groups with interests 1.0 INTRODUCTION in forested areas because of the dangers associated with prescribed fi res going awry and the impacts of Fire is both natural and needed by forest ecosystems. heavy machinery and road building that accompanies It provides essential functions such as regeneration of mechanical thinning (Kneeshaw et al. 2004). The public vegetation, elimination of disease and insect threats, has expressed much concern related to these issues, proper forest reproduction, wildlife habitat improvement, and as a result, public perceptions of fi re management and the reduction of fuels. Though these benefi ts are have become an important consideration for agencies noteworthy, there are also costs associated with wildland charged with managing areas susceptible to wildland fi re. These include threats to private property, natural fi res. Understanding the public’s perceptions of wildfi re resource harvests, air quality, and scenic beauty. It is this management can (a) help agencies recognize when trade-off between wildland fi re benefi ts and costs that policies might be supported by the public, (b) alert complicates the issue and causes differences in public agencies when policies may run into public opposition, beliefs toward fi re management. and (c) help agencies develop information to garner 574 Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NRS-P-14 support for potentially controversial strategies. With regarding people’s thoughts about wildfi re management public support, the agency can manage more effi ciently, is an important aspect of the complexity toward which spending time and money on the resource, as opposed to they think about the issue. This level of complexity legal battles and policy adjustments. Research on public describes how individuals think about an issue, that is, perceptions of fi re management has been occurring for the structure of their beliefs. One concept that is based 20 years. For example, studies examining the acceptance on this structure of beliefs is integrative complexity of fi re management strategies (e.g., Stankey 1976; (Tetlock 1989). Its use in research can provide additional Cortner et al. 1984), have suggested that education information on how people think about an issue such can infl uence public acceptance (e.g., Taylor & Daniel as wildfi re management. Traditionally it is a qualitative 1984). Shelby & Speaker (1990) found that among other measure. This paper describes the process by which a factors, the success of prescribed burning campaigns fi xed-item scale to measure the concept of integrative aided in the public’s acceptance of prescribed burning, complexity was developed. though there was diffi culty in fully accepting this management practice due to past messages of the risks 1.4 Conceptual Framework: Integrative Complexity and impacts of fi re. Manfredo et al. (1990) concluded that infl uencing the public’s beliefs about fi re will likely Integrative complexity is a protocol for measuring a alter their attitudes toward fi re, and ultimately their way of thinking. It can be used to describe the structure acceptance of management practices regarding this issue. of the thoughts people have about an issue such as In this way, it becomes apparent that citizens’ beliefs are wildland fi re management, over and above the content, a key element to understanding and perhaps infl uencing and is based on the number of aspects of a problem its acceptance of fi re management strategies. In a panel people consider (Tetlock 1989). Two factors that are research study, Shindler and Toman (2003) used specifi c measured within the context of integrative complexity belief measures (e.g., “the use of fuel treatments in are differentiation and integration. Differentiation the Blue Mountains is unnecessary and should not be focuses on whether a person acknowledges that there is utilized”) to examine support for prescribed burning and more than one side or dimension to an issue or problem mechanical thinning. They found that over the four- (Baker-Brown et al. 1992). Someone who sees an issue year period between 1996 and 2000, support for these as black or white (e.g., prescribed burning is dangerous activities in the Blue Mountains remained relatively and bad) is exhibiting low differentiation on that subject, constant. Identifying specifi c beliefs and attitudes whereas one who sees two dimensions to an issue (e.g., toward fi re management strategies provides important prescribed burning is sometimes benefi cial to the forest information for managers, but this information is often ecosystem but also entails some potential dangers to limited to a “laundry list” of what people believe about humans) shows somewhat higher differentiation, and fi re management. someone who sees several dimensions exhibits even higher differentiation (Bright & Barro 2000). The 1.3 Limitations of Current Attitude and Belief second factor that is important for integrative complexity Research Regarding Fire Management is integration, which refers to the development Burtz (2002, unpublished dissertation) suggested that it of complex connections among the differentiated is insuffi cient to simply understand what people think characteristics and is related to the relative importance about wildfi re and its management; it is necessary to of perceived arguments for and against an issue (Baker- understand how people think about the issue. People Brown et al. 1992). It is the recognition of interrelations often have many thoughts about issues such as wildland among the different perspectives or dimensions that fi re management, many of which (a) may not be were acknowledged in the differentiation stage of consistent, (b) are based on emotions, experience, or measurement (Wallbaum 1993). Therefore, the presence neither, and (c) may or may not be based on values, of integration regarding an issue requires that the which have been shown to be linked to attitudes individual has fi rst exhibited an adequate amount of (e.g., Fulton et al. 1996). This variety of information differentiation (Tetlock 1989). Proceedings of the 2006 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NRS-P-14 575 1.5 Uses of Integrative Complexity American public” (Clute 2000, p. 59). Clute (2000, p. Integrative complexity was originally studied for pre- 61) goes on to suggest that there is a need for a method existing political speeches. For example, Tetlock (1981, to “better communicate wildland fi re messages in such 1989) examined the integrative complexity of United a manner as to meet societal needs, address community States congresspersons to see if conservatives differed needs/concerns, gain public support, and comply with in integrative complexity on political issues from their organizational mandates, all while utilizing the best liberal counterparts. Tetlock (1984) also analyzed science and technology available” (Clute 2000, p. 61). reasoning of members of the British House of Commons, The utility of integrative complexity may be found in and American versus Soviet foreign policy-makers its implications for messaging and framing messages (Tetlock 1985, 1988). Wallace and Suedfeld (1988) in appropriate contexts and levels of complexity. It measured integrative complexity of 16 leaders before, is recognized that individuals will best respond to during, and after seven international crises. Tetlock et information (e.g., a forest management campaign) that al. (1994) examined debates over slavery in antebellum is set at the level of knowledge and complexity at which America.