Cognitive Factors Affecting Homeowners' Reactions to Defensible Space in the Oregon Coast Range

Hall, Troy E.; Slothower, Megan

doi:10.1080/08941920802392187

Cited by 65 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In line with some previous studies (e.g. Hall and Slothower 2009;Lindell and Prater 2002), the model thus stipulates that among different coping appraisals, only response-efficacy directly motivates threat responses.…”

Section: The Proposed Modelmentioning

confidence: 60%

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

Eriksson

2016

Journal of Risk Research

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In natural hazards management, it is important to understand what motivates people to act when they or their property are threatened by natural hazards. Despite the importance of both threat and coping appraisals for responses to threats, less is known about the relations between threat and coping appraisals when risk management is long term. The present study examined appraisals of threat (cognitive and emotional), personal resources (cost and self-efficacy), and strategies (response-efficacy) as predictors of proactive management responses (past behavior and future intention) among forest owners in Sweden by means of a questionnaire (n = 1482). A path analysis revealed that threat appraisals and response-efficacy were direct predictors of past risk management behavior and the intention to respond in the future. Appraisals of resources, including cost and self-efficacy, were indirectly -via forest susceptibility and threat appraisals -related to threat responses. Although the model displayed reasonable fit for both owners more and those less involved in forestry, the cognitive appraisals variable was not a significant predictor of responses among owners less involved in forestry. In the full sample, the examined model explained approximately 50% of the variance in threat appraisals, and 28 and 17% in future intention and past behavior, respectively. Theoretical implications for how threat and coping appraisals are related during long-term risk management, and practical implications for forest risk management, are discussed.

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Section: The Proposed Modelmentioning

confidence: 60%

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

Eriksson

2016

Journal of Risk Research

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“…This supports earlier work by Dickinson et al (2015) that suggested receiving fire-related information from "experts" was positively associated with both structural and vegetation mitigation behaviors. Others have found similar relationships between fire-related information sources and mitigation behavior (Hall and Slothower 2009, Brenkert-Smith et al 2012, while one team found that simply being familiar with http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss1/art21/ the Community Wildfire Protection Plan was enough to increase the likelihood of completing mitigation actions (Wolters et al, personal communication).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Champ et al (2013), for example, suggest that homeowners' wildfire risk perceptions and mitigation decisions are jointly determined by a combination of characteristics pertaining to homeowners and their home sites. Research, however, has not found a consistent association between wildfire risk and actual mitigation behavior on private land, with some studies finding a positive association (e.g., Nelson et al 2004, Martin et al 2009, McCaffrey et al 2011, Brenkert-Smith et al 2012, McNeill et al 2013, Dickinson et al 2015 and others finding no association or better explanations using other variables (e.g., Nelson et al 2005, Hall and Slothower 2009, Schulte and Miller 2010). An explanation may be in the variety of ways that researchers have measured mitigation behavior, ranging from a yes/no question about whether homeowners have conducted mitigation activities generally, to separate measurements and analysis for several individual mitigation actions, including clearing brush near the home or using fire-resistant building materials (Table 1).…”

Section: Factors Influencing Mitigation Behaviormentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Protection Motivation Theory also suggests that individuals are more likely to mitigate risk for threatening events based on their perceptions of the probability and severity of an event and associated outcomes (risk perceptions) and their ability to take protection actions (Rogers 1983). This perspective is reflected in studies that have examined perceived wildfire risk and its influence on mitigation behavior in terms of individual risk components: wildfire likelihood and potential wildfire severity (Hall and Slothower 2009, McCaffrey et al 2011, McNeill et al 2013, Dickinson et al 2015. However, recent research also suggests merit in considering the role of modeled or objective wildfire risk in shaping wildfire risk perceptions .…”

Section: Conceptual Foundationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examining the influence of biophysical conditions on wildland–urban interface homeowners’ wildfire risk mitigation activities in fire-prone landscapes

Olsen¹,

Kline²,

Ager³

et al. 2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Expansion of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and the increasing size and number of wildfires has policy-makers and wildfire managers seeking ways to reduce wildfire risk in communities located near fire-prone forests. It is widely acknowledged that homeowners can reduce their exposure to wildfire risk by using nonflammable building materials and reducing tree density near the home, among other actions. Although these actions can reduce the vulnerability of homes to wildfire, many homeowners do not take them. We examined the influence of risk factors on homeowners' perceived wildfire risk components using a survey of WUI homeowners in central Oregon (USA) and biophysical data that described wildfire risk as predicted by wildfire simulation models, past wildfire, and vegetation characteristics. Our analysis included homeowners' perceptions of the likelihood of wildfire and resulting damage, and examined how these factors contribute to homeowners' likelihood to conduct mitigation actions. We developed an empirical model of homeowners' risk perceptions and mitigation behavior, which served as input into an agent-based model to examine potential landscape and behavior changes over 50 years. We found homeowners' wildfire risk perceptions to be positively correlated with hazardous conditions predicted by fuel models and weakly predictive of mitigation behavior. Homeowners' perceived chance of wildfire was positively correlated with actual probability of wildfire, while their perceived chance of damage to the home was positively correlated with potential wildfire intensity. Wildfire risk perceptions also were found to be correlated with past wildfire experience. Our results suggest that homeowners may be savvy observers of landscape conditions, which act as "feedbacks" that enhance homeowners' concerns about wildfire hazard and motivate them to take mitigation action. Alternatively, homeowners living in hazardous locations are somehow receiving the message that they need to take protective measures. Mitigation compliance output from the agent-based model suggests that completion of mitigation actions is likely to increase over 50 years under various scenarios.

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“…Several theoretical approaches from the environmental hazards literature have provided a basis for understanding why people adopt hazard adjustments, including wildfire mitigation (e.g., Martin et al 2007Martin et al , 2009Hall andSlothower 2009, McFarlane et al 2011). It is well-established that perceiving a risk and knowing how to reduce the risk are necessary conditions before taking action to mitigate risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire risk mitigation and recreational property owners in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park-Alberta

PriceLouis

McFarlaneBonita

LantzVan

2016

The Forestry Chronicle

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Recreational property (cottage) owners represent a growing segment of population living at the wildland-urban interface. Land managers may find it particularly difficult to engage these landowners in wildfire management initiatives. This paper examines support for wildfire management, perceived wildfire risk and wildfire mitigation actions among cottage owners in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park-Alberta. Data were collected from 165 cottage owners using a mail survey. Results showed that these owners had a high level of support for fuel reductions on the landscape and a high level of interest in participating in a cooperative wildfire mitigation program; they had taken action to reduce their risk. However, they seemed reluctant to do substantial tree pruning, or to install fire-resistant siding or screen eaves, decks and vents. Results found that perceived risk was not correlated with mitigation action. Awareness, perceived effectiveness of firefighters, days spent at the cottage and value of the cottage were correlated positively with mitigation action, whereas perceived efficacy, aesthetic effects and cost of mitigation were correlated negatively. These findings suggest that mitigation programs for cottage owners may be effective by providing public education on the efficacy of mitigation, lessening the effects of impediments such as cost, and alleviating concerns about aesthetics.Keywords: cottage owners, recreational property, mitigation, vegetation management, natural hazard, risk perception, wildland-urban interface, wildfire, FireSmart® RÉSUMÉ Les propriétaires de site de villégiature (chalet) constituent un segment de plus en plus important de la population vivant en milieu périurbain. Les aménagistes du territoire considèrent qu'il est particulièrement difficile de faire participer ces propriétaires aux projets de gestion des feux de forêt. Cet article porte sur l'aide accordée pour la gestion des feux de forêt, sur la perception du risque de feu et sur les mesures d'atténuation des feux chez les propriétaires de chalet du parc interprovincial de Cypress Hill en Alberta. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de 165 propriétaires de chalet au moyen d'un sondage postal. Les résultats indiquent que ces propriétaires appuyaient fortement la réduction de la quantité de matériau combustible à l' échelle du paysage, tout en démontrant de l'intérêt à participer à un programme coopératif d'atténuation des feux de forêt; ils avaient pris des mesures pour réduire le risque chez eux. Toutefois, ils se sont montrés peu enclins à effectuer des élagages substantiels ou à installer des revêtements résistants au feu ou des écrans protecteurs pour les avanttoits, les terrasses et les évents. On a pu constater que la perception du risque n'allait pas de pair avec les gestes d'atténua-tion. La sensibilisation, la confiance dans l' efficacité des pompiers, le nombre de jours passés au chalet et la valeur du chalet montraient une corrélation positive avec les mesures d'atténuation, tandis que l' efficacité, les co...

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Cognitive Factors Affecting Homeowners' Reactions to Defensible Space in the Oregon Coast Range

Cited by 65 publications

References 22 publications

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

Examining the influence of biophysical conditions on wildland–urban interface homeowners’ wildfire risk mitigation activities in fire-prone landscapes

Wildfire risk mitigation and recreational property owners in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park-Alberta

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Cognitive Factors Affecting Homeowners' Reactions to Defensible Space in the Oregon Coast Range

Cited by 65 publications

References 22 publications

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

The importance of threat, strategy, and resource appraisals for long-term proactive risk management among forest owners in Sweden

Examining the influence of biophysical conditions on wildland&#8211;urban interface homeowners&#8217; wildfire risk mitigation activities in fire-prone landscapes

Wildfire risk mitigation and recreational property owners in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park-Alberta

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Examining the influence of biophysical conditions on wildland–urban interface homeowners’ wildfire risk mitigation activities in fire-prone landscapes