Measuring the long-term costs of uncharacteristic wildfire: a case study of the 2010 Schultz Fire in Northern Arizona

Abstract

Background Wildfires often have long-lasting costs that are difficult to document and are rarely captured in full. Aims We provide an example for measuring the full costs of a single wildfire over time, using a case study from the 2010 Schultz Fire near Flagstaff, Arizona, to enhance our understanding of the long-term costs of uncharacteristic wildfire. Methods We conducted a partial remeasurement of a 2013 study on the costs of the Schultz Fire by updating government and utility expenditures, conducting a survey of affected homeowners, estimating costs to ecosystem services and updating costs to real 2021 US dollars. Key results Costs associated with the Schultz Fire continued to accrue over 10 years, particularly those associated with post-wildfire flooding, totalling between US$109 and US$114 million. Suppression costs represented only 10% of total costs. Conclusions This study is the first of its kind to include a remeasurement of wildfire costs and to provide a long-term assessment of the same wildfire over a 10-year period. Implications Our results and lessons learned can help standardise approaches for full cost accounting of wildfire and illuminate the breadth of typically latent and indirect economic costs of wildfire such as post-wildfire flooding.

Social science to advance wildfire adaptation in the southwestern United States: a review and future research directions

“…Some populations or areas were studied frequently over time -most notably, Flagstaff, AZ (e.g. McCaffrey 2008;Steelman 2008;McCaffrey et al 2013b;Urgenson et al 2017;Colavito et al 2020;Edgeley and Colavito 2022;Hjerpe et al 2023) -or shared insights from the same dataset across multiple studies, particularly in the White Mountain region of Arizona (Carroll et al 2005(Carroll et al , 2006Cohn et al 2006Cohn et al , 2008Collins 2008aCollins , 2008bCollins , 2009Collins and Bolin 2009). The vast majority of studies used 0 1 9 8 4 1 9 8 5 1 9 8 6 1 9 8 7 1 9 8 8 1 9 8 9 1 9 9 0 1 9 9 1 1 9 9 2 1 9 9 3 1 9 9 4 1 9 9 5 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 1 9 9 8 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 6 2 0 0 7 2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 4 2 0 1 5 2 0 1 6 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 2 0 1 9 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 1 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 3 I n p r e s s 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 interview (40) or survey (28) methodologies to collect data.…”

“…Although new studies are emerging to quantify the economic costs of wildfire response in its entirety in the Southwest, some of which use surveys as one tool for more comprehensive representation of impacts (e.g. Hjerpe et al 2023), little to no research engages qualitative methods for understanding these components. Given the absence of research on this topic, foundational research to fill this gap may benefit from efforts to:…”

Voluntary uptake of flood insurance in post-fire landscapes: insights from household surveys after two wildfires in northern Arizona

“…This research note responds to calls for a greater understanding surrounding flood insurance coverage and use after wildfire with the intent to provide a foundational understanding of both the factors influencing purchase and how uptake of insurance in post-fire spaces may differ from traditional flood insurance studies. Data collection to determine household impacts associated with post-fire flooding is rare, particularly regarding undocumented expenses and the role of insurance in household recovery (Hjerpe et al 2023). We find that postfire flooding insurance behaviors closely align with behaviors identified in studies of wildfire and flood insurance outside of post-fire environments; however, there may be differences in household experiences that vary with fire location and impact that can be identified and explored with additional studies in other states or countries and with the use of qualitative research methods.…”

“…The Schultz Fire burned 15,075 acres, causing frequent flood events driven by monsoonal rains over the burn scar for several years (Combrink et al 2013). This post-fire flooding caused one fatality and extensive damage to private property, resulting in total estimated costs between $109 and $114 million USD (Hjerpe et al 2023). In 2010, purchase of flood insurance entailed a 30-day wait period before coverage began, meaning that many residents had damages that were not yet covered under their policies.…”

“…Little is known about who purchases flood insurance in post-fire environments, how long they renew coverage, or the experiences those households have making claims associated with post-fire flood impacts de Vet 2021, Burnett andEdgeley 2023). The costs of these impacts are diverse and often go unaccounted in traditional estimates of fire and flooding costs where suppression expenditure is prioritized (Hjerpe et al 2023). Understanding household behaviors towards post-fire flooding is critical to advance social adaptation to wildfire and related cascading consequences, particularly in landscapes across the Southwestern US where monsoonal rainfall can cause extensive damage and loss of life (Martin et al 2007, Paveglio et al 2019.…”