Social Assessment for the Wenatchee National Forest Wildfires of 1994: TargetedAnalysis for the Leavenworth, Entiat, and Chelan Ranger Districts

摘要

A purposive social assessment across three communities explored reactions oflocal residents to wildfires in the Wenatchee National Forest in north-central Washington. Research concentrated on identifying the diversity of fundamental beliefs and values held by local residents about wildfire and forest management. Particular emphasis was given to investigating community social structures and potential conflict dynamics surrounding fire recovery efforts. Semistructured interviews were conducted with people representing a diverse set of values, attachments to the National Forest, and beliefs about forest management. Complexity of the social context emerged through inductive methods of qualitative analysis. Twenty-six residency tenure distinctions, geographic divisions, or ethnic communities. For each of the three communities, an indepth discussion described social dynamics surrounding fire recovery in the National Forest by juxtaposing the various value orientations and beliefs across 15 fire recovery issues. Conclusions targeted improving public involvement processed in the aftermath of severe ecological disturbances and traumatic human experiences.