Abstract
Our aim was to study post-fire perceptions of selected mitigation strategies for wildland fire-induced risks proposed in a previous scientific study for the communities situated within the forested areas. Consequently, we considered engaging relevant professionals in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), Alberta who experienced the costliest wildland fire occurrences in Canadian history known as the 2016 Horse River Fire (HRF). To meet our goal, we formulated a questionnaire based on the scientific evidence presented in a previous study and conducted a structured survey. Our results revealed that 24 professionals participated in the survey during the June 2020–April 2021 period, providing a 32% response rate. We observed that a high percentage of the participants agreed (i.e., between 63% and 80%) with the proposed wildland fire-induced risk mitigation strategies, including the presence of no to little vegetation in the 30 m buffer zone from the wildland–urban interface (WUI), extending the 30 m buffer zone to 70 m from the WUI, constructing a 70 m width ring road around the communities, and parking lots of the social infrastructures in the fringe of the communities encountering to the forest. We also found other views, including the use of non-combustible and fire-resistant construction materials, and developing the 70 m buffer zone as a recreational space.
Highlights
Wildland fire is one of the critical natural hazards/disasters that creates a significant threat to the urban/rural/remote communities situated in the proximity of forested areas across the world, including Canada [1]
The province of Alberta experienced the costliest wildland fire in Canadian history, known as the Horse River Fire (HRF), that started on 1 May 2016 in a forested area southwest of Fort McMurray
Upon analysing the responses to the question entitled “Have your organization collaborate/cooperate/coordinate with others during and after the 2016 Horse River Fire?”, we found that at least 67% of the participants’ organizations mentioned such activities (Figure 2b)
Summary
Wildland fire is one of the critical natural hazards/disasters that creates a significant threat to the urban/rural/remote communities situated in the proximity of forested areas across the world, including Canada [1]. The province of Alberta experienced the costliest wildland fire in Canadian history, known as the Horse River Fire (HRF), that started on 1 May 2016 in a forested area southwest of Fort McMurray. Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) that has a population of 66,573 [6] with a growth of about 80% since 2000 [7]. It is a central economic hub in Alberta and Canada because of the oil sands industry, where the expected investment for the industry is approximately CAD
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