Influence of social capital on community preparedness for wildfires

Abstract

The increased concern about wildfire risk creates the need to better understand the factors affecting community preparedness. Social capital may be one key factor for facilitating risk reduction. We examined how place attachment and past experience with wildfires influences a community's social capital, which in turn affects the adoption of defensible space actions and improves wildfire awareness. A survey instrument was developed to identify variables affecting social capital, and measure self-reported change in attitudes and actions toward mitigation in six fire-prone communities across the USA. Findings indicate that place attachment and previous involvement in natural resource planning significantly affect social capital and community cohesion, encourage defensible space actions as well as build support for preparedness in the wildland–urban interface (WUI) communities by improving residents’ awareness of wildfire risk. Results suggest that planners and resource managers can take advantage of these factors to increase citizen participation for shaping and improving collaborative hazard mitigation and resource management. By identifying and monitoring the variables that affect social capital and preparedness, planning and natural resource management agencies can better direct programs to reduce fire danger and ensure safety in wildland–urban interface communities.