As the severity and frequency of wildfire increase across the western United States, land managers are aiming to expand prescribed burning. Prescribed fire can lower fire risk, restore forest health and promote local stewardship, but it can also disrupt nearby communities through smoke and effects on local economies, recreation and agriculture. Little is known about how people living near burns experience these impacts and what they need from burn programs.

Dr. Santana and her team are interviewing residents, practitioners, and others in Chelan, Kittitas and Klickitat counties in Washington state, where prescribed burning is scaling up. These interviews will focus on participants’ experiences with prescribed fire, their information needs and what they see as barriers to its wider use. Through this NW CASC fellowship, she will work with the Washington Department of Natural Resources to translate what the team learns into resources for burn programs, including an assessment of community needs and a short guide for practitioners on building support for prescribed fire.