The influence of landscape preference and environmental education on public attitudes toward wildfire management in the Northeast pine barrens (USA)

This study was designed to explore the impact of landscape preference and environmental education on public attitudes toward wildfire hazard reduction strategies in the fire-prone pitch pine forests of the Northeastern United States. To understand these issues, a sample of 233 residents living in the wildland–urban interface of Long Island, New York and southeastern Massachusetts were surveyed with a photo-questionnaire containing scenes of different forest management strategies, as well as an educational section describing the environmental implications of forest management near their homes. The results of this study showed that knowledge about native ecosystems had a significant impact on local residents’ support for management strategies, such as prescribed fire to reduce wildfire danger and promote native plants. Photographs of pitch-pine and oak forests under different management regimes were used to elicit participants’ opinions about the forest management that they consider acceptable for nearby public land. Management that resulted in an open forest condition with low ground-cover received more support than either dense forests or widely cleared areas. An educational intervention section in this survey revealed significant increase in local residents’ support and acceptance for using prescribed fire on public land after reading about the technique and seeing scenes of different stages of forest regeneration. These study results are promising for forest planners and managers intent on reintroducing fire into the pitch-pine forest ecosystem.

► Environmental knowledge of local ecosystems had a positive impact on local residents’ support for management strategies in pitch pine barrens of Northeast USA.
► Forest management that resulted in more open forests was preferred by local residents.
► Educational information that both described and illustrated the implications of forest management, such as prescribed fire, significantly increased public support.