Date of Award:
8-2017
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
Ecology
Committee Chair(s)
Mark W. Brunson
Committee
Mark W. Brunson
Committee
Eugene W. Schupp
Committee
Janis L. Boettinger
Committee
Kari E. Veblen
Committee
Ryan C. Bosworth
Abstract
Immediately after a wildfire land managers act quickly to protect water supplies, soil stability, habitat, and forage. We don't currently understand how managers make trade-off decisions between social, political, and ecological factors in these tight timelines or if they are able to use new science. We do know ecosystems often benefit from local engagement, and new, scientifically-grounded methods that improve restoration efforts are needed. As post-wildfire timelines don’t often allow for outside input, I asked managers what they and stakeholders think about post-wildfire projects and what managers think about new science. I asked local citizens what they think about postwildfire projects. Social and political factors weighed heavily on most manager decisions and their ability to consider research. Managers were not very good at interpreting actual local citizen opinions, highlighting the need for communication.
In semi-arid and arid desert systems, biological soil crusts (BSC) provide soil stability, seed protection, and increase nutrients and water to plants. We don’t really know if restoration techniques that disturb biological soil crusts impact the success of projects. I asked managers if they thought BSC condition in post-wildfire projects is important and I conducted a preliminary greenhouse study to see if disturbing BSC impacted establishment of common restoration grasses and wildflowers. Most managers were not interested in BSC condition. Our greenhouse results suggest BSC disturbance may affect plant establishment, and follow-up field studies can be recommended.
Checksum
a29a97b27bb24672f11f393c5ae14cf2
Recommended Citation
Whitcomb, Hilary Louise, "Bridging Post-Wildfire Communication Gaps between Managers, Researchers, and Local Communities, including a Biological Soil Crust Case Study" (2017). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 5994.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/5994
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