Acceptability of smoke from prescribed forest burning in the northern Inland West: A focus group approach

Abstract

Focus groups were used to gauge tolerance of smoke from broadcast prescribed forest burning in the wildland-urban interface of the northern Inland West. Focus group participants worked through issues surrounding prescribed burning as a management tool to determine if the origin of smoke made a difference in the acceptance of that smoke. Participant responses across five different population sectors suggest that prescribed forest burning could be applied as a forest management tool with a well-informed public and that establishing and maintaining a dialogue with the public may be the most important part of any fire prescription.