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- Info
Fire prevention in the rural/urban interface: Washington's backyard forest stewardship/wildfire safety program
| Author: |
Creighton, J.H.; Baumgartner, D.M.; Gibbs, S.D. |
| Date: |
2002 |
| Periodical: |
Journal of Extension |
| Link: |
http://www.joe.org/joe/2002april/iw5.html
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| Abstract: |
Like most forested states in the U.S., Washington faces the increasing challenge of providing forest fire prevention and protection as more people move into the urban/rural interface, while mitigating the impacts of growth on forest resources. Washington is the smallest state in the western U.S., and it has a rapidly growing population. Companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Real Networks, and Immunex fuel population growth. The high tech boom is raising real incomes and the price of property, accelerating the expansion of development and fragmentation of forests. More people are moving into rural areas, putting pressure on adjacent municipal resources and increasing forest fire hazard. The combination of years of fire suppression and changes in forest management practices has resulted in a dangerous build up of fuels, establishing forest wildfires as the major threat to lives and property in the urban/rural interface.
Conventional techniques used to reach non-industrial forest (NIPF) landowners have been ineffective in reaching homeowners in the urban/rural interface. The potential audience is large, and traditional approaches such as Extension classes, workshops, and one-on-one site visits cannot meet the demands of folks in these areas.
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