Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska
This paper explores whether fundamental differences exist between urban and rural vulnerability to climate-induced changes in the fire regime of interior Alaska. We further examine how communities and fire managers have responded to these changes and what additional adaptations could be put in place...
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Norwegian Polar Institute
2009
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ftjpolarres:oai:journals.openacademia.net:article/2966 2023-05-15T14:24:42+02:00 Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska Trainor, Sarah F. Calef, Monika Natcher, David Chapin III, F. Stuart McGuire, A. David Huntington, Orville Duffy, Paul Rupp, T. Scott DeWilde, La’Ona Kwart, Mary Fresco, Nancy Lovecraft, Amy Lauren 2009-04-01 application/pdf https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 eng eng Norwegian Polar Institute https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966/6593 https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966 doi:10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 Copyright (c) 2018 Polar Research Polar Research; Vol. 28 No. 1 (2009): Special issue: Climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in the Arctic; 100-118 1751-8369 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2009 ftjpolarres https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 2021-11-11T19:13:37Z This paper explores whether fundamental differences exist between urban and rural vulnerability to climate-induced changes in the fire regime of interior Alaska. We further examine how communities and fire managers have responded to these changes and what additional adaptations could be put in place. We engage a variety of social science methods, including demographic analysis, semi-structured interviews, surveys, workshops and observations of public meetings. This work is part of an interdisciplinary study of feedback and interactions between climate, vegetation, fire and human components of the Boreal forest social–ecological system of interior Alaska. We have learned that although urban and rural communities in interior Alaska face similar increased exposure to wildfire as a result of climate change, important differences exist in their sensitivity to these biophysical, climate-induced changes. In particular, reliance on wild foods, delayed suppression response, financial resources and institutional connections vary between urban and rural communities. These differences depend largely on social, economic and institutional factors, and are not necessarily related to biophysical climate impacts per se. Fire management and suppression action motivated by political, economic or other pressures can serve as unintentional or indirect adaptation to climate change. However, this indirect response alone may not sufficiently reduce vulnerability to a changing fire regime. More deliberate and strategic responses may be required, given the magnitude of the expected climate change and the likelihood of an intensification of the fire regime in interior Alaska. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Polar Research Alaska Polar Research (E-Journal) Polar Research 28 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Polar Research (E-Journal) |
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ftjpolarres |
language |
English |
description |
This paper explores whether fundamental differences exist between urban and rural vulnerability to climate-induced changes in the fire regime of interior Alaska. We further examine how communities and fire managers have responded to these changes and what additional adaptations could be put in place. We engage a variety of social science methods, including demographic analysis, semi-structured interviews, surveys, workshops and observations of public meetings. This work is part of an interdisciplinary study of feedback and interactions between climate, vegetation, fire and human components of the Boreal forest social–ecological system of interior Alaska. We have learned that although urban and rural communities in interior Alaska face similar increased exposure to wildfire as a result of climate change, important differences exist in their sensitivity to these biophysical, climate-induced changes. In particular, reliance on wild foods, delayed suppression response, financial resources and institutional connections vary between urban and rural communities. These differences depend largely on social, economic and institutional factors, and are not necessarily related to biophysical climate impacts per se. Fire management and suppression action motivated by political, economic or other pressures can serve as unintentional or indirect adaptation to climate change. However, this indirect response alone may not sufficiently reduce vulnerability to a changing fire regime. More deliberate and strategic responses may be required, given the magnitude of the expected climate change and the likelihood of an intensification of the fire regime in interior Alaska. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Trainor, Sarah F. Calef, Monika Natcher, David Chapin III, F. Stuart McGuire, A. David Huntington, Orville Duffy, Paul Rupp, T. Scott DeWilde, La’Ona Kwart, Mary Fresco, Nancy Lovecraft, Amy Lauren |
spellingShingle |
Trainor, Sarah F. Calef, Monika Natcher, David Chapin III, F. Stuart McGuire, A. David Huntington, Orville Duffy, Paul Rupp, T. Scott DeWilde, La’Ona Kwart, Mary Fresco, Nancy Lovecraft, Amy Lauren Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
author_facet |
Trainor, Sarah F. Calef, Monika Natcher, David Chapin III, F. Stuart McGuire, A. David Huntington, Orville Duffy, Paul Rupp, T. Scott DeWilde, La’Ona Kwart, Mary Fresco, Nancy Lovecraft, Amy Lauren |
author_sort |
Trainor, Sarah F. |
title |
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
title_short |
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
title_full |
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior Alaska |
title_sort |
vulnerability and adaptation to climate-related fire impacts in rural and urban interior alaska |
publisher |
Norwegian Polar Institute |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 |
genre |
Arctic Polar Research Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Polar Research Alaska |
op_source |
Polar Research; Vol. 28 No. 1 (2009): Special issue: Climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in the Arctic; 100-118 1751-8369 |
op_relation |
https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966/6593 https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2966 doi:10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2018 Polar Research |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v28i1.6105 |
container_title |
Polar Research |
container_volume |
28 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766297140113440768 |