Research

Adaptation to Wildfire in Pacific Northwest Forests

Wildfire and Private Forests Study

Oregon Panel Survey of Forest Landowners

The goals of this project are to investigate: (1) how family forest owners in different parts of the Pacfic Northwest are being affected by wildfires, (2) how wildfire risk perceptions relate to forest conditions in different areas, (3) how family forest owners are managing their forest and what management challenges they face.

This project includes a panel study in Eastern Oregon, and a study in Western Oregon and Washington.

Funding sources:

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Understanding Opportunities for Adapting to and Mitigating Risks Associated with Climate Change on Family Forestlands in the Pacific Northwest. 2020-2022. (PI)

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Implications for Future Pacific Northwest Forests. 2019-2021. (PI)

Human Adaptation to Climate Change in Temperate Forests - Northwoods, USA

The goals of this project are to improve: (1) understanding of human adaptation behavior in the context of climate-related changes in temperate forest ecosystems including the Northwoods, USA, (2) methods for how to elicit data about human adaptation behavior in the context of climate change, (3) frameworks for modeling social-ecological interactions in the context of climate-driven change.

Publications:

Denny, R. C. H., Marchese, J., & Fischer, A. P. (In revision). Severe Weather Experience and Climate Change Belief among Family Forest Owners: A Study of Reciprocal Effects.

Fischer, A. P., Russo, M., & Powers, G. (2022). Behavioral adaptation to climate change: New insights on psychosocial frameworks from the context of managed forests. Sustainability Science. 10.1007/s11625-021-01085-9.

Sotnik, G., Fischer, A. P., Ibáñez, I., & Cousins, S. J. M. (2021). A transdisciplinary typology of change identifies new categories of adaptations and forms of co-adaptation in coupled human and natural systems. Sustainability Science, 16(5), 1609-1623. 10.1007/s11625-021-00979-y.

Fischer, A. P. (2019). Adapting and coping with climate change in temperate forests. Global Environmental Change, 54, 160-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.10.011.

Funding sources:

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis project 1011135. Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Effects on Upper Midwest Forests, 2016-2018. P.I., with Bill Currie

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis Project 1011135. Impacts of Socio-Ecological Adaptation to Global Change on Forests Ecosystems. 2018-2020. (Co-PI with Inés Ibáñez, University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability.)

USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. Private Landowners' Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Management Practices: A Proposal for Research in the Lake States of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. 2015-2020, P.I.

University of Michigan MCubed Program. Human Adaptation to Climate Change in Forest Ecosystems. 2016-2017. P.I. with Seth Guikema, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, and Gretchen Keppel-Aleks, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering.

University of Michigan Energy Institute. Assessing the potential to protect and enhance carbon sinks on nonindustrial private forest land in the northern Great Lakes region. 2016-2017. P.I. with Bill Currie, University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability.