The Link between Perceived and Actual Wildfire Danger: An Economic and Spatial Analysis Study in Colorado (USA)

Pamela Kaval

Working Papers in Economics from University of Waikato, Department of Economics

Abstract: Over the last 20 years, costs for wildfire initial attack in the U.S. have increased significantly. The increased cost relates to wildfire suppression practices as well as the growing number of wildland urban interface (WUI) homes. Requiring WUI residents to pay an annual tax for their wildfire risk would lower costs to the general taxpayer. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) for wildfire prevention, in relation to both perceived and actual wildfire danger, was the focus of this study. Colorado WUI residents had a high awareness of wildfire risk and were willing to pay over $400 annually to reduce this risk. Respondents beliefs about wildfire frequency were comparable to the original natural wildfire regimes of their areas pre-European settlement.

Keywords: GIS; wildfire risk; stakeholder; contingent valuation; Colorado (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul and nep-env
Date: 2007-07-13
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