Rethinking resilience to wildfire

David B. McWethy (), Tania Schoennagel, Philip E. Higuera, Meg Krawchuk, Brian J. Harvey, Elizabeth C. Metcalf, Courtney Schultz, Carol Miller, Alexander L. Metcalf, Brian Buma, Arika Virapongse, Judith C. Kulig, Richard C. Stedman, Zak Ratajczak, Cara R. Nelson and Crystal Kolden
Additional contact information
David B. McWethy: Montana State University
Tania Schoennagel: University of Colorado-Boulder
Philip E. Higuera: University of Montana
Meg Krawchuk: Oregon State University
Brian J. Harvey: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington
Elizabeth C. Metcalf: University of Montana
Courtney Schultz: Colorado State University
Carol Miller: USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Alexander L. Metcalf: University of Montana
Brian Buma: University of Colorado-Denver
Arika Virapongse: Middle Path EcoSolutions
Judith C. Kulig: University of Lethbridge
Richard C. Stedman: Cornell University
Zak Ratajczak: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Cara R. Nelson: University of Montana
Crystal Kolden: University of Idaho

Nature Sustainability, 2019, vol. 2, issue 9, 797-804

Abstract: Abstract Record-breaking fire seasons are becoming increasingly common worldwide, and large wildfires are having extraordinary impacts on people and property, despite years of investments to support social–ecological resilience to wildfires. This has prompted new calls for land management and policy reforms as current land and fire management approaches have been unable to effectively respond to the rapid changes in climate and development patterns that strongly control fire behaviour and continue to exacerbate the risks and hazards to human communities. Promoting social–ecological resilience in rapidly changing, fire-susceptible landscapes requires adoption of multiple perspectives of resilience, extending beyond ‘basic resilience’ (or bouncing back to a similar state) to include ‘adaptive resilience’ and ‘transformative resilience’, which require substantial and explicit changes to social–ecological systems. Clarifying these different perspectives and identifying where they will be most effective helps prioritize efforts to better coexist with wildfire in an increasingly flammable world.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0353-8

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