The “Strings Attached” to Community Difference and Potential Pathways to Fire Adaptiveness in the Wildland Urban Interface

Abstract This article identifies specific social characteristics in two wildland urban interface communities that may have significant impacts on the ability of those communities to adapt to wildfire. Researchers used a mixed-methods approach to triangulate results to identify potential views and motives surrounding three important behaviors and values related to crafting potential strategies to mitigate wildfire risk. The analysis of quantitative data in the form of responses to Likert-type questions and qualitative data in the form of responses to questions asked during focus group sessions yielded a deeper understanding of the way the terms independence and trust are conceptualized from one community to another. Understanding what these concepts mean in the context of a given community is essential to understanding how to move forward with strategies to reduce risk and eliminate potential barriers to doing so.