The 2020 Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres of public and private land in northern Colorado making it the largest fire recorded in Colorado’s history. Extreme fire behavior driven by dense and dry fuels, steep terrain, and weather and climatic factors greatly affected the range of potential management strategies. Many different communities were affected by the fire from smoke, repeated and long-term evacuations, emotional distress, and property impacts. Social science researchers at Colorado State University, in conjunction with the USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station, interviewed more than 50 landowners and residents in communities directly impacted by the Cameron Peak Fire to understand and share their experiences and perspectives. Join this webinar to learn about people’s attitudes on the communication and fire management strategies, their perceptions of post-fire landscape recovery and forest health, and their support for future forest and fire management.

Find more information about this research on the project website

Presenter Information:

Chad Kooistra is the Wildfire Management Research Program Lead with the Public Lands Policy Group at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Sarah McCaffrey is a Research Social Scientist with the USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins, Colorado.