Improving understandings of public experiences with prescribed fire in the wildland–urban interface: a co-produced rapid survey approach

Background Use of prescribed fire as a tool for reducing risk in wildland–urban interface (WUI) areas produces short-term effects such as reduced air quality for adjacent neighborhoods while simultaneously aiding long-term ecological and safety benefits. Aims This study sought to determine whether small-scale, time-sensitive surveying techniques are a suitable methodological approach for capturing public responses to individual prescribed fires in the WUI and informing local prescribed fire management activities. Methods We co-produced and administered rapid surveys via mail to households adjacent to two prescribed fires in the greater Flagstaff, Arizona, US area. Key results Rapid surveying provided nuanced, event-based insights into how households perceived individual prescribed fires, particularly related to air quality, risk, and access to information sources. Conclusions We found that the success of these pilot efforts lay in co-production of survey content and administration with partners responsible for each prescribed fire, allowing administrative flexibility, additional social and planning context, and improved applicability of resultant recommendations. Implications This article provides a template for other researcher-practitioner teams interested in developing social science research focused on rapid surveying, studying individual prescribed fires, or investigating other fire- or forest-related management activities internationally.