Author
Hunter, Molly E.Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Sch Nat Resources & EnvironmIssue Date
2016
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
CSIRO PUBLISHINGCitation
Outcomes of fire research: is science used? 2016, 25 (5):495 International Journal of Wildland FireRights
Copyright © IAWF 2016.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
An assessment of outcomes from research projects funded by the Joint Fire Science Program was conducted to determine whether or not science has been used to inform management and policy decisions and to explore factors that facilitate use of fire science. In a web survey and follow-up phone interviews, I asked boundary spanners and scientists about how findings from a random sample of 48 projects had been applied and factors that acted as barriers or facilitators to science application. In addition, I conducted an investigation of recent planning documents to determine whether products from the sampled projects were cited. All lines of evidence suggest that information from most (44 of 48) of these projects have been used by fire and fuels managers in some capacity. Science has mostly been used during planning efforts, to develop treatment prescriptions, and to evaluate current practices. Lack of manager awareness was commonly identified as a barrier to application of science. Conversely, activities and organisations that foster interaction between scientists and managers were identified as facilitating the application of science. The efforts of the Joint Fire Science Program to communicate science findings and engage managers has likely contributed to the application of fire science.Note
All journals published by CSIRO Publishing allow authors to deposit the Accepted version of their manuscript into an institutional repository or put it on a personal website, with no embargo.ISSN
1049-8001DOI
10.1071/WF15202Version
Final accepted manuscriptSponsors
This study was funded by the JFSP. Vita Wright and Sarah Trainor provided very useful advice on development of the project objectives and methodology. All members of the JFSP Fire Science Exchange Network were instrumental in providing information on boundary spanners in different regions. John Cissel and Alison Meadow provided insightful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. I thank them all for critical support throughout the project.Additional Links
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=WF15202ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1071/WF15202