Research Database
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The Importance of Framing for Communicating Risk and Managing Forest Health
Year: 2012
Despite the importance of effective communication about forest and fuel management, little is known about how best to frame information to facilitate public understanding and increase support. The results presented here indicate that framing a fuel management plan as necessary to restore "lost" forest health (as opposed to maintaining or improving forest health) will increase the willingness of individuals to support options that pose some likelihood of failure (i.e. risk). Strategic framing of communication for public audiences is necessary because of the common biases in judgment that can…
Publication Type: Journal Article
Shrub Seed Banks in Mixed Conifer Forests of Northern California and the Role of Fire in Regulating Abundance
Year: 2012
Understory shrubs play important ecological roles in forests of the western US, but they can also impede early tree growth and lead to fire hazard concerns when very dense. Some of the more common genera (Ceanothus, Arctostaphylos, and Prunus) persist for long periods in the seed bank, even in areas where plants have been shaded out. To determine shrub seed density and investigate the feasibility of managing shrub abundance by regulating the size of the soil seed bank with fire, we sampled the seed bank in 24 mixed conifer forest stands throughout northern California. Twenty stands were…
Publication Type: Journal Article