Net Benefits of Wildfire Prevention Education Efforts

Wildfire prevention education efforts involve a variety of methods, including airing public service announcements, distributing brochures, and making presentations, which are intended to reduce the occurrence of certain kinds of wildfires. A Poisson model of preventable Florida wildfires from 2002 t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forest science 2010-04, Vol.56 (2), p.181-192
Main Authors: Prestemon, Jeffrey P, Butry, David T, Abt, Karen L, Sutphen, Ronda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cost benefit analysis
Costs
costs and returns
Economic models
education programs
equations
fire hazard reduction
Forest & brush fires
forest fires
statistical analysis
Studies
wildfires
wildland fire management
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Summary:Wildfire prevention education efforts involve a variety of methods, including airing public service announcements, distributing brochures, and making presentations, which are intended to reduce the occurrence of certain kinds of wildfires. A Poisson model of preventable Florida wildfires from 2002 to 2007 by fire management region was developed. Controlling for potential simultaneity biases, this model indicated that wildfire prevention education efforts have statistically significant and negative effects on the numbers of wildfires ignited by debris burning, campfire escapes, smoking, and children. Evaluating the expected reductions in wildfire damages given a change in wildfire prevention education efforts from current levels showed that marginal benefits exceed marginal costs statewide by an average of 35-fold. The benefits exceeded costs in the fire management regions by 10- to 99-fold, depending on assumptions about how wildfire prevention education spending is allocated to these regions.
ISSN:0015-749X
1938-3738
DOI:10.1093/forestscience/56.2.181