Residents' values and fuels management approaches

The research utilizes the Forest Value and Salient Value Similarity Scales to examine homeowners' value orientations and relate them to attitudes toward and support for fuels management approaches. Data were collected from homeowners living in the wildland-urban interface of the Huron- Manistee National Forest at two time periods, in 2002 and 2006. The panel data allowed for testing of whether residents' attitudes toward and support for fuel treatments changed within different value orientation and value similarity groupings over the 4-year period. Results show the Salient Value Similarity Scale provided strong predictive power in explaining attitudes toward and support for fuel treatments with the high value similarity group being more positive and supportive of the fuel management approaches over a 4-year period.