Estimating visitor preferences for recreation sites in wildfire prone areas

Abstract

Development into the wildland–urban interface, combined with heat and drought, contribute to increasing wildfires in the U.S. West and a range of damages including recreation site closures and longer-term effects on recreation areas. A choice experiment survey is used to estimate visitor preferences for vegetation and the effects of past fire at recreation sites. Intercept interviews are used to randomly select visitors at national forest sites near Los Angeles. The choice model results reveal that recreation sites with waterbodies and sites with tree cover, instead of shrubs or barren areas, are highly desirable, while evidence of past fires decreases the value of a site. We find the effects of past fire depend on vegetation type, fire intensity and time since the fire ended. Older forest fires and shrub fires are undesirable, but forest fires that reach the crowns of trees are least desirable. The findings add to evidence that fire damage to recreation areas extends beyond closures and depends on vegetation, which can inform the allocation of firefighting and prevention resources.