Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Local Perceptions of MPB Infestation, Forest Management, and Connection to National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming

  • Published:
Human Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 17 February 2016

Abstract

The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) infestation in Colorado and Wyoming impacts federal and state forest managers, the recreation and tourism industry, ecosystem services, and the general sustainability of livelihoods in proximity to forested areas. Using qualitative analyses, this paper investigates whether a linkage exists between individuals’ value orientations and their attitudes toward forest management in relation to MPB infestations. Data were obtained in 2011 from three open-ended questions in a mail survey of residents in Colorado and Wyoming. Our qualitative analysis revealed four value orientation types: 1) biocentric, 2) anthropocentric, 3) spiritual/therapeutic, and 4) pluralist. Additionally, respondents were generally supportive of forest management practices and the majority had a “do what you need to save the forest” attitude. A linkage between value orientations toward the national forest and management practices was identified. Research and management implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The pouches provide an alternative to spraying trees when chemical use is prohibited or restricted by label instructions, such as near bodies of water.

  2. Although the four value categories were revealed through words and meanings, the actual category labels have been previously used in academic literature (see above).

References

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50: 179–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I., and Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abbott, B. (2008). An economic analysis of mountain pine beetle impacts in a global context. Working Paper 2008–02, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

  • Abrams, J., Kelly, E., Shindler, B., and Wilton, J. (2005). Value Orientation and Forest Management: The Forest Health Debate. Environmental Management 36(4): 495–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, S., Wickwar, D., Clark, F., Dow, R., Potts, R., and Snyder, S. (2009). Values, attitudes, and beliefs technical guide for forest service land and resource management, planning, and decision-making. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-788. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland.

  • Bentz, B. J., Régnière, J., Fettig, C. J., Hansen, M., Hayes, J. L., Hicke, J. A., and Seybold, S. J. (2010). Climate Change and Bark Beetles of the Western United States and Canada: Direct and Indirect Effects. Bioscience 60(8): 602–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bright, A. D., Manfredo, M. J., and Fulton, D. C. (2000). Segmenting the Public: an Application of Value Orientations to Wildlife Planning in Colorado. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28(1): 218–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G., and Harris, C. (1992). The USDA Forest Service: Toward the New Resource Management Paradigm? Society and Natural Resources 5: 231–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G., and Reed, P. (2000). Validation of a Forest Values Typology for Use in National Forest Planning. Forest Science 46(2): 240–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunson, M. W., and Shindler, B. A. (2004). Geographic Variation in Social Acceptability of Wild Fuels Management in the Western United States. Society and Natural Resources 17: 661–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrow, J. R. (1991). Future Trends in Forest Pest Management. Forestry Chronicle 67: 468–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, W., Lantz, V. A., and MacLean, D. A. (2009). Public Attitudes About Forest Pest Outbreaks and Control: Case Studies in Two Canadian Provinces. Forest Ecology and Management 257: 1333–1343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clement, J., and Cheng, A. (2011). Using Analysis of Public Value Orientations, Attitudes and Preferences to Inform National Forest Planning in Colorado and Wyoming. Journal of Applied Geography 31: 393–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colorado State Forest Service (2010). Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment: A Foundation for Strategic Discussion and Implementation of Forest Management in Colorado. Author, Fort Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colorado State Forest Service (2014). 2013 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests. Author, Fort Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czaja, M., Cottrell, S., Bright, A., and Clement, J. (2012). Public perceptions of the Mountain Pine Beetle in three study areas in Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming. Technical report submitted to the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service. Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

  • Decrop, A. (2004). Chapter 9. Trustworthiness in qualitative research. In Phillimore, J., and Goodson, L. (eds.), Qualitative Research in Tourism: Ontologies, Epistemologies and Methodologies. Routledge, London, pp. 156–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap, R. (1992). Trends in public opinion toward environmental issues: 1965–1990. In Dunlap, R., and Metig, A. (eds.), American Environmentalism: The U.S. Environmental Movement 1970–1990. Taylor and Francis, Philadelphia, pp. 89–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishbein, M., and Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: an Introduction to Theory and Research. Addison-Wesley, Reading.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C. (2006). Community Perspectives on Spruce Beetle Impacts on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Forest Ecology and Management 227(3): 207–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C., McFarlane, B., and Muller, M. (2009). Human Dimensions of Forest Disturbance by Insects: an International Synthesis. Environmental Management 43(6): 1174–1186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C., Qin, H., and Ganning, J. (2012). Linking Local Perceptions to the Biophysical and Amenity Contexts of Forest Disturbance in Colorado. Environmental Management 49(3): 553–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fulton, D., Manfredo, M., and Lipscomb, J. (1996). Wildlife Value Orientations: a Conceptual and Measurement Approach. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 1(2): 24–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fulton, D., Skerl, K., Shank, E., and Lime, D. (2004). Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Lethal Management of Deer in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32(4): 1166–1176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gericke, K. L., Sullivan, J., and Wellman, J. D. (1992). Public Participation in National Forest Planning: Perspectives, Procedures, and Cost. Journal of Forestry 90(2): 35–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grilliot, A., and Armstrong, J. (2005). A Comparison of Deer Hunters with Disabilities and Nondisabled Hunters in Alabama: Motivations and Satisfactions in Deer Hunting. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33(1): 243–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamersley Chambers, F., and Beckley, T. (2003). Public involvement in sustainable Boreal forest management. In Burton, P. J., Messier, C., Smith, D. W., and Adamowicz, W. L. (eds.), Toward Sustainable Management of the Boreal Forest. NRC press, Ottawa, pp. 113–154 (Chapter 4).

    Google Scholar 

  • Homer, P., and Kahle, L. (1988). A Structural Equation Test of the Value-Attitude-Behavior Hierarchy. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology 54: 638–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hull, B., Robertson, D., and Kendra, A. (2001). Public Understandings of Nature: A Case Study of Local Knowledge About “Natural” Forest Conditions. Society and Natural Resources 14(4): 325–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Irland, L. (1980). Pulpwood, Pesticides, and People: Controlling Spruce Budworm Innortheastern North America. Environmental Management 4: 381–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klain, S., and Chan, K. (2012). Navigating Coastal Values: Participatory Mapping of Ecosystem Services for Spatial Planning. Ecological Economics 82: 104–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, R., and Casey, M. (2000). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research, 3rd ed. Sage, Thousand Oaks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., and Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage, Beverly Hills.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubell, M., and Vedlitz, A. (2006). Collective Action, Environmental Activism, and Air Quality Policy. Political Research Quarterly 59(1): 149–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Machlis, G., Kaplan, A., Tuler, S., Bagby, K., and McKendry, J. (2002). Burning Questions: A Social Science Research Plan for Federal Wildland Fire Management. University of Idaho, Moscow.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFarlane, B., Parkins, J., and Watson, D. (2012). Risk, Knowledge, and Trust in Managing Forest Insect Disturbance. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 42(4): 710–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFarlane, B., and Wilson, D. (2008). Perceptions of Ecological Risk Associated With Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae) Infestations in Banff and Kootenay National Parks of Canada. Risk Analysis 28: 203–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf, R. (1993). An increasing public concern. In Pimentel, D., and Lehman, N. (eds.), The Pesticide Question: Environment, Economics, and Ethics. Chapman and Hall, New York, pp. 426–430.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., and Huberman, M. A. (1994). Codes and coding. In Qualitative Data Analysis. A Source Book of New Methods. Sage Publishing, London, pp. 54–66.

  • Molnar, J. J., Schelhas, J., and Holeski, C. (2007). Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners and the Southern Pine Beetle: Factors Affecting Monitoring, Preventing, and Controlling Infestations. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 31(2): 93–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, M., and Job, H. (2009). Managing Natural Disturbances in Protected Areas: Tourists’ Attitude Toward the Bark Beetle in a German National Park. Biological Conservation 142: 375–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parkins, J., and MacKendrick, N. (2007). Assessing Community Vulnerability: a Study of the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia, Canada. Global Environmental Change 17: 460–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patriquin, M., Wellstead, A., and White, W. (2007). Beetles, Trees, and People: Regional Economic Impact Sensitivity and Policy Considerations Related to the Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation in British Columbia, Canada. Forest Policy and Economics 9: 938–946.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, M. E., Watson, A. E., Williams, D. R., and Roggenbuck, J. R. (1998). An Hermeneutic Approach to Studying the Nature of Wilderness Experiences. Journal of Leisure Research 30(4): 423–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J., and Lawes, M. (2005). User Perceptions of Conservation and Participatory Management of iGxalingenwa Forest, South Africa. Environmental Conservation 32: 64–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. Free Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rolston, H. (1981). Values in Nature. Environmental Ethics 3: 113–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolston, H. I., and Coufal, J. (1991). A Forest Ethic and Multivalue Forest Management: The Integrity of Forests and of Foresters are Bound Together. Journal of Forestry 89(1): 35–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safranyik, L., Carroll, A., Régière, J., Langor, D., Riel, W., Shore, T., and Taylor, S. (2010). Potential for Range Expansion of Mountain Pine Beetle into the Boreal Forest of North America. Canadian Entomologist 142: 415–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shindler, B. A., Brunson, M., and Stankey, G. H. (2002). Social acceptability of forest conditions and management practices: a problem analysis. U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-537, Portland, Oregon.

  • Spradley, J. (1980). Participant Observation. Wadsworth, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steel, P., List, P., and Shindler, B. (1994). Conflicting Values About Federal Forests. A Comparison of National and Oregon Publics. Society and Natural Resources 7(2): 137–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, D., and Shamdasani, P. (1990). Focus Groups: Theory and Practice. Sage, Newbury Park.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarrant, M. A., Cordell, H. K., and Green, G. T. (2003). PVF: a Scale to Measure Public Values of Forests. International Journal of Wilderness 101(6): 24–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teel, T. L., Dayer, A. A., Manfredo, M. J., and Bright, A. D. (2005). Regional results from the research project entitled “Wildlife Values in the West.” (Project Rep. No. 58). Project Report for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Colorado State University, Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Unit, Fort Collins.

  • Tetlock, P. (1986). A Value Pluralism Model of Ideological Reasoning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50: 819–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. C. G., and Barton, M. A. (1994). Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology 14(2): 149–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Forest Service (2013). Western bark beetle strategy: Human safety, recovery, and Resiliency [Electronic copy].

  • United States Forest Service (2013). Rocky mountain bark beetle: more than 4 million acres impacted. Retrieved January 31st, 2013, from the service website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/barkbeetle/home.

  • Vaske, J., and Donnelly, M. (1999). A Value–Attitude–Behavior Model Predicting Wildland Preservation Voting Intentions. Society and Natural Resources 12: 523–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vining, J. (1992a). Environmental Emotions and Decisions: a Comparison of the Responses and Expectations of Forest Managers, an Environmental Group, and the Public. Environment and Behavior 24: 3–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vining, J. (1992b). Environmental values, emotions, and public involvement. In Le Master, D. C., and Parker, G. R. (eds.), Ecosystem Management in a Dynamic Society. Dept. Of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This material was based in part on work supported by the Colorado State Forest Service, USDA Forest Service and the National Science Foundation under Grant Award WSC - 1204460.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Pavlina McGrady, Stuart Cottrell, Jana Raadik Cottrell & Michael Czaja

  2. Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, HaubSchool, Laramie, WY, USA

    Jessica Clement

Authors
  1. Pavlina McGrady
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stuart Cottrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jessica Clement
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jana Raadik Cottrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michael Czaja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart Cottrell.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

McGrady, P., Cottrell, S., Clement, J. et al. Local Perceptions of MPB Infestation, Forest Management, and Connection to National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming. Hum Ecol 44, 185–196 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-015-9803-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-015-9803-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation