How Can We Span the Boundaries between Wildland Fire Science and Management in the United States?

Kocher, Susan D; Toman, Eric; Trainor, Sarah F.; Wright, Vita; Briggs, Jennifer S.; Goebel, Charles; MontBlanc, Eugénie; Oxarart, Annie; Pepin, Donna L.; Steelman, Toddi A.; Thode, Andrea E.; Waldrop, Thomas A.

doi:10.5849/jof.11-085

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…; Kocher et al . ). Not all boundary spanners carry out all of these functions in equal measure, and in many cases mediation in particular is best carried out by specially trained individuals or units.…”

Section: Boundary‐spanner Rolesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Linking knowledge to action: the role of boundary spanners in translating ecology

Safford

Sawyer

Kocher³

et al. 2017

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

114

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One of the most effective ways to foster the co-production of ecological knowledge by producers and users, as well as encouraging dialogue between them, is to cultivate individuals or organizations working at and managing the boundary between the two groups. Such "boundary spanners" are critical to ensuring scientific salience, credibility, and legitimacy, yet they remain relatively underused in ecology. We summarize some of the major roles of boundary spanners in translational ecology, and suggest that effectiveness in translating ecological information depends on several key factors. These include organizational and individual commitment to boundary spanning over the long term; development of useful, co-produced products and tools that can subsequently assume boundary-spanning roles of their own; dual-accountability frameworks that involve both science providers and users; and identification, training, and retention of science translators who possess a suite of professional skills and individual traits that are rare in scientific circles.

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Section: Boundary‐spanner Rolesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Linking knowledge to action: the role of boundary spanners in translating ecology

Safford

Sawyer

Kocher³

et al. 2017

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Science that is "coproduced" by managers and scientists and tailored for specific resources or targeted to potential actions has also been shown to be effective in overcoming informational barriers (Lemos and Morehouse 2005, Joyce et al 2009, Dilling and Lemos 2011, Kocher et al 2012, Littell et al 2012, Moss et al 2013). This approach has been used effectively in wildland fire (Kocher et al 2012) and water resources management (White et al 2008, Wilder et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach has been used effectively in wildland fire (Kocher et al 2012) and water resources management (White et al 2008, Wilder et al 2010). For example, hydrologic studies indicating the quantity or timing of available water sources can dictate how water is allocated for agriculture, development, or other uses (e.g., White et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Transferring science between research and management can also be a challenge. Managers often lack time to review relevant literature (Kocher et al 2012), and a dearth of information at management-relevant scales can impede the use of existing science (Archie et al 2012). For example, resource managers have repeatedly expressed a need for downscaled climate change projections to match the scales at which land management is accomplished (e.g., Jantarasami et al 2010, Archie et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing for climate change on federal lands of the western United States: perceived usefulness of climate science, effectiveness of adaptation strategies, and barriers to implementation

Kemp¹,

Blades²,

Klos³

et al. 2015

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Recent mandates in the United States require federal agencies to incorporate climate change science into land management planning efforts. These mandates target possible adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, the degree to which climate change is actively being considered in agency planning and management decisions is largely unknown. We explored the usefulness of climate change science for federal resource managers, focusing on the efficacy of potential adaptation strategies and barriers limiting the use of climate change science in adaptation efforts. Our study was conducted in the northern Rocky Mountains region of the western United States, where we interacted with 77 U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management personnel through surveys, semistructured interviews, and four collaborative workshops at locations across Idaho and Montana. We used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate managers' perceptions about adapting to and mitigating for climate change. Although resource managers incorporate general language about climate change in regional and landscape-level planning documents, they are currently not planning on-the-ground adaptation or mitigation projects. However, managers felt that their organizations were most likely to adapt to climate change through use of existing management strategies that are already widely implemented for other non climate-related management goals. These existing strategies, (e.g., thinning and prescribed burning) are perceived as more feasible than new climate-specific methods (e.g., assisted migration) because they already have public and agency support, accomplish multiple goals, and require less anticipation of the future timing and probability of climate change impacts. Participants reported that the most common barriers to using climate change information included a lack of management-relevant climate change science, inconsistent agency guidance, and insufficient time and resources to access, interpret, and apply current climate science information to management plans.

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“…Scientific questions and results are often relevant to management, but rarely match management needs. Further, communication barriers between scientists and managers is a commonly cited obstacle to application of scientific knowledge (Wright 2007, Kocher et al 2012. Coproduction of scientific knowledge, where research questions arise from interactions between researchers and information users, has led to successful use of that scientific knowledge in incorporating climate science in forest management (Lemos and Morehouse 2005, Dilling and Lemos 2011, Littell et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholder-led science: engaging resource managers to identify science needs for long-term management of floodplain conservation lands

Bouska¹,

Lindner²,

Paukert³

et al. 2016

E&S

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How Can We Span the Boundaries between Wildland Fire Science and Management in the United States?

Cited by 28 publications

References 21 publications

Linking knowledge to action: the role of boundary spanners in translating ecology

Linking knowledge to action: the role of boundary spanners in translating ecology

Managing for climate change on federal lands of the western United States: perceived usefulness of climate science, effectiveness of adaptation strategies, and barriers to implementation

Stakeholder-led science: engaging resource managers to identify science needs for long-term management of floodplain conservation lands

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