Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Tracing Temporal Changes in the Human Dimensions of Forest Insect Disturbance on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

  • Published:
Human Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A rapidly growing literature on the human dimensions of forest disturbance by insects has emerged over the past decade. As a result, the diverse social and economic impacts of forest disturbances and their implications have become increasingly understood. However, little research has assessed the temporal dynamics of community experience, perceptions, and actions related to changing forest landscapes and risks. Using longitudinal survey data from 2004 to 2008, this study examines the changing human dimensions of forest disturbance in the context of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula spruce bark beetle outbreak. Findings suggest ramifications of forest risks related to bark beetles were more complicated than an issue-attention cycle or timeline of beetle activity would predict. Shifts in perceptions of beetle impacts and forest risks, relationships with land managers, and local interaction and activeness of study communities reflected diverse pathways of temporal changes in human dimensions. Ordinary least squares and panel regression models indicated community participation and indirect risk perception (concern about broader threats to community and ecological well-being) had a consistently strong influence on community activeness in response to the beetle outbreak. Community wildfire experience and the perceived intensity of forest disturbance contributed most to risk perceptions. Implications of these results for forest management and future research are advanced.

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. There are several longitudinal studies of risk perception and responses related to transport safety and H1N1 influenza in the past years (e.g., Ibuka et al. 2010; Nordfjærn and Rundmo 2010; Sherlaw and Raude 2013).

  2. The analysis of the 2006 Homer re-survey data also revealed a significant negative relationship between indirect risk perception and satisfaction with government land managers (Flint 2007).

References

  • Abbott, B., Stennes, B., and van Kooten, G. C. (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.

  • Allison, P. D. (2009). Fixed Effects Regression Models. Sage Publications, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentz, B. J., et al. (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 

  • Brenkert-Smith, H., Dickinson, K. L., Champ, P. A., and Flores, N. (2013). Social Amplification of Wildfire Risk: The Role of Social Interactions and Information Sources. Risk Analysis 33(5): 800–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, M. A., Flint, C. F., and Luloff, A. E. (2008). Local Culture and Rural Development: A Neglected Relationship. Sociologia Ruralis 49(1): 97–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bubeck, P., and Botzen, W. J. W. (2013). Response to “The Necessity for Longitudinal Studies in Risk Perception Research”. Risk Analysis 33(5): 760–762.

    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(4): 1333–1343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dale, V. H., Joyce, L. A., McNulty, S., and Neilson, R. P. (2000). The Interplay between Climate Change, Forests, and Disturbances. Science of the Total Environment 262(3): 201–204.

  • Dale, V. H., et al. (2001). Climate Change and Forest Disturbance. BioScience 51(9): 723–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., and Christian, L. M. (2009). Internet, Mail, and Mixed Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. Wiley, Hoboken.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downs, A. (1972). Up and Down with Ecology—the Issue-Attention Cycle. The Public Interest 28: 38–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, D. R., and Burch Jr., W. R. (1988). Rural Sociology and the Environment. Social Ecology Press, Middleton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischlin, A., et al. (2007). Ecosystems, Their Properties, Goods, and Services. In Parry, M. L., Canziani, O. F., Palutikof, J. P., van der Linden, P. J., and Hanson, C. E. (eds.), Climate Change 2007: Impacts Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 211–272.

  • Flint, C. G. (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. G. (2007). Changing Forest Disturbance Regimes and Risk Perceptions in Homer, Alaska. Risk Analysis 27(6): 1597–1608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C. G., and Haynes, R. (2006). Managing Forest Disturbances and Community Response: Lessons from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Journal of Forestry 104(3): 269–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C. G., and Luloff, A. E. (2007). Community Activeness in Response to Forest Disturbance in Alaska. Society and Natural Resources 20(5): 431–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, C. G., 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 

  • Gordon, J. S., Gruver, J. B., Flint, C. G., and Luloff, A. E. (2013). Perceptions of Wildfire and Landscape Change in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Environmental Management 52(4): 807–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, W. D., and Naughton, H. T. (2013). The Effects of a Spruce Bark Beetle Outbreak and Wildfires on Property Values in the Wildland–Urban Interface of South-Central Alaska, USA. Ecological Economics 96: 141–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, B. P., Slippers, J., Wingfield, M. J., Dyer, C., and Slippers, B. (2012). Perception and Knowledge of the Sirex Woodwasp and Other Forest Pests in South Africa. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 14(3): 306–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibuka, Y., Chapman, G. B., Meyers, L. A., Li, M., and Galvani, A. P. (2010). The Dynamics of Risk Perceptions and Precautionary Behavior in Response to 2009 (H1N1) Pandemic Influenza. BMC Infectious Diseases 10: 296.

  • Jamieson, S. (2004). Likert Scales: How to (Ab)use Them. Medical Education 38(12): 1217–1218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasperson, R. E., et al. (1988). The Social Amplification of Risk: A Conceptual Framework. Risk Analysis 8(2): 177–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kooistra, C. M., and Hall, T. E. (2014). Understanding Public Support for Forest Management and Economic Development Options after a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak. Journal of Forestry 112(2): 221–229.

  • Loewenstein, G., and Mather, J. (1990). Dynamic Processes in Risk Perception. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 3(2): 155–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luloff, A. E., Field, D., Krannich, R., and Flint, C. (2007). A Matrix Approach for Understanding People, Fire, and Forests. In Daniel, T., Carroll, M., Moseley, C., and Raish, C. (eds.), People, Fire and Forests: A Synthesis of Wildfire Social Science. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, pp. 207–216.

  • Mackenzie, B. F., and Larson, B. M. H. (2010). Participation under Time Constraints: Landowner Perceptions of Rapid Response to the Emerald Ash Borer. Society and Natural Resources 23(10): 1013–1022.

  • McFarlane, B. L., and Watson, D. O. T. (2008). Perceptions of Ecological Risk Associated with Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) Infestations in Banff and Kootenay National Parks of Canada. Risk Analysis 28(1): 203–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFarlane, B. L., Stumpf-Allen, R. C. G., and Watson, D. O. (2006). Public Perceptions of Natural Disturbance in Canada’s National Parks: The Case of the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins). Biological Conservation 130(3): 340–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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 

  • Müller, 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(2): 375–383.

  • Nordfjærn, T., and Rundmo, T. (2010). Differences in Risk Perception, Priorities, Worry and Demand for Risk Mitigation in Transport among Norwegians in 2004 and 2008. Safety Science 48(3): 357–364.

  • Oliver, C. D., and Larson, B. C. (1996). Forest Stand Dynamics. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkins, J. R., and MacKendrick, N. A. (2007). Assessing Community Vulnerability: A Study of the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia, Canada. Global Environmental Change 17(3–4): 460–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patriquin, M. N., Wellstead, A. M., and White, W. A. (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(8): 938–946.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paveglio, T. B., Jakes, P. J., Carroll, M. S., and Williams, D. R. (2009). Understanding Social Complexity within the Wildland–Urban Interface: A New Species of Human Habitation? Environmental Management 43(6): 1085–1095.

  • Price, J. I., McCollum, D. W., and Berrens, R. P. (2010). Insect Infestation and Residential Property Values: A Hedonic Analysis of the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic. Forest Policy and Economics 12(6): 415–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin, H., and Flint, C. G. (2010). Capturing Community Context of Human Response to Forest Disturbance by Insects: A Multi-Method Assessment. Human Ecology 38(4): 567–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, G. O. (1997). Dynamic Risk Perception in Two Communities: Risk Events and Changes in Perceived Risk. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 40(1): 59–79.

  • Ross, D. W., Daterman, G. E., Boughton, J. L., and Quigley, T. M. (2001). Forest Health Restoration in South-Central Alaska: A Problem Analysis. General Technical Report. PNW-GTR-523. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland.

  • Rossi, F. J., Carter, D. R., Alavalapati, J. R. R., and Nowak, J. T. (2010). Forest Landowner Participation in State-Administered Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Cost-Share Programs. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 34(3): 110–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherlaw, W., and Raude, J. (2013). Why the French Did Not Choose to Panic: A Dynamic Analysis of the Public Response to the Influenza Pandemic. Sociology of Health & Illness 35(2):332–344.

  • Siegrist, M. (2013). The Necessity for Longitudinal Studies in Risk Perception Research. Risk Analysis 33(1): 50–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sjöberg, L. (1999). Risk Perception by the Public and by Experts: A Dilemma in Risk Management. Human Ecology Review 6(2): 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slovic, P. (1992). Perception of Risk: Reflections on the Psychometric Paradigm. In Krimsky, S., and Golding, D. (eds.), Social Theories of Risk. Praeger Publishers, Westport, pp. 117–152.

  • Tashakkori, A., and Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, T. D. (1977). Pretest Estimation in Regression: A Survey. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 59(3): 431–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner, R. A., Holsten, E. H., Matsuoka, S. M., and Burnside, R. E. (2006). Spruce Beetles and Forest Ecosystems in South-Central Alaska: A Review of 30 Years of Research. Forest Ecology and Management 227(3): 195–206.

  • Wolken, J. M., et al. (2011). Evidence and Implications of Recent and Projected Climate Change in Alaska’s Forest Ecosystems. Ecosphere 2(11): 124 doi:10.1890/ES11-00288.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by the Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The work of the first author was supported in part by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project 1005128. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 30 – August 3, 2014. The authors would like to especially thank participating residents in Kenai Peninsula communities. Contributions made by Sang-hyun Chi, Jason Gordon, Joshua Gruver, and Brad Woods, as well as thoughtful comments from two anonymous reviewers and the journal editor are also sincerely appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 213 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Hua Qin

  2. Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology, Utah State University, 0730 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Courtney G. Flint

  3. Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 114 Armsby Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    A. E. Luloff

Authors
  1. Hua Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Courtney G. Flint
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. E. Luloff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hua Qin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Qin, H., Flint, C.G. & Luloff, A.E. Tracing Temporal Changes in the Human Dimensions of Forest Insect Disturbance on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Hum Ecol 43, 43–59 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9717-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9717-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation