Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2025

Subjects

Wildfire risk -- Management, Environmental stewardship, Fire ecology -- West (U.S.), Interagency coordination

Abstract

Collaborative governance plays a critical role in wildfire risk mitigation efforts. This study examines collaborative wildfire governance networks within the Colorado Front Range, a landscape that was designated under the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS). Collaborative governance networks in the Colorado Front Range leverage partnerships across multiple organizational actors including federal, state, and local agencies, non-profits, fire districts, and research institutions. Through survey data collected from 281 respondents revealing a collaborative network of 401 organizations, the study aimed to identify the structure, capacity, and gaps in governance networks addressing wildfire risk in the Colorado Front Range. Survey results reveal a collaborative network that is led by non-profits and governmental agencies forming a dense core of highly connected organizations with peripheral actors engaged in more targeted partnerships. However, our findings reveal that notable gaps remain in the engagement of Indigenous communities, private-sector entities, and smaller local governments, indicating the need for targeted capacity-building and outreach efforts. Building such collaborative capacity is a gradual process that depends on sustained engagement and long-term investment. Partnerships involved a mix of formal agreements, funding flows, and informal collaboration. According to respondents who reported that their organization was influenced by the WCS, federal investment helped improve collaborative conditions and produced better collaborative outcomes, including greater trust, alignment, and improved landscape-level results.

Rights

Copyright 2025 The Authors. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

DOI

10.15760/esm-report.02

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44028

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