The Community Economic Impacts of Large Wildfires: A Case Study from Trinity County, California

Authors

• Emily Jane Davis, Oregon State University
• Cassandra Moseley, University of Oregon
• Max Nielsen-Pincus, Portland State UniversityFollow
• Pamela J. Jakes, USDA Forest Service

Published In

Society and Natural Resources

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-2014

Subjects

Wildfires, Wages -- United States, Employment -- United States

Abstract

Wildfires are increasing in severity and frequency in the American West, but there is limited understanding of their economic effects at the community level. We conducted a case study of the impacts of large wildfires in 2008 in Trinity County, California, by examining labor market, suppression spending, and qualitative interview data. We found that the 2008 fires had interrelated effects on several economic sectors in the county. Labor market data indicated a decrease in total private-sector employment and wages and an increase in public-sector employment and wages during the summer of 2008 compared to the previous year, while interviews captured more nuanced impacts for individual businesses.

Rights

This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is, therefore, a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.

Locate the Document

Published by Taylor & Francis. 

DOI

10.1080/08941920.2014.905812

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/11675

Citation Details

Davis, E.J., Moseley, C., Nielsen-Pincus, M., Jakes, P.J. (2014). The Community Economic Impacts of Large Wildfires: A Case Study from Trinity County, California.