Assessing the benefits of reducing fire risk in the wildland-urban interface: A contingent valuation approach

Citation
Js. Fried et al., Assessing the benefits of reducing fire risk in the wildland-urban interface: A contingent valuation approach, INT J WILDL, 9(1), 1999, pp. 9-20
Citations number
15
Categorie Soggetti
Plant Sciences
Journal title
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
ISSN journal
10498001 → ACNP
Volume
9
Issue
1
Year of publication
1999
Pages
9 - 20
Database
ISI
SICI code
1049-8001(199903)9:1<9:ATBORF>2.0.ZU;2-6
Abstract
Wildland-urban interface (WUI) residents in Michigan were interviewed using a contingent valuation protocol to assess their willingness-to-pay (WTP) f or incremental reductions in the risk of losing their homes to wildfire. WT P was elicited using a probability model which segments the risk of structu re loss into "public" and "private" components. Most respondents expressed positive WTP for publicly funded risk reduction activities. These respondents were characterized by tolerance for property taxes, perception of significant risk, high ranking of fire risk relative t o other hazards, and high objective estimates of existing risk, and their W TP amounts were positively correlated with income and property value. Given that 97% of the respondents were insured against property loss, the large number of positive WTP responses suggests that substantial non-market and u nreimbursed losses are experienced when structures are destroyed by wildfir es.