The Netherlands, a country showing warmer and drier weather patterns, is facing a growing threat from wildfires. Compared to the United States, the Dutch have little experience with wildfires and have not traditionally used fire as a management tool. This has resulted in a lack of local knowledge regarding fire ecology, fire behavior, and what to do in the event of a wildfire. Recent years have revealed an increase in fire activity, specifically in the Veluwe region of the country, which is a forested region in the center of the country located within the province of Gelderland. The Veluwe is a popular tourist area for Dutch and international visitors and the increased risk of wildfires paired with the dense population and visitation in this region has caused public safety authorities concern. A collaborative effort between Stephen F. Austin State University and the Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid (IFV), the Dutch public safety agency, has created and distributed a survey that will reveal and quantify public opinions and perceptions regarding wildland fire and public expectations of government agencies in the event of a wildfire.  Methods  

The  survey  distribution  took  place  during  July  of  2015.  Questions  focused  on  some  basic  demographic  information,  the  individual’s  relationship  with  nature,  wildfire  preparedness,  and  wildfire  awareness.  The  surveys  were  distributed  at  several  sites  located  in  the  Veluwe  region.  The  survey  were  distributed  at  two  small  villages  (Wageningen-­‐hoog  and  Wolfheze),  two  attraction  parks  (the  Apenheul  Primate  Park  and  the  Julianatoren  Amusement  Park),  and  two  campgrounds  (Lorkenbos  and  Wije  Werelt).A  Dutch  student  and  a  trainee  at  the  IFV  aided  in  distribution  of  the  surveys  and  certain  variables,  such  as  number  of  participants  who  decline  to  take  the  survey,  the  weather  on  distribution  day,  and  the  gender  and  age  of  the  distributors  will  be  recorded  by  distributers  to  attain  non-­‐response  data.  All  original  surveys  were  scanned  and  brought  back  to  the  United  States.                

               

 

Determining Public Perceptions Toward Wildfire in the Veluwe Region of the Netherlands Amy Brennan Committee: Drs. Brian Oswald, Pat Stephens Williams, Ray Darville, and Sarah McCaffrey  

Results  We  brought  1000  Dutch  versions  of  the  survey  and  250  English  versions.  We  collected  508  useable  surveys  over  the  course  of  ten  collection  days,  with  an  addition  13  surveys  that  were  found  too  incomplete  to  utilize  for  analysis.  Out  of  those  collected,  approximately  half  were  collected  from  the  attraction  parks,  and  a  fourth  from  both  the  campgrounds  and  the  villages.    While  complete  analysis  has  not  yet  been  conducted,  there  are  some  preliminary  findings  of  note.  Respondents  to  this  survey  have  high  expectations  of  government  agencies.  76%  of  respondents  say  the  government  is  responsible  for  educating  them  on  what  to  do  in  the  event  of  a  wildfire,  while  81%  say  it  is  the  duty  of  the  government  to  inform  them  if  a  wildfire  starts.  Awareness  of  the  wildfire  problem  in  the  Netherlands  is  higher  than  anticipated;  45%  of  participants  have  heard  of  a  wildfire  in  the  Netherlands,  while  74%  believe  it  is  either  likely  or  very  likely  that  a  wildfire  will  break  out  in  the  Netherlands  within  the  next  two  years.  While  65%  of  participants  believe  that  wildfires  are  moderately  or  extremely  serious  of  a  threat  to  people  living  in  the  Veluwe,  only  7%  claimed  they  were  prepared  for  a  wildfire  in  the  Veluwe.      Discussion  This  research  will  provide  valuable  insight  to  the  thought-­‐processes  of  residents  and  visitors  to  the  Veluwe.  From  what  we  have  gathered  thus-­‐far,  there  is  an  acknowledgement  that  a  wildfire  will  occur,  but  serious  efforts  need  to  be  made  to  stress  the  threat  of  wildfire  to  those  individuals  who  live  and  recreate  in  this  region.  Upon  completion  of  analysis,  recommendations  will  be  made  to  our  Dutch  partners  at  how  best  to  communicate  risk  to  people  in  the  Veluwe  and,  ultimately,  we  would  like  to  implement  an  education  program  similar  to  the  US  Firewise  Communities  Program.                     Amy  Brennan  is  pursuing  a  Master  of  Science  in  Forestry  at  Stephen  F.  Austin  State  

University.  She  received  her  Bachelor  of  Science  in  Forestry  with  an  emphasis  in  Recreation  Management  from  Stephen  F.  Austin  State  University.