Grantee Research Project Results

2024 Progress Report: Center for Wildfire Smoke Research at University of Oregon

EPA Grant Number: EM840540
Title: Center for Wildfire Smoke Research at University of Oregon
Investigators: Huber-Stearns, Heidi , Smith, Hollie , Coughlan, Michael
Institution: University of Oregon
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2026 (Extended to March 31, 2027)
Project Period Covered by this Report: April 1, 2024 through March 31,2025
Project Amount: $800,000
RFA: Congressionally Directed Spending (2022)
Research Category: Air , Wildfires

Objective:

Linking research and practice to support community and household adaptation to living with wildfire smoke.

Progress Summary:

• Planning document content analysis and interviews: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (Oregon DEQ) in consultation with Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) designates communities as a Smoke Sensitive Receptor Area (SSRA). Through our research, we have been identifying community-level strategies for preparing and responding to wildfire smoke of all SSRA communities, excluding Portland Metro, that also have an Oregon DEQ-funded Smoke Community Response Plan (Smoke CRP). We have completed document analysis and interview results analysis. We are currently creating a Community Response plan Quick Guide, to be completed summer 2025,  and to be presented at the Natural Hazards Center’s Researchers Meeting following the 50^th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in July 2025.
• Air quality & smoke communicator interviews: Through qualitative interviews, we are improving understanding of the experiences of smoke communicators, particularly those focused on Oregon communities, who are engaged in the creation and dissemination of smoke messages. We completed data collection, analysis and member-checking (also known as respondent validation) as of spring 2025 to ensure qualitative interpretation accurately reflected respondent experiences and context. We presented research-in-progress findings at the 2024 Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop. Currently, we are revising our manuscript based on external review, to then submit for an academic peer-reviewed journal. We have been accepted to present this work at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in San Francisco in August 2025.
• After action review: By supporting collective, shared learning in communities experiencing smoke events, we are evaluating the effectiveness of smoke preparation and response to identify lessons learned and needed additional preparation, capabilities, and organizational networks. Currently in 2024, we are focusing on the West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot Project. We plan to present our findings at the 50^th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in July 2025.
• Other accomplishments:
  • Enhancing Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Oregon Schools & Childcare Centers Workshop: In April 2024, we co-hosted a one-day workshop with Oregon State University's Advancing Science, Practice, Programming and Policy in Research Translation for Children's Environmental Health Center (OSU ASPIRE Center), Smokewise Ashland, and Oregon Health Authority. Workshop goals included: (1) strengthening the coordination and collaboration between practitioners and agencies for wildfire smoke preparedness and response for schools and childcare centers in Oregon; and (2) identifying best practices and decision-making resources that these organizations need to develop a smoke plan that protects the children in their care.
  • Northwest Fire Science Consortium Workshop -- Whole Community Approach to Being Smoke Ready: In November 2024, as part of the Northwest Fire Science Consortium’s webinar series, Smoke Center faculty researchers hosted one day of this three-day workshop. This included (1) recent learnings and promising practices from our prescribed fire literature review, (2) recent learnings from practice, with a focus on the role of land management and public health partnerships in the West Bend Pilot (including pilot background and areas of learning from the West Bend After Action Review), (3) an interactive online Canva whiteboard audience analysis exercise for air quality communication, and (4) a community voices panel discussion which included representation from local public health, community-based organizations, city/county, and OSU Extension services from Oregon and Washington state. (Refer to NWFSC Post-Workshop Materials link in the publications below to see related documents, as well as the Resource Guide we developed for air quality communicators.)

Publications/Presentations:

• West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot After Action Review: Executive Summary – Scholar’s Bank link here. This also includes supplemental materials, i.e., AAR Survey Questionnaire; Methods Data Collection and Tracking; and Communications Materials created in collaboration between U.S. Forest Service public information officer and local public health (Deschutes National Forest press release for prescribed burning; flyer and brochure in English and Spanish; Deschutes County Public Health Service’s Health Alert Network to healthcare providers for prescribed burning pre-season prep and indoor air quality; and the Deschutes National Forest’s 2024 prescribed burn communications plan).
• Resource Guide: A Whole Community Approach to Being Smoke Ready – Scholar’s Bank link here.
• Northwest Fire Science Consortium Post-Workshop Materials: Whole Community Approach to Being Smoke Ready  – Scholar’s Bank link here.
• Presentations available upon request.

Future Activities:

• Statewide survey: In fall  to winter 2025, we will develop an internet-based representative survey of Oregon residents’ concerns about, responses to, and communication needs surrounding wildfire smoke to illuminate information sources, changing perceptions and smoke preparation strategies. To develop this survey, we will reference a previous survey conducted by UO researchers on this project in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority that was a representative survey of Oregon residents’ experiences with wildfire smoke events. This survey provided baseline data for tracking directional changes in Oregon residents’ responses to wildfire smoke. Repeating this survey will provide important information for identifying how Oregon’s ongoing experience with smoke may be driving households’ adaptation to changing air quality conditions.
• Communication review: We will aim to understand how wildfire smoke risk and recommended protective actions have been discussed in this media. We will conduct a content analysis of media coverage during a recent wildfire season to assess how smoke risk and protective actions have been discussed. The scale of this content analysis will be determined by data availability and quality, however, similar studies (Van Deventer et al, 2021) have focused on one state (Washington).
• Sharing resources and facilitating information exchange for community preparation and learning related to smoke. We will continue to create and share accessible information and research including through hosting webinars and peer-learning sessions to support real-time knowledge exchange, synthesizing and distributing insights from After Action Reviews (AARs). This work responds directly to practitioner and community feedback calling for better information sharing, co-learning opportunities, and documentation of lessons to support adaptive, continuous improvement.

 

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Communication, risk, policy, mitigation, adaptation, decision making, public policy, management, forest, community, vulnerability, rural, equity

Relevant Websites:

Center for Wildfire Smoke Research and Practice Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2023 Progress Report