Formalized Suburban Communities
Formal suburban residents are mostly professionals, suburbanites, or transplants who display less diversity in local skills to support wildfire risk reduction. Residents of formal suburban communities tend to place a high level of trust in government agencies working on wildfire mitigation and are generally willing to collaborate with them on preparedness efforts. They also rely more heavily on outside services and nonlocal businesses for fuels reduction work. Rather than completing mitigation themselves, residents are more likely to hire contractors due to limited knowledge, equipment, skills, or physical ability to reduce fuels. In many cases, they have the financial resources to pay for these services.
In formal suburban communities, place attachment is often tied to recreational opportunities and the amenities the community offers. In communities such as Auburn Lake Trails and Rancho Santa Fe, California, residents' sense of community was closely linked to the exclusivity of living there, creating a strong group identity.
Because many formal suburban communities are organized around distinct, and often gated, neighborhoods, wildfire mitigation efforts tend to focus on protecting individual subdivisions rather than the surrounding landscape. As a result, these communities place less emphasis on landscape-scale conservation. Wildfire mitigation efforts in formal suburban communities are also more likely to be formalized through local policies, homeowner association requirements, or regulations that can be enforced.
High-Amenity, High-Resource Communities
High amenity, high resource community residents have more diversity in skills needed for wildfire adaptation, particularly related to professionals with applicable experience such as grant writing or emergency management, who also possess leadership and higher organizational capacity. Place attachment among high-amenity, high-resource communities, such as Leavenworth, Washington, and Whitefish, Montana, is often closely tied to exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities and the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Like formal suburban communities, high-amenity, high-resource communities also tend to rely on outside services and nonlocal businesses for fuels reduction work. Residents are more likely to hire contractors because they lack some resource, like equipment or skill, needed to complete the work themselves. In addition, these communities generally have the financial resources to pay for professional mitigation services.
Wildfire mitigation efforts in high-amenity, high-resource communities are often planned at a regional or community-wide scale, requiring coordination and collective action among many partners. Residents are more likely to view wildfire management as an opportunity to restore forest health while also protecting the scenic landscapes and recreational opportunities that make their communities attractive places to live and visit.
