Abstract
Wildfire risk is increasing across rural landscapes in the western United States. Yet, relatively little is known about how rural residents perceive wildfire impacts, the effectiveness of mitigation strategies, and the responsibilities of governance actors in wildfire management. Using survey data collected from six rural communities in northern Idaho, USA, we examined how socio-demographic characteristics, length of residence, and place-based contexts shape perceptions of wildfire risk and management. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression were used to assess perceptions and identify factors associated with variation in responses. Results indicate that residents perceive wildfire as a multifaceted hazard, with diverse risks, with particularly strong concern for economic and land-based livelihood impacts, compared to direct risks to human life. Prescribed burning, tree pruning and enforcement of bans were widely viewed as effective mitigation strategies, reflecting local preferences of proactive fire management approaches. Respondents perceived individual, state and federal agencies as most responsible for wildfire risk reduction, as compared to local governments, whose responsibilities were viewed more variably, particularly by long-term residents. Perceptions of individual and private landowner responsibility also differed across age groups and communities, suggesting that local expectations, community experiences with wildfire, and levels of engagement in mitigation activities shape how responsibility is assigned. Overall, the findings underscore the need for context-sensitive wildfire mitigation strategies that recognize heterogeneity within rural communities, avoid one-size-fits-all approaches, and explicitly address issues of trust, responsibility attribution, and local capacity.