A Study on the Correlation Between Frequent Wildfire Land and Low Income & Minority Residences in Rural Area


Presenter: Cameron Swart

Faculty Sponsor: Amanda Robillard

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Climate Science

Session: Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, 163, C32

ABSTRACT

The Family Forest Research Center, a collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the USDA Forest Service, is looking to better understand the effects of wildfire on low & minority woodland owners. Using US Census Data to identify these landowners and the wildfire overlay to pinpoint areas that have been affected by wildfire, we were able to locate the intersection of the two variables and to idenfity variables that may provide an increased risk of wildfire and it's adverse effects for these underserved populations. The data aggreated in this initial project will be used as a baseline and provide background information to inform a survey questions that will be administered to rural and suburban woodland owners who fall into this category.

In order to gain this background information, overlaying maps are used in ArcGIS to sort counties based on income and demographic data from the US Census website and wildfire and smoke monitoring from the AirNow Fire and Smoke monitor website. The two types of data were married together in one map and places in which the two criteria overlapped were analyzed for consistency, background, and other information about the landscape and residents. This data was reported on after the fact to provide background information to answer questions about climate change disproportionately affecting communities in these two regions.


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