Public Input on post-fire restoration on the Mendocino National Forest

9/01/26

A new report by ALWRI Research Social Scientist Chris Armatas and his colleagues explores how trust manifests in a natural resource partnership.

The Mendocino National Forest reached out to the public in 2023 and 2024 to understand community connections to the forest and hear ideas about how to recover after recent wildland fires. Armatas and his team heard from 523 people over two months. Over 60% of those who participated had lived in the area for more than 25 years. For over half of participants (54%), this was their first time providing input to the Mendocino National Forest. The M3P tool (Mapping, Prioritization and Public Participation) was used to gather and understand public input. https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/80846