Wildfires disrupt connectedness, CSU study says
As wildfires ravage places—whether forests or communities—they also deeply impact our sense of those places. This sense of connectedness after wildfire is the subject of research conducted after the Cameron Peak Fire that scorched a path through northern Colorado in 2020, becoming the largest wildfire in Colorado history.
Anne Mook, a scientist at Colorado State University’s Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, and Pilar Morales-Giner, a researcher at Spain’s University of Granada, recently published their Cameron Peak study, called “Ash Everywhere: Place Attachment and Meanings in the Aftermath of Wildfires.”
The researchers conducted 34 interviews with participants, including full-time and part-time residents, local leaders and representatives from environmental organizations. Participants were asked about how they experienced the wildfire, their perceptions of environmental and demographic changes and the meanings they ascribe to their sense of place.
With emotional loss, people often mourn the destruction of their homes, natural surroundings and landmarks. In interviews with residents, many described feelings of solastalgia, a term used to describe the emotional distress people feel when their home environment is damaged or degraded.
Listen to the researchers discuss their findings on CSU’s The Audit podcast:
PHOTO: Colorado State University’s Mountain Campus is viewed through trees burned by the Cameron Peak Fire, November 24, 2020. (Colorado State University)
