The purpose of this research was to identify and make
available new and existing information to facilitate more effective response by
individuals, organizations, and government entities when storms and other forms
of catastrophic disturbance lead to unplanned influxes of downed timber and woody
debris across the southeastern United States. To this end, this project explored
attitudes and behaviors of stakeholders regarding their post disaster timber salvage
experiences. Findings are reported from twelve focus group sessions with forestry
decision makers, including landowners, loggers, foresters, and agency representatives.
Data were analyzed using an iterative coding process that organized large quantities
of text into fewer categories and identified emergent themes. Relationships between
themes and categories were described within and across cases based on their concurrence,
antecedents, or consequences. This technique was followed by a content analysis
focusing on discovering underlying meanings and understanding explicit versus euphemistic
terms. Findings center around economic limitations and opportunities, social networks
in resource utilization, and diverse interpretations of the disaster event. As well,
findings demonstrate how risk perceptions and disaster experience interact to construct
social meanings for disaster and associated preparedness activities. Implications
include value-added utilization options for woody storm debris that have been pursued
in past storm events and lessons learned that can inform future decisions.
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