Examining social trust in fuels management strategies

Surveys of homeowners in three different ecosystems with varying fuels management approaches reveal that homeowners' trust in natural resource agencies is significantly associated with perceived risks and benefits and with perceived agency competence. A weaker association between forest value orientation and agency trust is evident. Focus group interviews provide further contextual support that the characteristics of competence, care, and credibility associated with an agency are influential in shaping trust. The correlation between trust and acceptance of each fuels management strategy at each of the study sites suggests that trust-building and trust maintenance should be key goals of agency-citizen interactions.