A remarkably high degree of agreement exists among public agency land managers and private landowners on the subjects of relative valuation of wildlands and relative priority of wildland fire protection, according to a recent survey. The non-market values of recreation, watershed, and hunting were clearly considered of importance on all classes of land. In many cases these non-market values were rated as more important than known or measurable values. Both timber and grazing interests agreed on the relative value of their activities on the different land classes. The survey revealed a full awareness of the complex structure of land value and its susceptibility to fire damage. This mutual understanding at the ground level should provide a firm basis for policy formulation affecting the wildlands of the central Sierra foothills.

This report is based on Project 1823 of the Agricultural Experiment Station, “Economics of Fire Protection on Wildlands of California,” which receives financial support from the California Division of Forestry.