Ecological and Social Resilience in Wildfire-Prone Communities

Author

Melissa BurnettFollow

Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Forestry and Environmental Conservation

Committee Chair/Advisor

Althea Hagan

Committee Member

Donald Hagan

Committee Member

Aby Sene-Harper

Committee Member

Lillie Langlois

Abstract

Climate projections suggest extreme weather variability, introducing extremely wet years, followed by years with extreme drought. These weather conditions are creating fire weather conducive to increasing wildfires across the southeast over the next century, which can have extreme ecological consequences. The Appalachian Mountains historically had some of the highest fire frequencies in North America but have been subjected to decades of fire suppression and prevention policies, resulting in an environment subject to more high-severity wildfires. The fall of 2016 was one of the driest seasons on record in this region and resulted in intense and destructive fires in the southeastern region of the United States. Specifically, the Chimney Tops 2 (CT2) fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park burned close to 4,451 hectares of forested land. This project focuses on understanding the implications of the severe 2016 CT2 and whether that fire increased the fuel loads in the forest, thus increasing the potential for more severe wildfires in the future. More intense wildfires could benefit the pyrophytic, endemic species of the Appalachian Mountains, specifically the yellow pines including Table Mountain Pine (Pinus pungens). Through Image Classification and Vegetation Surveys we were able to visualize the change in forest communities over time, and our results indicated both that wildfire severity is a driver in species composition and the CT2 fire increased fuel loading, and suggested regeneration in yellow pine communities, especially Table Mountain Pine and Pine Oak Heath communities.

The fire also highlighted the importance of addressing social-ecological resilience in areas with increasing wildfire risk. We explored the impact of the Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire on the low-income communities of Gatlinburg, TN. Through an environmental justice perspective, we completed a thematic analysis of community responses to wildfire preparedness and programs including Firewise USA. We found that higher income households were more likely to interact with Firewise USA content and have more resources for mitigation and household preparedness, while low-income communities relied on community cooperation and basic tools including hoses and fire extinguishers.

Recommended Citation

Burnett, Melissa, "Ecological and Social Resilience in Wildfire-Prone Communities" (2025). All Theses. 4569.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4569

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3090-7239