Recreation after Evacuation: How the Eagle Creek Wildfire Affected Recreation in the Columbia River Gorge

By Sara Adams

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re all too familiar with the effects of wildfire. From devastating loss of life and personal property, to reduced air quality and services, wildfires have acute and long-term impacts on our communities.

Often, wildfires occur during the “fifth season” at the peak of late summer/early fall recreation when Washingtonians and visitors alike are hiking, biking, climbing, and enjoying the long days.

A new study by researchers from Nature and Health at the University of Washington sought to understand the impact of wildfire on outdoor recreation. The team, which included members of the UW Outdoor Recreation & Data Lab and the U.S. Forest Service, used geolocated social media posts to estimate visitation numbers to popular recreation areas. They then visualized recreation patterns in the Columbia River Gorge before and after the Eagle Creek Fire in 2017.

As expected, the biggest decline in recreation occurred when structures were damaged and sites were closed by the U.S. Forest Service for safety reasons. Interestingly, fires and associated closures drove down site use across large and unburned areas, throughout the surrounding Columbia River Gorge. At the same time, some previously less popular areas saw increased visitation following the fire.

In the year prior to the Eagle Creek Fire, there were more than 360,000 visits to recreation sites, some of which were later closed due to damage and danger from the fire. The map shows decreased recreation in these sites (purple circles adjacent to the fire area outlined in red) and subsequent increased recreation in open sites (green circles). Following the fire, those open recreation areas saw around 108,000 more visits than they would in a typical year – although not enough to make up for visits displaced by site closures.

Researchers hope their work highlights the need for new processes, tools and funding for restoring and reopening recreation sites affected by wildfire.

“These approaches are complete game-changers. They allow researchers and managers to understand recreation use patterns in ways that were not feasible previously.”

The study offers a new, less resource-intensive approach to measuring recreation use of public lands. The current method requires having staff or equipment on-site to count every person. By contrast, this new approach of building estimation models from geolocated social media posts can be done remotely. It can also be done retrospectively, allowing a more accurate before and after picture.

Eric White, the U.S. Forest Service researcher working on the team, thinks the approach used in the study offers great promise for understanding recreation. “These approaches are complete game-changers,” he says. “They allow researchers and managers to understand recreation use patterns in ways that were not feasible previously.”

We know that fire disturbs an area long after the flames are put out. Areas that experience significant burning require long-term restoration and fire recovery efforts. Information about visitation before and after wildfires helps agencies prioritize their efforts to restore access and reopen sites for the public.

For more information about the study, please contact Spencer Wood ().