Meldrum, J., L. Falk, J. Gomez, C. Barth, H. Brenkert-Smith, T. Warziniack, and P. Champ. 2017. Living with wildfire in Telluride Fire Protection District, Colorado. Research Note RMRS-RN-75. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 30pp. https://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/53729
James R Meldrum, Ph.D.
James Meldrum is an economist in the Social and Economic Analysis Branch at the Fort Collins Science Center. His primary research focus is measuring, modeling, and understanding human relationships with natural resources.
Biography
James Meldrum is a Research Economist in the Social and Economic Analysis Branch at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center. His economics and applied social science work spans many areas of interest to the USGS and our federal and non-federal partners. His main research topics include measuring, modeling, and understanding human relationships with natural resources, especially through the lens of ecosystem services, and with natural hazards, especially focused on mitigating the risks of wildland fire. James is a founding member of the Wildfire Research (WiRē) Team, an interdisciplinary collaboration focused on coproducing science in support of community wildfire adaptedness and wildfire risk mitigation on private lands, and he is an active participant in numerous USGS- and DOI-wide communities of practice.
Education
- Ph.D. 2012, University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Studies Program, focus on Environmental Economics
- M.S. 2010, University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Studies Program, focus on Environmental Economics
- B.S. 2005, Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering and Applied Science, Primary major in Physics with a secondary major in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology
Professional Experience
- Research Economist; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Colorado; June 2016 to present
- Research Associate; University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); 2012 to 2016
- Policy Analysis Intern; National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Strategic Energy Analysis Center, Golden, Colorado; 2011 to 2012
- Engineering Physicist; Stereotaxis, Inc., Systems Group, St. Louis, Missouri; 2005 to 2006
Research Interests
- Environmental economics
- Wildfire risk mitigation
- Ecosystem services
- Behavioral economics
Science and Products
Date published: December 2, 2020
Status: Active Joint Fire Science Program Evaluation
The Joint Fire Science Program is a partnership between the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service that connects relevant fire science research with stakeholders. USGS Scientists are supporting the Joint Fire Science Program by assessing the science needs of its stakeholders in order to inform future decision making.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: October 25, 2019
Status: Active Economics and Ecosystem Services
Federal policymakers and land managers are accountable to the public for how they use public resources and for the outcomes of policy and management decisions. Through a variety of economic analyses and custom modeling, SEA economists evaluate how investments and management decisions affect individuals, local communities, and society as a whole.
Date published: June 27, 2018
Status: Active Tools for Public Land Managers
Fort Collins Science Center Economists support numerous web applications that convey information and data to specific audiences. An important aspect of many of these tools is to connect practitioners and other stakeholders to resources.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 27, 2018
Status: Active Wildlife Economics
From the benefits of tourism and hunting, to the protection of rare and endangered species, economics can play an important role in understanding humans’ relationship with wildlife.
Contacts: Christopher Huber, James R Meldrum, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 27, 2018
Status: Active Value of Science
The science conducted across the USGS affects the well-being of hundreds of millions of Americans. However, it is challenging to quantify the value of this science, and better understanding and communication of this value is often needed.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 27, 2018
Status: Active Economics of Invasive Species
In managing invasive species, land managers and policy makers need information to help allocate scarce resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 27, 2018
Status: Active Economics of Outdoor Recreation
Planning and managing recreation areas is a series of choices, and not a day goes by that that manager doesn’t face a question, which at its roots, is often economic.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 21, 2018
Status: Active Economics of Wildland Fire
In recent decades, wildfires have increased in size and intensity, and the fire season has lengthened. This and other factors have increased wildfire suppression costs and risks to human health and safety. SEA economists investigate numerous aspects of wildland fire, its impacts, and how to mitigate the risk wildfire poses to people, resources, and property.
Contacts: James R Meldrum, Ph.D., Christopher Huber
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: June 21, 2018
Status: Active Water Economics
Water is associated with numerous ecosystem services, including clean water for drinking, support for outdoor recreation, provision for other ecosystem processes, and direct cultural values.
Contacts: Christopher Huber, James R Meldrum, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: May 29, 2018
Status: Active The Wildfire Research (WiRē) Team
Wildfires cost billions of dollars to suppress annually, yet they still devastate lives, communities, and ecosystems. While wildfire is a natural phenomenon, learning to live with wildfire is a social issue – so we need a social solution.
Contacts: James R Meldrum, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: July 26, 2016
Status: Completed Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative (SECI)
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative (SECI) is to develop and enhance science and research on ecosystem services in support of improving natural resource management. This effort is in response to the fourth recommendation of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report: "Federal agencies with responsibilities...
Year Published: 2021
Putting people first: Using social science to reduce risk
Wildland-urban interface residents, who occupy the areas where wildlands meet and mix with human development, are both contributors to and recipients of the disastrous effects of wildland fires. They contribute through fire starts, flammable homes, unmitigated properties, opposition to mitigation on nearby public lands, and land use planning...
Champ, Patricia A.; Barth, Christopher M.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Falk, Lilia C.; Gomez, Jamie; Meldrum, James R.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2021
U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan defines critical, core fire science capabilities for understanding fire-related and fire-responsive earth system processes and patterns, and informing management decision making. Developed by USGS fire scientists and executive leadership, and informed by conversations with...
Steblein, Paul F.; Loehman, Rachel A.; Miller, Mark P.; Holomuzki, Joseph R.; Soileau, Suzanna C.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Drane-Maury, Mia; Hamilton, Hannah M.; Kean, Jason W.; Keeley, Jon E.; Mason, Robert R.; McKerrow, Alexa J.; Meldrum, James R.; Molder, Edmund B.; Murphy, Sheila F.; Peterson, Birgit; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; van Mantgem, Phillip J.; York, AlisonAttribution: Alaska Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Region 11: Alaska
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Steblein, P.F., Loehman, R.A., Miller, M.P., Holomuzki, J.R., Soileau, S.C., Brooks, M.L., Drane-Maury, M., Hamilton, H.M., Kean, J.W., Keeley, J.E., Mason, R.R., Jr., McKerrow, A., Meldrum, J.R., Molder, E.B., Murphy, S.F., Peterson, B., Plumlee, G.S., Shinneman, D.J., van Mantgem, P.J., and York, A., 2021, U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1471, 30 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1471.
Year Published: 2021
Would you like to know more? The effect of personalized wildfire risk information and social comparisons on information-seeking behavior in the wildland–urban interface
Private landowners are important actors in landscape-level wildfire risk management. Accordingly, wildfire programs and policy encourage wildland–urban interface homeowners to engage with local organizations to properly mitigate wildfire risk on their parcels. We investigate whether parcel-level wildfire risk assessment data, commonly used to...
Meldrum, James R.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Champ, Patricia A.; Gomez, Jamie; Byerly, Hilary; Falk, Lilia C.; Barth, Christopher M.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Living with wildfire in Ashland, Oregon: 2020 data report
Wildfire affects many types of communities. Improved understandings of urban conflagrations are leading some fire-prone communities, such as Ashland, Oregon, to expand their attention from focusing solely on the intermix fringe to managing wildfire threats across more urbanized wildland urban interface (WUI) communities. The core intent of this...
Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Chambers, Chris; Gibble, Katie; Barth, Christopher M.; Donovan, Colleen; Wagner, Carolyn; Lerch, Alison; Meldrum, James R.; Champ, Patricia A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
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Brenkert-Smith, H., Chambers, C., Gibble, K., Barth, C., Donovan, C., Wagner, C., Lerch, A., Meldrum, J.R., Champ, P. (2020) Living with Wildfire in Ashland, Oregon: 2020 Data Report. Research Note RMRS-RN-88. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 54p. https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_series/rmrs/rn/rmrs_rn088.pdf.
Year Published: 2020
Developing behavioral and evidence-based programs for wildfire risk mitigation
The actions of residents in the wildland–urban interface can influence the private and social costs of wildfire. Wildfire programs that encourage residents to take action are often delivered without evidence of effects on behavior. Research from the field of behavioral science shows that simple, often low-cost changes to program design and...
Byerly, Hilary; Meldrum, James R.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Champ, Patricia A.; Gomez, Jamie; Falk, Lilia C.; Barth, Christopher M.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Living with wildfire in the Squilchuck Drainage - Chelan County, Washington: 2020 data report
Research on the social dimensions of wildfire provides opportunities to understand how communities and the people who reside in those communities interact with the threat of wildfire. Overall, three findings from this project were particularly noteworthy. First, household survey results indicate that residents in the Squilchuck Drainage, Chelan...
Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Champ, Patricia A.; Riley, Jon; Barth, Christopher M.; Donovan, Colleen; Meldrum, James R.; Wagner, CarolynAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Do actions speak louder than words? Comparing the effect of risk aversion on objective and self-reported mitigation measures
Risky behaviors are of public concern when they are associated with negative externalities. Public programs and policy seek to incentivize less risky behaviors in an effort to reduce or eliminate such social costs. It is in this context that the relationship between risk aversion and risky behaviors is of particular interest. However, the...
Champ, Patricia A.; Meldrum, James R.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Warziniack, Travis; Barth, Christopher M.; Falk, Lilia C.; Gomez, JamieAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Paired stated preference methods for valuing management of white pine blister rust: order effects and outcome uncertainty
The literature on nonmarket valuation includes many examples of stated and revealed preference comparisons. However, comparisons within stated preference methods are sparse. Specifically, the literature provides few examples of pairing both a discrete choice experiment (CE) and a contingent valuation (CV) question within a single survey. This...
Meldrum, James R.; Champ, Patricia A.; Bond, Craig A.; Schoettle, AnnaAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report
Federal agencies need credible scientific information to determine the production and value of ecosystem services in an efficient and timely manner. The U.S. Geological Survey addresses this scientific information need through the Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative project. The project has relied on U.S. Geological Survey expertise...
Huber, Christopher; Meldrum, James R.; Schuster, Rudy; Ancona, Zachary H.; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Beck, Scott M.; Carlisle, Daren; Claggett, Peter R.; Franco, Fabiano; Galbraith, Heather S.; Haefele, Michelle; Hoelting, Kristin R; Hogan, Dianna M.; Hopkins, Kristina G.; Kern, Tim; Lawrence, Collin B.; Lischka, Stacy; Loomis, John B.; Mueller, Julie M.; Noe, Gregory B.; Pindilli, Emily J.; Quay, Brian; Semmens, Darius J.; Sinclair, Wilson; Spooner, Daniel E.; Voigt, Brian; St. John White, BarabaraAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Leetown Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
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Huber, C., Meldrum, J.R., Schuster, R.M., Ancona, Z.H., Bagstad, K.J., Beck, S.M., Carlisle, D.M., Claggett, P.R., Franco, F., Galbraith, H.S., Haefele, M., Hoelting, K.R., Hogan, D.M., Hopkins, K.G., Kern, T., Lawrence, C.B., Lischka, S., Loomis, J.B., Mueller, J.M., Noe, G.B., Pindilli, E.J., Quay, B., Semmens, D.J., Sinclair, W., Spooner, D.E., Voigt, B., and St. John White, B., 2020, Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1117, 23 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191117.
Year Published: 2019
Economic effects of wildfire risk reduction and source water protection projects in the Rio Grande River Basin in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
Investments in landscape-scale restoration and fuels management projects can protect publicly managed trusts, enhance public health and safety, and help to preserve the many environmental goods and services enjoyed by the public. These investments can also support jobs and generate business sales activities within nearby local economies. This...
Huber, Christopher; Cullinane Thomas, Catherine; Meldrum, James R.; Meier, Rachel; Bassett, StevenAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
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Huber, C., Cullinane Thomas, C., Meldrum, J.R., Meier, R., and Bassett, S., 2019, Economic effects of wildfire risk reduction and source water protection projects in the Rio Grande River Basin in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1108, 8 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191108.
Year Published: 2019
Interactions between resident risk perceptions and wildfire risk mitigation: Evidence from simultaneous equations modeling
Fire science emphasizes that mitigation actions on residential property, including structural hardening and maintaining defensible space, can reduce the risk of wildfire at a home. Accordingly, a rich body of social science literature investigates the determinants of wildfire risk mitigation behaviors of residents living in fire-prone areas. Here...
Meldrum, James R.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Champ, Patricia A.; Gomez, Jamie; Falk, Lilia C.; Barth, Christopher M.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Responding to risky neighbors: Testing for spatial spillover effects for defensible space in a fire-prone WUI community
Often, factors that determine the risk of an environmental hazard occur at landscape scales, and risk mitigation requires action by multiple private property owners. How property owners respond to risk mitigation on neighboring lands depends on whether mitigation actions are strategic complements or strategic substitutes. We test for these...
Warziniack, Travis; Champ, Patricia A.; Meldrum, James R.; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Barth, Christopher M.; Falk, Lilia C.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Pre-USGS Publications
Meldrum, J. 2016. Floodplain price impacts by property type in Boulder County, Colorado: Condominiums versus standalone properties. Environmental and Resource Economics 64(4): 725-750. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10640-015-9897-x
Meldrum, J. 2015. Comparing different attitude statements in latent class models of stated preferences for managing an invasive forest pathogen. Ecological Economics 120: 13-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.09.024
Brenkert-Smith, H., J. Meldrum, and P. Champ 2015. Climate change beliefs and hazard mitigation actions: homeowners and wildfire risk. Environmental Hazards 14(4): 341-360. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17477891.2015.1080656
Meldrum, J., P. Champ, H. Brenkert-Smith, T. Warziniack, C. Barth, and L. Falk 2015. Understanding gaps between the risk perceptions of wildland-urban interface (WUI) residents and wildfire professionals. Risk Analysis 35(9): 1746-1761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/risa.12370
Meldrum, J., C. Barth, L. Falk, H. Brenkert-Smith, T. Warziniack, and P. Champ 2015. Living with wildfire in Delta County, Colorado: cross-community comparisons. Research Note RMRS-RN-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 33pp. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_rn067.html
Meldrum, J., P. Champ, T. Warziniack, H. Brenkert-Smith, C. Barth, and L. Falk 2014. Cost shared wildfire risk mitigation in Log Hill Mesa, Colorado: survey evidence on participation and willingness to pay. International Journal of Wildland Fire 23(4): 567-576. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF13130
Heath, G., J. Meldrum, N. Fisher, D. Arent, and M. Bazilian 2014. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from Barnett Shale gas used to generate electricity. Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources 8: 46-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.juogr.2014.07.002
Cohen, S, K. Averyt, J. Macknick, and J. Meldrum 2014. Modeling climate-water impacts on electricity sector capacity expansion. Proceedings of the ASME Power 2014 Conference. Jul 28-31, Baltimore, MD. http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1938877
Meldrum, J., C. Barth, L. Falk, H. Brenkert-Smith, T. Warziniack, and P. Champ 2013. Living with wildfire in Log Hill Mesa, Colorado. Research Note RMRS-RN-66. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 34pp. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_rn066.html
Averyt, K., J. Meldrum, P. Caldwell, G. Sun, S. McNulty, A. Huber-Lee, and N. Madden 2013. Sectoral contributions to surface water stress in the conterminous U.S. Environmental Research Letters 8: 035046. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035046
Yates, D., J. Meldrum, and K. Averyt (2013). The influence of future electricity mix alternatives on southwestern US water resources. Environmental Research Letters 8: 045005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045005
Yates, D., K. Averyt, F. Flores-Lopez, J. Meldrum, S. Sattler, J. Sieber, and C. Young 2013. A water resources model to explore the implications of energy alternatives in the southwestern US. Environmental Research Letters 8: 045004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045004
Yates, D., J. Meldrum, F. Flores-Lopez, and M. Davis 2013. Integrated impacts of future electricity mix scenarios on select southeastern US water resources. Environmental Research Letters 8: 035042. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035042
Meldrum, J., S. Nettles-Anderson, G. Heath, and J. Macknick 2013. Life cycle water use for electricity generation: a review and harmonization of literature estimates. Environmental Research Letters 8: 015031. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/015031
Averyt, K., J. Macknick, J. Rogers, N. Madden, J. Fisher, J. Meldrum, and R. Newmark. 2013. Water use for electricity in the United States: an analysis of reported and calculated water use information for 2008. Environmental Research Letters 8: 015001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/015001
Meldrum, J., P. Champ, and C. Bond 2013. Heterogeneous nonmarket benefits of managing white pine blister rust in high-elevation pine forests. Journal of Forest Economics 19: 61-77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2012.10.001
Rogers, J., K. Averyt, S. Clemmer, M. Davis, F. Flores-Lopez, P. Frumhoff, D. Kenney, J. Macknick, N. Madden, J. Meldrum, J. Overpeck, S. Sattler, E. Spanger-Siegfried, and D. Yates 2013. Water-smart power: Strengthening the U.S. electricity system in a warming world. A report of the Energy and Water in a Warming World initiative. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists: 50pp. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/energy-and-water-use/water-smart-power.html
Meldrum, J., C. Bond, and P. Champ 2011. Valuing the forest for the trees: willingness to pay for white pine blister rust management. The future of high-elevation, five-needle white pines in Western North America: Proceedings of the High Five Symposium. RMRS-P-63. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 226-234. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/38228
Bond, C., P. Champ, J. Meldrum, and A. Schoettle 2011. Investigating the optimality of proactive management of an invasive forest pest. The future of high-elevation, five-needle white pines in Western North America: Proceedings of the High Five Symposium. RMRS-P-63. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 295-302. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/38241