Competitive grants are increasingly used to induce proactive collaborative action by a range of actors to reduce forest wildfire risks. Given the rigidity of past wildfire risk governance, it is important to assess the adaptability of competitive grants as a new governance approach. Adaptive governance theory is used as a lens to assess the adaptability of the Colorado Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant (WRRG) program, which awards funds to successful applicants to reduce fuel on non-federal lands at a community scale. Four best practices from the theory were applied: participation of and collaboration among diverse actors; co-production of knowledge and learning toward adaptive management; cross-scale interactions and fit between the scale of governance and the scale of the ecological problem; and the capacity for innovation and re-organization. Using data and information about the WRRG structure and processes, awarded grantees from the first five granting cycles from 2013 to 2016, our direct participation-observation as part of the Advisory Committee, and results from the WRRG effectiveness monitoring report, we examine the extent to which the WRRG program exhibited adaptive governance attributes. For each adaptive governance attribute, we found evidence of factors facilitating and frustrating adaptiveness of the WRRG program. We situate our findings within the broader context of using competitive grants as a forest wildfire risk governance approach and address additional directions for adaptive governance research.

中文翻译：

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使用竞争性赠款实现森林野火风险的适应性治理：来自科罗拉多州野火风险降低赠款计划的见解

竞争性赠款越来越多地用于引导一系列参与者采取积极的合作行动，以减少森林野火风险。鉴于过去野火风险治理的刚性，评估竞争性赠款的适应性作为一种新的治理方法很重要。适应性治理理论被用作评估科罗拉多野火风险降低补助金 (WRRG) 计划的适应性的一个镜头，该计划向成功的申请者提供资金，以在社区范围内减少非联邦土地上的燃料。应用了该理论的四个最佳实践：不同参与者之间的参与和协作；共同生产知识和学习以适应适应性管理；治理规模与生态问题规模的跨尺度互动与契合；以及创新和重组的能力。使用有关 WRRG 结构和流程的数据和信息、从 2013 年到 2016 年的前五个资助周期中授予受助者、我们作为咨询委员会一部分的直接参与观察以及 WRRG 有效性监测报告的结果，我们检查了WRRG 计划表现出适应性治理属性。对于每个适应性治理属性，我们发现了促进和阻碍 WRRG 计划适应性的因素的证据。我们将我们的发现置于使用竞争性赠款作为森林野火风险治理方法的更广泛的背景下，并解决适应性治理研究的其他方向。作为咨询委员会的一部分，我们的直接参与观察以及 WRRG 有效性监测报告的结果，我们检查了 WRRG 计划表现出适应性治理属性的程度。对于每个适应性治理属性，我们发现了促进和阻碍 WRRG 计划适应性的因素的证据。我们将我们的发现置于使用竞争性赠款作为森林野火风险治理方法的更广泛的背景下，并解决适应性治理研究的其他方向。作为咨询委员会的一部分，我们的直接参与观察以及 WRRG 有效性监测报告的结果，我们检查了 WRRG 计划表现出适应性治理属性的程度。对于每个适应性治理属性，我们发现了促进和阻碍 WRRG 计划适应性的因素的证据。我们将我们的发现置于使用竞争性赠款作为森林野火风险治理方法的更广泛的背景下，并解决适应性治理研究的其他方向。