Using conjoint constitution to understand responses to slow-moving environmental change: the case of mountain pine beetle in north-central Colorado

A growing body of work exists on the social implications of forest insect disturbances. However, although increasingly explored, there remains a need to further understand social responses to large-scale forest insect disturbances over time. This requires longitudinal investigations into people's conceptualizations of their changing local environments, associated risk perceptions, and forest management preferences in the context of forest insect disturbance-related changes to the landscape. Within the context of the mountain pine beetle outbreak that affected approximately 3.4 million acres of Colorado forests, this study is a ten-year follow-up to a 2006-2007 study that explored local responses to the outbreak. Using qualitative interviews with 54 informants from nine north-central Colorado communities affected by the outbreak, this paper incorporates a social construction approach known as 'conjoint constitution' to examine the interplay between slow-moving biophysical changes to the landscape as a result of the outbreak, communities' understandings and risk perceptions of these changes, as well as shifts in locals' thinking about forest management.