Resilient communities – mobilisation of rural skills, networks and resources in local responses to wildfires in Sweden (2018)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7515029 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maria Vallström (0000-0002-1583-8055, Södertörn University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 123 |
| Pages | 104072 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Rural Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0743-0167 • E-ISSN: 1873-1392 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104072 |
| OpenAlex | W7132841029 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
In this article, I explore local mobilisation in rural communities during the large and numerous wildfires in Swedish forests in 2018. The aim of the article is to examine how the crisis caused by the forest fires activated rural networks and resource mobilisation in a local context. The study shows strong evidence of social cohesion closely linked to place, history and heritage. Emergent and informal groups emerged as central to the local perspective, as did professionals in forestry and agriculture. Finally, I discuss whether the focus on resilience can mask the lack of national preparedness and the critical potential in speaking of an urban norm. The main contribution of this article is to bring local rural conditions to the fore, showing the importance of timing, local networks and skills in disaster response in a rural context, while also questioning the power hierarchies and structures that lead to the denial and lack of recognition of rural resources and values
Focus group · Interdependence · Local community · Preparedness · Psychological resilience · Resource (disambiguation · Rural area · Vulnerability (computing · Disaster Management and Resilience · Fire effects on ecosystems · Rural development and sustainability
Resilience, Community, and Resilient Communities
A review of informal volunteerism in emergencies and disasters
Community Emergency Planning
Feeling the Fireline
Forgetting Flooding
People in Stockholm are smarter than countryside folks” – Reproducing urban and rural imaginaries in film and life
Policy tools to encourage community-level defensible space in the United States
For the good of the village”
Put the wet stuff on the hot stuff’
Community Resilience as a Metaphor, Theory, Set of Capacities, and Strategy for Disaster Readiness
Managing volunteers
Resilience for Whom? Emerging Critical Geographies of Socio-ecological Resilience
Wildfire volunteering and community disaster resilience in New Zealand
Introduction
Discordant Connections
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |