Headwaters Economics has developed new Wildfire Risk report system for communities. Reports can be customized for every U.S. city, county, and state which provide information about wildfire risk and potentially vulnerable populations. It uses public data from the USDA Forest Service, US Census Bureau, and other sources and is one of several reports available in their Economic Profile System.
Headwaters Economics explains that they created this new report because wildfire risk is more than a physical hazard. Economic, demographic, and social vulnerabilities put some people disproportionately at risk. Information in their reports can help elected officials, land use planners, fire personnel, and community health organizations to:
- prioritize and direct resources to the people and places most at-risk;
- customize and target outreach and education efforts; and
- tailor wildfire response and operational plans.
The graphic at the top of this article is a portion of the 15-page report for Yreka, California, which can be downloaded here.
Arizona Central also has a system for generating data about wildfire risk for individual communities in the Western United States.
