Wildfire Risk to Communities

Example map of the Wildfire Risk to Communities Burn Probability layer.

Description

The Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset was created by USDA Forest Service to help assess risk to homes, businesses, and other valued resources. The dataset contains nationally-consistent information for the purpose of comparing relative wildfire risk among communities nationally or within a state or county. In situ risk (risk at the location where the adverse effects take place on the landscape) are modeled using the large fire simulation system (FSim) and LANDFIRE fuel loading datasets from 2014. 

This dataset contains the following variables: 

  • Burn Probability - The annual probability of wildfire burning in a specific location. 
  • Conditional Flame Length - Most likely flame length at a given location if a fire occurs, based on all simulated fires; an average measure of wildfire intensity.
  • Conditional Risk to Potential Structures - The potential consequences of fire to a home at a given location, if a fire occurs there and if a home were located there. 
  • Exposure Type - Exposure is the spatial coincidence of wildfire likelihood and intensity with communities. This layer delineates where homes are directly exposed to wildfire from adjacent wildland vegetation, indirectly exposed to wildfire from indirect sources such as embers and home-to-home ignition, or not exposed to wildfire due to distance from direct and indirect ignition sources.
  • Flame Length Exceedance Probability – 4 ft - Probability of having flame lengths greater than 4 feet if a fire occurs, on a 0 to 1 scale; indicates the potential for moderate to high wildfire intensity.
  • Flame Length Exceedance Probability – 8 ft - Probability of having flame lengths greater than 8 feet if a fire occurs, on a 0 to 1 scale; indicates the potential for high wildfire intensity.
  • Risk to Potential Structures - A measure that integrates wildfire likelihood and intensity with generalized consequences to a home on every pixel. For every place on the landscape, it poses the hypothetical question, "What would be the relative risk to a house if one existed here?" This allows comparison of wildfire risk in places where homes already exist to places where new construction may be proposed. 
  • Wildfire Hazard Potential Index - An index that quantifies the relative potential for wildfire that may be difficult to control, used as a measure to help prioritize where fuel treatments may be needed.

References

  • Scott, Joe H.; Gilbertson-Day, Julie W.; Moran, Christopher; Dillon, Gregory K.; Short, Karen C.; Vogler, Kevin C. 2020. Wildfire Risk to Communities: Spatial datasets of landscape-wide wildfire risk components for the United States. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0016
  • Scott, Joe H.; Brough, April M.; Gilbertson-Day, Julie W.; Dillon, Gregory K.; Moran, Christopher. Wildfire Risk to Communities: Spatial datasets of wildfire risk for populated areas in the United States. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive.https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0060

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