United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

The 2010 Wildland-Urban 

Interface of the Conterminous 

United States
Abstract

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where structures and 

other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped 

wildland, and it is where wildfires have their greatest impacts on 

people. Hence the WUI is important for wildfire management. This 

document and associated maps summarize the extent of the WUI in the 

conterminous United States in 2010. The maps and summary statistics 

are designed to inform both national policy and local land management 

concerning the WUI. The data presented here summarize the 2010 

WUI at a national scale and for each of the 48 conterminous States. All 

products of this assessment—including maps, statistics, and the WUI GIS 

dataset—can be accessed at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/WUI.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of the National Fire Plan research program. 

We thank David Godwin of the University of Florida, Russ Langford of 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Kari Greer of Kari Greer 

Photography, for the photos in this publication, and K. Johnson, J. Kreitler, 

and K. Riitters for helpful comments, which greatly strengthened this 

report. Map creation was completed at the UW-Madison Cartography 

Laboratory by cartographers Jonathan Koser, Peter Bauknecht, Chloë 

Quinn, Katelyn Kowalsky, and Tanya M.A. Buckingham. 
The 2010 Wildland-Urban Interface of 

the Conterminous United States

Sebastián Martinuzzi, Susan I. Stewart, David P. Helmers, Miranda H. Mockrin, 

Roger B. Hammer, and Volker C. Radeloff 

Sebastián Martinuzzi, David P. Helmers, and 

Volker C. Radeloff, University of WisconsinMadison, Department of Forest and Wildlife 

Ecology, SILVIS Lab, 1630 Linden Drive, 

Madison, WI 53706

Susan I. Stewart, University of WisconsinMadison, Department of Forest and Wildlife 

Ecology, SILVIS Lab, 1630 Linden Drive, 

Madison, WI 53706, and formerly with U.S. 

Forest Service, Northern Research Station in 

Evanston, IL.

Miranda H. Mockrin, U.S. Forest Service, 

Rocky Mountain Research Station, 

5523 Research Park Dr., Suite 350, 

Baltimore, MD 21228

Roger B. Hammer, Oregon State University, 

School of Public Policy, Corvallis, OR 97331

Sebastián Martinuzzi is corresponding author; 

contact him at martinuzzi@wisc.edu 

phone: +1/608 890 3160 

fax: +1/608 262 9922
2

About this publication

This report provides a spatially detailed assessment of the wildlandurban interface (WUI) across the conterminous United States for 2010, to 

inform both national policy and local land management concerning the 

WUI and associated issues. All maps, graphics, and statistics are available 

for public use as is the associated data (Martinuzzi et al. 2015), which can 

be used within a geographical information system (GIS) for WUI mapping 

and analysis at national, State, and local levels. The WUI GIS datasets can 

be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2015-0012.

Products associated with this publication

• National WUI map (a folded map in the pocket at the back of this report)

• WUI maps for 48 States

• WUI statistical summary tables by State

• Ancillary State maps (land cover, housing density, land ownership, 

wildland vegetation cover)

Associated products accessible from www.nrs.fs.fed/us/data/WUI include 

GIS files used to compose these maps. The programming code to generate 

the WUI maps (Python script) is available upon request.
3

Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado Springs, CO, July 2012. This post-fire photograph of the 

wildland-urban interface shows fire scars in brown and grey, and houses destroyed and 

untouched by the fire. Photo by Kari Greer, used with permission.

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Wildland-Urban Interface Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Mapping the 2010 WUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Results and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

WUI Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Housing Units in the WUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Seasonal Homes in the WUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Population in the WUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

State WUI Map Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2010 WUI Data and Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
4
5

Located near Jacksonville, Florida, the Julington-Durbin Preserve is a demonstration of successful management and 

restoration practices in the wildland-urban interface. Note the boundary road/fuel break in the center of the photo. Photo by 

David Godwin, University of Florida, used with permission.
6
7

Wildland-urban interface neighborhood near Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota. The column of smoke is the result of prescribed fires 

associated with hazardous fuel reduction and habitat restoration practices, April, 2012. Photo by Russ Langford, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The expansion of the 

wildland-urban interface 

continues to increase the 

likelihood that wildfires will 

threaten structures and 

people.

Introduction

The population of the United States is becoming less concentrated in urban 

centers as more people move out to suburbs, exurbs, and rural areas (Alig et 

al. 2010, Brown et al. 2005). This trend toward decentralized urbanization has 

resulted in rapid development in the outlying fringe of metropolitan areas, and 

into rural areas with attractive recreational and aesthetic amenities, especially 

forests (Johnson et al. 2005). In recent decades, this trend has resulted in a 

steady increase in the area that is part of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), 

defined as the area where structures and other human development meet or 

intermingle with undeveloped wildland (Radeloff et al. 2005b).

WUI expansion has many implications for wildfire management. The WUI 

creates an environment in which fire can move readily from forests and 

grasslands into neighborhoods. Consequently, WUI expansion has increased 

the likelihood that wildfires will threaten structures and people, and has 

increased the number of people and homes affected by wildfire (Bar Massada et 

al. 2009). Home owners in the WUI and fire managers charged with protecting 

homes in the WUI may have different perspectives, though, on even simple 

issues such as landscaping the yard: lush vegetation provides privacy and scenic 

beauty to the homeowner, but allows fire to more easily spread to and threaten 

the house. Beyond wildfire, the WUI is an area where people and their homes 

affect the natural environment, contributing to loss of habitat for native species, 

forest fragmentation, and introduction of exotic species, all trends that will 

threaten biodiversity if WUI residents and communities are not attentive to the 

potential harms and active in caring for their environment (Bar Massada et al. 

2014, Radeloff et al. 2005a, Syphard et al. 2009).

As a result of these environmental and natural resource management concerns, 

mapping the WUI is important for environmental policy. WUI trends are 

difficult to predict. Housing growth can increase or decrease the WUI. New 

houses in and near forests and other wildlands create new WUI areas, except 

when too much wildland vegetation is removed or replaced with lawns, 

gardens, and roads, in which case new or existing neighborhoods are not part 

of the WUI. We update the WUI map each decade to take into account changes 

to the WUI and changes within the WUI. While this publication focuses on 

the 2010 WUI assessment, previous WUI maps (1990, 2000) are available at 

http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu. We caution that the maps presented here are 

not directly comparable with those from earlier decades due to changes in 

census block boundaries. However, summary statistics are comparable, and 

comparable maps for 1990, 2000, and 2010 will be available by 2015 on the 

SILVIS website.
8

The Wildland-Urban Interface Defined

Although the idea of a wildland-urban interface is easily understood and the term 

widely used, a specific definition is needed to determine where it occurs and map its 

location. The definition we use here, as in earlier map projects, is designed to inform 

fire policy and management. It is based on a report prepared for the Council of 

Western State Foresters on WUI fire risk (Teie and Weatherford 2000) and was later 

published in the Federal Register. 1

The WUI is composed of both interface and intermix communities. The 

distinction between these is based on the characteristics and distribution of 

houses and wildland vegetation across the landscape. Intermix WUI refers to areas 

where housing and wildland vegetation intermingle, while interface WUI refers to 

areas where housing is in the vicinity of a large area of dense wildland vegetation. 

For more detail, see Box 1.

_______________

1 “Urban wildland interface communities within the vicinity of federal lands that are at high risk from wildfire. 

Notice.” 66. Federal Register 3(2001 January 4): 751-777.

Box 1.—Definition of WUI and non-WUI land-use classes.

WUI Definition

Intermix Areas with ≥6.18 houses per km2

 and ≥50 percent cover of wildland vegetation

Interface Areas with ≥6.18 houses per km2

 and <50 percent cover of vegetation 

located <2.4 km of an area ≥5 km2

 in size that is ≥75 percent vegetated

Non-WUI, Vegetated

No housing Areas with ≥50 percent cover of wildland vegetation and no houses (e.g., protected 

areas, steep slopes, mountain tops)

Very low housing density Areas with ≥50 percent cover of wildland vegetation and <6.18 houses per km2

 

(e.g., dispersed rural housing outside neighborhoods)

Non-Vegetated or Agriculture

Low and very low housing Areas with <50 percent cover of wildland vegetation and 

density <49.42 houses per km2

 (e.g., agricultural lands and pasturelands)

Medium and high housing Areas with <50 percent cover of wildland vegetation and ≥49.42 houses 

density per km2

 (e.g., urban and suburban areas, which may have vegetation, 

but not dense vegetation)

Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado Springs, CO, July, 2012. Aerial photograph of the wildland-urban interface. Note the fire scars (brown/gray color) reaching 

the limits of the neighborhood, and the roads and water storage tank potentially threatened by wildfire. Photo by Kari Greer, used with permission.
9

≥6.18 houses 

per km2

?

Intermix WUI

Interface WUI

Yes

Yes

Yes

≥50% cover of 

wildland 

vegetation?

located <2.4 km 

of an area ≥5 km2

in size that is 

≥75% vegetated?

No

No

No

Census block

Non-WUI

Figure 1.—Flowchart describing the definition of the intermix and interface WUI.

Durango, Colorado. 

Thinkstock.com.

In both interface and intermix WUI, housing must meet or exceed a minimum 

density of 6.18 houses per km2

 (one structure per 40 acres) and meet particular 

vegetation conditions. Intermix WUI must have more than 6.18 houses per km2

and more than 50 percent of its area covered in wildland vegetation. Interface 

WUI must have more than 6.18 houses per km2

 and less than 50 percent vegetation 

cover, but be within 2.4 km of an area over 5 km2

 that is more than 75 percent 

vegetated (Fig. 1). By requiring areas of adjacent wildland vegetation to meet the 

minimum size limit (>5 km2

), we ensure that neighborhoods surrounding small 

urban parks are not classified as interface WUI (Stewart et al. 2007). The buffer 

distance for the interface WUI (2.4 km) identifies residential areas in the vicinity 

of wildlands; it is the approximate distance that firebrands can be carried from 

a wildland fire (California Fire Alliance 2001). This buffer takes into account 

that homes that are near but not embedded within the forest are at risk of being 

burned in a wildland fire. With minimum housing densities, vegetation types, and 

interface buffer distances determined, the operational definition of the WUI is 

complete. Areas that do not meet the WUI requirements are not included in the 

WUI categories and represent the non-WUI land-use classes (Box 1).
10

Mapping the 2010 WUI

Mapping the WUI requires spatially explicit data on housing density and 

wildland vegetation cover and a GIS environment to process and integrate these 

data sets. WUI maps in this report depict 2010 WUI using the most recent 

national information on housing density and wildland vegetation cover for the 

conterminous United States.

Information sources

Housing: We derived housing density information from the 2010 U.S. 

Census (U.S. Census Bureau 2013), and conducted our analyses at the finest 

demographic spatial scale available, the census block. There are 11 million 

census blocks in the conterminous United States and for each, the decennial 

census reports the number of housing units. A census block can include both 

private and public lands, such as local parks, national forests, or other public 

lands. In all census blocks where public lands were present, we divided the 

block by land ownership, creating a sub-block of privately owned lands 

(i.e., with land owned by individuals, corporations, or other nongovernmental 

entities), and a sub-block of publically owned lands (i.e., with lands owned 

by the local, State, or Federal government). Where both were present, we 

assigned the housing counts reported for these divided census blocks only 

to the privately owned sub-block. Ownership data were derived from the 

Conservation Biology Institute’s protected areas database of the United States 

(PAD-US), version 1.1 (Conservation Biology Institute 2010). 

Wildland vegetation: Wildland vegetation cover was derived from the 2006 

National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 2006) (Fry et al. 2011), a satellite data 

classification produced by the U.S. Geological Survey with 30-meter resolution, 

representing the status of land cover in 2006 and available for the conterminous 

United States (http://www.mrlc.gov/nlcd2006.php). In our definition, 

“wildlands” are the vegetation cover types for which human manipulation is 

minimal. The NLCD 2006 classes that we included as “wildlands” are forests 

(coniferous, deciduous, and mixed), grasslands, shrubs, and wetlands. We 

exclude orchards, arable lands (e.g., row crops, agriculture), and pasture.

Data processing

Mapping the WUI requires several processing steps using a geographic 

information system (GIS), specialized computer software designed for spatial 

analysis. The GIS procedures and specifications are described in detail in Box 2.
11

Box 2.—GIS process for generating the 2010 WUI.

Hardware: 32-core server with 128 GB RAM. Software: ArcGIS 10.1 automated entirely using Python scripting 

(>800 lines of code, Python 2.7). This script is available upon request.

1. Preprocess housing data (creates 15 GB of data)

1. Download housing data and block geography shapefiles from Census Bureau website (>11 million 

blocks).

2. Match (join) census housing counts to blocks to create State housing GIS datasets 

3. Download shapefile with public lands boundaries from the Conservation Biology Institute 

4. Adjust for public land boundaries, subdividing blocks and moving houses out of publicly-owned lands

(>11.2 million blocks). Public and private ownership boundaries are intersected with block boundaries, 

and sub-blocks coded as public or private.

5. Calculate housing density for each privately-owned sub-block

2. Preprocess land cover data

1. Download NLCD 2006 data for the US from http://www.mrlc.gov/nlcd2006.php 

2. Reclassify NLCD land cover classes into wildland-vegetation and non-vegetation categories

3. Process WUI (increases dataset to 16.6 GB)

1. Add land cover data to housing data: for each private sub-block, tabulate the relative percentage of 

wildland vegetation 

2. Intermix classification: for each private sub-block, assign an intermix WUI class based on vegetation 

and housing density

3. Interface classification

1. Select blocks with >75 percent vegetation, dissolve into contiguous regions of dense vegetation

2. Remove any small regions (<500 ha) of dense vegetation

3. Buffer out 2.4 km from each large vegetation region

4. Union the buffered dense vegetation with the Intermix WUI classification

5. Assign each block an Interface WUI class based on housing density and location inside a dense

vegetation buffer

Process dense vegetation that extends beyond State borders

6. Combine “border” buffers into a single U.S. file

7. Intersect each State WUI shapefile with U.S. border file

8. Classify Interface WUI for State border areas based on housing density and whether it is inside a 

dense vegetation buffer

Wallow Fire, Arizona, 2011. Smoke from wildland fire hangs over this wildland-urban interface neighborhood. 

Photo by Kari Greer, used with permission.
12

Results and Discussion

The spatial patterns of the WUI are illustrated in data and maps expressing four 

WUI characteristics that have proven useful in policy and research and are of 

interest to the general public and popular media. These are: 

• Extent and location of WUI area

• Number of WUI housing units

• Concentration of seasonal housing units

• Number of people living in the WUI

For each characteristic, we discuss both absolute numbers and their proportion 

to each State’s size, population, and housing stock.

WUI Area

The 2010 WUI of the conterminous United States covers a substantial amount 

of land—about 771,000 km2

, or 9.9 percent of the area. Within the WUI, the 

intermix covers a greater area than the interface, though the interface contains 

more houses and population (Table 1). States with the largest WUI area (km2

) 

are North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, all in the eastern and 

southern United States and each encompassing 40,000 to 54,000 km2

 of WUI 

(Fig. 2). States with the smallest WUI area (less than 5,000 km2

) include those 

in the inland west (e.g., Wyoming, Utah) and the midwest (Nebraska, Iowa), as 

well as small States on the East Coast (e.g., Washington, D.C., Delaware, and 

Rhode Island). In general, eastern States are densely settled without large swaths 

of public land that are prevalent in the West and that limit housing development 

there. As a result, eastern States also tend to have a higher proportion of their 

land categorized as WUI (typically 20 to 40 percent) compared to the western 

states (typically less than 5 percent of land area) (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Although the WUI term originates in wildland fire management, the WUI is 

also a useful indicator of human influence on natural ecosystems (Bar Massada 

et al. 2014). WUI area measures the extent of land with natural vegetation 

(forests, grasslands, shrub lands, and wetlands) where housing is dense enough 

and close enough to wildlands to have many ecological impacts. Ecosystems 

in the WUI not only have a higher likelihood of fire (Syphard et al. 2009), but 

also have more introduced invasive plants (Gavier-Pizarro et al. 2010), more 

pets that disturb or prey on birds and other wild animals (Lepczyk et al. 2004), 

and worse water quality due to runoff from pavement and lawns (Brabec et al. 

2002). Hence, tracking WUI area can indicate changes over time in the extent 

and locus of human impacts on natural resources.

Growth in WUI area reflects the continued decentralization of housing 

development in the United States (Brown et al. 2005, Johnson et al. 2005). 

Preference and necessity both play a role in this decentralization. Preference 

for rural lifestyles and natural amenities such as forests, mountains, and lakes 

brings retirees and lifestyle migrants to scenic areas to build homes close to 

nature. High metropolitan housing costs push home buyers into new WUI 

areas on the exurban fringes of major cities where land is less expensive. 

Whether driven by preference or affordability, dispersed housing is the 

result of a number of economic and social factors, including portable jobs, 

telecommuting, tax and lending policies that encourage home ownership, and 

the extensive infrastructure (e.g., high quality road network) that make WUI 

area development practical (Hammer et al. 2009). Unfortunately, the social and 

Table 1.—Summary results for the 2010 WUI. Some percentage values may not total exactly due to rounding.

 Geographic extent Houses Population

 km2 % Total % of U.S. Total % of U.S.

Conterminous U.S. 7,827,696 100.0 130,878,255 100.0 306,675,006 100.0

WUI 771,066 9.9 43,832,007 33.5 98,714,846 32.2

 Interface WUI 157,619 2.0 25,911,583 19.8 59,422,925 19.4

 Intermix WUI 613,447 7.8 17,920,424 13.7 39,291,921 12.8
13

Figure 2.—Area of WUI by State.

Area of WUI by 

State (km2)

9-5,000

5,001-10,000

10,001-20,000

20,001-40,000

40,001-54,236

Area of WUI relative to 

the State Total Area (%)

0.4-5.0

5.1-10.0

10.1-20.0

20.1-40.0

40.1-65.6

Pacific Southwest Region

CA 410,821 27,255 6.6 7,918 1.9 19,337 4.7

Pacific Northwest Region

OR 251,375 9,549 3.8 2,728 1.1 6,821 2.7

WA 176,563 15,337 8.7 3,867 2.2 11,470 6.5

Total 427,937 24,885 5.8 6,594 1.5 18,291 4.3

Southern Region

AL 133,911 30,830 23.0 6,077 4.5 24,753 18.5

AR 137,732 16,491 12.0 3,791 2.8 12,700 9.2

FL 153,125 26,036 17.0 7,268 4.7 18,768 12.3

GA 152,678 42,074 27.6 7,216 4.7 34,858 22.8

KY 104,656 25,130 24.0 4,989 4.8 20,141 19.2

LA 125,313 16,472 13.1 3,722 3.0 12,750 10.2

MS 123,523 24,347 19.7 3,810 3.1 20,536 16.6

NC 136,415 54,236 39.8 7,920 5.8 46,315 34.0

OK 181,037 13,801 7.6 3,177 1.8 10,624 5.9

SC 80,611 28,012 34.7 4,728 5.9 23,284 28.9

TN 109,153 31,021 28.4 6,958 6.4 24,062 22.0

TX 691,153 47,034 6.8 9,936 1.4 37,098 5.4

VA 105,623 35,741 33.8 6,417 6.1 29,323 27.8

Total 2,234,932 391,225 17.5 76,012 3.4 315,213 14.1

Eastern Region 

CT 12,985 8,523 65.6 1,438 11.1 7,085 54.6

DC 177 9 5.1 0 0.0 9 5.1

DE 5,283 968 18.3 237 4.5 731 13.8

IA 145,746 1,797 1.2 402 0.3 1,395 1.0

IL 145,918 4,300 2.9 1,195 0.8 3,106 2.1

IN 93,724 10,460 11.2 2,569 2.7 7,891 8.4

MA 21,460 11,484 53.5 2,229 10.4 9,255 43.1

MD 27,133 8,194 30.2 2,230 8.2 5,964 22.0

ME 85,876 17,818 20.7 1,353 1.6 16,464 19.2

MI 151,628 28,931 19.1 5,502 3.6 23,429 15.5

MN 218,567 10,169 4.7 1,239 0.6 8,931 4.1

MO 180,540 15,462 8.6 2,748 1.5 12,714 7.0

NH 24,036 10,092 42.0 991 4.1 9,101 37.9

NJ 20,184 7,048 34.9 2,125 10.5 4,923 24.4

NY 127,208 39,472 31.0 8,058 6.3 31,414 24.7

OH 107,056 19,960 18.6 4,088 3.8 15,872 14.8

PA 117,342 41,685 35.5 10,445 8.9 31,240 26.6

RI 3,149 1,606 51.0 243 7.7 1,363 43.3

VT 24,906 8,621 34.6 1,126 4.5 7,495 30.1

WI 145,440 14,356 9.9 2,734 1.9 11,622 8.0

WV 62,755 17,558 28.0 2,319 3.7 15,239 24.3

Total 1,721,114 278,514 16.2 53,271 3.1 225,243 13.1

Grand Total 7,827,696 771,066 9.9 157,619 2.0 613,447 7.8

 Region/State Total area Area of WUI Area Interface Area Intermix

km2 km2 % km2 % km2 %

Northern Region

ID 216,442 4,403 2.0 1,393 0.6 3,010 1.4

MT 380,831 5,270 1.4 1,526 0.4 3,743 1.0

ND 183,108 688 0.4 225 0.1 463 0.3

Total 780,381 10,361 1.3 3,145 0.4 7,216 0.9

Rocky Mountain Region

CO 269,602 9,451 3.5 2,219 0.8 7,232 2.7

KS 213,100 2,548 1.2 698 0.3 1,850 0.9

NE 200,329 1,229 0.6 382 0.2 848 0.4

SD 199,729 1,405 0.7 328 0.2 1,077 0.5

WY 253,334 2,415 1.0 766 0.3 1,649 0.7

Total 1,136,094 17,049 1.5 4,393 0.4 12,656 1.1

Southwestern Region 

AZ 295,234 8,924 3.0 2,139 0.7 6,785 2.3

NM 314,918 6,886 2.2 1,373 0.4 5,513 1.8

Total 610,152 15,810 2.6 3,513 0.6 12,298 2.0

Intermountain Region 

NV 286,380 2,442 0.9 1,068 0.4 1,374 0.5

UT 219,884 3,524 1.6 1,706 0.8 1,818 0.8

Total 506,265 5,967 1.2 2,774 0.5 3,193 0.6

 Region/State Total area Area of WUI Area Interface Area Intermix

km2 km2 % km2 % km2 %

 Region/State Total area Area of WUI Area Interface Area Intermix

km2 km2 % km2 % km2 %

Table 2.—Area of WUI by State and by Forest Service Region. A map with the Forest Service Regions used in this study can be found on page 23.
14

economic consequences of this type of growth can be substantial. Municipal 

services such as road maintenance, utilities, and social services are more costly 

to provide to a widely dispersed WUI population (Kramer 2013). An influx of 

new residents also increases the time and effort required to reach consensus 

on land use and land management (Hull and Stewart 2002). Even when new 

and old residents have the same understanding and beliefs regarding resource 

management, differences in familiarity with the local area are likely to slow 

deliberations about resource management (Stewart et al. 2012).

Housing Units in the WUI

Houses are the focal point of human activity in the WUI, and many public 

outreach programs that rely on cooperation from private land owners (e.g., for 

wildfire mitigation, backyard wildlife habitat, etc.) target individual households 

to influence how they manage their houses and yards. Therefore, knowing the 

number and growth of housing units in the WUI is important for resource 

managers.

As of 2010, the WUI of the conterminous United States includes about 44 

million houses, equivalent to one in every three houses in the country (Table 

1). Housing growth has outstripped population growth over the past 70 years 

because of social changes, such as smaller households (more people living 

alone, more divorced or single-parent households, fewer multi-generation 

households) and increasing numbers of seasonal homes (Hammer et al. 2009). 

The States with the greatest number of houses in the WUI are California (4.46 

million) and Texas (3.22 million), followed by Florida, North Carolina, and 

Pennsylvania with 2.0 to 2.6 million houses in the WUI (Fig. 3, Table 3). States 

with the fewest houses in the WUI are typically sparsely populated. When we 

consider the number of WUI houses as a percentage of all houses in a State, 

many of those same States with few WUI houses have a high percentage of their 

housing in the WUI. Examples include Montana, Wyoming, and Maine, States 

where housing is sparse, but where present, is likely to occur near or within 

wildlands. 

new photo

Overlooking Shelburne, 

Vermont. Thinkstock.com
15

Figure 3.—Houses in the WUI by State.

Number of Houses in the WUI Relative

to the Total Houses in the State (%)

1.7-15.0

15.1-30.0

30.1-45.0

45.1-60.0

60.1-82.6

Number of Houses

in the WUI by State

5,058-500,000

500,001-1,000,000

1,000,001-1,500,000

1,500,001-3,000,000

3,000,001-4,457,884

Northern Region 

ID 667,796 280,217 42.0 200,815 30.1 79,402 11.9

MT 482,825 309,447 64.1 220,985 45.8 88,462 18.3

ND 317,498 59,153 18.6 44,949 14.2 14,204 4.5

Total 1,468,119 648,817 44.2 466,749 31.8 182,068 12.4

Rocky Mountain Region

CO 2,212,898 937,460 42.4 666,448 30.1 271,012 12.2

KS 1,233,215 184,206 14.9 129,124 10.5 55,082 4.5

NE 796,793 121,419 15.2 85,959 10.8 35,460 4.5

SD 363,438 99,195 27.3 68,176 18.8 31,019 8.5

WY 261,868 215,317 82.2 168,691 64.4 46,626 17.8

Total 4,868,212 1,557,597 32.0 1,118,398 23.0 439,199 9.0

Southwestern Region 

AZ 2,844,526 1,365,916 48.0 970,076 34.1 395,840 13.9

NM 901,388 628,055 69.7 386,018 42.8 242,037 26.9

Total 3,745,914 1,993,971 53.2 1,356,094 36.2 637,877 17.0

Intermountain Region 

NV 1,173,814 539,837 46.0 448,552 38.2 91,285 7.8

UT 979,709 469,375 47.9 387,437 39.5 81,938 8.4

Total 2,153,523 1,009,212 46.9 835,989 38.8 173,223 8.0

Pacific Southwest Region

CA 13,680,081 4,457,884 32.6 3,669,459 26.8 788,425 5.8

Pacific Northwest Region

OR 1,675,562 603,293 36.0 418,204 25.0 185,089 11.0

WA 2,885,677 1,047,438 36.3 652,015 22.6 395,423 13.7

Total 4,561,239 1,650,731 36.2 1,070,219 23.5 580,512 12.7

Southern Region 

AL 2,171,853 1,277,511 58.8 679,688 31.3 597,823 27.5

AR 1,316,299 601,983 45.7 303,769 23.1 298,214 22.7

FL 8,989,580 2,568,569 28.6 1,763,014 19.6 805,555 9.0

GA 4,088,801 1,948,644 47.7 828,783 20.3 1,119,861 27.4

KY 1,927,164 669,646 34.7 292,025 15.2 377,621 19.6

LA 1,964,981 858,067 43.7 550,578 28.0 307,489 15.6

MS 1,274,719 736,785 57.8 355,795 27.9 380,990 29.9

NC 4,327,528 2,247,317 51.9 968,824 22.4 1,278,493 29.5

OK 1,664,378 647,082 38.9 386,372 23.2 260,710 15.7

SC 2,137,683 1,359,610 63.6 664,534 31.1 695,076 32.5

TN 2,812,133 1,065,410 37.9 505,532 18.0 559,878 19.9

TX 9,977,436 3,224,465 32.3 2,047,277 20.5 1,177,188 11.8

VA 3,364,939 1,417,596 42.1 714,551 21.2 703,045 20.9

Total 46,017,494 18,622,686 40.5 10,060,743 21.9 8,561,943 18.6

Eastern Region

CT 1,487,891 800,475 53.8 441,695 29.7 358,780 24.1

DC 296,719 5,058 1.7 0 0.0 5,058 1.7

DE 405,885 44,125 10.9 12,688 3.1 31,437 7.7

IA 1,336,417 96,659 7.2 56,727 4.2 39,932 3.0

IL 5,296,715 382,650 7.2 282,969 5.3 99,681 1.9

IN 2,795,541 363,192 13.0 169,621 6.1 193,571 6.9

MA 2,808,254 1,190,126 42.4 714,525 25.4 475,601 16.9

MD 2,378,814 710,556 29.9 422,309 17.8 288,247 12.1

ME 721,830 581,853 80.6 205,971 28.5 375,882 52.1

MI 4,532,233 1,047,800 23.1 433,291 9.6 614,509 13.6

MN 2,347,201 436,622 18.6 178,291 7.6 258,331 11.0

MO 2,712,729 575,766 21.2 251,066 9.3 324,700 12.0

NH 614,754 507,781 82.6 223,508 36.4 284,273 46.2

NJ 3,553,562 894,580 25.2 578,543 16.3 316,037 8.9

NY 8,108,103 1,809,098 22.3 951,803 11.7 857,295 10.6

OH 5,127,508 831,269 16.2 432,405 8.4 398,864 7.8

PA 5,567,315 2,054,697 36.9 1,213,689 21.8 841,008 15.1

RI 463,388 130,058 28.1 69,611 15.0 60,447 13.0

VT 322,539 228,490 70.8 95,213 29.5 133,277 41.3

WI 2,624,358 511,330 19.5 205,704 7.8 305,626 11.6

WV 881,917 688,921 78.1 394,300 44.7 294,621 33.4

Total 54,383,673 13,891,109 25.5 7,333,932 13.5 6,557,177 12.1

Grand Total 130,878,255 43,832,007 33.5 25,911,583 19.8 17,920,424 13.7

 Region/ All Houses In the In the

 State houses in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

 Region/ All Houses In the In the

 State houses in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

 Region/ All Houses In the In the

 State houses in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

Table 3.—Houses in the WUI by State and by Forest Service Region. A map with the Forest Service Regions used in this study can be found on page 23.
16

Seasonal Homes in the WUI

Although seasonal homes represent a small proportion of all homes in the 

United States (3.5 percent), they are likely to occur within the WUI since 

wildlands provide the natural amenities—scenic views, natural beauty, and 

quiet settings—that attract seasonal residents. Of the 4.6 million seasonal 

houses in the conterminous United States, 59 percent of them occur within the 

WUI (Table 4). 

States with the greatest number of seasonal homes in the WUI are Florida 

(225,000) and California (204,000), followed by Michigan and New York (Fig. 

4, Table 4). States with the fewest seasonal homes in the WUI include those in 

the north-central area of the United States. When considering the number of 

WUI seasonal homes as a percentage of all seasonal homes, 61 percent of States 

have 60 to 80 percent of their seasonal homes within the WUI. States with the 

highest percentage (>80 percent) of their seasonal homes in the WUI include 

New Hampshire and Maine in the east, and Utah, Oregon, and New Mexico in 

the west (Fig. 4 Table 4). 

High proportions of seasonal homes provide both benefits and challenges for 

communities. Seasonal homes draw people from outside the area who spend 

money locally on a variety of goods and services. Because seasonal-home owners 

earn their paychecks elsewhere, their spending, like any tourism spending, has 

an economic multiplier effect that can boost the economy of a small community. 

Tourism economies have become important in many rural areas where natural 

resource extraction, such as logging and mining, has declined. On the other hand, 

seasonal homes concentrations can complicate WUI land management because 

seasonal residents are often absent, making it difficult to coordinate programs 

and activities in a neighborhood or across ownerships (Winter et al. 2002). For 

example, the Firewise program (NFPA 2014), which teaches and supports home 

and landscape maintenance to reduce fire risk, is less effective reaching seasonal 

than permanent residents. Seasonal residents have limited time at their vacation 

home and many do not want to spend their vacation clearing brush or cleaning 

their gutters (Bright and Burtz 2006). For these reasons, concentrations of 

seasonal homes within the WUI deserve attention. 

Fire at Carlton Complex, 

Methow Valley, Washington, July 

2014. Photo by Kari Greer, used 

with permission
17

Figure 4.—Seasonal homes in the WUI by State.

Number of Seasonal Homes in the WUI 

Relative to the Total Seasonal Homes in the State (%)

2.5-20.0

20.1-40.0

40.1-60.0

60.1-80.0

80.1-91.5

Number of Seasonal Homes 

in the WUI by State

87-10,000

10,001-50,000

50,001-100,000

100,001-150,000

150,001-225,473

 Region/ All seasonal Seasonal homes In the In the

 State homes in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

 Region/ All seasonal Seasonal homes In the In the

 State homes in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

 Region/ All seasonal Seasonal homes In the In the

 State homes in the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

Northern Region

ID 41,660 32,826 78.8 9,272 22.3 23,554 56.5

MT 38,510 26,580 69.0 8,283 21.5 18,297 47.5

ND 11,483 4,429 38.6 2,273 19.8 2,156 18.8

Total 91,653 63,835 69.6 19,828 21.6 44,007 48.0

Rocky Mountain Region

CO 101,965 81,292 79.7 33,835 33.2 47,457 46.5

KS 12,763 4,041 31.7 2,168 17.0 1,873 14.7

NE 13,881 6,073 43.8 2,375 17.1 3,698 26.6

SD 13,277 5,673 42.7 2,272 17.1 3,401 25.6

WY 14,892 9,316 62.6 3,233 21.7 6,083 40.8

Total 156,778 106,395 67.9 43,883 28.0 62,512 39.9

Southwestern Region 

AZ 184,327 131,595 71.4 86,964 47.2 44,631 24.2

NM 36,612 29,374 80.2 8,097 22.1 21,277 58.1

Total 220,939 160,969 72.9 95,061 43.0 65,908 29.8

Intermountain Region 

NV 32,703 18,770 57.4 13,879 42.4 4,891 15.0

UT 47,978 38,942 81.2 14,559 30.3 24,383 50.8

Total 80,681 57,711 71.5 28,437 35.2 29,274 36.3

Pacific Southwest Region 

CA 302,815 204,476 67.5 118,721 39.2 85,755 28.3

Pacific Northwest Region 

OR 55,473 44,582 80.4 23,517 42.4 21,065 38.0

WA 89,907 67,498 75.1 23,351 26.0 44,147 49.1

Total 145,380 112,080 77.1 46,868 32.2 65,212 44.9

Southern Region

AL 63,890 45,537 71.3 20,109 31.5 25,428 39.8

AR 38,153 23,801 62.4 6,224 16.3 17,577 46.1

FL 657,070 225,473 34.3 170,187 25.9 55,286 8.4

GA 81,511 62,326 76.5 14,644 18.0 47,682 58.5

KY 38,616 24,218 62.7 5,606 14.5 18,612 48.2

LA 42,253 21,909 51.9 6,497 15.4 15,412 36.5

MS 28,867 16,579 57.4 6,730 23.3 9,849 34.1

NC 191,508 144,879 75.7 57,421 30.0 87,458 45.7

OK 35,187 22,864 65.0 8,068 22.9 14,796 42.0

SC 112,531 73,604 65.4 38,705 34.4 34,899 31.0

TN 60,778 45,158 74.3 13,530 22.3 31,628 52.0

TX 208,733 99,161 47.5 45,758 21.9 53,403 25.6

VA 80,468 54,725 68.0 19,126 23.8 35,599 44.2

Total 1,639,565 860,233 52.5 412,604 25.2 447,629 27.3

Eastern Region

CT 29,618 21,504 72.6 9,974 33.7 11,530 38.9

DC 3,537 87 2.5 0 0.0 87 2.5

DE 35,939 4,661 13.0 716 2.0 3,945 11.0

IA 21,020 3,702 17.6 917 4.4 2,785 13.2

IL 47,289 8,156 17.2 2,593 5.5 5,563 11.8

IN 45,571 13,748 30.2 3,848 8.4 9,900 21.7

MA 115,630 65,760 56.9 32,346 28.0 33,414 28.9

MD 55,786 16,816 30.1 5,873 10.5 10,943 19.6

ME 118,310 98,738 83.5 20,423 17.3 78,315 66.2

MI 263,071 186,662 71.0 58,979 22.4 127,683 48.5

MN 130,471 79,458 60.9 7,097 5.4 72,361 55.5

MO 80,374 55,473 69.0 20,357 25.3 35,116 43.7

NH 63,910 58,501 91.5 14,714 23.0 43,787 68.5

NJ 134,903 36,211 26.8 28,037 20.8 8,174 6.1

NY 289,301 173,447 60.0 51,798 17.9 121,649 42.0

OH 58,591 18,504 31.6 6,890 11.8 11,614 19.8

PA 161,582 120,265 74.4 35,368 21.9 84,897 52.5

RI 17,077 8,385 49.1 4,236 24.8 4,149 24.3

VT 50,198 38,869 77.4 7,414 14.8 31,455 62.7

WI 193,046 124,743 64.6 15,017 7.8 109,726 56.8

WV 38,283 26,508 69.2 9,813 25.6 16,695 43.6

Total 1,953,507 1,160,199 59.4 336,411 17.2 823,788 42.2

Grand Total 4,591,318 2,725,899 59.4 1,101,814 24.0 1,624,085 35.4

Table 4.—Seasonal homes in the WUI by State and by Forest Service Region. A map with the Forest Service Regions used in this study can be found on page 23.
18

Population in the WUI

As of 2010, the WUI is home to about 99 million people, or about one-third 

of all people in the United States (Table 1). The number of people in the WUI 

follows a pattern similar to WUI housing, but where seasonal homes are 

concentrated, housing exceeds population because the U.S. Census does not 

include seasonal residents in its population count. States with the greatest 

number of people in the WUI are California (11.2 million) and Texas (8.0 

million), followed by Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia with 4.6 to 5.3 

million people in the WUI (Fig. 5, Table 5). When we consider the number of 

people in the WUI as a proportion (percent) of the entire State’s population, 

many of those States with low population (e.g., Wyoming and Montana in the 

west, Maine and New Hampshire in the east) have a high percentage of their 

population in the WUI (60 to 82 percent) (Fig. 5, Table 5).

WUI residents come from many different social strata (Paveglio et al. 2009). 

Some live in modest homes located where land is least expensive, typically far 

from high-priced urban areas. When a concentration of such homes occurs 

in or near wildland vegetation, those neighborhoods are part of the WUI. At 

the other end of the scale, spectacular homes are set in or within sight of the 

most scenic natural settings. Where enclaves of such homes exist, these, too, 

are in the WUI. In between these extremes, many suburbs and exurbs, whether 

exclusive neighborhoods within reach of the city or affordable developments 

just beyond the expensive urban market, are also WUI areas. There are so many 

people living in the WUI—approximately a third of the U.S. population—

that few generalizations are useful or valid. Instead, wide variation in home 

construction, neighborhood characteristics, and the residents themselves 

characterize the WUI. 

Pagami Creek fire, Superior National Forest, September 2011. Photo by Kari Greer, used with permission.
19

Number of People in the WUI Relative

to the Total Population in the State (%)

1.5-15.0

15.1-30.0

30.1-45.0

45.1-60.0

60.1-82.2

Number of People

in the WUI by State

8,782-500,000

500,001-1,500,000

1,500,001-3,000,000

3,000,001-6,000,000

6,000,001-11,244,948

Figure 5.—Population in the WUI by State.

 Region/ Total Population in In the In the

 State population the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

Northern Region 

ID 1,567,582 564,236 36.0 436,138 27.8 128,098 8.2

MT 989,415 617,276 62.4 455,542 46.0 161,734 16.3

ND 672,591 125,656 18.7 96,194 14.3 29,462 4.4

Total 3,229,588 1,307,168 40.5 987,874 30.6 319,294 9.9

Rocky Mountain Region 

CO 5,029,196 2,029,948 40.4 1,507,124 30.0 522,824 10.4

KS 2,853,118 415,813 14.6 284,703 10.0 131,110 4.6

NE 1,826,341 257,677 14.1 183,850 10.1 73,827 4.0

SD 814,180 216,528 26.6 148,685 18.3 67,843 8.3

WY 563,626 463,358 82.2 366,454 65.0 96,904 17.2

Total 11,086,461 3,383,325 30.5 2,490,817 22.5 892,508 8.1

Southwestern Region 

AZ 6,392,017 2,887,087 45.2 2,054,894 32.1 832,193 13.0

NM 2,059,179 1,434,855 69.7 901,839 43.8 533,016 25.9

Total 8,451,196 4,321,942 51.1 2,956,733 35.0 1,365,209 16.2

Intermountain Region 

NV 2,700,551 1,233,685 45.7 1,033,208 38.3 200,477 7.4

UT 2,763,885 1,254,794 45.4 1,096,507 39.7 158,287 5.7

Total 5,464,436 2,488,479 45.5 2,129,715 39.0 358,764 6.6

Pacific Southwest Region 

CA 37,253,956 11,244,948 30.2 9,497,975 25.5 1,746,973 4.7

Pacific Northwest Region 

OR 3,831,074 1,247,270 32.6 872,323 22.8 374,947 9.8

WA 6,724,540 2,397,040 35.6 1,540,928 22.9 856,112 12.7

Total 10,555,614 3,644,310 34.5 2,413,251 22.9 1,231,059 11.7

Southern Region 

AL 4,779,736 2,805,073 58.7 1,472,492 30.8 1,332,581 27.9

AR 2,915,918 1,296,936 44.5 660,959 22.7 635,977 21.8

FL 18,801,310 5,312,863 28.3 3,585,451 19.1 1,727,412 9.2

GA 9,687,653 4,601,099 47.5 1,947,991 20.1 2,653,108 27.4

KY 4,339,367 1,490,312 34.3 654,406 15.1 835,906 19.3

LA 4,533,372 2,046,746 45.1 1,332,574 29.4 714,172 15.8

MS 2,967,297 1,688,026 56.9 793,422 26.7 894,604 30.1

NC 9,535,483 4,835,825 50.7 2,073,845 21.7 2,761,980 29.0

OK 3,751,351 1,441,389 38.4 850,557 22.7 590,832 15.7

SC 4,625,364 2,924,136 63.2 1,395,384 30.2 1,528,752 33.1

TN 6,346,105 2,319,356 36.5 1,101,782 17.4 1,217,574 19.2

TX 25,145,561 8,010,020 31.9 5,140,108 20.4 2,869,912 11.4

VA 8,001,024 3,288,128 41.1 1,674,386 20.9 1,613,742 20.2

Total 105,429,541 42,059,909 39.9 22,683,357 21.5 19,376,552 18.4

Eastern Region 

CT 3,574,097 1,927,202 53.9 1,022,262 28.6 904,940 25.3

DC 601,723 8,782 1.5 0 0.0 8,782 1.5

DE 897,934 97,979 10.9 30,738 3.4 67,241 7.5

IA 3,046,355 219,332 7.2 128,526 4.2 90,806 3.0

IL 12,830,632 923,712 7.2 700,097 5.5 223,615 1.7

IN 6,483,802 832,414 12.8 387,937 6.0 444,477 6.9

MA 6,547,629 2,787,545 42.6 1,630,057 24.9 1,157,488 17.7

MD 5,773,552 1,759,009 30.5 1,036,463 18.0 722,546 12.5

ME 1,328,361 1,066,981 80.3 390,267 29.4 676,714 50.9

MI 9,883,640 1,981,988 20.1 836,224 8.5 1,145,764 11.6

MN 5,303,925 842,617 15.9 389,290 7.3 453,327 8.5

MO 5,988,927 1,211,219 20.2 529,200 8.8 682,019 11.4

NH 1,316,470 1,075,288 81.7 474,891 36.1 600,397 45.6

NJ 8,791,894 2,214,916 25.2 1,392,325 15.8 822,591 9.4

NY 19,378,102 3,945,597 20.4 2,148,285 11.1 1,797,312 9.3

OH 11,536,504 1,896,531 16.4 965,764 8.4 930,767 8.1

PA 12,702,379 4,462,073 35.1 2,643,498 20.8 1,818,575 14.3

RI 1,052,567 299,270 28.4 153,259 14.6 146,011 13.9

VT 625,741 426,080 68.1 191,043 30.5 235,037 37.6

WI 5,686,986 857,294 15.1 416,801 7.3 440,493 7.7

WV 1,852,994 1,428,935 77.1 796,275 43.0 632,660 34.1

Total 125,204,214 30,264,764 24.2 16,263,202 13.0 14,001,562 11.2

Grand Total 306,675,006 98,714,846 32.2 59,422,925 19.4 39,291,921 12.8

 Region/ Total Population in In the In the

 State population the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

 Region/ Total Population in In the In the

 State population the WUI Interface Intermix

Number Number % Number % Number %

Table 5.—Population in the WUI by State and by Forest Service Region. A map with the Forest Service Regions used in this study can be found on page 23.
20

State WUI maps

State WUI maps begin on page 23 and show information specific for each 

State. The “sections” of the State WUI maps are shown in Figure 6 as a way 

of explanation. The sections are: State overview, 2010 WUI map, statistical 

summary of the WUI, wildfire history, and auxiliary maps. The State WUI maps 

are organized alphabetically, depicting also the U.S. Forest Service administrative 

region they belong to (Northern, Rocky Mountain, Southwestern, Intermountain, 

Pacific Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Southern, and Eastern Regions; see page 

23). In this study, Idaho is part of the Northern Region and Wyoming is part 

of the Rocky Mountain Region; these are the only difference from the original 

administrative regions. All maps were analyzed using a color blindness simulator 

(http://colororacle.org) to ensure their legibility for all users. Numbered items 

below refer to sections depicted in Figure 6. 

 State overview—reports demographic and geographic facts, including 

population and number of houses (from the 2010 census), extent of 

publicly and privately owned lands (from PAD-US), and extent of major 

land cover types (from NLCD 2006) (Fig. 6).

 WUI map—displays the distribution of the 2010 WUI, including intermix 

and interface WUI, as well as the non-WUI classes. County boundaries, 

major cities, and roads are also shown. All scale bars are approximate.

 WUI in numbers—offers a statistical portrait of the WUI for the 

corresponding State, including the geographic extent of the WUI and nonWUI classes (in km2

 and by percentage), and the population and number 

of houses in the different WUI and non-WUI classes. Classes with values 

<1 percent are not displayed in pie charts.

 

 Wildfire history—shows the annual number of wildfires between 2002 

and 2010, and the area burned by these wildfires, based on data from the 

National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC 2014).

 Auxiliary maps—display the data used to create the WUI maps, including:

• Housing density—Shows the density of houses by census block, based on 

the 2010 census. 

• Land cover—Shows the natural land covers and anthropogenic land uses 

according to the NLCD 2006.

• Wildland vegetation—Shows the percentage of wildland vegetation cover 

per census block, based on the NLCD 2006. Wildland vegetation includes 

forests (coniferous, deciduous and mixed), grasslands, shrubs, and 

wetlands.

• Land ownership—Shows the distribution of private and public lands in 

the State. The categories for publicly-owned lands distinguish between 

major governmental levels, including Federal (lands managed by Federal 

agencies such as National Forests, National Parks, and National Wildlife 

Refuges), State (lands managed by State agencies such as State Parks and 

Recreation Areas), and local level (lands managed by cities, counties, 

towns, and others). 

2

3

4

5

1
21

Auxiliary Maps State Overview

WUI Map

Figure 6.—Sections of the State-level WUI products. The layout may vary for some States.

2

1

3 WUI in Numbers

4 Wildfire History

5

Housing Density Land Ownership

Land Cover Wildland Vegetation

The 2010 Wildland-Urban Interface of the 

Conterminous United States:

Data & Maps

Northern Region

Eastern Region

Southern Region

Rocky Mountain

Region

Intermountain

Region

Pacic

Northwest

Region

Page 52

Page 24

Page 44

Page 40

Page 54

Page 80 Page 30

Southwest Region

Pacic

Southwest

Region

Page 48

Northern Region

Eastern Region

Southern Region

Rocky Mountain

Region

Intermountain

Region

Pacic

Northwest

Region

Page 52

Page 24

Page 44

Page 40

Page 54

Page 80 Page 30

Southwest Region

Pacic

Southwest

Region

Page 48

Alabama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Arkansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

California. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Connecticut. . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Delaware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Iowa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Kansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

Louisiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Massachusetts. . . . . . . . . 94

Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Mississippi. . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Montana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Nebraska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Nevada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

New Hampshire. . . . . . . . 102

New Jersey. . . . . . . . . . . 104

New Mexico. . . . . . . . . . . . 42

New York. . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

North Carolina. . . . . . . . . . 68

North Dakota. . . . . . . . . . . 28

Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Oregon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . . . 110

Rhode Island. . . . . . . . . . 112

South Carolina. . . . . . . . . . 72

South Dakota. . . . . . . . . . . 36

Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Utah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Vermont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Washington. . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Washington, D.C.. . . . . . 116

West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . 118

Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Wyoming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

23
24

1%

30% 55%

1%

12%

1%

Area

30%

12%

4%

9%

45%

Housing Units Population

8%

3%

11%

28%

49%

0

2,000

6,000

10,000

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildfire History

Idaho

Northern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 1,567,582

Housing units 667,796 

 Seasonal use 41,6606

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 141,877 66

Public-State 10,9985

Public-Local 140

Private 63,553 29

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 70,787 33

Shrubland/herbaceous 111,696 52

Planted/cultivated 23,355 11

Developed 3,6562

Water/wetland 4,0002

Others 2,9491

Total area 216,442

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 75 150 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
25

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
26

Montana

Northern Region

Area

1%

15%

47%

36%

1%

10%

18%

46%

6%

21%

Housing Units Population

16%

46%

7%

8%

22%

Wildfire History

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

Census Data Number %

Population 989,415

Housing units 482,825

 Seasonal use 38,510 8

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 126,199 33

Public-State 22,608 6

Public-Local 6,632 2

Private 225,392 59

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 82,685 22

Shrubland/herbaceous 220,467 58

Planted/cultivated 61,095 16

Developed 5,143 1

Water/wetland 9,172 2

Others 2,268 1

Total area 380,831 

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 75 150 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
27

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
28

North Dakota

Northern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 672,591

Housing units 317,498

 Seasonal use 11,483 4

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 17,501 10

Public-State 3,808 2

Public-Local 0 0

Private 161,799 88

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 3,168 2

Shrubland/herbaceous 56,281 31

Planted/cultivated 101,220 55

Developed 7,279 4

Water/wetland 14,693 8

Others 468 0

Total area 183,108

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Housing Units

14% 4%

4%

13%

64%

Area

15%

18%

2%

64%

Population

4%

4%

15% 14%

62%

Wildfire History

0

100

200

300

400

300

600

900

1,200

1,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
29

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
30

Colorado

Rocky Mountain Region

Census Data Number %

Population 5,029,196

Housing units 2,212,898

 Seasonal use 101,965 5

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 97,238 36

Public-State 13,125 5

Public-Local 1,835 1

Private 157,404 58

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 77,109 29

Shrubland/herbaceous 136,907 51

Planted/cultivated 38,192 14

Developed 7,496 3

Water/wetland 5,094 2

Others 4,805 2

Total area 269,602

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

30%

12%

3%

2%

53%

Housing Units

44%

Area

3%

38%

14%

1%

1%

Population

30%

10%

2%

54%

3%

Wildfire History

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

1,000

1,500

2,500

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 75 150 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
31

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
32

Kansas

Rocky Mountain Region

Census Data Number %

Population 2,853,118

Housing units 1,233,215

 Seasonal use 12,763 1

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 3,139 1

Public-State 723 0

Public-Local 10 0

Private 209,228 98

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 7,854 4

Shrubland/herbaceous 78,941 37

Planted/cultivated 111,194 52

Developed 10,985 5

Water/wetland 3,982 2

Others 144 0

Total area 213,100

Population and Geography Overview

4%

10% 10% 3%

73%

Area Housing Units

1%

13%

24%

60%

1%

Population

10% 5%

11% 2%

72%

Wildfire History WUI in Numbers (see legend)

0

50

150

250

350

0

500

1,500

2,500

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
33

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
34

Nebraska

Rocky Mountain Region

11% 4%

3% 9%

73%

Area Housing Units

15%

44%

40%

Population

4%

10% 10% 3%

72%

Wildfire History WUI in Numbers (see legend)

0

10

20

30

0

50

150

250

350

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

Census Data Number %

Population 1,826,341

Housing units 796,793

 Seasonal use 13,881 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 2,662 1

Public-State 1,055 1

Public-Local 631 0

Private 195,981 98

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 3,990 2

Shrubland/herbaceous 108,136 54

Planted/cultivated 74,102 37

Developed 7,216 4

Water/wetland 6,741 3

Others 144 0

Total area 200,329

Population and Geography Overview

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
35

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
36

South Dakota

Rocky Mountain Region

Census Data Number %

Population 814,180

Housing units 363,438

 Seasonal use 13,277 4

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 14,110 7

Public-State 4,648 2

Public-Local 0 0

Private 180,971 91

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 6,866 3

Shrubland/herbaceous 104,013 52

Planted/cultivated 72,726 36

Developed 5,602 3

Water/wetland 8,785 4

Others 1,738 1

Total area 199,729

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

19%

9%

6%

14%

53%

Area Housing Units

17%

40%

41%

1% 1%

Population

18%

 8%

6%

17%

51%

Wildfire History

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
37

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
38

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

64%

18%

10%

5% 3%

Area Housing Units

1%

32%

64%

2% 1%

Population

65%

17%

9%

5% 4%

Wyoming

Rocky Mountain Region

Census Data Number %

Population 563,626

Housing units 261,868

 Seasonal use 14,892 6

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 124,621 49

Public-State 16,036 6

Public-Local 0 0

Private 112,677 44

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 31,682 13

Shrubland/herbaceous 203,187 80

Planted/cultivated 7,600 3

Developed 2,163 1

Water/wetland 6,103 2

Others 2,599 1

Total area 253,344

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildfire History

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

200

400

600

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
39

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0
40

Arizona

Southwestern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 6,392,017

Housing units 2,844,526

 Seasonal use 184,327 6

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 121,653 41

Public-State 37,749 13

Public-Local 863 0

Private 134,968 46

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 44,271 15

Shrubland/herbaceous 230,220 78

Planted/cultivated 5,220 2

Developed 6,612 2

Water/wetland 1,894 1

Others 7,015 2

Total area 295,234

Population and Geography Overview

50%

34%

14%

1%

Area Housing Units

1%2%

63%

30%

1%3%

Population

1%

1%

52%

13%

32%

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildfire History 0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
41

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
42

New Mexico

Southwestern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 2,059,179

Housing units 901,388

 Seasonal use 36,612 4

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 106,390 34

Public-State 37,056 12

Public-Local 13 0

Private 171,459 54

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 52,345 17

Shrubland/herbaceous 248,112 79

Planted/cultivated 5,659 2

Developed 3,730 1

Water/wetland 1,724 1

Others 3,348 1

Total area 314,918

Population and Geography Overview

1%

27%

5%

43%

25%

Housing Units

2%

66%

29%

2%

Area

44%

1%

4%

26%

24%

Population

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildfire History 0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
43

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0
44

Nevada

Intermountain Region

Census Data Number%

Population 2,700,551

Housing units 1,173,814

 Seasonal use 32,703 3

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 242,964 85

Public-State 762 0

Public-Local 62 0

Private 42,592 15

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 31,159 11

Shrubland/herbaceous 237,374 83

Planted/cultivated 3,095 1

Developed 2,844 1

Water/wetland 3,188 1

Others 8,721 3

Total area 286,380

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

38%

8%

1%

53%

Housing Units

79%

16%

3%1%

Area

7%

1%

1%

38%

53%

Population

Wildfire History

300

600

900

1,200

1,500

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
45

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0
46

Utah

Intermountain Region

Census Data Number%

Population 2,763,885

Housing units 979,709

 Seasonal use 47,978 5

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 141,315 64

Public-State 19,744 9

Public-Local 25 0

Private 58,800 27

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 54,624 25

Shrubland/herbaceous 122,955 56

Planted/cultivated 7,393 3

Developed 3,581 2 Water/wetland 7,094 3

Others 24,238 11 Total area 219,884

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

40%

8%

2%

2%

49%

Housing Units

1%

10%

61%

24%

3% 1%

Area Population

40%

1%

3%

6%

51%

Wildfire History 0

1,000

2,000

3,000

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 75 150 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
47

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
48

Population

67%

2%

5%

25%

Wildfire History 0

2,000

4,000

6,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

0 100 200 km

California

Pacific Southwest Region

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Census Data Number%

Population 37,253,956

Housing units 13,680,081 

 Seasonal use 302,8152

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 198,970 48

Public-State 10,1472

Public-Local 5,8031

Private 195,902 48

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 96,349 23

Shrubland/herbaceous 216,461 53

Planted/cultivated 40,782 10

Developed 27,3257

Water/wetland 9,5802

Others 20,3245

Total area 410,821

Population and Geography Overview

Area

2%

5%

52% 23%

2% 15%

2%

27%

6%

1%

66%

Housing Units

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
49

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
50

Oregon

Pacific Northwest Region

Census Data Number %

Population 3,831,074

Housing units 1,675,562

 Seasonal use 55,473 3

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 132,294 53

Public-State 6,490 3

Public-Local 50 0

Private 112,541 45

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 90,924 36

Shrubland/herbaceous 124,809 50

Planted/cultivated 19,916 8

Developed 6,741 3

Water/wetland 5,779 2

Others 3,205 1

Total area 251,375

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

25%

11%

2%

4%

58%

Area Housing Units

1% 3%

65%

21%

8%

1%

1%

Population

23%

 10%

2%

5%

60%

Wildfire History

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 100 200 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
51

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
52

Washington

Pacific Northwest Region

Census Data Number %

Population 6,724,540

Housing units 2,885,677

 Seasonal use 89,907 3

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 52,674 30

Public-State 12,146 7 

Public-Local 5 0

Private 111,738 63

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 72,116 41

Shrubland/herbaceous 54,409 31

Planted/cultivated 29,525 17

Developed 10,330 6

Water/wetland 7,414 4

Others 2,768 2

Total area 176,563

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

23%

14%

2%

2%

60%

Housing Units

2%

6%

38%

32%

17%

3%

2%

Area Population

23%

3%

1%

13%

60%

Wildfire History

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
53

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
54

Alabama

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 4,779,736

Housing units 2,171,853

 Seasonal use 63,890 3

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 4,2873

Public-State 2,0942

Public-Local50

Private 127,525 95

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 70,675 53

Shrubland/herbaceous 17,237 13

Planted/cultivated 23,144 17

Developed 9,2377

Water/wetland 13,268 10

Others 3480

Total area 133,911

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

31%

6% 28%

5%

30%

Housing Units

5%

18%

15%

48%

12%

2%

1%

Area Population

7%

6%

29%

28%

31%

Wildfire History 0

100

200

300

0

500

1,500

2,500

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
55

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
56

Arkansas

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 2,915,918

Housing units 1,316,299

 Seasonal use 38,153 3

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 13,428 10

Public-State 3,551 3

Public-Local 0 0

Private 120,753 88

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 62,943 46

Shrubland/herbaceous 6,104 4

Planted/cultivated 45,690 33

Developed 7,903 6

Water/wetland 14,901 11

Others 190 0

Total area 137,732

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

38%

9%

8%

23%

23%

Housing Units

18%

9%

34%

33%

2%

1%

3%

Area

23%

22%

7%

11%

38%

Population

Wildfire History 0

50

150

250

350

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
57

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
58

Florida

Southern Region

20%

9%

1%

1%

70%

Area Housing Units

5%

12%

31%

20%

19%

7%

6%

Population

19%

9%

1%

2%

69%

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Census Data Number %

Population 18,801,310

Housing units 8,989,580 

 Seasonal use 657,070 7

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 16,794 11

Public-State 7,604 5

Public-Local 16,610 11

Private 112,117 73

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 24,818 16

Shrubland/herbaceous 14,726 10

Planted/cultivated 24,699 16

Developed 21,159 14

Water/wetland 66,801 44

Others 922 1

Total area 153,125

Population and Geography Overview

Wildfire History

Number of Fires

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

0

500

1,500

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

200220032004

20052006

2007200820092010

0 75 150 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
59

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km2)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17

0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
60

Georgia

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 9,687,653

Housing units 4,088,801

 Seasonal use 81,511 2

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 8,066 5

Public-State 2,246 1

Public-Local 89 0

Private 142,278 93

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 70,293 46

Shrubland/herbaceous 16,001 10

Planted/cultivated 27,360 18

Developed 14,468 9

Water/wetland 24,041 16

Others 516 0

Total area 152,678

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

20%

27%

3%

2%

47%

Housing Units

5%

23%

38% 18%

12%

2%

3%

Area Population

20%

27%

3%

3%

46%

Wildfire History

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

0

500

1,500

2,500

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

20042005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

0 75 150 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
61

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
62

Kentucky

Southern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 4,339,367

Housing units 1,927,164

 Seasonal use 38,616 2

Land Ownership Area (km2

) %

Public-Federal 4,312 4

Public-State 2,052 2

Public-Local 31 0

Private 98,260 94

Land Cover Area (km2

) %

Forest 54,594 52

Shrubland/herbaceous 4,685 4

Planted/cultivated 34,374 33

Developed 7,592 7

Water/wetland 3,022 3

Others 388 0

Total area 104,656

Population and Geography Overview Wildfire History WUI in Numbers (see legend)

0

50

100

150

200

250

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

15%

20%

6%

11%

49%

Housing Units

5%

19%

7%

33%

32%

2%

2%

Area

15%

19%

6%

13%

47%

Population

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
63

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km2)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17

0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
64

Louisiana

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 4,533,372

Housing units 1,964,981

 Seasonal use 42,253 2

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 5,594 4

Public-State 5,143 4

Public-Local 21 0

Private 114,555 91

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 26,077 21

Shrubland/herbaceous 10,388 8

Planted/cultivated 27,161 22

Developed 8,390 7

Water/wetland 52,916 42

Others 380 0

Total area 125,313

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildfire History 0

50

100

150

200

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

28%

16%

4%

5%

47%

Area Housing Units

3%

10%

23%

28%

26%

7%

2%

Population

29%

16%

3%

7%

44%

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
65

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
66

Mississippi

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 2,967,297

Housing units 1,274,719

 Seasonal use 28,8672

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 4,293 3

Public-State 3,058 2

Public-Local 0 0

Private 116,172 94

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 47,776 39

Shrubland/herbaceous 16,246 13

Planted/cultivated 31,532 26

Developed 7,563 6 Water/wetland 20,195 16

Others 211 0

Total area 123,523

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

28%

30% 11%

26%

5%

Housing Units

3%

17%

13%

44%

1%

21%

1%

Area Population

27%

10% 30%

26%

7%

Wildfire History 0

200

400

600

800

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

20042005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
67

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
68

North Carolina

Southern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 9,535,483

Housing units 4,327,528

 Seasonal use 191,508 4

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 10,310 8

Public-State 2,535 2

Public-Local 210 0

Private 123,359 90

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 55,742 41

Shrubland/herbaceous 11,379 8

Planted/cultivated 29,033 21

Developed 13,112 10

Water/wetland 26,566 19

Others 582 0

Total area 136,415

Population and Geography Overview WUI in Numbers (see legend)

2%

22%

30%

5%

41%

Housing Units

6%

34%

13%

22%

14%

8%

4%

Area

Population

29%

2%

6%

22%

41%

Wildfire History

0

100

200

300

400

1,000

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
69

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
70

Oklahoma

Southern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 3,751,351

Housing units 1,664,378

 Seasonal use 35,187 2

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 3,676 2

Public-State 5,742 3

Public-Local 757 0

Private 170,863 94

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 38,581 21

Shrubland/herbaceous 73,312 40

Planted/cultivated 53,434 30

Developed 10,785 6

Water/wetland 4,552 3

Others 372 0

Total area 181,037

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

23%

16%

6%

6%

49%

Housing Units

2% 2%

18%

43%

6%

29%

1%

Area Population

23%

 16%

6%

7%

48%

Wildfire History 0

300

600

900

1,200

1,500

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

20042005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
71

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
72

South Carolina

Southern Region 0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

Housing Units

31%

3% 33%

2%

31%

6%

29%

17%

33%

9%

3%

2%

Area Population

30%

3% 33%

4%

29%

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Census Data Number%

Population 4,625,364

Housing units 2,137,683 

 Seasonal use 112,5315

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 4,4956

Public-State 2,2933

Public-Local 56

0

Private 73,767 92

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 31,494 39

Shrubland/herbaceous 9,830 12

Planted/cultivated 13,052 16

Developed 7,094 9

Water/wetland 18,777 23

Others 3650

Total area 80,611

Population and Geography Overview

Wildfire History

Number of Fires

0

30

60

90

120

150

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Area of Fires (km2)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
73

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
74

Tennessee

Southern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 6,346,105

Housing units 2,812,133

 Seasonal use 60,778 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 6,873 6

Public-State 4,414 4

Public-Local 285 0

Private 97,580 89

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 54,906 50

Shrubland/herbaceous 6,530 6

Planted/cultivated 32,079 29

Developed 9,774 9

Water/wetland 5,652 5

Others 212 0

Total area 109,153

Population and Geography Overview WUI in Numbers (see legend)

6%

22%

11%

29%

26%

2%

4%

Areaa

3%

18%

20%

7%

52%

Housing Units

Population

19%

3%

51%

17%

9%

Wildfire History

0

50

100

150

200

500

1,500

2,500

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
75

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
76

0 150 300 km

Population

20%

2%

5%

11%

61%

Housing Units

21%

12%

3%

3%

62%

Area

1% 5%

31%

38%

21%

2%

1%

Texas

Southern Region

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

Census Data Number %

Population 25,145,561

Housing units 9,977,436 

 Seasonal use 208,733 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 15,712 2

Public-State 5,385 1

Public-Local 2 0

Private 670,054 97

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 70,195 10

Shrubland/herbaceous 393,789 57

Planted/cultivated 139,540 20

Developed 43,255 6

Water/wetland 40,035 6

Others 4,339 1 

Total area 691,153

Population and Geography Overview

Wildfire History Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
77

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
78

Wildfire History

Number of Fires

0

50

100

150

200

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Area of Fires (km2)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

21%

21%

3%

3%

52%

Area Housing Units

6%

28%

15%

32%

13%

3%

3%

Population

21%

5%

3%

51% 20%

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Virginia

Southern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 8,001,024

Housing units 3,364,939 

 Seasonal use 80,468 2

Land Ownership Area (km2

) %

Public-Federal 10,167 10

Public-State 1,509 1

Public-Local 468 0

Private 93,480 89

Land Cover Area (km2

) %

Forest 60,187 57

Shrubland/herbaceous 4,651 4

Planted/cultivated 22,121 21

Developed 9,757 9

Water/wetland 8,608 8

Others 299 0

Total area 105,623

Population and Geography Overview

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
79

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km2)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17

0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
80

Connecticut

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 3,574,097

Housing units 1,487,891

 Seasonal use 29,618 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 34 0

Public-State 946 7

Public-Local 209 2

Private 11,796 91

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 7,333 56

Shrubland/herbaceous 208 2

Planted/cultivated 985 8

Developed 3,104 24

Water/wetland 1,321 10

Others 34 0

Total area 12,985

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

24%

46%

30%

Housing Units

11%

11%

55%

7%

5% 3%

8%

Area Population

29%

25%

1%

45%

Wildfire History

0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

50

100

200

300

400

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 km

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers 

(km2

). Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km2

appears to have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
81

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
82

Delaware

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 897,934

Housing units 405,885

 Seasonal use 35,939 9

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 74 1

Public-State 388 7

Public-Local 102 2

Private 4,720 89

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 791 15

Shrubland/herbaceous 130 2

Planted/cultivated 2,189 41

Developed 883 17 Water/wetland 1,270 24

Others 22 0

Total area 5,283

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

82%

7%

3%

8%

Housing Units

3%

7%

80%

9%

Population

9%

14%

7%

47%

4%

15%

4%

Area

Wildfire History 02468

0

10

20

30

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 10 20 km

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers (km

2

). 

Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km

2

 appears to 

have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
83

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
84

Illinois

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 12,830,632

Housing units 5,296,715

 Seasonal use 47,289 1

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 1,791 1

Public-State 1,671 1

Public-Local 550 0

Private 141,906 97

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 21,901 15

Shrubland/herbaceous 1,032 1

Planted/cultivated 100,752 69

Developed 17,277 12 Water/wetland 4,846 3

Others 109 0

Total area 145,918

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

5% 2%

6%

86%

Housing Units

1% 2% 3%

6%

81%

1%

5%

Area Population

5% 2%

7%

85%

Wildfire History

0

40

80

120

012345

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
85

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
86

Indiana

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 6,483,802

Housing units 2,795,541

 Seasonal use 45,571 2

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 2,062 2

Public-State 1,597 2

Public-Local 130 0

Private 89,935 96

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 21,188 23

Shrubland/herbaceous 1,756 2

Planted/cultivated 58,264 62

Developed 9,965 11 Water/wetland 2,477 3

Others 74 0

Total area 93,724

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

7% 1%

13%

6%

73%

Housing Units

3%

8% 4%

8%

71%

1%

5%

Area Population

6%7% 1%

16%

70%

Wildfire History

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

05

10

15

20

25

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
87

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
88

Iowa

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 3,046,355

Housing units 1,336,417

 Seasonal use 21,020 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 1,257 1

Public-State 1,414 1

Public-Local 576 0

Private 142,498 98

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 10,063 7

Shrubland/herbaceous 7,063 5

Planted/cultivated 113,641 78

Developed 10,811 7

Water/wetland 4,105 3

Others 62 0

Total area 145,746

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

3%1%

17%

4%

75%

Area Housing Units

1%2%4%

91%

1%

2%

Population

4% 3%1%

19%

73%

Wildfire History

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

200

400

600

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
89

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
90

Maine

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 1,328,361

Housing units 721,830

 Seasonal use 118,310 16

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 773 1

Public-State 3,863 4

Public-Local 118 0

Private 81,121 94

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 58,311 68

Shrubland/herbaceous 7,510 9

Planted/cultivated 3,1664

Developed 2,926 3

Water/wetland 13,471 16

Others 492 1

Total area 85,876

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

29%

52%

8%

11%

1%

Housing Units

27%

2%

19%

44%

7%

1%

Area Population

29%

51%

7%

1%

12%

Wildfire History 02468

400

500

600

700

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
91

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
92

Maryland

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 5,773,552

Housing units 2,378,814

 Seasonal use 55,786 2

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 722 3

Public-State 1,847 7

Public-Local 515 2

Private 24,049 89

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 8,537 31

Shrubland/herbaceous 519 2

Planted/cultivated 8,124 30

Developed 4,547 17

Water/wetland 5,296 20

Others 110 0

Total area 27,133

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

18%

12%

3%

66%

Area Housing Units

8%

22%

11%

9% 12%

31%

7%

18%

13%

5%

64%

Population

Wildfire History

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

100

200

400

600

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 50 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
93

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
94

Massachusetts

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 6,547,629

Housing units 2,808,254

 Seasonal use 115,630 4

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 245 1

Public-State 2,220 10

Public-Local 1,049 5

Private 17,946 84

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 11,041 51

Shrubland/herbaceous 386 2

Planted/cultivated 1,319 6

Developed 5,250 24

Water/wetland 3,254 15

Others 211 1

Total area 21,460

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

25%

17%

57%

Housing Units

10%

43%

17%

9%

10%

5% 5%

Area

25%

18%

2%

55%

Population

Wildfire History

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 50 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
95

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
96

Michigan

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 9,883,640

Housing units 4,532,233

 Seasonal use 263,071 6

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 13,129 9

Public-State 18,847 12

Public-Local 2 0

Private 119,650 79

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 54,551 36

Shrubland/herbaceous 7,653 5

Planted/cultivated 39,380 26 

Developed 15,919 10 Water/wetland 33,428 22

Others 697 0

Total area 151,628

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

10%

14%

2%

67%

8%

Area Housing Units

29%

22%

23%

15%

4%

4%

3%

Population

8%

12% 1%

68%

10%

Wildfire History 0

20

40

60

80

100

200

400

600

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
97

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
980 50 100 km

Minnesota

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 5,303,925

Housing units 2,347,201

 Seasonal use 130,471 6

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 15,669 7

Public-State 29,356 13

Public-Local 598 0

Private 172,944 79

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 44,204 20

Shrubland/herbaceous 9,350 4

Planted/cultivated 97,931 45

Developed 11,747 5

Water/wetland 55,026 25

Others 308 0

Total area 218,567

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

11%

8%

3%

68%

10%

Housing Units

1% 4%

19%

19%

2%

51%

5%

Area Population

7%

9% 2%

70%

12%

Wildfire History 0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
99

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
100

Missouri

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 5,988,927

Housing units 2,712,729

 Seasonal use 80,374 3

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 8,473 5

Public-State 3,815 2

Public-Local 58 0

Private 168,195 93

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 66,394 37

Shrubland/herbaceous 3,629 2

Planted/cultivated 91,648 51

Developed 12,292 7

Water/wetland 6,302 3

Others 275 0

Total area 180,540

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

12%

4%

10% 9%

65%

Housing Units

2%

7%

8%

57% 23%

1%

2%

Area Population

11%

12% 9%

4%

64%

Wildfire History 0

50

100

150

200

250

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

200220032004200520062007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
101

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
102

New Hampshire

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 1,316,470

Housing units 614,754

 Seasonal use 63,910 10

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 3,139 13

Public-State 410 2

Public-Local 348 1

Private 20,140 84

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 18,585 77

Shrubland/herbaceous 723 3

Planted/cultivated 973 4

Developed 1,856 8

Water/wetland 1,806 8

Others 94 0

Total area 24,036

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

36%

46%

3% 14%

Housing Units

38%

19%

34%

1%1%3%4%

Area Population

46%

3%

1%

36%

14%

Wildfire History

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

200

300

400

500

600

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 50 km

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers (km

2

). 

Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km

2

 appears to 

have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
103

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
104

New Jersey

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 8,791,894

Housing units 3,553,562

 Seasonal use 134,903 4

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 703 3

Public-State 2,776 14

Public-Local 754 4

Private 15,952 79

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 6,312 31

Shrubland/herbaceous 465 2

Planted/cultivated 2,863 14

Developed 5,889 29 Water/wetland 4,533 22

Others 123 1

Total area 20,184

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

16%

9%

1%

74%

Area Housing Units

11%

24%

6% 22%

17%

5%

16%

Population

16%

2%

9%

73%

Wildfire History 0

20

40

60

80

100

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

20022003200420052006

2007200820092010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 50 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
105

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
106 0 50 100 km

New York

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 19,378,102

Housing units 8,108,103

 Seasonal use 289,3014

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 1,010 1

Public-State 16,849 13

Public-Local 648 1

Private 108,701 85

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 66,415 52

Shrubland/herbaceous 5,291 4

Planted/cultivated 27,945 22

Developed 11,422 9

Water/wetland 15,860 12

Others 274 0

Total area 127,208

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

1%

12%

11%

2%

74%

Housing Units

6%

25%

28% 16%

17%

4%

4%

Area

9% 1%

3%

11%

75%

Population

Wildfire History 0369

12

15

50

150

250

350

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

20052006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
107

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
108

Ohio

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 11,536,504

Housing units 5,127,508

 Seasonal use 58,591 1

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 1,265 1

Public-State 2,318 2

Public-Local 689 1

Private 102,784 96

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 33,304 31

Shrubland/herbaceous 2,131 2

Planted/cultivated 53,567 50

Developed 15,502 14 Water/wetland 2,348 2

Others 203 0

Total area 107,056

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

8% 1% 9% 8%

74%

Area Housing Units

1% 4%

4%

13%

15%

56%

8%

Population

8%

 8% 1% 12%

71%

Wildfire History 0

10

20

30

40

50

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
109

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
110

Pennsylvania

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 12,702,379

Housing units 5,567,315

 Seasonal use 161,582 3

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 2,292 2

Public-State 15,461 13

Public-Local 523 0

Private 99,065 84

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 70,681 60

Shrubland/herbaceous 2,571 2

Planted/cultivated 26,980 23

Developed 13,978 12

Water/wetland 2,682 2

Others 450 0

Total area 117,342

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

22%

2%

4%

15%

58%

Housing Units

9%

27%

16%

26%

16%

1%

5%

Area Population

21%

14%

1%

6%

57%

Wildfire History

0

5

15

25

35

0

200

400

600

800

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0 50 100 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers (km2). 

Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km2

 appears to 

have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
111

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
112

Rhode Island

Eastern Region 0 10 20 km

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

Census Data Number%

Population 1,052,567

Housing units 463,388

 Seasonal use 17,0774

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal90

Public-State 2137

Public-Local 140

4

Private 2,787 88

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 1,296 41

Shrubland/herbaceous 512

Planted/cultivated 1455

Developed 855 27

Water/wetland 782 25

Others 201

Total area 3,149

Population and Geography Overview

15%

13%

72%

Housing Units

8%

43%

11%

4%

6%

14%

14%

Area Population

14%

2%

15%

70%

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

Wildfire History

Number of Fires

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

30

60

90

120

150

Area of Fires (km2)

2002

2003

20042005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers 

(km

2

). Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km

2

appears to have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
113

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
114

Vermont

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 625,741

Housing units 322,539

 Seasonal use 50,198 16

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 1,803 7

Public-State 1,109 4

Public-Local 263 1

Private 21,731 87

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 17,845 72

Shrubland/herbaceous 528 2

Planted/cultivated 3,419 14

Developed 1,315 5

Water/wetland 1,758 7

Others 41 0

Total area 24,906

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

30%

41%

10%

4%

15%

Housing Units

5%

30%

14%

40%

7%

4%

1%

Area Population

31%

6%

9%

38%

17%

Wildfire History

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

50

100

150

200

250

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 25 50 km

The extent of wildfires is expressed in whole numbers (km

2

). 

Therefore, years with wildfire area less than 1 km

2

 appears to 

have a value of 0.

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
115

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
116

Washington, D.C.

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 601,723

Housing units 296,719

 Seasonal use 3,537 1

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 16 9

Shrubland/herbaceous 0 0

Planted/cultivated 0 0

Developed 140 79

Water/wetland 20 11

Others 0 0

Total area 177

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

2%

98%

Housing Units

5% 5%

54%

25%

10%

Area Population

3% 1%

95%

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 2 4 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
117

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0
118

West Virginia

Eastern Region

Census Data Number %

Population 1,852,994

Housing units 881,917

 Seasonal use 38,283 4

Land Ownership Area (km2) %

Public-Federal 4,763 8

Public-State 1,996 3

Public-Local 10 0

Private 55,987 89

Land Cover Area (km2) %

Forest 50,747 81

Shrubland/herbaceous 1,037 2

Planted/cultivated 5,582 9

Developed 4,346 7

Water/wetland 619 1

Others 424 1

Total area 62,755

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

45%

33%

10%

1%

11%

Area Housing Units

4%

24%

16% 52%

3% 1%

Population

43%

3%

9%

34%

11%

Wildfire History

0

20

40

60

600

800

1,000

1,200

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
119

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
120

Wisconsin

Eastern Region

Census Data Number%

Population 5,686,986

Housing units 2,624,358

 Seasonal use 193,046 7

Land Ownership Area (km

2

) %

Public-Federal 7,525 5

Public-State 5,787 4

Public-Local 9,837 7

Private 122,292 84

Land Cover Area (km

2

) %

Forest 52,257 36

Shrubland/herbaceous 3,785 3

Planted/cultivated 53,766 37

Developed 10,431 7

Water/wetland 25,100 17

Others 100 0

Total area 145,440

Population and Geography Overview

WUI in Numbers (see legend)

8%

12%

4%

12%

65%

Area Housing Units

2%

8%

16%

27%

41%

3%

3%

Population

15% 8% 3%

7%

67%

Wildfire History 0

10

20

30

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Area of Fires (km2)

Number of Fires

2002

2003

20042005

2006

20072008

2009

2010

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

Non-WUI Vegetated

Non-vegetated or Agriculture

Interface

Intermix

No housing

Water

Medium and high housing density

Very low housing density

Low and very low housing density

County border

Highway

0 50 100 km

For more information on the maps and data 

presented here, please refer to page 20.
121

Wildland Vegetation 

Cover

(per Census block, %)

75-100

50-74

25-49

0-24

Land Cover

Forest

Shrubland/herbaceous

Planted/cultivated

Developed

Water/wetland

Others

Housing Density

(houses per km

2

)

>1,000

6.18-1,000

0.01-6.17 0

Land Ownership

Public-Federal

Public-State

Public-Local

Private
122

Literature Cited

Alig, R.J.; Stewart, S.I.; Nowak, D.; Wear, D.; Stein, S. 2010. Threats from 

conversions of forest lands: Trends, determinants, and policy considerations. 

In: Pye, J.M.; Rauscher, H.M.; Sands, Y.; Lee, D.C.; Beatty, J.S., tech. eds. 

Advances in threat assessment and their application to forest and rangeland 

management. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-802. Portland, OR: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest and Southern Research 

Stations. 708 p. 2 vol.

Bar Massada, A.R.; Radeloff, V.C.; Stewart, S.I. 2014. Biotic and abiotic 

effects of human settlements in the wildland-urban interface. BioScience. 

64(5): 429-437.

Bar Massada, A.; Radeloff, V.C.; Stewart, S.I.; Hawbaker, T.J. 2009. Wildfire 

risk in the wildland–urban interface: A simulation study in northwestern 

Wisconsin. Forest Ecology and Management. 258: 1990-1999.

Brabec, E.S.; Schulte, S.; Richards, P.L. 2002. Impervious surfaces and water 

quality: A review of current literature and its implications for watershed 

planning. Journal of Planning Literature. 16: 499-514.

Bright, A.D.; Burtz, R.T. 2006. Firewise activities of full-time versus seasonal 

residents in the wildland-urban interface. Journal of Forestry. 104: 307-315.

Brown, D.G.; Johnson, K.M.; Loveland, T.R.; Theobald, D.M. 2005. Rural 

land use trends in the conterminous United States, 1950-2000. Ecological 

Applications. 15: 1851-1863.

California Fire Alliance. 2001. Characterizing the fire threat to wildlandurban interface. Sacramento, CA: California Fire Alliance. 75 p. 

Conservation Biology Institute. 2010. Protected areas database PAD-US 

1.1 CBI edition. http://consbio.org/products/projects/pad-us-cbi-edition. 

Corvallis, OR: Conservation Biology Institute. 

Fry, J.; Xian, G.; Jin, S.; Dewitz, J.; Homer, C.; Yang, L.; Barnes, C.; Herold, N.; 

Wickham, J. 2011. Completion of the 2006 National Land Cover Database for 

the conterminous United States. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote 

Sensing. 77(9): 858-864.

Gavier-Pizarro, G.I.; Radeloff, V.C.; Stewart, S.I.; Huebner, C.D.; Keuler, N.S. 

2010. Housing is positively associated with invasive exotic plant species 

richness in New England, USA. Ecological Aplications. 20: 1913-1925.

Hammer, R.B.; Stewart, S.I.; Radeloff, V.C. 2009. Demographic trends, the 

wildland–urban interface, and wildfire management. Society and Natural 

Resources. 22: 777-782.

Hull, R.S.; Stewart, S.I. 2002. Social consequences of change: Implications for 

forests and forestry. In: Macie, E.A.; Hermansen, L.A., eds. Human influences 

on forest ecosystems: the southern wildland-urban interface assessment. Gen. 

Tech. Rep. SRS-55. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Southern Research Station: 115-127.

Johnson, K.M.; Nucci, A.; Long, L. 2005. Population trends in metropolitan 

and nonmetropolitan America: Selective deconcentration and the rural 

rebound. Population Research and Policy Review. 10: 527-542.
123

Kramer, M.G. 2013. Our built and natural environments: A technical review 

of the interactions among land use, transportation, and environmental 

quality. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Lepczyk, C.A.; Mertig, A.G.; Liu, J. 2004. Landowners and cat predation across 

rural-to-urban landscapes. Biological Conservation. 115: 191-201.

Martinuzzi, S.; Stewart, S.I.; Helmers, D.P.; Mockrin, M.H.; Hammer, R.B.; 

Radeloff, V. C. 2015. The 2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous 

United States – geospatial data. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Service Research Data Archive. 

http://dx.doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2015-0012.

National Fire Protection Association [NFPA]. 2014. About Firewise. Quincy, 

MA: National Fire Protection Association. http://www.firewise.org/ (accessed 

28 October 2014).

National Interagency Fire Center [NIFC]. 2014. Historical year-end fire 

statistics by state. Boise, ID: National Interagency Fire Center. http:// 

www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_statistics.html (accessed 28 October 2014).

Paveglio, T.B.; Jakes, P.J.; Carroll, M.S.; Williams, D.R. 2009. Understanding 

social complexity within the wildland–urban interface: a new species of 

human habitation? Environmental Management. 43: 1085-1095.

Radeloff, V.C.; Hammer, R.B.; Stewart, S.I. 2005a. Rural and suburban sprawl 

in the US Midwest from 1940 to 2000 and its relation to forest fragmentation. 

Conservation Biology. 19: 793-805.

Radeloff, V.C.; Hammer, R.B.; Stewart, S.I.; Fried, J.S.; Holcomb, S.S.; McKeefry, 

J.F. 2005b. The wildland-urban interface in the United States. Ecological 

Applications. 15: 799-805.

Stewart, S.I.; Mockrin, M.H.; Hammer, R.B. 2012. Linking human and natural 

systems in the planning process. In: Laband, D.N.; Lockaby, B.G.; Zipperer, W., 

eds. Urban-rural interfaces: linking people and nature. Madison, WI: American 

Society of Agronomy; Soil Science Society of America; Crop Science Society of 

America: 275-286. 

Stewart, S.I.; Radeloff, V.C.; Hammer, R.B.; Hawbaker, T.J. 2007. Defining the 

wildland-urban interface. Journal of Forestry. 105: 201-207.

Syphard, A.D.; Radeloff, V.C.; Hawbaker, T.J.; Stewart, S.I. 2009. Conservation 

threats due to human‐caused increases in fire frequency in Mediterranean‐

climate ecosystems. Conservation Biology. 23: 758-769.

Teie, W.C.; Weatherford, B.F. 2000. Fire in the west: The wildland/urban 

interface problem. Report to the Council of Western State Foresters. Rescue, 

CA: Deer Valley Press. 80 p. 

U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. U.S. Census 2010, Summary File 1. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Geography Division. 

http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/04-Summary_File_1.

Winter, G.J.; Vogt, C.; Fried, J.S. 2002. Fuel treatments at the wildland-urban 

interface: common concerns in diverse regions. Journal of Forestry. 100: 15-21.
Martinuzzi, Sebastián; Stewart, Susan I.; Helmers, David P.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Hammer, Roger B.; 

Radeloff, Volker C. 2015. The 2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States. 

Research Map NRS-8. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern 

Research Station. 124 p. [includes pull-out map].

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where structures and other human development meet or 

intermingle with undeveloped wildland, and it is where wildfires have their greatest impacts on people. 

Hence the WUI is important for wildfire management. This document and associated maps summarize 

the extent of the WUI in the conterminous United States in 2010. The maps and summary statistics 

are designed to inform both national policy and local land management concerning the WUI. The data 

presented here summarize the 2010 WUI at a national scale and for each of the 48 conterminous States. 

All products of this assessment—including maps, statistics, and the WUI GIS dataset—are available at 

http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/WUI.

KEY WORDS: fragmentation, housing growth, urban sprawl, urbanization, wildfire.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Manuscript received for publication September 2014

Published by: For additional copies:

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June 2015

Visit our homepage at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us

Forest Service Northern 

Research Station

Research Map 

NRS-8

Publication Date 

June 2015

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where 

structures and other human development meet or intermingle 

with undeveloped wildland, and it is where wildfires have 

their greatest impacts on people. Hence the WUI is important 

for wildfire management. This document and associated 

maps summarize the extent of the WUI in the conterminous 

United States in 2010. The maps and summary statistics 

are designed to inform both national policy and local land 

management concerning the WUI. The data presented here 

summarize the 2010 WUI at a national scale and for each of 

the 48 conterminous States. All products of this assessment—

including maps, statistics, and the WUI GIS dataset—can be 

accessed at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/WUI.