NWGIS UC 2024

Esri Blog x Dr. Aileen Buckley

In 2021, researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) were tasked by the state legislature to develop maps of the wildland-urban interface and wildfire risk. The maps will be used to support strategic statewide community wildfire risk reduction efforts. An initial wildfire hazard map was released in 2022 but was withdrawn under mounting opposition. Subsequently, in 2023, the legislature directed OSU to again make a map, this time calling it wildfire “hazard”. The wildfire hazard map is currently in development by OSU and other state agencies.
Andy will describe the hazard mapping process, including what was learned from the first mapping attempt and how it has informed updates in the current draft maps. In particular, he will describe why the change from “risk” to “hazard” is an important distinction, and how it reflects the intent of the map. The presentation will highlight wildfire hazard-related datasets and methods which might be useful to county- and state-level planners seeking to understand and plan for future wildfires.