Rebuilding and new housing development after wildfire
Patricia M. Alexandre A D , Miranda H. Mockrin B , Susan I. Stewart A , Roger B. Hammer C and Volker C. Radeloff A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
B USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2098, USA.
C School of Public Policy, Oregon State University, 303 Fairbanks Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-3703, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: alexandre@wisc.edu
International Journal of Wildland Fire 24(1) 138-149 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF13197
Submitted: 18 November 2013 Accepted: 28 August 2014 Published: 8 December 2014
Abstract
The number of wildland–urban interface communities affected by wildfire is increasing, and both wildfire suppression and losses are costly. However, little is known about post-wildfire response by homeowners and communities after buildings are lost. Our goal was to characterise rebuilding and new development after wildfires across the conterminous United States. We analysed all wildfires in the conterminous USA from 2000 to 2005. We mapped 42 724 buildings, of which 34 836 were present before the fire and survived, 3604 were burned, 2403 were post-fire new development, and 1881 were burned and rebuilt. Before the fires, 38 440 buildings were present within fire perimeters (surviving plus burned). Within 5 years post-fire, there were 39 120 buildings (surviving, rebuilt and new development). Nationally, only 25% of burned homes were rebuilt within 5 years, though rates were higher in the west, the south and Kansas. New development rates inside versus outside fire perimeters were similar. That the number of buildings inside fire perimeters within 5 years post-fire was greater than pre-fire indicated that homeowners are either willing to face wildfire risks or are unaware of them; or that economic incentives to rebuild in the same place outweigh perceived risks.
Additional keywords: building digitalisation, fire perimeters, fire-adapted communities, post-wildfire community response, rebuilding patterns, wildland–urban interface.
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