The wildland-urban interface and intermix (WUI) is where human settlements mix with and meet natural landscapes such as forests and farmlands. WUI areas are particularly important for wildfire management and, although often overlooked, Connecticut and New England have extensive WUI areas, larger in percentage than areas more known for this land use classification, such as California. WUI combined with high fuel loading due to infrequent fires and decreased forest health along with more extreme weather can have devastating effects.
The CT Wildland-Urban Interface/Intermix Viewer combines WUI classes of interface (development adjacent to wildlands) and intermix (development mingled with wildlands) with the US Forest Service’s Insect and Disease Survey (IDS) dataset and other relevant base layers. Exploring the overlapping layers can reveal areas of increased risk and demonstrate the urgent need for preventative measures.
Created by Emily Wilson in partnership with Chris Renshaw
Information
Credits and Reference
Radeloff, V.C., Helmers, D.P., Mockrin, M.H., Carslon, A.R., Hawbaker, T.J., & Martinuzzi, S. (2023). The 1990-2020 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States – geospatial data (4th edition). Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2015-0012-4
Renshaw, C M. (2024). Preparedness: fire department perceptions of wildland-urban interface, forest health, and fire ecology in Connecticut. National Fire Academy: Emmitsburg, MD.
Layers
The Layer Info Button within the viewer contains extensive information about the layers in the viewer.
Base Layers are used for context and include aerial imagery, parcels, buildings, land cover, and more.
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) layer shows Intermix and Interface. More specific classes can be viewed turning on the layer called Wildland Urban Interface 2020 (detailed) layer in the layer and clicking on the popup. The classes are defined in the WUI Class tab of the Layer Information window.
Damage is a group of layers under the heading Damage areas and causes that contain overall damage areas and percent as well as damage caused by specific agents such as spongy moth, emerald ash borer, hemlock wooly adelgid, and beech leaf disease.
Aspect is the slope direction and orientation and the Aspect layers are explained and defined in the Aspect tab of the Layer Information window.