Media Coverage

Organizations such as Headwaters Economics have developed tools for federal agencies to identify at-risk populations and have begun exploring data that can measure capacity. These creative and innovative tools may be useful to a range of communities that are often missed by traditional measures of income and vulnerability.

• Neighborhoods at Risk
• A rural capacity map

Montana-based nonprofit research group Headwaters Economics compiles National Park Service data annually, and this week it published data showing that NPS units — which can include national monuments, forts, historical locations, parks and preserves — saw a big surge in visitors from 2020 to 2021.

• Economic Impact of National Parks

“Currently, at the federal level, through the land management agencies — primarily the U.S. Forest Service — we’re spending $65 million per wildfire, which is doubling the cost since 1999,” said Kimi Barrett, a wildfire and policy analyst with Headwaters Economics, a nonpartisan independent research organization based in Bozeman, Montana.

• Living with wildfire

Kris Smith, a researcher at Bozeman-based Headwaters Economics, said that when the flood hit, one of her first thoughts was: “What’s going to be the plan for making sure that we’re not worsening the housing crisis that we know is already existing in Montana?”

• Yellowstone Flood reveals Montana’s mobile home flood risk

A report by Headwaters Economics in Bozeman recently found that throughout Montana, 20% of all mobile homes are in a neighborhood with a high flood risk, compared with 14% in America. The study found Montana’s mobile homes have a higher flood risk than mobile homes in other places in the U.S. Montana ranks fifth in the nation for neighborhoods that have both high flood risk and high mobile home density.

• Yellowstone Flood reveals Montana’s mobile home flood risk
• Mobile home residents face higher flood risk

“Elevating homes can be pricey, and it’s easier to make the money work when properties have higher value,” said Kristin Smith, a researcher with the nonprofit Headwaters Economics. That can end up excluding “some of the people who need help the most,” especially in low-income areas, she said.

• Capacity-limited states still struggle to access FEMA BRIC grants

“Too many places are still operating under the mind-set that they can keep building in high-risk areas and if there’s a wildfire, the firefighters will come and save their homes,” said Kimiko Barrett, a wildfire researcher at Headwaters Economics.

• Wildfires destroy thousands of structures each year

A 2020 study by Headwaters Economics, commissioned by the Department of Tourism, showed that Wisconsin’s $7.8 billion outdoor economy grew by 12%, compared to 7% growth by the state’s overall economy during the summer of 2020 when the COVID pandemic was raging.

• Outdoor Recreation: A top driver of Wisconsin’s economy
• The Outdoor Recreation Economy by State

Headwaters Economics, a non-profit research group based in Montana, published an interactive data tool that shows the number of structures lost in every state from 2005 through June 2022. New Mexico saw 2,000 structures destroyed by wildfires, with nearly half of those burned this year. In Wyoming and Colorado, about half of the damage during that time frame has come in recent years.

• Wildfires destroy thousands of structures each year

Since the Camp Fire, state and local authorities have tightened requirements for “fire-hardened” homes, but most standards apply only to new construction, according to Kimiko Barrett, of the Bozeman, Montana-based Headwaters Economics.

• Construction costs for a wildfire-resistant home: California edition
• Wood roofs are a $6 billion wildfire problem

When a home is built to be more resilient against environmental hazards, additional expenses can be expected. The cost of wildfire resilient measures can vary, depending upon the location, risk exposure, building size and features, as well as other factors. According to a report co-authored by IBHS and Headwaters Economics, it may add as little as $2,800 to the cost of building a new wildfire-resistant home in California.

• Construction costs for a wildfire-resistant home: California edition
• Full Community Costs of Wildfire

“BRIC is intended to fund big, visionary projects that take a lot of money,” said Kristin Smith, a researcher at Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research organization in Montana. “Those are exactly the kind of projects that many lower-capacity rural places just do not have the resources to put together.”

• Capacity-limited states still struggle to access FEMA BRIC grants
• A rural capacity map

Many trailer parks are built on cheap, risky land. They bore the brunt of the flood damages, this year and last. That outcome is consistent with nationwide trends. Analysts at Headwaters Economics found that one in seven mobile homes are built in an area with high flood risk, compared to one in 10 for all other housing types.

• Mobile home residents face higher flood risk

More than 3,600 structures, including homes, burned in California wildfires during 2021. Between 2005 and 2020, nearly 60,000 structures were lost to fire in the state, according to the research firm Headwaters Economics.

• Wildfires destroy thousands of structures each year

Despite recommendations from fire officials, codes to require wildfire safety measures in Western states have often been halted by cost concerns.

• Construction costs for a wildfire-resistant home: California edition

According to a 2020 study by the nonprofit research group Headwater Economics, wildfires destroyed nearly 89,000 structures between 2005 and 2020, with more than 60 percent of the losses occurring in 2017, 2018, and 2020 alone.

• Wildfires destroy thousands of structures each year
• Wildfire Risk to Communities: A tool to understand, explore, and reduce risk

Now, a new study shows that enhancing a new home’s wildfire resistance adds minimal cost to an overall construction project.

• Construction costs for a wildfire-resistant home: California edition

Bozeman, Mont.,-based Headwaters Economics in a July report about wood roofs in wildfire-prone areas determined that Santa Fe County’s wildfire risk is greater than 90 percent of U.S. counties. 

• Wood roofs are a $6 billion wildfire problem

While there are some less expensive measures people can take to protect their homes, like clearing gutters of pine needles, which can act as kindling, most suggested retrofits are neither cheap nor easy — and that could leave some homeowners vulnerable. 

• Building a Wildfire-Resistant Home: Codes and Costs

Kimiko Barrett, a wildfire researcher and policy analyst at Headwaters Economics, says the federal government hasn’t provided grants to help homeowners address the risks.

• Wood roofs are a $6 billion wildfire problem