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Researcher and urban planner Ryan Handy of Headwater Economics talks about her new research on saving history from wildfire in this episode of Rebuild:LA.

As of January, 34% of grant funds had been awarded to low-capacity communities, compared to just 4% from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, according to Headwaters Economics.

Analysis of official government statistics on outdoor recreation by Montana-based Headwaters Economics found that bicycling alone contributed $3.7 billion to U.S. GDP in 2023. That’s not counting the prodigious amount cyclists spend on the right outfit and fit-out, which would be part of the apparel and accessories category, No. 1 by far in terms of outdoor recreation GDP at $73 billion.

I moderated a live panel and an event called Free Press Fest, put on by Montana Free Press. There I talked with four experts about maybe the thorniest question about wildfire in the West: Fires are getting bigger and more destructive – but wildfire is part of our ecosystems – it’s here to stay. So, how do we live with it?

In contrast, decades of research from organisations such as NFPA, NIST, FEMA and Headwaters Economics demonstrate that applying wildfire-resilient standards is cost-effective when compared to the scale of losses avoided.

Headwaters Economics provides a library of research conducted on the implementation and benefits of nature trails

A new report shows tens of thousands of abandoned mines dot the U.S., including parts of the Mountain West. Experts say these sites pose pollution threats due to being in areas that are at high risk for flooding.

Organizations like Headwaters Economics have featured the templates as a model for other regions. And soon, the templates will come to life.

IBHS teamed up with Headwaters Economics, a Bozeman, Montana nonprofit research group working to improve community development and land management, as well as with CAL FIRE, to examine the cost for improving the structure and design of existing homes to increase wildfire resistance.

Tourism would boom, according to Megan Lawson, an economist at Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group that analyzes the economic impact of public land use. National park designation gives public lands a visitation boost, as many travelers try to check every national park off their lists.

The cost to incorporate these elements in a new home is the same or less than conventional materials, according to the research group Headwaters Economics.

“Mahalo to the Kauaʻi County Council, our Planning Department, the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), Headwaters Economics, the Kauaʻi Fire Department, the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, and—most importantly—our community for helping shape this ordinance,” said Mayor Kawakami. “This is about keeping families safe, protecting historic plantation neighborhoods, and doing the simple, proven things that reduce risk before a spark becomes a disaster.”

“The ability to secure homeowners insurance, keep home insurance and pay the increasing cost of insurance is going to affect who and where people can live in places of high hazard,” says Kimiko Barrett, a wildfire researcher and policy analyst at Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Montana.

Megan Lawson, an economist specializing in outdoor recreation and public lands at Headwaters Economics, agrees. “When prices get more expensive, people might be tightening their budgets and traveling a little less,” Lawson said.

The Rural Capacity Index provides scholars, practitioners, and policymakers a practical tool to identify and respond to disparities in local government capacity that constrain rural disaster resilience efforts.

According to a report from Headwaters Economics, 49,120 acres of undeveloped land in Flathead County was converted to housing between 2000 and 2021, and the project’s environmental assessment reports that landowners like Green Diamond have received upwards of 16 unsolicited offers per month to sell parcels

Kelly Pohl, who researches climate resilience, housing and land use at Headwaters Economics said that in high-demand places like mountain towns and coastal areas disasters tend to accelerate gentrification.

Headwaters Economics, together with the nonprofit Insurance for Good, found that rebuilding in Los Angeles to wildfire-resistant standards could avoid $43 billion in economic losses the next time those neighborhoods are threatened by a major wildfire.

Researchers at Headwaters Economics and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine that rural communities are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat.

Researchers at Headwaters Economics found that over 53 million Americans live in flood-prone areas; around 700,000 people in Missouri live in these zones. Vulnerable groups such as people of color, mobile home residents, and those with disabilities face the highest risks.