…A recent report by Headwaters Economics used 2010 U.S. Census data to map development in the wildland urban interface in 11 Western states and county by county in each state.
The analysis, which includes an interactive data map, shows that 84 percent of private lands near fire-prone areas remains undeveloped in the West. If just half of that land is developed in the future, the report warns that annual firefighting costs could escalate to as much as $4.3 billion. As a comparison, the organization notes the entire budget for the U.S. Forest Service is $5.5 billion.
“The point of this report is that fires are awfully expensive and they have been getting more expensive over time,” said Ray Rasker, Headwaters’ director. “While homes are not the only factor, they are a contributing one.”…