Evaluating Rural Pacific Northwest Towns for Wildfire Evacuation Vulnerability

The Pacific Northwest Research Station hosted a live webinar to highlight “Evaluating rural Pacific Northwest towns for wildfire evacuation vulnerability,” a recent study that used road network and fire hazard metrics to evaluate the wildfire evacuation vulnerability of nearly 700 rural towns in Washington and Oregon. The study’s findings may be a useful screening tool for managers and policymakers to help prioritize communities for further study of vulnerability and evacuation options. In the webinar, scientists Alex Dye (Oregon State University) and John Kim (USDA Forest Service Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and Pacific Northwest Research Station) discussed their research and answered questions.