Wildfire risk for rural land: what the maps show

The main public sources

• FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) gives a modelled annual wildfire frequency for each census tract. It's a tract-wide average. In large rural tracts it can hide big differences between a valley floor and a forested ridge.
• In California, CAL FIRE maps Fire Hazard Severity Zones (Moderate, High, Very High). These zones can bring building-code requirements and defensible-space rules. They cover California only.
• Historical fire perimeters (CAL FIRE FRAP in California) show where recorded fires have burned.
• Tree canopy and land cover show how much fuel surrounds the point.
• Outside California, the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Risk to Communities website offers community-level wildfire maps.

What the maps don't capture

Hazard maps describe the landscape: fuels, terrain and weather patterns. They don't describe a specific building, its materials, its defensible space, or the road out. A past fire doesn't mean another one is coming soon, and a lack of past fires doesn't mean low risk.

Insurance and rules

In some states, insurers use their own wildfire models, and coverage can be harder to find or more expensive in high-hazard areas. Before you commit, ask an insurance agent whether they can write a policy at that location. In California, homes in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones are subject to defensible-space requirements around structures.