|
West |
Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
Idaho |
Montana |
New Mexico |
Nevada |
Oregon |
Utah |
Washington |
Wyoming
Washington Summary
Below you will find county-by-county maps and tables that illustrate the data in this study.
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| Click on chart for a larger version below. |
Our research found that:
- Of the 11 western states, Washington has the fourth largest area of undeveloped, forested private land bordering fire-prone public lands, and ranks second among western states in the amount of forested land where homes have already been built next to public lands.
- Washington has nearly 3,000 square miles of forested private land that borders public lands, of which 79 percent has not yet been developed.
- Washington has a relatively densely developed wildland urban interface when compared to other western states, but lot sizes are still larger than those on other private lands.
- Housing in Washington's wildland urban interface consumes 2.6 acres per person, compared to the 0.5 acres per person average on other western private lands.
- Washington has 198,119 residences in its wildland urban interface, of which 8 percent are seasonal homes or cabins.
- Washington ranks second among western states in the number of homes built in forested areas next to public wildlands, and 11th (last) in the percentage of those homes that are only seasonally occupied.
Throughout Washington, with the exception of the southeastern part of the state, several thousand homes have been built next to fire-prone public lands and are vulnerable to wildfire. Clallam County, on the northern tip of the Olympic peninsula, and Snohomish County, just north of Seattle, each have extensive development in the wildland urban interface. Stevens County, in northeastern Washington, is relatively undeveloped, but ranks tenth in the West in terms of future risk, with 300 square miles of forested private land that could potentially be developed right next to fire-prone public wildlands.
Existing Risk Map - Click to Zoom
Yellow areas on the map illustrate existing development in fire-prone areas (forested areas adjacent public lands that have been developed); all other development is shown in red; public lands are shown in green.
Washington Summary Statistics |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| West-Wide |
3,290.0 |
20,350.1 |
14.0% |
915,071 |
21.0% |
| Washington |
637.1 |
2,331.5 |
21.5% |
198,119 |
8.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Washington Ranked by Existing Risk
Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of developed land in the wildland interface |
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|
|
|
|
|
| Clallam County |
Washington |
72.4 |
166.7 |
30.0% |
13,271 |
6.0% |
| Snohomish County |
Washington |
59.6 |
75.1 |
44.0% |
17,740 |
4.0% |
| King County |
Washington |
43.5 |
69.7 |
38.0% |
34,367 |
3.0% |
| Thurston County |
Washington |
38.4 |
29.7 |
56.0% |
14,815 |
3.0% |
| Lewis County |
Washington |
36.4 |
130.4 |
22.0% |
7,354 |
15.0% |
| Skagit County |
Washington |
33.9 |
155.8 |
18.0% |
5,808 |
17.0% |
| Kitsap County |
Washington |
32.4 |
5.4 |
86.0% |
16,676 |
3.0% |
| Pierce County |
Washington |
29.8 |
29.8 |
50.0% |
23,031 |
3.0% |
| Clark County |
Washington |
29.1 |
24.1 |
55.0% |
5,918 |
2.0% |
| Whatcom County |
Washington |
28.8 |
90.1 |
24.0% |
6,487 |
10.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Washington Ranked by Potential Risk
Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of undeveloped land in the wildland interface. |
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|
|
|
|
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| Stevens County |
Washington |
25.7 |
315.1 |
8.0% |
3,272 |
10.0% |
| Clallam County |
Washington |
72.4 |
166.7 |
30.0% |
13,271 |
6.0% |
| Skagit County |
Washington |
33.9 |
155.8 |
18.0% |
5,808 |
17.0% |
| Okanogan County |
Washington |
15.1 |
135.9 |
10.0% |
1,632 |
38.0% |
| Lewis County |
Washington |
36.4 |
130.4 |
22.0% |
7,354 |
15.0% |
| Jefferson County |
Washington |
19.8 |
115.3 |
15.0% |
4,286 |
21.0% |
| Kittitas County |
Washington |
6.8 |
114.8 |
6.0% |
1,442 |
44.0% |
| Ferry County |
Washington |
7.7 |
114.1 |
6.0% |
803 |
14.0% |
| Klickitat County |
Washington |
5.4 |
108.8 |
5.0% |
842 |
14.0% |
| Pend Oreille County |
Washington |
14.1 |
99.8 |
12.0% |
2,305 |
37.0% |
Click on column headers to see all data in the West sorted by that column.
West |
Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
Idaho |
Montana |
New Mexico |
Nevada |
Oregon |
Utah |
Washington |
Wyoming
Headwaters Economics
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Ray Rasker Ph.D. 406.570.7044 | Ben
Alexander 406.599.7423 | Patty Gude 406.599.7425 | Chris Mehl 406.570.8937
Mark Haggerty 406.570.5626 | Julia Haggerty Ph.D. 406.600.1766 | Jeff
van den Noort 406.599.1653
Banner photo is by Ray Rasker.
© 2007 Headwaters Economics Inc. all rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without prior consent.
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