Forest Service talks fire and economy

DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORT
October 15, 2007

It's common knowledge that an unchecked wildfire in local forests could result in serious risks to human lives and property.

U.S. Forest Service economist Mike Retzlaff is taking that conventional wisdom to the next level by trying to quantify the potential costs of a fire and looking at land-use and development patterns in the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

Retzlaff, who will share his findings at the next meeting of the local pine beetle task force, point out that a startling 96 percent of Summit County's assessed value is located within the WUI red zones, along with all local water and sanitation facilities.

And demographic trends are driving a growth of the red zones all across Colorado and around the West, according to a recent study the Colorado State University researchers.

As many as 12.5 million homes nationwide are at risk in high-severity wildfires, the report showed.

In Colorado, the red zone has expanded by 52 percent since 1970. And while the common perception is that red zone management is a Forest Service problem, the report shows that 89 percent of it is dominated by private land owners.

The complete study was published online in the July 2007 issue of Landscape and Urban Planning.