|
West |
Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
Idaho |
Montana |
New Mexico |
Nevada |
Oregon |
Utah |
Washington |
Wyoming
Montana 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:
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Of the 11 western states, Montana has the third largest area of undeveloped, forested private land bordering fire-prone public lands, and ranks fifth among western states in the amount of forested land where homes have been built next to public lands.
- Montana has over 3,000 square miles of forested private land bordering public land, of which 91 percent has not yet been developed.
- Housing in Montana's wildland urban interface consume a whopping 6.1 acres per person, compared to the 0.5 acres per person average on other private lands in the West.
- Montana has 31,394 residences in its wildland urban interface, of which 24 percent are seasonal homes or cabins.
- Montana ranks sixth among western states in the number of homes built in forested areas next to public wildlands, and seventh in the percentage of those homes that are only seasonally occupied.
Most counties in western Montana have large areas of undeveloped, forested private land abutting wildlands. This is especially true in Northwestern Montana. Within Montana, Flathead County ranks highest in terms of existing wildfire risk (number of square miles of the wildland urban interface with homes now). Lincoln and Missoula Counties rank highest in terms of future potential risk (number of square miles of wildland interface that remains undeveloped). Nearly 150 square miles of Montana's forested private lands next to public wildlands are already developed in these three counties combined, and together they contain more than 900 square miles of undeveloped wildland interface where homes could likely be built in the future, increasing risks to human life and property as well as the financial burden on taxpayers.
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.
Montana Summary Statistics |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| West-Wide |
3,290.0 |
20,350.1 |
14.0% |
915,071 |
21.0% |
| Montana |
273.7 |
2,751.0 |
9.0% |
31,394 |
24.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Montana Ranked by Existing Risk
Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of developed land in the wildland interface |
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|
|
|
|
| Flathead County |
Montana |
60.6 |
223.2 |
21.0% |
7,846 |
24.0% |
| Lincoln County |
Montana |
53.7 |
348.5 |
13.0% |
3,936 |
15.0% |
| Missoula County |
Montana |
34.2 |
350.6 |
9.0% |
5,109 |
13.0% |
| Sanders County |
Montana |
16.4 |
251.3 |
6.0% |
1,434 |
15.0% |
| Lake County |
Montana |
16.1 |
98.8 |
14.0% |
2,288 |
36.0% |
| Ravalli County |
Montana |
15.3 |
66.8 |
19.0% |
1,854 |
21.0% |
| Lewis and Clark County |
Montana |
12.1 |
156.0 |
7.0% |
1,745 |
27.0% |
| Mineral County |
Montana |
10.6 |
105.6 |
9.0% |
1,316 |
12.0% |
| Deer Lodge County |
Montana |
8.6 |
33.4 |
20.0% |
292 |
70.0% |
| Gallatin County |
Montana |
8.1 |
67.5 |
11.0% |
1,791 |
33.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Montana 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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| Missoula County |
Montana |
34.2 |
350.6 |
9.0% |
5,109 |
13.0% |
| Lincoln County |
Montana |
53.7 |
348.5 |
13.0% |
3,936 |
15.0% |
| Sanders County |
Montana |
16.4 |
251.3 |
6.0% |
1,434 |
15.0% |
| Flathead County |
Montana |
60.6 |
223.2 |
21.0% |
7,846 |
24.0% |
| Lewis and Clark County |
Montana |
12.1 |
156.0 |
7.0% |
1,745 |
27.0% |
| Powell County |
Montana |
1.1 |
115.5 |
1.0% |
66 |
23.0% |
| Mineral County |
Montana |
10.6 |
105.6 |
9.0% |
1,316 |
12.0% |
| Madison County |
Montana |
0.6 |
101.7 |
1.0% |
46 |
65.0% |
| Granite County |
Montana |
6.5 |
101.6 |
6.0% |
789 |
58.0% |
| Lake County |
Montana |
16.1 |
98.8 |
14.0% |
2,288 |
36.0% |
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
Mail: P.O. Box 7059, Bozeman MT 59771
Deliveries: 810 N. Wallace Avenue, Suite B, Bozeman MT 59715
Ray Rasker Ph.D. 406.570.7044 | Ben
Alexander 406.599.7423 | Patty Gude 406.599.7425 | Jeff
van den Noort 406.599.1653
Mark Haggerty 406.570.5626 | Julia Haggerty Ph.D. 406.600.1766 | Yang-Yang Chen 406.570.8937
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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