Title: Expanding the Interface in the Northeast’s “Asbestos Forests”: Exploratory Assessment in NH
Author: Lloyd C. Irland
Abstract: An initial exploration of the connections between land use and forest fire risk in New Hampshire is reported. Though forest fire occurs at a low level, it is still subject to occasional extreme events. There is a strong association between the occurrence of fire prone types and the developed areas of the state. In the towns experiencing 100 acres or more of fire in 1947-48, today there reside 100,000 people. Not only that, but population density is positively associated with forest fire occurrence. The counties that experienced high levels of fire in 1947-48 continued to do so in 2002-2011, so the geography of fire was relatively stable. Further research is needed to modify, extend, and elucidate factors underlying these relationships and trends.
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