Issue 7

Seeing the Houses through the Trees:
The Wildland-Urban Interface in the South

Forests literally cover the southern landscape. My first impression of the southern landscape came from a descent into the Gainesville, FL, airport back in 1995. “Where are the houses?” I wondered. There were so many trees that I only caught a glimpse of rooftops scattered here and there. Growing up on the central coast of California, the concept of living in a forest within city limits seemed foreign. I was familiar with cities that had houses with trees scattered here and there, not an entire city within a forest!

Not surprisingly, forests cover more than 60 percent of most Southern States. These areas where homes and forests or other natural areas intermingle are often referred to as the wildland-urban interface (WUI). In these WUI areas, there are a host of issues and challenges for natural resource professionals, policymakers, and homeowners alike. (...continued...)