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A comparative study of the methods for delineating wildland-urban interfaces: A case study of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada |
WANG Zimeng1( ), LIAO Yuanhong1, LOU Shuhan1, BAI Yuqi1,2( ) |
1. Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Ecological Field Station for East Asian Migratory Birds and Their Habitatses, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 2. Tsinghua Urban Institute, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China |
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Abstract A wildland-urban interface (WUI) refers to the area where residential buildings meet or intermingle with natural vegetation such as forests. The delineation of the WUI plays an important role in fire risk management, forest resource development and utilization, climate change responses, and sustainable socio-economic development. Current methods for WUI delineation are primarily developed and refined based on the definition given in the Federal Register of the United States. Based on indicators such as building density, vegetation coverage, and the distance between buildings and vegetation, these methods can be categorized into three types: building density priority, fuel grade priority, and overlap between building-vegetation buffer zones. Initially, this study presented a summary and comparison of relevant literature on the three types of methods. Then, Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada, an area frequently affected by wildfires, was selected to compare the three methods using data on Canadian building footprints released by Microsoft, global land cover from GLC_FCS30-2020, and local historical fire points and fire scars. The results indicate that the building density priority method exhibited the highest coincidence rate with historical wildfire records. However, it overlooked low-density buildings that were also at risk of wildfire. The fuel grade priority method produced a larger delineation area, with a lower coincidence rate with historical wildfire records since it focused excessively on the vegetation around buildings while neglecting the buildings themselves. In contrast, overlap between building-vegetation buffer zones presented the lowest coincidence rate with historical wildfire records and the smallest delineation area. This occurred primarily due to the short distance setting of buffer zones. This study reveals the strengths and limitations of existing methods, contributing to more scientifically robust and rational WUI delineation in the future while also providing references for decision-making in fire risk management and emergency responses.
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wildland-urban interface (WUI)
building density priority method
fuel grade priority method
overlap between building-vegetation buffer zones
wildfire risk management
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Issue Date: 31 December 2025
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