Alder, MT
Alder, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Alder at the 66th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 182 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Alder's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 65th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Alder: 80.2% of its 182 buildings, versus 19.8% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Alder against the rest of the country
Alder ranks lower within Montana (34th percentile statewide) than its 66th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Alder ranks 10,595 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,544 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 312 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Alder
Alder's high rating (66th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
With 80.2% of Alder in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Alder's 66th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Alder, see the exposure-zones guide.