Birch Hill, WI
How exposed is Birch Hill to wildfire?
USFS scores Birch Hill at the 10th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 110 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Birch Hill's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 10th percentile nationally.
Birch Hill's building exposure, zone by zone
93.6% of Birch Hill's 110 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 103 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 6.4% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Birch Hill against the rest of the country
Birch Hill's risk sits at a similar level relative to Wisconsin (6th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (10th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Birch Hill ranks 28,416 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,644 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 760 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Birch Hill's low wildfire rating (10th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Birch Hill (93.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Birch Hill's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 110 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Birch Hill. The exposure-zones guide covers what Birch Hill's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.