Birnamwood, WI
How exposed is Birnamwood to wildfire?
Birnamwood's 502 buildings earn a 22nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Birnamwood's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 22nd percentile nationally.
Birnamwood's building exposure, zone by zone
502 buildings are counted in Birnamwood, and 52.8% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 47.2% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Birnamwood ranks
Compare Birnamwood's two percentiles: 38th within Wisconsin, only 22nd nationally — a gap of 16 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Birnamwood ranks 24,599 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,324 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 502 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
Birnamwood's moderate wildfire rating (22nd 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
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Birnamwood (52.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Birnamwood's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 502 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Birnamwood. The exposure-zones guide covers what Birnamwood's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.