Emerald Mountain, AL
Emerald Mountain wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Emerald Mountain at the 64th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,479 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Emerald Mountain's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 67th percentile nationally.
Emerald Mountain's building exposure, zone by zone
1,479 buildings are counted in Emerald Mountain, and 85.7% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Emerald Mountain against the rest of the country
Emerald Mountain ranks lower within Alabama (34th percentile statewide) than its 64th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Emerald Mountain ranks 11,208 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,255 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 392 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Emerald Mountain and the insurance market
Emerald Mountain's high rating (64th 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 85.7% of Emerald Mountain 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,479 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Emerald Mountain. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Emerald Mountain, see the exposure-zones guide.