Forestdale, AL
How exposed is Forestdale to wildfire?
Forestdale sits at the 69th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,877 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Forestdale's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 72nd percentile nationally.
Where Forestdale's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Forestdale: 61% of its 4,877 buildings, versus 39% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Forestdale ranks
Inside Alabama, Forestdale sits at just the 44th percentile even though it scores 69th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Forestdale ranks 9,884 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,506 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 336 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Forestdale's high rating (69th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Forestdale (61%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Forestdale's 69th-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 Forestdale, see the exposure-zones guide.