Forestdale, MA
Forestdale, MA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Forestdale at the 27th national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 2,026 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Forestdale at the 18th national percentile — 9 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Forestdale's buildings actually sit
53.5% of Forestdale's 2,026 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,084 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 44.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 2.2% are Minimal.
How Forestdale compares
Within Massachusetts, Forestdale ranks higher (60th percentile) than it does nationally (27th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Forestdale ranks 22,935 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,393 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 98 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Forestdale
At the 27th national percentile, Forestdale rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Forestdale
With 53.5% of Forestdale 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.
Where Forestdale's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Forestdale's 22,935-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Forestdale's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.