Gaastra, MI
Gaastra wildfire risk explained
Gaastra sits at the 22nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 279 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Gaastra at the 22nd percentile, close to its 22nd-percentile risk score.
Where Gaastra's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Gaastra (51.6% of 279 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 48.4% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Gaastra ranks
Gaastra's 70th-percentile standing inside Michigan outpaces its 22nd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gaastra ranks 24,710 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,220 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 225 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 22nd national percentile, Gaastra 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 Gaastra
Because 51.6% of Gaastra's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Gaastra's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gaastra's 24,710-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gaastra's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.