Gardena, ND
Gardena wildfire risk explained
Gardena sits at the 47th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 42 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 Gardena at the 45th percentile, close to its 47th-percentile risk score.
Gardena's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 50% of Gardena's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 50% Minimal share — a profile where 21 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Gardena ranks
There's little gap between Gardena's 47th national percentile and its 43rd percentile inside North Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gardena ranks 16,839 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,118 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 231 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
Gardena and the insurance market
Gardena's elevated rating (47th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Gardena's 50% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Gardena's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 42 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gardena. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gardena's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.