Garland, NC
How exposed is Garland to wildfire?
Garland sits at the 73rd 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 415 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Garland's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 71st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
415 buildings are counted in Garland, and 55.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 44.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Garland compares
Garland's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (73rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (73rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Garland ranks 8,642 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,932 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 206 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Garland's high rating (73rd 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
Garland's 55.2% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Garland's figures come from
Garland's 73rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Garland's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.