Pisgah, IA
Pisgah wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Pisgah at the 82nd national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 216 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Pisgah's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 82nd percentile nationally.
Where Pisgah's buildings actually sit
68.5% of Pisgah's 216 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 31.5% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Pisgah ranks
Pisgah's 99th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 82nd 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, Pisgah ranks 5,673 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,270 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 9 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Pisgah
Pisgah's very high rating (82nd 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
Pisgah's 68.5% 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 Pisgah's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 216 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Pisgah. The exposure-zones guide covers what Pisgah's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.