Open Collections

Description

Wildfire risk is increasing in many interior British Columbia communities, where expanding urban development meets fire-prone forested landscapes. This study examined how spatial modelling of wildfire susceptibility and emergency response time can be integrated to identify vulnerable high-risk zones in Kelowna and West Kelowna, British Columbia. Using ArcGIS Pro, wildfire susceptibility was mapped through a weighted overlay of topographic, vegetation, and climate factors. Topographic effects were represented by slope and aspect, vegetative fuel conditions by reclassified land cover, and broad meteorological constraints on wildfire potential by summer temperature and precipitation. The resulting composite wildfire risk surface was compared with emergency response time to identify areas where high wildfire susceptibility overlaps with limited access to fire services. Results showed that higher wildfire susceptibility was concentrated on steep south and west-facing slopes, in forested and shrub-dominated areas, and in warmer, drier parts of the study area. Lower susceptibility was concentrated in valley bottoms, urban cores and areas near water. The final composite map highlighted high-risk zones mainly along forested hillsides near urban development. It showed that wildfire risk is shaped by the interaction of multiple environmental factors rather than a single variable. By combining hazardous conditions with response accessibility, this study provided a more comprehensive assessment of wildfire risk and identified sites where planning and disaster preparedness actions may be most needed.