Kimi Barrett

This week, we shift gears to examine another thorny environmental issue in the West: Wildfire. Fires are getting bigger and more destructive, and as part of the ecosystem, they're not going away. Listen in as four wildfire experts discuss the issue at the Free Press Fest in Bozeman.

It’s wildfire season. Rural communities and those on the outskirts of urban centers face greater danger than others. New research urges homeowners and state officials to rethink how they mitigate risk for those areas.

Today's guest is Dr. Kimiko Barrett of Headwaters Economics. Kimi is the Lead Wildfire and Natural Hazard Researcher at Headwaters where she also leads their Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire Program. She grew up in Bozeman, attended Montana State University and earned her Ph.D. in Forestry from the University of Montana.

The Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI, is where forest and homes meet. It’s the fastest growing land use type in the nation, and also where one in three homes across the country are situated. What’s it mean to live in the WUI, where the stakes of wildfire are higher than anywhere else? And why is this area so vulnerable to fire?