Wildland Urban Interface

The Maine Forest Service Forest Protection Division has the mission of protecting Maine’s Forest Resources from fire and to enhance the safe, sound and responsible management of the forest for this and future generations.

One area of recent concern is the increasing amount of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) throughout the state of Maine. WUI is defined as “the area where homes meet the forest” and are at risk from wildfire. As Maine communities grow, the threat of a fire in the Wildland Urban Interface increases as well. Fires in the WUI can originate in the forests and threaten homes or start as structural fires and threaten the forests.

Defensible Space Video

2011 Telly Award Winner

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This video contains information for homeowners on "defensible space". It also features testimony from a camp owner who lost his camps due to a wildfire in a remote location in Northern Maine.
(Produced in 2010)

Wildfire in Maine's Wildland Urban Interface Video

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This video contains information for homeowners who live in Maine's WUI and offers suggestions for reducing the risk of wildfire near homes.
(Produced in 2007)

Both videos below are available online or on a limited basis for communities considered “at risk” from wildfires. Contact the Maine Forest Service at 287-4990 or your local Forest Ranger for more information.