Definition
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where wildland vegetation meets or mixes with humans and their development, including houses and infrastructure. The term is mainly used in the context of wildfire to define the potential risk that WUI fires pose to human settlement.
Introduction
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is defined as the area where houses and other structures are built within or close to wildland vegetation (USDA and USDI 2001). The term is used in the context of wildfire to identify settlements that are potentially at risk from fire (Caton et al. 2016; Cohen 2008; Gill and Stephens 2009; Mell et al. 2010; Stewart et al. 2007). The WUI can include both the urban area directly adjacent to wildland vegetation and developed areas that may be directly affected by spotting ignition from wildfires.
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Johnston, L., Blanchi, R., Jappiot, M. (2019). Wildland-Urban Interface. In: Manzello, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_130-1
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