Wisconsin on Fire: an Interactive History of Wildfires in Wisconsin

Abstract

Wildfire is a common occurrence in Wisconsin, and has serious effects to the landscape and the lives of people in its way. Predicting future wildfire occurrence is impossible without first understanding and synthesizing information about the past. We’ve compiled land cover data from past and present, a complete fire suppression history, and actual fire statistics from the past 150 years to create an interactive map of the history of fires in the state. This map allows the reader to analyze trends in fire occurrence and expansion, and to learn about firsthand accounts of the effects of specific fires through photos, news articles, and other supplemental information. How humans influence and are influenced by wildfire, the different types of damage wildfire can cause, and wildfire planning and response are other key discussion topics understood through our educational interactive map.