Abstract
This study investigates the correlation between historical redlining from Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps and wildfire risk through the lens of environmental justice. By integrating historical and socio-economic data into wildfire risk assessment models, the research aims to better understand vulnerability in affected neighborhoods. Background information was collected from a literature review of two topics—redlining and wildfire mapping–to assess data gaps. Publicly available datasets were then used to create an updated wildfire risk assessment map. The “Zonal statistics” tool within QGIS (QGIS.org) was utilized to calculate mean wildfire risk values in all four redlined neighborhood types for over 8,000 points across the continental United States. The Kruskal-Wallis-test analysis of variables was used to examine the association between HOLC rankings and wildfire risk and indicated a weak correlation. Historically richer White neighborhoods have a higher risk for wildfire than redlined neighborhoods in the present. The study’s findings highlight the complexity of environmental justice issues, suggesting that other factors besides wildfires, like urban heat islands, pose a more immediate concern for historically marginalized communities. Future research may assess the relationship between wildfire risk and urban-to-rural gradients to gain a more comprehensive understanding of wildfires and environmental racism.