Scientists & Staff

Miranda Mockrin
News Releases
Current Research
Wildland-urban interface (WUI) growth and mappingAcross the United States, the wildland-urban interface (WUI) is expanding, causing widespread environmental impacts, including more costly and complex wildfire management. I lead the production of a national WUI map (1990-2020). Based on Federal Register definitions, our WUI map been recognized as a national standard in a White House executive order (2016) and used for research and policy applications across the US. We find the WUI has grown rapidly over the past two decades, with 44% growth in WUI houses from 1990-2010. WUI growth has been particularly high within National Forests (47% increase in WUI houses). The WUI makes up a small portion of fire footprints, but contains the majority of buildings lost (69%).
- WUI and National Forests (2020)
- National WUI map (2018)
- Building losses in the WUI, CA (2019) and nationally (2018)
National fire policy now calls for WUI communities to become "fire-adapted" so they coexist with wildfire, but does destructive wildfire lead to adaptation? Thus far, we find little change in building practice: rebuilding and new development are robust over time, and communities typically make limited changes in local regulations and land-use planning.
- Wildfire as a ‘hot moment' for recovery? (2020)
- Building and rebuilding after fire, nationally (2015), in Colorado (2016, 2015), and in California (2021)
- Land use planning (2020) and community adaptation (2018) after wildfire
Growth of the U.S. population has slowed dramatically in recent decades but composition (race, ethnicity, age) and distribution (across regions, across urban to rural areas) continues to change. I work with demographers and Forest Service scientists to summarize changes in population composition and distribution, and explore their implications for natural resource management, with an emphasis on understanding social vulnerability.
- Social vulnerability and: wildfire smoke review (2019); exposure from prescribed fire on National Forests (2022); and WUI and wildfire potential (2016)
- Public lands, population growth, and diversity (2018)
Given the prevalence of the WUI and preferences many Americans have for living in forested settings, understanding the extent, character, and function of forests within developed areas is critical, as is designing housing to retain forests. I am working with ecologists, managers, and wildfire professionals to investigate forest policy and forest conditions, across a range of residential settings.
- Housing age and density influence forest cover (2019)
- Conservation development outcomes in Colorado (2
Research Interests
I am a research scientist who studies conservation and land use, combining ecological and social science. Current research at the Northern Research Station focuses on understanding changing natural resource use and management with shifting human demographics, including examining mapping the growth of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) over time, examining rebuilding in the WUI after wildfire, studying housing development and its ecological and social effects, exploring alternative forms of development such as conservation development, and studying changing patterns of wildlife-based recreation (hunting and viewing). Research during my graduate career examined the linked ecological and social dynamics of subsistence wildlife harvesting in a Central African logging concession.
Past Research
1. Changes in wildlife-associated recreation participation (hunting and viewing) over time.
2. Analysis of housing growth in New England using census data to elucidate trends in the spatial and temporal development of residential housing, in and around the Northern Forest, from 1940-2000.
3. Doctoral research examined the spatial distribution and sustainability of hunting outside a protected area in Congo-BrazzavilleWhy This Research is Important
Our communities have experienced substantial demographic, social, and economic transformations over the past 30 years. Suburban and exurban areas are become larger and more diverse, as residential development continues and population deconcentrates. Documenting these trends and understanding the factors that underlie them is essential to finding new ways of mitigating the impacts on natural resources. These changes will only intensify in the 21st Century: Americans are rapidly diversifying, sprawl is increasing, and climate change will increase disturbance from natural hazards (hurricanes, flooding, wildfire).
Education
- Tufts University, B.S. Biopsychology, 1999
- Columbia University, M.A. Ecology,
- Columbia University, Ph.D. Ecology, 2008
Featured Publications & Products
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Helmers, David ; Martinuzzi, Sebastian ; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2022. Growth of the wildland-urban interface within and around U.S. National Forests and Grasslands, 1990-2010. Landscape and Urban Planning
- Schumann, Ronald L.; Mockrin, Miranda ; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Whittaker, Joshua ; Price, Owen ; Gaither, Cassandra Johnson; Emrich, Christopher T.; Butsic, Van. 2020. Wildfire recovery as a "hot moment" for creating fire-adapted communities. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
- Kramer, H. Anu; Butsic, Van ; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Ramirez-Reyes, Carlos ; Alexandre, Patricia M.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2021. Post-wildfire rebuilding and new development in California indicates minimal adaptation to fire risk. Land Use Policy
- Kramer, Heather Anu; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Alexandre, Patricia M.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2019. High wildfire damage in interface communities in California. International Journal of Wildland Fire
- Radeloff, Volker C.; Helmers, David P.; Kramer, H. Anu; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Alexandre, Patricia M.; Bar-Massada, Avi ; Butsic, Van ; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Martinuzzi, Sebastián ; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Stewart, Susan I. 2018. Rapid growth of the US wildland-urban interface raises wildfire risk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Fishler, Hillary K.; Stewart, Susan I. 2020. After the fire: Perceptions of land use planning to reduce wildfire risk in eight communities across the United States. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Publications & Products
- Carlson, Amanda R.; Helmers, David P.; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2022. The wildland-urban interface in the United States based on 125 million building locations. Ecological Applications
- Kondo, Michelle C.; Reid, Colleen E.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Heilman, Warren E.; Long, David. 2022. Socio-demographic and health vulnerability in prescribed-burn exposed versus unexposed counties near the National Forest System. Science of The Total Environment
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Fishler, Hillary K.; Kramer, H. Anu; Radeloff, Volker C.; Stewart, Susan I. 2022. A Tale of Two Fires: Retreat and Rebound a Decade After Wildfires in California and South Carolina. Society & Natural Resources
- Fishler, Hillary K.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I. 2019. Response and future readiness: Vegetation mitigation after destructive wildfire. In: Campbell, Lindsay K.; Svendsen, Erika; Sonti, Nancy Falxa; Hines, Sarah J.; Maddox, David, eds. Green readiness, response, and recovery: A collaborative synthesis. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-185. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 74-90.
- Kondo, Michelle ; De Roos, Anneclaire ; White, Lauren ; Heilman, Warren ; Mockrin, Miranda ; Gross-Davis, Carol ; Burstyn, Igor. 2019. Meta-Analysis of Heterogeneity in the Effects of Wildfire Smoke Exposure on Respiratory Health in North America. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Locke, Dexter H.; Stewart, Susan I; Hammer, Roger B.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2019. Forests, houses, or both? Relationships between land cover, housing characteristics, and resident socioeconomic status across ecoregions. Journal of Environmental Management
- Kramer, H. Anu; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Alexandre, Patricia M.; Stewart, Susan I; Radeloff, Volker C. 2018. Where wildfires destroy buildings in the US relative to the wildland-urban interface and national fire outreach programs. International Journal of Wildland Fire
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Fishler, Hillary K.; Stewart, Susan I. 2018. Does Wildfire Open a Policy Window? Local Government and Community Adaptation After Fire in the United States. Environmental Management
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I; Matonis, Megan S.; Johnson, Kenneth M.; Hammer, Roger B.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2018. Sprawling and diverse: The changing U.S. population and implications for public lands in the 21st Century. Journal of Environmental Management
- Binder, Seth; Haight, Robert G.; Polasky, Stephen; Warziniack, Travis; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Deal, Robert L.; Arthaud, Greg. 2017. Assessment and valuation of forest ecosystem services: State of the science review. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-170. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 47 p.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Reed, Sarah E.; Pejchar, Liba; Salo, Jessica. 2017. Balancing housing growth and land conservation: Conservation development preserves private lands near protected areas. Landscape and Urban Planning, 157: 598-607.
- Alexandre, Patricia M.; Stewart, Susan I.; Keuler, Nicholas S.; Clayton, Murray K.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Bar-Massada, Avi; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2016. Factors related to building loss due to wildfires in the conterminous United States. Ecological Applications. 26(7): 2323-2338.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Hammer, Roger B. 2016. Recovery and adaptation after wildfire on the Colorado Front Range (2010-12). International Journal of Wildland Fire
- Wigtil, Gabriel; Hammer, Roger B.; Kline, Jeffrey D.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I.; Roper, Daniel; Radeloff, Volker C. 2016. Places where wildfire potential and social vulnerability coincide in the coterminous United States. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 25: 896-908.
- Alexandre, Patricia M.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I.; Hammer, Roger B.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2015. Rebuilding and new housing development after wildfire. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 24: 138-149.
- Alexandre, Patricia M.; Stewart, Susan I.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Keuler, Nicholas S.; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Bar-Massada, Avi; Clayton, Murray K.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2015. The relative impacts of vegetation, topography and spatial arrangement on building loss to wildfires in case studies of California and Colorado. Landscape Ecology. 31: 415-430.
- Heath, Linda S.; Anderson, Sarah M.; Emery, Marla R.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Littell, Jeremy; Lucier, Alan; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Peterson, David L.; Pouyat, Richard; Potter, Kevin M.; Robertson, Guy; Sperry, Jinelle; Bytnerowicz, Andrzej; Jovan, Sarah; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Musselman, Robert; Schulz, Bethany K.; Smith, Robert J.; Stewart, Susan I. 2015. Indicators of climate impacts for forests: recommendations for the US National Climate Assessment indicators system. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-155. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 143 p.
- Martinuzzi, Sebastiín; Stewart, Susan I.; Helmers, David P.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Hammer, Roger B.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2015. The 2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States. Research Map NRS-8. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 124 p. [includes pull-out map].
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Hammer, Roger B.; Alexandre, Patricia M. 2015. Adapting to wildfire: Rebuilding after home loss. Society and Natural Resources: An International Journal. 28(8): 839-856.
- Pejchar, Liba; Reed, Sarah E.; Bixler, Patrick; Ex, Lindsay; Mockrin, Miranda H. 2015. Consequences of residential development for biodiversity and human well-being. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 13(3): 146-153.
- Baldwin, Rob; Scherzinger, Ryan; Lipscomb, Don; Mockrin, Miranda; Stein, Susan. 2014. Planning for land use and conservation: Assessing GIS-based conservation software for land use planning. Res. Note RMRS-RN-70. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 33 p.
- Mockrin, M. H.; Lilja, R. L.; Weidner, E.; Stein, S. M.; Carr, M. A. 2014. Private forests, housing growth, and America's water supply: A report from the Forests on the Edge and Forests to Faucets Projects. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-327. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 29 p.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Bowker, J. M.; Smith, Katherine; West, Cindi. 2014. Outdoor recreation in shifting societal and natural landscapes. In: Transactions of the Seventy-Ninth North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference. Denver, CO, March 10-14, 2014.
- Bar-Massada, Avi; Stewart, Susan I.; Hammer, Roger B.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2013. Using structure locations as a basis for mapping the wildland urban interface. Journal of Environmental Management. 128: 540-547.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Stewart, Susan I.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Hammer, Roger B.; Johnson, Kenneth M. 2013. Spatial and temporal residential density patterns from 1940 to 2000 in and around the Northern Forest. Population and Environment. 34(3): 400-419.
- Sturges, Frank; Joyce, Linda; Brown, Tom; Flather, Curt; Mockrin, Miranda; Reeves, Matt. 2013. Coming to a landscape near you: Natural resource changes in the Interior West. Science You Can Use Bulletin, Issue 8. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 13 p.
- Johnson, Kenneth M.; Stewart, Susan I.; Mockrin, Miranda H. 2012. Demographic change in the northern forest. Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire. Issue Brief no. 46. Winter 2012. 8 p.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Aiken, Richard A.; Flather, Curtis H. 2012. Wildlife-associated recreation trends in the United States: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-293. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 34 p.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Gravenmier, Rebecca A. 2012. Synthesis of wind energy development and potential impacts on wildlife in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-863. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 55 p
- Stewart, Susan I.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Hammer, Roger B. 2012. Linking human and natural systems in the planning process. In: Laband, David N.; Lockaby, B. Graeme; Zipperer, Wayne, eds. Urban-rural interfaces: Linking people and nature. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy; Soil Science Society of America; Crop Science Society of America. p. 275-286.
- Mockrin, Miranda H.; Rockwell, Robert F.; Redford, Kent H.; Keuler, Nicholas S. 2011. Effects of landscape features on the distribution and sustainability of ungulate hunting in northern Congo. Conservation Biology. 25(3): 514-525.
Research Datasets
- Radeloff, Volker C.; Helmers, David P.; Kramer, H. Anu; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Alexandre, Patricia M.; Bar Massada, Avi; Butsic, Van; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Martinuzzi, Sebastián; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Stewart, Susan I. 2017. The 1990-2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States - geospatial data (2nd Edition). Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2015-0012-2.
- Martinuzzi, Sebastián; Stewart, Susan I.; Helmers, David P.; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Hammer, Roger B.; Radeloff, Volker C. 2015. The 2010 wildland-urban interface of the conterminous United States - geospatial data (1st Edition). Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2015-0012.
National Research Highlights
Interface Areas Are Critical to Wildfire Losses
Year: 2019
In California, wildfire management has become more complex, costly, and dangerous. Research by a USDA Forest Service scientist and her partners found that wildfire losses in California are most common in settled areas with little wildland vegetation that are near large blocks of wildland vegetation. These areads contained more than 50 percent of all buildings lost to wildfire but composed only 2 percent of the area burned by wildfires during 1985 to 2013.
Rapid Wildland-Urban Interface Growth Increases Wildfire Challenges
Year: 2018
The wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes meet or intermingle with undeveloped forests and grasslands, is a critical area for wildfire and natural resource management. Both the number of homes in the WUI and total footprint of the WUI grew rapidly from 1990 to 2010, with broad implications for wildfire management and other natural resource management issues.
Leading by example: Federal agencies use Forest Service Data on Wildland-Urban Interface to reduce fire risk
Year: 2016
The U.S. Forest Service’s high-resolution mapping of wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas across the United States is being widely used through a Presidential Executive Order issued to reduce the risk of wildfire to Federal buildings. These data are available online for all users who want to do fine-grained analysis of WUI locations at the state or local level.
Rebuilding After Wildfire: New Development Outpaces Rebuilds
Year: 2016
When wildland fires destroy buildings, do people rebuild? This study shows that the number of buildings inside the perimeter five years after the wildfires was greater than the number of buildings before the fires. Most of these buildings were from new construction.
Adapting to Wildfire: Rebuilding After Home Loss
Year: 2015
Wildfire management now emphasizes fire-adapted communities that coexist with wildfires, although it is unclear how communities will progress to this goal. Hazards research suggests that rebuilding after wildfire may be a crucial opportunity for homeowner and community adaptation. This study explores rebuilding activity after the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire inBoulder, Colo., which destroyed 165 homes, to better understand individual and community adaptation after wildfire.
Changing Patterns of Wildlife Hunting and Viewing
Year: 2013
These findings help resource specialists explore the potential impacts of declining hunting participation, identify regions and activities that experience the greatest decline, anticipate changes to communities dependent on wildlife-associated recreation, and consider new mechanisms to fund wildlife management