Forest Preserves of Cook County & Chicago Wilderness Alliance
Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan

Living Habitats led the graphic design and production of the 2024 Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan, a collaborative document spearheaded by the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) to analyze the risk of wildfires in six counties within the Chicago Area through wildland urban intermix and interface (WUI/I). Supported by research and writing from the team’s working group, a panel of experts from the FPCC, Lake County Forest Preserves, GIS data analysts, and wildfire specialists, the study unpacked the risks, hazards, and community values to determine the level of concern posed by the threats of wildfires in the area. The counties that participated in the study included Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will, with a total county acreage of over 2 million. The Plan’s findings identify areas with the highest Level of Concern, identify examples of critical infrastructure, and alert homeowners and land management agencies of the risk factors so that preventable measures can be taken.

Living Habitats attended working group meetings throughout the development of document text and graphics and led the production and design of the Plan, produced for both digital and print use. The Plan is publicly available via the CWA website and has been formally adopted and supported by the CWA Executive Council, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs of Illinois, participating counties, and their respective Forest Preserve Districts.

Location:
Chicago, Illinois

Date:
2023 – 2024

Client:
Forest Preserve District of Cook County & Chicago Wilderness Alliance