Wildfire Susceptibility Mapping for Wildland–Urban Interface Areas: A Case Study of Gangneung City, South Korea

Wildland–urban interface (WUI) wildfires pose escalating threats worldwide due to climate change and urban expansion. Gangneung City, South Korea, accounts for approximately 56% of provincial wildfire damage over the past decade, highlighting the need for systematic WUI susceptibility assessment. This study developed a high-resolution wildfire susceptibility map for forest-adjacent areas in Gangneung City and validated it using historical fire records from 1991 to 2024. Thirteen susceptibility factors in four categories—forest–topographic, anthropogenic, accessibility, and fire-response—were weighted using a literature-based frequency method and mapped at 10 m × 10 m resolution into four grades (Grade 1: very high to Grade 4: low). High-susceptibility zones (Grades 1–2) covered 51.7% of the total area, rising to 91.9% within interior forest-adjacent zones. Of 206 historical fires, 139 (67.5%) occurred within forest-adjacent zones; 93.4% of interior-zone fires fell in high-susceptibility areas. Hikers’ negligence was the leading ignition cause (30.8%). This is the first South Korean study to map WUI wildfire susceptibility distinguishing interior and exterior forest-adjacent zones at 10 m resolution, with spatial validity confirmed through over 30 years of fire records. The map provides a practical decision-support tool for spatially targeted WUI fire prevention and resource deployment at the local government level.