CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new wildfire risk assessment tool that takes social vulnerability into account indicates more than 400 communities in the Pacific Northwest are at greater risk than previously thought. However, researchers at Oregon State University and The Nature Conservancy say their assessment tool could inform fair distribution of risk reduction resources. Andy McEvoy of the OSU College of Forestry led the creation of the tool, which integrates social vulnerability with factors such as structure density and environmental hazard. …The researchers found that Northwest communities with both high wildfire hazard and high social vulnerability tended to be small – having fewer than 5,000 buildings – and were mainly in the drier portions of the region. …“This tool balances the important element of social vulnerability with wildfire exposure, highlighting communities that are experiencing a relatively high degree of both,” co-author Chris Dunn, also of the College of Forestry said.