The wildland-urban interface (WUI), where housing is in close proximity to or intermingled with wildland vegetation, is widespread throughout the United States, but it is unclear how this type of housing development affects public lands. We used a national dataset to examine WUI distribution and growth (1990–2010) in proximity to National Forests and created a typology to characterize each National Forest’s combination of WUI area and housing growth. We found that National Forests are hotspots for WUI growth, with a 38% increase in WUI area and 46% growth in WUI houses from 1990 to 2010, in excess of WUI growth for the conterminous U.S. Growth within National Forests was higher than the surrounding area. Diffuse intermix WUI, where houses are intermingled with wildland vegetation, is common within National Forests, but WUI houses around National Forests were primarily in denser interface WUI areas, which lack substantial wildland vegetation. WUI was more prevalent within and around National Forests in the East, while National Forests in the West experienced higher rates of WUI growth. National Forests with the most challenging WUI issues—extensive WUI area and rapid growth in intermix and interface—were found primarily in the South and interior West. Given the diversity of WUI landscapes, effectively responding to current and future WUI challenges will require both engagement with individual homeowners dispersed throughout National Forests, as well as increased emphasis on mitigating denser interface development around National Forests. At a time when wildfire risks are expected to intensify due to climate change, and 75% of privately owned land within and around National Forests is not yet WUI, understanding WUI growth patterns in proximity to public lands is vital for land management and human well-being.

荒地-城市界面 (WUI) 的房屋靠近荒地植被或与荒地植被混合，在美国各地普遍存在，但尚不清楚这种类型的住房开发如何影响公共土地。我们使用国家数据集来检查国家森林附近的 WUI 分布和增长（1990-2010 年），并创建了一个类型学来表征每个国家森林的 WUI 面积和住房增长的组合。我们发现国家森林是 WUI 增长的热点，从 1990 年到 2010 年，WUI 面积增长了 38%，WUI 房屋增长了 46%，超过了美国本土的 WUI 增长 国家森林内的增长高于周边地区. 房屋与荒地植被混合的弥漫性混合 WUI 在国家森林中很常见，但国家森林周围的 WUI 房屋主要位于较密集的 WUI 界面区域，缺乏大量的荒地植被。WUI 在东部国家森林内部和周围更为普遍，而西部国家森林的 WUI 增长率更高。具有最具挑战性的 WUI 问题的国家森林——广泛的 WUI 区域和混合和界面的快速增长——主要位于南部和西部内陆地区。鉴于 WUI 景观的多样性，有效应对当前和未来的 WUI 挑战将需要与分散在国家森林中的个人房主接触，以及更加重视减轻国家森林周围更密集的界面开发。在预计野火风险因气候变化而加剧之际，