Joseph Anderson
Statewide Risk Reduction Programs Manager
Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands
Joseph Anderson serves as the Statewide Risk Reduction Programs Manager for the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands, overseeing both the Cooperative Wildfire System and the new High Risk WUI program. WUI, or Wildland-Urban Interface, are areas where communities and natural landscapes meet. In this role, he facilitates the long-standing partnership between state and local governments to identify and reduce wildfire risk to help protect communities, infrastructure, and natural resources from wildfire impacts. A new component of that initiative is the High Risk WUI program which addresses wildfire risk through parcel level risk assessments and homeowner education. Due to the cross-boundary nature of wildfires, Anderson’s work requires collaborative planning among multiple jurisdictions to address community preparedness, hazardous fuels reduction strategies, and wildfire prevention efforts.
Session(s):
Drawing the Line: The Connection between Wildfire Risk, WUI Maps, and Insurance »
APA Utah 2026 Spring Conference: Bryce Canyon, April 8, 2026 3:00 pmThis panel will discuss the connections between rising wildfire risk and growing challenges in the property insurance market. Join one of Utah's leading wildfire researchers, the state high-risk WUI program manager, and the Utah state insurance commissioner as they discuss how risk maps created by recent legislation could influence planning decisions, wildfire risk, and the availability and affordability of insurance in fire-prone communities.
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