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Climate Change and Fire
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Escalating wildfire activity in the western United States has accelerated adverse societal impacts. Observed increases in wildfire severity and impacts to communities have diverse anthropogenic causes—including the legacy of fire suppression policies, increased development in high-risk zones, and aridification by a warming climate.
Widespread exposure to altered fire regimes under 2 °C warming is projected to transform conifer forests of the Western United States
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Changes in wildfire frequency and severity are altering conifer forests and pose threats to biodiversity and natural climate solutions. Where and when feedbacks between vegetation and fire could mediate forest transformation are unresolved.
Future regional increases in simultaneous large Western USA wildfires
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Background: Wildfire simultaneity affects the availability and distribution of resources for fire management: multiple small fires require more resources to fight than one large fire does. Aims: The aim of this study was to project the effects of climate change on simultaneous large wildfires in the Western USA, regionalised by administrative divisions used for wildfire management.
Proportion of forest area burned at high-severity increases with increasing forest cover and connectivity in western US watersheds
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Context In western US forests, the increasing frequency of large high-severity fires presents challenges for society. Quantifying how fuel conditions influence high-severity area is important for managing risks of large high-severity fires and understanding how they are changing with climate change.
Human and climatic influences on wildfires ignited by recreational activities in national forests in Washington, Oregon, and California
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
In Washington, Oregon, and California, ignitions from recreational activities accounted for 12% of human-caused wildfires, and 8% of the area burned, from 1992–2020. Wildfires ignited by recreational activities not only increase fire suppression expenditures but have the potential to limit recreational activities traditionally associated with use of fire, such as camping.
Abrupt, climate-induced increase in wildfires in British Columbia since the mid-2000s
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
In the province of British Columbia, Canada, four of the most severe wildfire seasons of the last century occurred in the past 7 years: 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023. To investigate trends in wildfire activity and fire-conducive climate, we conducted an analysis of mapped wildfire perimeters and annual climate data for the period of 1919–2021.
Refuge-yeah or refuge-nah? Predicting locations of forest resistance and recruitment in a fiery world
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Climate warming, land use change, and altered fire regimes are driving ecological transformations that can have critical effects on Earth's biota. Fire refugia—locations that are burned less frequently or severely than their surroundings—may act as sites of relative stability during this period of rapid change by being resistant to fire and supporting post-fire recovery in adjacent areas.
Wildfire and climate change amplify knowledge gaps linking mountain source-water systems and agricultural water supply in the western United States
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Agricultural production in the western United States relies on water supplies from mountain source-water systems that are sensitive to impacts from wildfire and a changing climate. The resultant challenges to water supply forecasting directly impact agricultural producers and irrigation managers who rely on snowmelt and streamflow forecasts for crop selection and irrigation scheduling.
Anthropogenic climate change impacts exacerbate summer forest fires in California
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Record-breaking summer forest fires have become a regular occurrence in California. Observations indicate a fivefold increase in summer burned area (BA) in forests in northern and central California during 1996 to 2021 relative to 1971 to 1995.
Drivers of California’s changing wildfires: a state-of-the-knowledge synthesis
Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type
Over the past four decades, annual area burned has increased significantly in California and across the western USA. This trend reflects a confluence of intersecting factors that affect wildfire regimes. It is correlated with increasing temperatures and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit.
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