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Global rise in forest fire emissions linked to climate change in the extratropics

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Climate change increases fire-favorable weather in forests, but fire trends are also affected by multiple other controlling factors that are difficult to untangle. We use machine learning to systematically group forest ecoregions into 12 global forest pyromes, with each showing distinct sensitivities to climatic, human, and vegetation controls.

The cost of operational complexity: A causal assessment of pre-fire mitigation and wildfire suppression

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Pre-fire mitigation efforts that include the installation and maintenance of fuel breaks are integral to wildfire suppression in Southern California. Fuel breaks alter fire behavior and assist in fire suppression at strategic locations on the landscape. However, the combined effectiveness of fuel breaks and wildfire suppression is not well studied.

Contemporary fires are less frequent but more severe in dry conifer forests of the southwestern United States

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Wildfires in the southwestern United States are increasingly frequent and severe, but whether these trends exceed historical norms remains contested. Here we combine dendroecological records, satellite-derived burn severity, and field measured tree mortality to compare historical (1700-1880) and contemporary (1985-2020) fire regimes at tree-ring fire-scar sites in Arizona and New Mexico.

Stream chemical response is mediated by hydrologic connectivity and fire severity in a Pacific Northwest forest

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

Large-scale wildfires are becoming increasingly common in the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest (USA), with predicted increases in fire prevalence under future climate scenarios. Wildfires can alter streamflow response to precipitation and mobilize water quality constituents, which pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and downstream drinking water treatment.

Tribal stewardship for resilient forest socio-ecosystems

Year of Publication
2024
Publication Type

The Yurok Tribe, along with other tribal communities in northwest California, non-profit organizations, universities, and governmental agencies are working to restore forests and woodlands to be more resilient to wildfires, drought, pests and diseases.