http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/wildfires/ Learn about the science of wildfires -- risk factors, smoke emissions, effective controls, role in forest ecology and long-term problems. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/wildfires/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192613.htm Fire is often thought of something that trees should be protected from, but a new study suggests that some trees may themselves contribute to the likelihood of wildfires in order to promote their own abundance at the expense of their competitors. The study says that positive feedback loops between fire and trees associated with savannas can make fires more likely in these ecosystems. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153635.htm An Israeli researcher's "hyperspectral remote sensor" combines sophisticated sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air to give advance warnings about contamination, pollution and weather disasters. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915154859.htm If future warming trends that scientists have projected are realized, one of the country's most aggressive exotic plants will have the potential to invade more US land area, according to a new study. The study found that tamarisk -- prevalent today in some parts of the region, but generally limited to warm and dry environments -- could expand its range into currently uninvaded areas. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915154859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924123314.htm Researchers in Spain have developed a new method for identifying the flammability of plant species by using a device that measures how construction materials react to fire. The technique can be used to improve fire risk maps. Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924123314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908133814.htm Beginning August 26, 2009, and continuing into September 2009, a large wildfire in the Angeles National Forest north of Los Angeles known as the Station Fire burned more than 140,000 acres through September 3. Carbon monoxide in the smoke from this large fire was lofted as high as 8.3 kilometers (27,000 feet) into the atmosphere, where it was observed by JPL's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908133814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825090755.htm The world's last remaining "pristine" forest -- the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries -- is under increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825090755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719193246.htm Two separate strategies for reducing the spread of red imported fire ants (RIFA) are being combined by scientists as part of a strategy that could potentially add to the arsenal against this spreading pest. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719193246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811091845.htm Staff from Poker Flat Research Range have traveled north to assist fire personnel in mapping Interior Alaska's Crazy Mountain Complex fires with unmanned aircraft. The team is stationed at Mile 145 of the Steese Highway, between Circle and Central. They have been deploying the aircraft since Aug. 5. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811091845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729132117.htm Large trees have declined in Yosemite National Park during the 20th century, and warmer climate conditions may play a role. The number of large-diameter trees in the park declined 24 percent between the 1930s and 1990s. Scientists compared the earliest records of large-diameter trees densities from 1932--1936 to the most recent records from 1988--1999. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729132117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123047.htm As the climate warms in the coming decades, atmospheric scientists expect that the frequency of wildfires will increase in many regions. The spike in the number of fires could also adversely affect air quality due to the greater presence of smoke. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090705141721.htm Even in its native Argentina, the fire ant wins in head-to-head competition with other ant species more than three-quarters of the time. Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090705141721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708132810.htm Widely sought efforts to reduce fuels that increase catastrophic fire in Pacific Northwest forests will be counterproductive to another important societal goal of sequestering carbon to help offset global warming, forestry researchers conclude in a new report. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708132810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123429.htm To better understand increasingly prevelant Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires -- and how best to prevent or fight them -- researchers have issued an in-depth case study on fire behavior and defensive actions taken in a community during a major WUI fire in California. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626091140.htm The recent increase in area burned by wildfires in the Western United States is a product not of higher temperatures or longer fire seasons alone, but a complex relationship between climate and fuels that varies among different ecosystems, according to a new study. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626091140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182433.htm Only 11 percent of wildfire mitigation efforts undertaken as a result of a long-term federal fuels-reduction program to cut down catastrophic wildfire risk to communities have been undertaken near people's homes or offices in the past five years, says a new study. Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182433.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519080045.htm Is fire an enemy of Mediterranean forests or a natural regulating factor of the ecosystem? What is the effect of climate change on the interactions? Researchers have found that it is a question of frequency, itself related to the stock of organic matter which determines life in soil. The results obtained have created new possibilities for better management of the most fragile ecosystems. Tue, 26 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519080045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144710.htm In the last decade, Asian farmers have cleared tens of thousands of square miles of forests to accommodate the world's growing demand for palm oil, an increasingly popular food ingredient. Ancient peatlands have been drained and lush tropical forests have been cut down. As a result, the landscape of equatorial Asia now lies vulnerable to fires, which are growing more frequent and having a serious impact on the air as well as the land. Sun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430091057.htm Researchers have detected common plant toxins that affect human health and ecosystems in smoke from forest fires. The results from the new study also suggest that smoldering fires may produce more toxins than wildfires - a reason to keep human exposures to a minimum during controlled burns. Finding these toxins -- known as alkaloids -- helps researchers understand how they cycle through earth and air. Sat, 02 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430091057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427091548.htm Researchers in Japan are reporting development of a new type of ice that may provide a more efficient, environmentally-friendly method for putting out fires, including out-of control blazes that destroy homes and forests. Fri, 01 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427091548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142332.htm Fire's potent and pervasive effects on ecosystems and on many Earth processes, including climate change, have been underestimated. Fire is a response to a warming climate -- and is also a driver of future warming, according to an article in the journal Science. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423142332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421111701.htm The increase in warmer and drier climates predicted to occur under climate change scenarios has led many scientists to also predict a global increase in the number of wildfires. But a new study shows that in some cases, changes in the types of plants growing in an area could override the effects of climate change on wildfire frequency. Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421111701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407223636.htm Rainforest reserves -- even those disturbed by roads -- provide an important buffer against fires that are devastating parts of the Brazilian Amazon, according to a new study. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407223636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401182835.htm A new report suggests that climate changes are poised to affect virtually every sector of the state of California's economy and most of its ecosystems. Loss of agricultural land and increased risk of wildfires are among the potential outcomes of global warming for California. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401182835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407223642.htm Climate change will bring about major shifts in worldwide fire patterns, and those changes are coming fast, according to a new analysis. Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407223642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319121552.htm Scientists compared the effectiveness of fire fuel reduction methods under the U.S. National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study. Four articles examine the effects of prescribed burns, mechanical treatment (usually thinning of the smallest trees) and a combination of both with control plots at 12 study sites in forests across the United States. Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319121552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090320092117.htm No single decision-support system exists for selecting alternatives for post-fire management. That thesis is what a recently released report on management after fire hinges upon. New research tells us that the type of forest landscape determines the ways fire and logging may change an area after a wildfire. Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090320092117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304182109.htm The greater duration of heat in a summer-prescribed burn provides more effective management of encroaching woody or cactus species on rangeland, scientists report. Controlling encroachments of prickly pear, mesquite, juniper and other rangeland plants that compete with grass can be pretty expensive without the use of fire in controlled burn situations. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304182109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226102308.htm As debate rages over the safety of the Australian policy of encouraging willing and able residents to stay and defend their property from wildfires, fire researchers say that the strategy is worth consideration in California and other regions in the United States. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226102308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226110816.htm An experimental fire that was deliberately set in Portugal has provided researchers in the Netherlands with the first information about the soil erosion that occurs after forest fires. A research team set fire to 10 ha of heathland under controlled conditions. The experiment is not only important for areas in the Mediterranean that have burned or are threatened with fire, but also for Australia, where it is expected that the drinking water supply will be threatened following the recent forest fires. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226110816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090222142152.htm Severe fires in Indonesia -- responsible for some of the worst air quality conditions worldwide -- are linked not only to drought, but also to changes in land use and population density, according to a new study. Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090222142152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126173729.htm New data disproves the recent theory that a large comet exploded over North America 12,900 years ago, causing a shock wave that traveled across North America at hundreds of kilometers per hour and triggering continent-wide wildfires. Scientists tested the theory by examining charcoal and pollen records to assess how fire regimes in North America changed between 15 and 10,000 years ago, a time of large and rapid climate changes. Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126173729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090122141222.htm A new study led by the US Geological Survey and involving the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates tree deaths in the West's old-growth forests have more than doubled in recent decades, likely from regional warming and related drought conditions. Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090122141222.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112201210.htm Ecologists have identified the invasive plant species they believes pose the biggest threats to southern forest ecosystems in 2009. Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112201210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090116142119.htm Slight changes in climate may trigger major abrupt ecosystem responses that are not easily reversible. Some of these responses, including insect outbreaks, wildfire, and forest dieback, may adversely affect people and ecosystems and their plants and animals. Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090116142119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180339.htm In the rainforests of equatorial Asia, a link between drought and deforestation is fueling global warming, finds an international study. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203184930.htm The first report on the state of California forests provides information on biomass, carbon stocks, wood volume, biodiversity, disturbance and more. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203184930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120072904.htm Detailed particulate analysis of the smoke produced by previous California wild fires indicates that the composition posed more serious potential threats to health than is generally realized, according to a new paper analyzing particulate matter from wildfires in Southern California. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120072904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117163354.htm Images from NASA satellites give a wider perspective of the full extent and devastation of the wildfires raging in Southern California. Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117163354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081118131859.htm Raging wildfires that engulfed Southern California earlier this decade not only destroyed neighborhoods laying in their path, they also caused significant health problems for many who lived outside the fires' reach. Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081118131859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107143853.htm Scientists recently completed a study and analysis of large-diameter forests and discovered that elevated fire levels in the Pacific Northwest outweighed harvest reductions in the loss of older forests. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107143853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106122820.htm In the French Mediterranean region, scattered habitations are gradually gaining on the forest, increasing the risk of fire start-ups and creating new elements that need protection. In Aix-en-Provence, Cemagref has developed a quasi-automatic method to map habitat–forest interfaces. This tool is of primary interest to land use managers and the actors involved in the fight against forest fires to prevent risk as well as to protect populations and property in case of fire. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081106122820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144115.htm Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate US health standards. A new study has found that California wildfires in 2007 tripled the number of ozone violations across a broad area. Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016124041.htm A new study led by the Pacific Northwest Research Station represents the first direct evidence of the toll wildfire can take on forest soil layers. It draws on data from the 2002 Biscuit Fire, which scorched some 500,000 acres in southwest Oregon. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016124041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183823.htm Natural grass fires are evidently more important for the ecology of savannahs than has previously been assumed. This is the finding of a study carried out in Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia. It is the first study to have investigated the complex interplay of the factors fire, competition, moisture and seed availability in relation to a grass species. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925165511.htm Most residents in fire-prone communities surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest have taken steps to protect their homes from wildland fires, according to a US Forest Service study completed this summer. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925165511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080921162046.htm Climate has been implicated by a new study as a major driver of wildfires in the last 2,000 years. But human activities, such as land clearance and fire suppression during the industrial era (since 1750) have created large swings in burning, first increasing fires until the late 1800s, and then dramatically reducing burning in the 20th century. Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080921162046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915083725.htm When disaster threatens, the first hours are crucial. Researchers have developed an automated system to provide early detection, forecasting, and warning of natural disasters such as floods and wildfires. Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915083725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090620.htm The effectiveness of the media to inform the public during evacuations and wildland fire effects on recreation are some topics addressed in a US Forest Service report published this month that is a compilation of 17 studies on the social science aspects of fires. Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090620.htm