Wildfires News

December 1, 2023

Top Headlines

First Comprehensive Look at Effects of 2020-2021 California Megafires on Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat

Nov. 21, 2023 — In 2020 and 2021, California experienced fire activity unlike anything recorded in the modern record. When the smoke cleared, the amount of burned forest totaled ten times more than the annual ...

Reforms Needed to Expand Prescribed Burns

Nov. 16, 2023 — A new paper pinpoints obstacles and suggests strategies for getting more prescribed fire on the ground in the wildfire-prone U.S. ...

Wildfire, Drought Cause $11.2 Billion in Damage to Private Timberland in Three Pacific States, Study Finds

Nov. 13, 2023 — Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study ...

Southern Alaska's National Forests Key to Meeting Climate, Conservation Goals

Nov. 8, 2023 — Analyses of U.S. national forests shows that increased protections for two Alaskan forests is a key to meeting climate and biodiversity ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:10pm EST

Low-Intensity Fires Reduce Wildfire Risk by 60%

Nov. 10, 2023 — High-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S. Researchers quantified the value of managed low-intensity burning to dramatically reduce the ...

Lightning Identified as the Leading Cause of Wildfires in Boreal Forests, Threatening Carbon Storage

Nov. 9, 2023 — Most wildfires in boreal forests, such as those in Canada, are caused by lightning strikes, according to a study aimed at attributing fire ignition ...

The Kids Aren't Alright: Saplings Reveal How Changing Climate May Undermine Forests

Nov. 3, 2023 — Researchers studied how young trees respond to a hotter, drier climate. Their findings can help shape forest management policy and our understanding ...

New Study Shows Surprising Effects of Fire in North America's Boreal Forests

Oct. 23, 2023 — Using satellite images, researchers found that fires in North America's boreal forest may be changing the environment in ways that researchers didn't ...

Subalpine Forests in the Northern Rockies Are Fire Resilient--for Now

Oct. 17, 2023 — Using lake sediment cores, scientists determined how these subalpine ecosystems recovered after 4,800 years of ...

Wildfires Threaten Environmental Gains in Climate-Crucial Amazon

Oct. 16, 2023 — Despite steps toward decreasing deforestation, uncontrolled wildfires are threatening environmental gains in Brazilian Amazonia, one of the world's most critical carbon sinks and a region of high ...

Research Shows Wildfire Smoke May Linger in Homes Long After Initial Blaze

Oct. 13, 2023 — Newly published research on indoor air quality shows wildfire smoke may linger in homes long after the initial blaze has been put out or winds have shifted. The findings show that wildfire smoke ...

Epiphytes, Amazing Plants Like Moss and Bromeliads Found in Trees, Face Growing Threats

Oct. 11, 2023 — Epiphytes, plants such as orchids and mosses that grow in trees, draw nutrients from the air and create refuge for all sorts of other life forms. ...

New Study Offers Improved Strategy for Social Media Communications During Wildfires

Oct. 10, 2023 — New research offers an improved strategy for social media communications during wildfires and contradicting existing crisis communication ...

Extreme Fires and Heavy Rainfall Driving Platypuses from Their Homes

Oct. 4, 2023 — Australia's emerging pattern of severe mega bushfires and heavy rainfall may be driving platypuses from their homes, a new study has shown. Analysis of platypus DNA in rivers and creek water samples ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Simultaneous Large Wildfires Will Increase in Western U.S.

Oct. 4, 2023 — Simultaneous outbreaks of large wildfires will become more frequent in the Western United States this century as the climate warms, putting major strains on efforts to fight fires, according to new ...

Controlled Burns Help Prevent Wildfires; Climate Change Is Limiting Their Use

Oct. 3, 2023 — Climate change means the American West will have 17% fewer safe days to light prescribed fires for wildfire management, according to new research. Winter, however, will see a net 4% increase in the ...

Climate and Human Land Use Both Play Roles in Pacific Island Wildfires Past and Present

Oct. 2, 2023 — It’s long been understood that human settlement contributes to conditions that make Pacific Islands more susceptible to wildfires, such as the devastating Aug. 8 event that destroyed the Maui ...

Scientists Reveal What Fuels Wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains

Sep. 25, 2023 — Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there's a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ...

By Air, Rain and Land: How Microbes Return After a Wildfire

Sep. 25, 2023 — Ecological disturbances like wildfires disrupt microbial communities. Researchers found that dispersal played a pivotal role in re-establishing surface-level ...

Socially Vulnerable Populations Are Disproportionately Exposed to Wildfires in the Western US

Sep. 20, 2023 — People experiencing a high degree of social vulnerability are also more exposed to wildfires in Oregon and Washington as wildfire risk increases, a new study ...

Alarming Results from World First Study of Two Decades of Global Smoke Pollution

Sep. 20, 2023 — The world's first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of ...

Almost Half of Koala Habitats Will Be Under High Bushfire Threat by 2070

Sep. 18, 2023 — The research team generated a series of fire susceptibility maps. These show the proportion of Australia experiencing 'high' or 'very high' fire susceptibility increasing from ...

Largest Historic Fire Death Toll Belongs to Aftermath of 1923 Japan Earthquake

Sep. 12, 2023 — Fires that raged in the days following the 1 September 1923 magnitude 7.9 Kant earthquake killed roughly 90% of the 105,000 people who perished in and around Tokyo, making it one of the deadliest ...

New Research Highlights Opportunities to Protect Carbon and Communities from Forest Fires

Sep. 6, 2023 — As the climate and wildfire crises have intensified, so too have concerns regarding the loss of carbon captured and stored in forests from decades to centuries of tree growth. A new study describes ...

Wildfire, Soil Emissions Increasing Air Pollution in Remote Forests

Aug. 29, 2023 — Nitrogen dioxide levels in remote forest areas are increasing, and wildfire and soil emissions are likely the reasons why, finds a new ...

Despite Fears to the Contrary, Canadian Wildfire Smoke Exposure Was Not Much Worse Than a Bad Pollen Day in New York City

Aug. 23, 2023 — New Yorkers can apparently breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now. Their exposure to the smoke in June 2023 from Canadian wildfires led to only a slightly higher bump in visits to New York City ...

REBURN: A New Tool to Model Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond

Aug. 21, 2023 — Researchers have developed a new tool, REBURN, that can simulate large forest landscapes and wildfire dynamics over decades or centuries under different wildfire management strategies. The model can ...

Without Aggressive Climate Action, U.S. Property Values Will Take a Hit from Escalating Wildfire Risk and Tree Mortality, Study Finds

Aug. 17, 2023 — Research attempts to quantify the value of U.S. property at risk in forested areas exposed to increased ecological disturbance associated with climate change, such as wildfire and tree mortality. ...

Dry Lightning Can Spark Wildfires Even Under Wetter Conditions

Aug. 14, 2023 — Dry lightning can still be disastrous even when conditions aren't so dry, a study has found. These cloud-to-ground strikes during little to no rainfall were previously thought to pose wildfire ...

Wildfires and Farming Activities May Be Top Sources of Air Pollution Linked to Increased Risk, Cases of Dementia

Aug. 14, 2023 — No amount of air pollution is good for the brain, but wildfires and the emissions resulting from agriculture and farming in particular may pose especially toxic threats to cognitive health, according ...

Wildfires Emit Potent Climate-Warming Organic Particles

Aug. 7, 2023 — Researchers found that wildfires are causing a much greater warming effect than has been accounted for by climate scientists. The work, which focuses on the role of 'dark brown carbon' -- ...

Scientists Dig Into Wildfire Predictions, Long-Term Impacts

Aug. 2, 2023 — Wildfires are an ancient force shaping the environment, but they have grown in frequency, range and intensity in response to a changing climate. Scientists are working on several fronts to better ...

Research Supports Use of Managed and Prescribed Fires to Reduce Fire Severity

July 25, 2023 — Scientists found that fires in America's dry conifer forests are burning hotter and killing more trees today than in previous centuries. The main culprit? Paradoxically, a lack of ...

Picturing Where Wildlands and People Meet at a Global Scale

July 19, 2023 — Researchers have created the first tool to map and visualize the areas where human settlements and nature meet on a global scale. The tool could improve responses to environmental conflicts like ...

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Simultaneous Large Wildfires Will Increase in Western U.S.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Controlled Burns Help Prevent Wildfires; Climate Change Is Limiting Their Use

Monday, October 2, 2023

Climate and Human Land Use Both Play Roles in Pacific Island Wildfires Past and Present

Monday, September 25, 2023

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Monday, September 18, 2023

Almost Half of Koala Habitats Will Be Under High Bushfire Threat by 2070

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Largest Historic Fire Death Toll Belongs to Aftermath of 1923 Japan Earthquake

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

New Research Highlights Opportunities to Protect Carbon and Communities from Forest Fires

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Wildfire, Soil Emissions Increasing Air Pollution in Remote Forests

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Despite Fears to the Contrary, Canadian Wildfire Smoke Exposure Was Not Much Worse Than a Bad Pollen Day in New York City

Monday, August 21, 2023

REBURN: A New Tool to Model Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Without Aggressive Climate Action, U.S. Property Values Will Take a Hit from Escalating Wildfire Risk and Tree Mortality, Study Finds

Monday, August 14, 2023

Monday, August 7, 2023

Wildfires Emit Potent Climate-Warming Organic Particles

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Scientists Dig Into Wildfire Predictions, Long-Term Impacts

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Research Supports Use of Managed and Prescribed Fires to Reduce Fire Severity

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Hidden Cameras Spot Wildlife Returning Home After 2018 Megafire

Monday, July 17, 2023

What Causes Mudslides and Floods After Wildfires? Hint: It's Not What Scientists Thought

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Fungi Blaze a Trail to Fireproof Cladding

Monday, July 10, 2023

Addressing Justice in Wildfire Risk Management

Monday, July 3, 2023

Three Things to Know: Climate Change's Impact on Extreme-Weather Events

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Wildfire Smoke Downwind Affects Health, Wealth, Mortality

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Wildfire Spread Risk Increases Where Trees, Shrubs Replace Grasses

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

African Smoke Over the Amazon

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Scientists Discover Fire Records Embedded Within Sand Dunes

Monday, April 17, 2023

Methane from Megafires: More Spew Than We Knew

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Wildfires and Animal Biodiversity

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Bushfire Safe Rooms May Save Lives

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Friday, March 3, 2023

Wildfires in 2021 Emitted a Record-Breaking Amount of Carbon Dioxide

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Experts Demand Fire Safety Policy Change Over Health Impact of Widely Used Flame Retardants

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

A Fifth of California's Sierra Nevada Conifer Forests Are Stranded in Habitats That Have Grown Too Warm for Them

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

New Technique Maps Large-Scale Impacts of Fire-Induced Permafrost Thaw in Alaska

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Understanding Plants Can Boost Wildland-Fire Modeling in Uncertain Future

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

How to Apply Lessons from Colorado's Costliest Wildfire to Drinking Water Systems

Friday, January 20, 2023

Unprecedented Levels of High-Severity Fire Burn in Sierra Nevada

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Monday, January 16, 2023

20,000 Premature US Deaths Caused by Human-Ignited Fires Each Year

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Bird Diversity Increased in Severely Burned Forests of Southern Appalachian Mountains

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Wildfire Threats Not Commonly Disclosed by US Firms Despite Risk to Economy

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

For 400 Years, Indigenous Tribes Buffered Climate's Impact on Wildfires in the American Southwest

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

'Digital Footprints' Central to New Approach for Studying Post-Disturbance Recreation Changes

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Major Fires an Increasing Risk as the Air Gets Thirstier, Research Shows

Monday, November 28, 2022

When Cyclones and Fires Collide...

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Researchers Design Model That Predicts Which Buildings Will Survive Wildfire

Monday, October 24, 2022

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Land in a Cyclone's Wake Becomes More Vulnerable to Forest Fires

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Warmer Stream Temperatures in Burned-Over Oregon Watershed Didn't Result in Fewer Trout

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Study Finds Higher Rates of Traumatic Injuries for Outdoor Workers During Hotter Weather

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Cattle Grazing With Virtual Fencing Shows Potential to Create Wildfire Fuel Breaks, Study Finds

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Indoor Air Quality Experiments Show Exposure Risks While Cooking, Cleaning

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Now You Don't Have to Wait for Smoke to Know Where Fires Are Likely to Occur

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Pollutants from Burning Structures Linger in Waterways Post-Wildfire

Friday, September 9, 2022

New AI System Predicts How to Prevent Wildfires

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Smoke from the Black Summer Wildfires in Australia Impacted the Climate and High Altitude Winds of the Southern Hemisphere for More Than a Year and a Half

Thursday, September 1, 2022

The Impact of Megafires on Estuaries from Australia's 'Black Summer'

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Wildfire Experts Provide Guidance for New Research Directions

Monday, August 8, 2022

Dry Lightning Sparks Some of the Most Destructive and Costly Wildfires in California

Friday, August 5, 2022

Air Pollution, Including During Wildfires, Shows Ill Effects in Children

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Wildfires Disproportionately Affect the Poor

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Monday, July 25, 2022

New Methodology Helps Predict Soil Recovery After Wildfires

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Wildfire-Smoke Observations Fill Gap in Estimating Soot's Role in Climate Change

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Monday, July 4, 2022

Wildfires May Have Sparked Ecosystem Collapse During Earth's Worst Mass Extinction

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Simultaneous Extreme Weather Created Dangerous Cascades in U.S.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Insight Into Past--and Future--of Western US Wildfires

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Wildfire Smoke Exposure Negatively Impacts Dairy Cow Health

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Thursday, June 9, 2022

How 'green Islands' Help Forests Regenerate After Fire

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Scientists Use AI to Update Data Vegetation Maps for Improved Wildfire Forecasts

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Wealthiest Homeowners Most at Risk of Wildfire Hazard

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Silicone Wristbands Track Firefighters' Exposures to Harmful Chemicals

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Scientists Develop Method for Seasonal Prediction of Western Wildfires

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

High Rates of Landscape Degradation Not Product of Landscape Fires

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Validation Brings New Predictive Capability to Global Megafire Smoke Impacts

Monday, May 16, 2022

Study Provides Long-Term Look at Ways to Control Wildfire in Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem