Climate change has driven a significant increase in wildfires in recent decades. But in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, University of Arizona researchers show North American forests still aren’t burning as often as they did historically, and that’s a problem.
The researchers looked over centuries of tree ring data from across North America.They found that widespread wildfires were happening every 10 to 20 years before the 1880s. Since then, the area burned annually has been much smaller.
From 1984 to 2022, the researchers say North America had only about a quarter the number of wildfires that it would have had historically. Major blazes in the last few years still have not closed the gap.
That means, when fires do happen now, they’re much more destructive and intense, since there’s more brush and dead wood to burn.
“Although contemporary fire extent is not unprecedented across many North American forests, there is abundant evidence that unprecedented contemporary fire severity is driving forest loss in many ecosystems and adversely impacting human lives, infrastructure, and water supplies,” the study’s authors wrote.
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Arizona lawmakers are considering two bills that would enhance fire departments’ ability to communicate with other agencies during a wildfire and pay for engines and water tenders that can travel over rugged terrain. -
State senators advanced a proposal on Monday that would protect power companies from lawsuits if they start wildfires. -
Arizona Public Service has installed about half of its planned wildfire detecting cameras across the state, and they’ve already spotted at least two fire starts. -
State lawmakers are debating whether public utilities should have protection from lawsuits if their wires cause a wildfire. -
Grand Canyon visitors who violate fire restrictions and speed limits will now face steeper fines.
