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<\/a><\/p>\nOn one side of the net, \u201cIt\u2019s climate change!\u201d On the other, \u201cIt\u2019s lack of forest management!\u201d So which is it?<\/p>\n
Several well understood and scientifically established factors have contributed to the volume and intensity of this year\u2019s wildfires. In short, there are three key factors:<\/p>\n
1. Climate change. <\/strong><\/p>\n The summer of 2020 has been a hot one \u2014 with many Western states experiencing the hottest August on record. Rising temperatures associated with climate change evaporate more moisture from the ground, drying out the soil and making vegetation more flammable. Winter snowpacks are also melting earlier, making landscapes drier for longer periods of time.<\/p>\n Veteran firefighters I\u2019ve talked to all agree that this year\u2019s fuel load is more parched than ever, leading to unprecedented fire conditions.<\/p>\n As one firefighter put it<\/a>, \u201cYou won\u2019t find any climate deniers on the fire line.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Heavy fuel loads.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many decades of effective fire suppression in the West, particularly in California, have led to a build-up of flammable brush in forests and woodlands, including small trees, leaf litter, shrubs and dry grass.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve made some efforts to reduce fire risk through thinning and prescribed fire, but the pace and scale has been inadequate. As many are suffering the compounding impacts of COVID-19 and polluted air, we must all seek to better understand the multiple causes of wildfires and take action to address them. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n 3. Weather conditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n While climate describes what the weather is like over a long period of time in a specific area, weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, like the highly unusual lightning storm we experienced here in California in mid-August.<\/p>\n This single weather event ignited dozens of fires, many of which were still burning on September 8 when a second, though predictable, weather event \u2014 the dreaded north winds \u2014 began blowing with force, spreading the fires out of control.<\/p>\n Similarly unusual weather events have exacerbated fire risks in the Northwest.<\/p>\n How to address our fire problems<\/strong><\/p>\n The solution set for addressing fires requires a combination of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving forest management and learning to better prepare for fire.<\/p>\n