Research Database
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Gazing into the flames: A guide to assessing the impacts of climate change on landscape fire
Year: 2026
Widespread impacts of landscape fire on ecosystems, societies, and the climate system itself have heightened the need to understand the potential future trajectory of fire under continued climate change. However, the complexity of fire makes climate change impact assessment challenging. The climate system influences fire in many ways, including through vegetation, fuel dryness, fire weather, and ignition. Furthermore, fire’s impacts are highly diverse, spanning threats to human and ecological values and beneficial ecosystem and cultural services. Here, we discuss the art and science of…
Publication Type: Journal Article
Severe fire has impacted populations of the California spotted owl more than fuels management or drought-related tree mortality
Year: 2025
Reducing fuel densities is the primary tool available to improve forest resilience to intensifying disturbance, but implementation is constrained by concern of effects to mature-forest associated species, such as spotted owls (Strix occidentalis). While the negative effects of severe fire on spotted owls are well studied, the influence of drought and fuels management on populations is uncertain, impeding fuels management. We integrated a novel dataset of California disturbance history with passive acoustic monitoring to compare the effects of severe fire, drought, and fuels…
Publication Type: Journal Article