Research Database
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Large projected increases in area burned and wildfire frequency by 2050 in Utah, USA
Year: 2025
Changes in wildfire regimes may disrupt ecosystem processes as wildfires burn larger areas or burn more frequently than the recent natural range of variability. The climatic drivers of wildfire behavior may change in strength, but these effects are not likely to be uniform across space and different vegetation types. Increased understanding of how weather and climate influence patterns of burn area and frequency across vegetation types may assist in better predicting and managing future wildfire regimes. We examined a dataset of all 1469 wildfires ≥40 ha from 1984 - 2021 in Utah, USA, and…
Publication Type: Journal Article
Intensifying Fire Season Aridity Portends Ongoing Expansion of Severe Wildfire in Western US Forests
Year: 2025
Area burned by wildfire has increased in western US forests and elsewhere over recent decades coincident with warmer and drier fire seasons. However, high–severity fire—fire that kills all or most trees—is arguably a more important metric of fire activity given its destabilizing influence on forest ecosystems and direct and indirect impacts to human communities. Here, we quantified area burned and area burned severely in western US forests from 1985 to 2022 and evaluated trends through time. We also assessed key relationships between area burned, extent and proportion burned severely…
Publication Type: Journal Article