Wildfires, The Bigger Picture

AP Explains: Driven by climate change, fire reshapes US West

Matthew Brown, September 2, 2018 (AP via Fox News)

Wildfires in the U.S. have charred more than 10,000 square miles so far this year, an area larger than the state of Maryland, with large fires still burning in every Western state including many that are not fully contained…Hot, dry winds can whip flames into firestorms that leave behind charred wastelands prone to erosion and mudslides. Other fires clear out underbrush, open the forest floor to sunlight and stimulate growth…[Forest management policies have allowed fuels to build up as] development creeps ever deeper into forests and climate change brings hotter temperatures…Most immediately fire brings destruction…Temperatures from extreme fires can top 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to kill all plant life, incinerate seeds hidden beneath the surface and bake the soil until it becomes impervious to rain…Scientists broadly agree wildfires are getting bigger in North America and other parts of the world as the climate warms. But still emerging is how that change will alter the natural progression of fire and regrowth…” click here for more

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