Climate change affecting ability to prevent US wildfires

Controlled burns, also known as prescribed fires, are a tool to preemptively dispose of combustible vegetation with the goal of preventing larger, uncontrolled fires.

To examine how climate change might affect that, scientists from the University of California and Washington State University used computer modelling. That's because while dry conditions can initially make circumstances more favourable in damp areas, eventually the balance can tip and leave vegetation too dry to burn safely.

One complicating factor is the smoke generated by controlled fires, with burn windows currently dictated in part by the likelihood of burning affecting local residents. While the study only covers the western United States, wildfires have ravaged areas from Greece to Indonesia this year.

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