Intense wildfires in southern California are triggering air quality alerts. Health experts know surprisingly little about how inhaling smoke affects human health, especially over the long term.
British Columbia Wildfire Service firefighters stand near a controlled burn to help prevent the Finlay Creek wildfire from spreading near Peachland, B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Record-breaking wildfires made headlines around the world in 2017. Fire intensity will increase in Canada in the future with climate change, but we can invest in tools to improve the outcome.
A fireman tackles one of the wildfires that swept through parts of California in October.
Jim Urquhart/Reuters
This year is poised to go down as the hottest non-El Niño year ever recorded, with record low polar ice and extreme weather that left many regions battling bushfires and hurricanes.
Wildfire threatens a home near Possum Kingdom, Texas, April 19, 2011.
State Farm
Many countries around the world are vulnerable to wildfires, but a fire engineer warns that most are not spending enough on research into how fires spread and ways to reduce risks.
A wildfire burns behind a winery in Santa Rosa, California.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
As firefighters contain the fires that have been raging since Oct. 8, California’s wine industry is assessing the damage and hoping the tourists who fled the ash-filled air return.
Burned area in Santa Rosa, California, Oct. 11, 2017.
US Department of Defense
Fire is part of the ecology in much of California, but recent wildfires have caused much more damage than past burns of similar size. A fire ecologist points to two key factors: winds and population growth.
In explaining the causes of wildfires, the media and policymakers typically point to environmental factors, but that’s not the whole story.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
The media and policymakers often say a ‘perfect storm’ of environmental factors cause wildfires but that ignores the role of irresponsible urban planning and development in raising fire risks.
Picking up the pieces after fire devastated the city of Santa Rose, California.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Wildfires in California have triggered a public health emergency. One threat is smoke inhalation: Some air readings have registered pollution levels comparable to bad air days in Beijing or Mumbai.
Trees burn in the High Park wildfire near Fort Collins, Colorado, June 17, 2012.
USFS
Much disaster reporting simply chronicles events, but good journalism digs deeper and examines causes. Stories about Colorado wildfires have raised questions about risk, especially on fire anniversaries.
Avoiding fires in Indonesia’s peatlands should be a common goal of everyone involved.
Antara Foto/Jessica Helena Wuysang/ via REUTERS
Indonesian peatlands are important to many people: farmers, bureaucrats, businesspeople, and conservationists. But preserving this value for everyone will mean listening to everyone’s concerns.
U.S. Army Spc. Pam Anderson applies first-aid medical attention to an elderly man during flood relief operations just outside of Winona, Minnesota, August 20, 2007.
Staff Sgt. Daniel Ewer, U.S. Army
New research shows that older people are especially at risk during and after natural disasters, and may need medical help or other support well after relief operations end.
Forest fires are a key part of the lifecycle of the woods, but they can also be deadly.
Eduard Plana
Italy, Portugal and Spain have all gone up in flames in recent weeks, highlighting the need to rethink how Mediterranean countries protect people and save ecosystems.
Wildfires may grow more frequent and intense in North America amid climate change, like the Fort McMurray blazes in 2016, which were among the worst in Canadian history.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)
Wildfires amid climate change may spark a radical shift in forest habitats and wildlife. They aren’t just a destructive force of man and nature. They’re a key factor in forest ecosystem renewal.
Forests are valuable for many uses, including timber, clean water, wildlife habitat and recreation. Stresses on U.S. forests include wildfires, pest invasions and development of private lands.
Scientists work hard to understand fire activity and how it relates to vegetation communities, topography and climate change.
Shutterstock
In a part of Washington state hit hard by extreme fire, a fire ecologist explains how prescribed burns and thinning can make the land more fire-resilient.
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University
Wildfire Specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension; Adjunct Professor Bren School of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara