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Mark Thiessen | 2016
Amazon

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How climate change could make fires and hurricanes even worse

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How climate change could make fires and hurricanes even worse

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NBC News 2020

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How climate change could make fires and hurricanes even worse

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NBC News' Savannah Sellers takes an in-depth look at the impact of climate change on the world's hurricanes and wildfires.

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Kathy Furgang  | Amazon |

2015

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Seymour Simon | 2016
Amazon

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Discover new children's books on Epic. With thousands of books and audiobooks there is no limit to what children can learn and explore.

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Rodman Philbrick | 2019
Amazon

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Introducing Burner Bob - A Cool Dude with a Hot Message!

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Introducing Burner Bob - A Cool Dude with a Hot Message!

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The Longleaf Alliance | 2019

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Introducing Burner Bob - A Cool Dude with a Hot Message!

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Ducksters

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Forest fires are large uncontrolled fires that take place in the forest. Some of the fiercest fires occur in the forest because there is so much fuel (trees) to burn. Forest fires are a type of wildfire. Other types of wildfires include grass fires, brush fires, and hill fires.

Major Causes of Forest Fires

The major cause of forest fires in the United States is human activities. This can be carelessness such as not putting out a campfire or dropping a lit cigarette. It may also be arson, which is setting a fire on purpose and is against the law. Around 80% of forest fires in the United States are caused by humans.

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Kids learn about forest fires including major human and natural causes, how they spread, firefighters, campfire safety, fun facts, and good wildfires.

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Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

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Climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States. Wildfire risk depends on a number of factors, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel. All these factors have strong direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change. Climate change enhances the drying of organic matter in forests (the material that burns and spreads wildfire), and has doubled the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015 in the western United States.

Research shows that changes in climate create warmer, drier conditions. Increased drought, and a longer fire season are boosting these increases in wildfire risk. For much of the U.S. West, projections show that an average annual 1 degree C temperature increase would increase the median burned area per year as much as 600 percent in some types of forests. In the Southeastern United States modeling suggests increased fire risk and a longer fire season, with at least a 30 percent increase from 2011 in the area burned by lightning-ignited wildfire by 2060.

Once a fire starts-more than 80 percent of U.S. wildfires are caused by people-warmer temperatures and drier conditions can help fires spread and make them harder to put out. Warmer, drier conditions also contribute to the spread of the mountain pine beetle and other insects that can weaken or kill trees, building up the fuels in a forest.

Land use and forest management also affect wildfire risk. Changes in climate add to these factors and are expected to continue to increase the area affected by wildfires in the United States.

Trends in the annual number of large fires in the western United States

Since 2000, 15 forest fires in the United States have caused at least $1 billion in damages each, mainly from the loss of homes and infrastructure, along with firefighting costs. The 2017 wildfire season was well above average, with deadly fires in California and throughout the West, including Montana, Oregon, and Washington state. The 2018 wildfire season went on to also break records as the deadliest and most destructive season on record in California. NOAA estimates the total costs of wildfires in 2017 and 2018 to be more than $40 billion. In 2019, wildfires caused an estimated $4.5 billion in damages in California and Alaska. Alaska's record-breaking heat and dry conditions over the summer months set the conditions for the state's historic wildfire season. In 2020, five of the six largest fires on record burned in California and Oregon saw historic levels of wildfire spread and damage. Wildfires across the West led to weeks-long periods of unhealthy air quality levels for millions of people.

Wildfire can affect:

Federal and State Budgets: U.S. Forest Service fire suppression expenditures had increased from about 15 percent of the agency's appropriated budget to more than 50 percent in 2017. Nationwide suppression costs in 2017 and 2018 ballooned to $2.9 billion and $3.1 billion respectively, while state wildfire expenditures have also increased substantially.

Public Health: The growing number of people in wild lands is increasing the risk to life, property and public health. Smoke reduces air quality and can cause eye and respiratory illness, especially among children and the elderly. Wildfires that burn in residential areas can melt plastic water pipes and cause contamination of water systems with a known carcinogen.

Natural Environment: Wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems. Although wildfires produce a number of greenhouse gases and aerosols including carbon dioxide, methane, and black carbon, the plants that re-colonize burned areas remove carbon from the atmosphere, generally leading to a net neutral effect on climate. However, when fires burn more frequently and consume larger areas, as they are doing with climate change, the released greenhouse gases may not be completely removed from the atmosphere if plants can't grow to maturity before burning, or if the plants that re-colonize are less efficient at carbon uptake.

How to Build Resilience

Communities, builders, homeowners, and forest managers can reduce the likelihood and impacts of wildfires by:

Discouraging developments (especially residential) near fire-prone forests through smart zoning rules.

Increasing the space between structures and nearby trees and brush, and clearing space between neighboring houses.

Incorporating fire-resistant design features and materials in buildings.

Increasing resources allocated to firefighting and fire prevention.

Removing fuels, such as dead trees, from forests that are at risk.

Developing recovery plans before a fire hits, and implementing plans quickly after a fire to reduce erosion, limit flooding, and minimize habitat damage.

The Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation portal helps communities understand and plan for their climate risks today and in the future, including a real-time map of wildfire, drought, flooding, and extreme heat across the United States.

For more details on wildfire resilience, read our report, Resilience Strategies for Wildfire.
Learn more about resilience by visiting our Climate Resilience Portal.

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Modeling suggests increased fire risk and a longer fire season, with at least a 30 percent increase from 2011 in the area burned by lightning-ignited wildfire by 2060.

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World Wildlife Fund

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Climate Change and the Australia Wildfires

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Climate Change and the Australia Wildfires

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Alliance for Climate Education | 2020

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Climate Change and the Australia Wildfires

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WORLD ON FIRE: WHEN WILDFIRES SWEPT THROUGH THE AMAZON AND AUSTRALIA, WWF MOBILIZED TO HELP PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE IN NEED.

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WORLD ON FIRE: WHEN WILDFIRES SWEPT THROUGH THE AMAZON AND AUSTRALIA, WWF MOBILIZED TO HELP PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE IN NEED.

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World Wildlife Fund

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These weren't the only fires that burned around the world in the past year. Several countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Russia, and the US, experienced raging wildfires. Collectively, the blazes-some started by lightning, others by people-cost lives, destroyed millions of acres, released billions of tons of greenhouse gases, killed countless wild animals, and upset the balance of nature, even in places where fires are a normal part of the ecosystem. Many scientists worried that the impacts of some fires were irreversible, tipping already fragile ecosystems past the ecological point of no return.

The economic impacts on local people were profound, too. "Some rural and Indigenous communities watched their entire livelihoods burn," says Blancard. "Many depend on sustainable forest products or timber. The fires were devastating on a level that's hard for outsiders to understand."

Among all these fires, the ones in the Amazon and Australia stood out. Though burning through different habitats and for different reasons, these blazes were staggering in the scale of destruction they caused, as well as in the outpouring of support they inspired. "People saw images of these iconic places burning," Blancard says. "They wanted to help."

As a global organization with a presence in the countries experiencing these disasters, WWF felt compelled to act-and fast. Emergency funds were quickly established to bring desperately needed resources-food, water, medical supplies, firefighting equipment-to the people and wildlife affected by the smoke and flames. And the help flooded in.

In a short time, thanks to generous donations from more than 3,300 people, roughly 30 companies, and several foundations, WWF-US raised nearly $2 million for the Emergency Amazon Fire Fund. And every cent went directly to partners and local communities on the front lines in Brazil and Bolivia.

Stephen J. Luczo, a former WWF-US Board and current National Council member, and his wife, Agatha, were among the campaign's first contributors-and among a small group of early partners who supported WWF's capacity to coordinate our response, allowing all other donations to go where they were needed most. "The Amazon is one of the world's last great frontiers," says Luczo, "home to millions of species and critical to regulating our planet's oxygen and carbon cycles. It was unfathomable that WWF should sit on the sidelines in the face of this crisis-and we wanted to offer our strong support to WWF."

WWF-US Board member Matthew Harris also answered the call with support from the Bedari Foundation, which he founded. "These were environmental crises of epic proportions," he says, "and WWF was uniquely positioned to harness its field expertise and powerful network to meet the moment, mobilizing fundraising and technical resources on the ground."

A few months later, WWF-Australia set up the Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund and issued a call for US$20 million in emergency donations. Scores of people around the world contributed, surpassing that goal within months. WWF-US channeled more than $6.8 million to the fund, which is addressing the urgent needs of people and wildlife, supporting the recovery of critical habitats, and helping Australia prepare for future emergencies.

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These weren't the only fires that burned around the world in the past year. Several countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Russia, and the US, experienced raging wildfires.

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Clarissa Roman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She has experienced firsthand the impacts of wildfire smoke, both on herself as well as her young niece. Clarissa takes action by working with schoolchildren in Reno to teach them what they can do to fight climate change.

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Youth Climate Story: Wildfires and Air Pollution in Nevada

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Clarissa Roman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She has experienced firsthand the impacts of wildfire smoke, both on herself as well as her young niece. Clarissa takes action by working with schoolchildren in Reno to teach them what they can do to fight climate change.

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- What is a prescribed burn?
- Why is fire sometimes good for nature and habitats?