Warming means fewer overall days when prescribed fires can be safely lit, UCLA-led study shows.
Warming means fewer overall days when prescribed fires can be safely lit, UCLA-led study shows.
Prescribed fires, sometimes called controlled burns, are one of the most common tools for preventing catastrophic wildfires in the Western United States. Lit by highly trained firefighters, they help clear away excess dry plant matter that might otherwise turn a healthy vegetation fire into a raging inferno.
To safely carry out controlled burns, firefighters must wait for specific weather conditions: not so damp as to prevent combustion, but not so dry or windy as to burn more vegetation than intended. These conditions limit the opportunities.
Now, a new study led by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain has found that that climate change is further reducing the overall number of days and changing the times of year when prescribed fires can be safely used.
Read more at University of California - Los Angeles
Photo Credit: Trilogy via Pixabay
