Less Severe Forest Fires Can Reduce Intensity of Future Blazes

by Emily C. Dooley, University of California, Davis
August 19, 2024

Not all forest fires have devastating effects. Low- and moderate-severity forest wildfires can reduce the intensity of future conflagrations for as long as 20 years in certain climates, according to new research by the University of California, Davis.

The extent of reduced severity of these second fires, or reburns, and the duration of the moderating effect, varies by climate, forest type and other factors. But initial fires continue to mitigate future severity even during extreme weather, such as wind, high temperatures and drought, research published in the journal Ecological Applications finds.

The researchers used satellite remote sensing to study more than 700 reburn fires over the past 50 years throughout the western United States. The findings shed light on the positive effect some of these blazes can have on forest resilience and could play a key role in helping land managers decide where to focus risk reduction efforts while adapting to a changing climate.

“We’re living in a time with increasing wildfire, which poses challenges for our communities and landscapes,” said lead author Claire Tortorelli, an ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service who did the research while a postdoctoral scholar at UC Davis. “Some previous fires can have moderating effects on future fire behavior. It’s important to understand how past wildfires are going to affect what happens in the future.”

Keep reading: https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/less-severe-forest-fires-can-reduce-intensity-future-blazes

Read the Ecological Applications paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.3023