Pacific northwest fires
All these factors have strong direct or indirect links with climate variability and climate change. Wildfire risk depends on complex interactions between temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuels. USDA Forest Service photo.Ĭlimate change is contributing to the increased risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States. New plant growth in an area burned by the 2020 Riverside Fire on the Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon.
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Scientists with the Pacific Northwest Research Station are conducting a range of studies pertaining to fire effects on the environment in multiple fields of study, from meteorology to ecology. Fire effects are influenced by forest conditions before the fire and management action taken or not taken after the fire, and may be long-lasting.
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Fire also releases carbon dioxide-a key greenhouse gas-into the atmosphere. But fire can be deadly, destroying homes, wildlife habitat and timber, and polluting the air with emissions harmful to human health. It plays a key role in shaping ecosystems by serving as an agent of renewal and change. Understanding Fire Effects on the Environment USDA Forest Service photo by Morris Johnson. Fireweed grows on the Colville National Forest, Washington, several years after a wildfire.