For the past century the key measure of success among forest managers has been decreased burned area, but that needs to change, according to the study. (Mike McMillan, Pacific Southwest Forest Service-USDA, CC by 2.0) A new measure of successĬalifornia is the most fire-prone state in the United States. The need to shift management goals is key, as is understanding the very important role that fuels play in driving fire severity.”Ī Lassen Hotshot firefighter pauses during the August Complex Fire, which was ignited by lightning strikes on August 17, 2020. “The problem is that much of the burning we are seeing now is not restorative but destructive. “Although burned area in 2020 was very high, it is not unprecedented if you take the longer view,” said lead author Hugh Safford, a forest and fire ecologist with the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy and chief scientist at Vibrant Planet, an environmental public benefits corporation. ![]() The authors advise that resource and fire managers working in forests shift their emphasis from reducing burned area to reducing fire severity and fire damage to people and property, and restoring key ecosystem functions after fire. Increased fire severity is the far greater concern, the study said. The study, published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, said 2020 was the first year in recorded history that burned area in California came close to rates seen before the 1800s, when an estimated 3-4 million acres burned in an average year. Yet it is about average compared to burn rates likely experienced before Euro-American settlement, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, that summarizes the 2020 fire season and examines its drivers. That’s more than twice the previous record of acres burned in California. It does not store any personal data.Just over 9,900 wildfires burned about 4.3 million acres in 2020. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. ![]() The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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