An Oregon State University scientist’s study found that climate change is contributing to an escalating threat of wildfires even in the Pacific Northwest’s coolest and wettest forests.
Published in JGR Biogoesciences on February 22, the research highlights the potential increases in burn probability, fire size, and number of wildfires as the climate continues to change.
Alex Dye, the study’s lead author, is a faculty research associate at the OSU College of Forestry. Dye said understanding how fire regimes may change under future climate scenarios is important for developing adaptation strategies. Dye collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service to conduct simulations covering more than 23 million acres of forest land west of the Cascade Range crest in Oregon and Washington.