Establishing a topic for sharing news stories and publications from our membership.
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As Earth Warms, California Fire Season Is Starting Earlier, Study Finds (Aug. 6, 2025)
This article, written by Raymond Zhong from the New York Times, features our charter member Alexandra Syphard @asyphard , who discusses changes to California’s wildfire season. She says California’s earlier fire season means more opportunities each year for catastrophic blazes. Even if longer seasons don’t guarantee more destruction, this extended window raises the risk of the “perfect storm” – dry fuels and strong winds.
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Around half of the wildfires ignited in the Kootenays have been caused by lightning (July 29, 2025)
This article, written by Samantha Holomay from Nelson News, features our charter member Mike Flannigan @mike , who discusses the relationship between climate change and wildfire.
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Podcast: NightSide With Dan Rea, News Update (8/1/25)
On this podcast episode, our charter member Steve Hawks talks about the first “wildfire-resilient” community built in California, which opened just months after the raging wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area. He discusses how these homes work and what makes them fire-resistant.
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Rethinking the agricultural use of fire and its influence on the occurrence of wildfire in high Andean communities of Cusco, Peru (July 14, 2025)
Abstract
The use of fire in agriculture has been a fundamental practice since early human societies, playing a key role in land preparation, weed control, and soil fertility management. In the Peruvian Andes, fire remains widely employed by rural communities, despite strict legal prohibitions aimed at reducing wildfire occurrence. However, statistical evidence demonstrates that these punitive policies have failed to curb wildfires, which have instead increased in frequency. This study critically examines the agricultural use of fire in high Andean communities of Cusco, Peru, exploring its socio-cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions.
Through ethnographic research and qualitative methodologies, the study identifies the motivations behind fire use, traditional fire-management practices, local and institutional perceptions, and community responses to wildfires. Findings reveal that fire is an indispensable agricultural tool, deeply embedded in rural livelihoods. The study also highlights the inadequacy of current fire management policies, which rely primarily on prohibition and emergency response without offering viable alternatives for smallholder farmers.
To address this gap, the study proposes a paradigm shift in fire governance, advocating for a more inclusive and sustainable approach. Key recommendations include integrating prescribed burning, implementing incentive-based compensation schemes, and strengthening local governance structures. Additionally, the study underscores the necessity of qualitative research in informing quantitative analyses of wildfire occurrence, ensuring that policy interventions are grounded in local realities. Ultimately, rethinking the agricultural use of fire is not only an environmental concern but also a social and economic imperative for high Andean communities.
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Green Women Magazine Features Brigada IndĂgena Forestal de Cota
Our partners from Brigada IndĂgena Forestal de Cota recently were featured in Green Women Magazine. It is a very nice article showcasing the great care they take of their home. @oscartibaquicha @Ampawer
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IBHS Research Shows Creating an Ember-Resistant Buffer Around a Home Cuts its Risk of Igniting from Wildfire in Half (Aug 26, 2025)
Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety say adding an ember-resistant buffer to the landscaping nearest a home is a critical step homeowners can take to prevent it from igniting in a wildfire. The good news is that much of the work to create this zone can be do-it-yourself. Actionable reasearch coming from GWC charter members Steve Hawks and Faraz Hedayati.
Coming Soon: The First Scientific Book Dedicated to the Issue of Fire in South American Ecosystems
The book was conceived as a response to a historical gap in the international literature, which, until recently, focused on forest fires in the Northern Hemisphere, such as those in the temperate forests of the United States and Europe. “Many South American ecosystems are dominated by highly flammable C4 grasses, such as those in the Cerrado. These environments have evolutionary histories marked by natural fire,” explains GWC Charter Member @william.bond , professor emeritus at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, in the book’s preface. He adds that the book, the product of a new generation of researchers, provides fundamental knowledge for making better environmental decisions.
The book includes a chapter co-written by GWC charter member Alejandro Miranda.
The Role of Fire on Earth
In a new publication in BioScience, GWC Charter Members @william.bond, Juli Pausas and Jon Keeley provide an in-depth review of the role fire plays on earth.
Abstract
Fire is a defining feature of our biosphere, having appeared when the first plants colonized the land, and it continues to occur across the planet at different frequencies and intensities. Fire has been and remains as an evolutionary force in many plant and animal lineages and contributes to explaining the variability of our biodiversity. Fire has also shaped the structure of many ecosystems and the distribution of biomes, and it is an important contributor to the global biogeochemical cycles. In addition, fire has been a key factor in human evolution, and, in turn, humans have modified fire regimes with important consequences for the biosphere. Consequently, fire is an intrinsic factor on our planet. Our challenge now is to understand and predict the role of fire in a densely populated, highly technological world that imposes significant changes on the Earth.
The Paramo Fire Atlas: quantifying burned area and trends across the Tropical Andes
A recent publication from @shantson and his colleagues expands our knowledge of wildfire frequency and trends across the little-studied Paramo ecosystems of the Andes. Paramo plays a critical role in the water cycle by capturing moisture and releasing clean water for millions of people in South America.
Abstract
The paramo ecosystem is vital for biodiversity conservation and water regulation. Despite fire being a known disturbance agent in this ecosystem, little is known about the frequency and trends in these high-elevation landscapes. To address this knowledge gap, we generated a novel burned area database, the Paramo Fire Atlas, spanning from 1985 to 2022 at 30 m resolution, quantifying the fire’s impacts on the Paramo ecosystem across Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. Using the complete Landsat archive, our database reveals that approximately 6370 km2 has been affected by fires over 37 years, representing 15% of the total paramo area. Comparing these findings with estimates from the widely used MODIS MCD64 burned area product, we found that MODIS detected only 989 km2 of burned area. This represents only one-fourth of the burned area detected by the Paramo Fire Atlas. This significant underestimation by MODIS underscores the limitations of existing data sources in assessing the fire impacts of this complex ecosystem. Contrary to the prevailing notion of increasing fire frequency, our analysis shows a significant decrease in burnt areas across the Colombia paramos, contrasting with heterogeneous trends observed in Ecuador and Peru and a recent peak in fire occurrence in Venezuela. While fires have largely disappeared from certain paramos, others exhibit varying degrees of change. These findings raise important questions about the role of fire disturbances in shaping the ecological functioning of the paramo and the future dynamics of fire in the paramo ecosystem under ongoing global climate change and socio-economical dynamics.
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The role of fire on Earth
Three Global Wildfire Collective charter members—Dr. Jon E. Keeley (U.S. Geological Survey), Dr. Juli G. Pausas (Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación, CSIC), and Dr. William Bond (University of Cape Town)—contributed to a new publication released on August 23.
This publication explores fire as a natural and enduring force that has shaped biodiversity, ecosystems, and global cycles since plants first colonized land. It has influenced both plant and animal evolution, biome distribution, and even human development. Humans, in turn, have altered fire regimes with major impacts on the biosphere. Today, the challenge is to understand and predict fire’s role in a rapidly changing, human-dominated world.
Abstract
Fire is a defining feature of our biosphere, having appeared when the first plants colonized the land, and it continues to occur across the planet at different frequencies and intensities. Fire has been and remains as an evolutionary force in many plant and animal lineages and contributes to explaining the variability of our biodiversity. Fire has also shaped the structure of many ecosystems and the distribution of biomes, and it is an important contributor to the global biogeochemical cycles. In addition, fire has been a key factor in human evolution, and, in turn, humans have modified fire regimes with important consequences for the biosphere. Consequently, fire is an intrinsic factor on our planet. Our challenge now is to understand and predict the role of fire in a densely populated, highly technological world that imposes significant changes on the Earth.
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Testing New Bushfire Management Strategies
Global Wildfire Collective charter member Professor David Bowman is leading a groundbreaking project in Tasmania to test new bushfire mitigation strategies.
The University of Tasmania and the City of Hobart are trialing innovative bushfire mitigation techniques to make communities safer and protect biodiversity. Over the past year, fire experts have carried out 11 experimental burns near Sandy Bay, measuring how different strategies affect fuel loads, vegetation, and wildlife. The project blends scientific research with on-the-ground expertise to build practical, evidence-based approaches that homeowners and land managers can adopt. Supported by Hobart City Council and RACT, this world-leading work aims to reduce risk, safeguard biodiversity, and prepare the city for a hotter, drier future.
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Trump administration argues that more roads would help against wildfires
The Trump administration is formally launching an effort to build more roads in national forests by rescinding a decades-old rule. More roads and fewer forest protections, it argues, are needed to fight worsening wildfires. But as NPR’s Nate Rott reports, fire science shows it’s not that simple.
There’s an old axiom that @asyphard likes to bring up when she’s talking to people about forest management and wildfires. The Sevareid Principle. Coined by the late author and CBS journalist Eric Sevareid, it essentially says many intended solutions create their own problems.
The law of unintended consequences is a very real law, according to GWC Lead Scientist, Alexandra Syphard.
Road network connectivity explains wildfire probability in Southern Italy
Relevant to the topic posted above re: rescinding the roadless rule in the US, this new publication from GWC Charter Member Fantima Tedim argues that wildfire ignition and spread are strongly influenced by anthropogenic factors, particularly road networks.
Abstract
Wildfire ignition and spread are strongly influenced by anthropogenic factors, particularly road networks. This study investigated the relationship between road network connectivity and wildfire probability in the Apulia region of southern Italy. A wildfire probability map was developed using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, incorporating wildfire occurrence data from 2000 to 2021, along with landscape, climatic, and topographic variables. The resulting probability map was classified into three categories: High Wildfire Probability (HWP), Medium Wildfire Probability (MWP), and Low Wildfire Probability (LWP). Cochran’s formula was used to calculate the required sample size, and Neyman allocation was applied to ensure optimal stratified sampling across probability categories.
Connectivity indices were then estimated for each sampled area and statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results indicated that the majority of the study area fell within the LWP category (65.69 %), followed by MWP (21.48 %) and HWP (12.83 %). Statistically significant differences were observed across all categories for key connectivity indices. HWP areas exhibited higher road density, node counts, and number of links, reflecting more complex and interconnected road networks. In contrast, LWP areas showed lower connectivity and simpler network structures. The Alpha, Gamma, and Eta indices in particular displayed marked variation, with HWP zones exhibiting significantly higher values. These findings highlight the dual role of road networks: while they are vital for wildfire suppression and evacuation, their increased presence and complexity may elevate ignition risk due to greater human activity in densely connected areas.
Here are a few recent publications I have chipped into
- Interdisciplinary challenges for wildfire futures, Fairman et al, Redirecting
- The range of projected change in VPD through 2100, Xu et al https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13070143
- Predicting variation in fuel hazard and availability, McColl-Gausden et al, https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24222
- A global dataset of prescribed burn records, Hsu et al A global assemblage of regional prescribed burn records — GlobalRx | Scientific Data
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I look forward to reading these- thanks for sharing, @HamishC !
From Forest to Fireweed
If the 2024 Jasper wildfire stands out, it’s for its intensity. Ignited by lightning on July 22, the wildfire promptly generated a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) storm system, in which hot air rises to the upper troposphere in a rapid column of smoke, ash, embers, and water. Not only does this column produce a relative vacuum on the ground, triggering hurricane winds to fill the void, but the injection of heat and moisture into the atmosphere breeds lightning storms, igniting more fires in turn. This phenomenon also rains embers, allowing fire to leap hundreds of meters at a time.
“PyroCbs are still an area of active research,” said Mike Flannigan (@mike ) , BC innovation research chair in predictive services, emergency management, and fire science, based at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. “A colleague and I wrote about a notable one in 1986. It generated lightning, new fires, rain, hail—you name it. But we wrote about it because, at that time, they were rare.”
No longer. In 2021, the number of pyroCbs reached 102 globally, a record broken in 2023 when Canada hosted 142 of them. Jasper’s was a monster, one of the most severe ever to hit the Canadian Rockies.
Online Panel Discussion: Resilient Landscapes and Prepared Communities
On September 23, 2025, the Theodore Payne Foundation hosted an online panel discussion on building resilient landscapes and preparing communities for the future. The panel of experts shared insights, strategies, and best practices to help us navigate challenges and thrive in the face of adversity. Panelists: Alexandra Syphard, PhD @asyphard (Senior Research Scientist, Conservation Biology Institute) Daniel S. Cooper, PhD (Principal Conservation Biologist, Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains) Cassy Aoyagi (President, FormLA) Frank Shotwell (Community Member, Hollywood Dell Civic Association’s Fire Safety
You can access the recording at the link in the title.
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Unburned trees left after Oregon’s Labor Day fires are dying — a potential blow to future forests
August 27, 2025
Global Wildfire Collective charter member, Andres Holz, contributed to a new publication released on August 27.
Five years after Oregon’s devastating Labor Day fires, researchers at Portland State University have observed that many trees that initially survived the blazes are now dying due to delayed effects. Their study focused on five major fires—Beachie Creek, Holiday Farm, Archie Creek, Lionshead, and Riverside—and found that approximately 8.5% of the forested areas within these fire scars have lost their living tree cover since 2020.
The researchers tracked “tree islands”—small patches of unburned trees within the larger fire-affected zones—and discovered that many of these areas have vanished over time. Mature conifer trees were particularly susceptible. Factors contributing to this delayed die-off include initial fire injuries that weakened the trees and increased exposure to environmental stressors due to the loss of surrounding canopy cover.
This ongoing tree mortality poses challenges for forest regeneration. The loss of these green patches means that nearly 20,000 acres of burned forest no longer have access to nearby seed sources, potentially hindering natural reforestation efforts. The findings highlight the importance of strategic post-fire forest management, such as targeted replanting and careful consideration of salvage logging practices, to support long-term forest resilience and wildlife habitats.
For more, read the full article here: Unburned trees left after Oregon’s Labor Day fires are dying — a potential blow to future forests
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Testing New Bushfire Management Strategies
August 21, 2025
Global Wildfire Collective charter member, David Bowman, contributed to a new publication released on August 21.
A collaborative initiative between the University of Tasmania and the City of Hobart is pioneering science-based bushfire mitigation strategies. Researchers from the University’s Fire Centre and the City’s Fire and Biodiversity Team are conducting controlled burns in the Sandy Bay bushland reserve to evaluate how various land management techniques impact fuel loads, native vegetation, and local fauna.
Led by Professor David Bowman, an expert in pyrogeography and fire science, the project aims to reduce bushfire risks in urban areas surrounded by dense vegetation. The team has conducted 11 experimental burns over the past year, with guidance from experienced fire practitioners to ensure real-world applicability. The goal is to provide residents with practical, evidence-based methods to mitigate bushfire threats while preserving biodiversity and enhancing community safety.
This research is particularly timely given Tasmania’s vulnerability to bushfires, as highlighted by the 1967 Black Tuesday disaster. The outcomes are expected to inform safer, smarter land management practices and contribute to building resilience in communities across Australia.
For more details, you can read the full article here: Testing New Bushfire Management Strategies
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