Climate consequences: The faster forests burn, the more intensely they burn
Devastating forest fires, such as those in the Eifel region, have been known in regions like Canada and the USA for much longer. Researchers have studied these - and have messages for Europe too.
A study published in Science Advances by a team led by Jonathan Coop of Western Colorado University has found that faster-spreading forest fires also burn more intensely. The researchers analyzed satellite images of 3,499 major forest fires in Canada and the western United States, including Alaska, from 2012 to 2023, covering a total area of 43.2 million hectares.
They found that faster-spreading fires resulted in higher intensity, more extensive burning, and increased distance to surviving seed trees, which can lead to long-term changes in ecosystems. The study's findings have implications for forest fires in Europe, where warmer and drier conditions could lead to more explosive fires.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
