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Changing Wildfire, Changing Forests: How climate change is affecting fire regimes and vegetation in the Pacific Northwest StoryMap

Summary

Over the last century in the Pacific Northwest, warm and dry conditions in any given year have generally led to larger fires and greater area burned. By decreasing fuel moisture and increasing the length of the fire season, warm and dry conditions create large areas of dry fuels that are more likely to ignite and carry fire over a longer period of time. A warming climate will have profound effects on fire frequency, extent, and severity in the Pacific Northwest. Increased temperatures, decreased snowpack, and earlier snowmelt will likely lead to longer fire seasons, lower fuel moisture, higher likelihood of large fires, and greater area burned by wildfire. Interactions between fire and other disturbance agents (e.g., drought, insect [...]

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  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers
  • Northwest CASC

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