- March 01, 2022
This extreme fire is not so different from smallĀ areas of other fires, only almost the entire burn area was extreme where in our old climate, normal fires burn a mosaic of varying intensities where some areas would be extreme, but most would not be near as extreme. Today, fires are burning 400 degrees hotter because of many things. Foresters say excess fuels from Smokey Bear fire suppression are the cause. Fire scientists say warming created drier fuels, lower humidity, bigger wind storms, and easier ignition, have now overwhelmed the excess fuels response. The climate change response is so large, perpetual warming-induced drought can create live fuel moisture that is nearly the same as dead fuel moisture. In other words, live trees are just about as dry as dead trees.