Concerns continue to grow about the effects of climate
change on fire. Wildfires are expected to increase 50 percent across the United
States under a changing climate, over 100 percent in areas of the West by 2050
as projected by some studies. Of equal concern to scientists and policymakers
alike are the atmospheric effects of wildfire emissions on climate.
A new article published in the journal Forest Ecology and
Management by U.S. Forest Service scientists synthesizes recent findings on the
interactions between fire and climate and outlines future research needs.
Authored by research meteorologists Yongqiang Liu and Scott Goodrick from the
Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) and Warren Heilman from the
Northern Research Station, the article homes in on the effect of emissions from
wildfires on long-term atmospheric conditions.