WSU, UI professors say the answer is yes

Matthew Carroll.Fire seasons are getting longer, unleashing the potential for a higher frequency of blazes and more damaging fires, according to Matt Carroll, a professor in the School of Environment at Washington State University.

“We talk about the ‘Fire Problem,’ not so much about how many acres burn or how many fires are burning, but where fires burn in the way we don’t want,” he said.

Carroll said there are three factors that influence the Fire Problem—past fire exclusion leading to pine fuel build up, climate change and where people choose to build houses.

“The literature suggests that fire seasons have gotten longer as a result of climate change,” Carroll said. “There’s a longer window now when unwanted fires can do unwanted things.”

Find out more

Moscow-Pullman Daily News