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By: Robin Bresolin Summary. Wildfires are a major issue affecting people and ecosystems around the world, especially in the Western states. For most people not living in these states, the issue can be obscure and is not the first thing to come to mind when thinking about climate change and it’s negative impacts. By 2015, the fire season had grown two-and-a-half months longer than it had in the 1970s and is continuing to grow. Today even more acres are burning and the amount of fires are only going to grow. Wildfires in the west are an issue that needs more attention, because the fires are burning more than 3 million acres of land, destroying ecosystems and people’s homes. Some causes of wildfires out west include the droughts and heatwaves due to climate change, which is actually lengthening the time period of the fire season. In fact, 95% of the causes of wildfires are believed to be from climate change. Some scientists are skeptical of that percentage, but the logic that backs the number up is found at the bottom of lakes. For instance, researchers at Montana University drill deep into lakes to pull out ash and charcoal from ancient wildfires, called core samples. The core samples contain record proof of wildfires dating back in time and patterns which prove the connection that more fire results from a warmer climate. Contrary to the negative effects of wildfires from climate change, historic wildfires used to actually be part of a natural and healthy forest life cycle. Although the average person assumes the topic of wildfires to be bad for the environment, consistent trends in past fires prove that fires are essential to ecosystems. Since the beginning of time, wildfires have always been around and used to burn at a healthier rate that was more regulated. They open up land, rejuvenate growth, and help support certain species that live on the burned landscape. In today’s world, wildfires are inevitable, which is why methods to regulate and control fires are important for not only human life, but climate change as well. Simple precautions like installing indoor air filters, cleaning up flammable items around home, and developing houses in less fire-prone areas are methods that help adapt to living with wildfires. So although wildfires can be good for a natural forest life cycle, there can only be so many until a negative impact is left. Wildfires can easily grow out of control and leave devastating effects to a populated area and ecosystem, which shows the power that climate change can leave due to rising temperatures. Why we should care? Wildfires are only going to increase in size and quantity as climate change continues. It's important to understand the dangers wildfires can cause to not only humans, but also ecosystems.  Photo Credit: INCIWEB.NWCG.GOV Example Article. https://www.wabe.org/climate-change-wildfires/ I found this article interesting because the disaster of wildfires is not something that is commonly talked about in Michigan or at least where I grew up. It’s important for more people to be aware of the devastating impacts wildfires have on ecosystems and humans living in that affected area. In order to promote more awareness about the importance of reducing climate change, the actual consequences must be brought to light. This is another reason why this article stood out to me. Since wildfires aren’t as common in the midwest, not as many people may know about the issue, including myself. I was disturbed to learn more about the rapidly increasing wildfires out west due to rising temperatures. This past July, northern Ontario experienced a ton of wildfires and the haze from the smoke actually drifted all the way to my home. It’s sad to see forests burning to the ground and increasing air pollution. It was also beneficial to learn about easy precautions to take in your everyday life to help prevent wildfires and reduce global temperatures. Overall, wildfires are yet another consequence of climate change, and making small changes in your everyday life goes a long way. Science in Action.
Dr. Phil Higuera is a Professor of fire ecology at the University of Montana. Professor Higuera is a director of the fire ecology and paleoecology labs at Montana University. His studies include how fire activity varies with climate change in the present versus the past, and how forest ecosystems respond to these changes. Higuera’s work is relevant to the climate change link to wildfires because he claims fire has always been a natural part of forest life cycles but discovered how human-influenced climate change has altered our ecosystems. One of these alterations is that due to the rapidly changing climate after a fire burns, the same type of forest doesn’t grow back in its place. Higuera’s findings are completely relevant because he gives an example that shows the disturbing effects of wildfires due to climate change.
18 Comments
Lindsey Wheaton
10/14/2021 10:54:06
Wildfires are something that are not often talked about in Michigan, unless a rather large on is on the news happening somewhere else. I wish there were ways to better understand them, or have more controlled fires in the places where wildfires are beneficial to an ecosystem. I used to work at a camp that had a controlled burn every spring in a part of the camp that needed the fire to regenerate, it was always really interesting to watch.
Batoul Hassan
10/19/2021 07:24:00
I think it’s laughable that there are people that genuinely believe climate change is not real. There is evidence surrounding them like the wildfires in California, Australia, and so on, but they do not believe in climate change. I also did not know that scientists are able to link wildfire and climate change together by looking at the bottom of lakes.
Eric Domenico
10/14/2021 11:20:32
I chuckled at the line about the logic for explaining the increase in wildfires is found... underwater, at the bottom of lakes. Aside from the humor, it makes sense when understanding the science of the method used. I am also taken aback by the percentage of wildfires attributed to climate change! I am aware of the roll that wildfires naturally play in our ecosystems, but I did not quite grasp the scale at which they are abnormally produced in reaction to climate change. Plus, the fact that western states experience a fire season that is two and a half months longer relative to 50 years ago is unsettling itself. I am deeply concerned for our future as it is, with all the knowledge I have about past, current, and predicted climate change and its effects on the environment that all life thrives in. It does feel like the whole world is on fire. An exaggeration of course, but this view is fed by widespread access to media and the multitude of sources reporting on the matter. For example, the fires in Greece that have supplied media outlets with a wealth of shocking news. I felt like the whole country was on fire, until I saw a map that outlined the areas where the fires were raging. The active fires and areas of devastation where large of course, but small relative to the totality of Greece. It's scary, it's devastating, and that is abused by media to grab attention and pump up views. I hope to see a shift in media sources that moves away from reporting for shock factor (thus, more views) and moves towards providing insight and education to the public.
Kamaya Hayes
10/14/2021 20:18:48
I found your article very interesting. Wild fires themselves have a good and bad effect. I think the bad outweighs the good in most cases because they destroy people homes, can hurt people physically , and destroy animals habitats. So if we could find a way to control wildfires now, so that people homes wouldn’t be affected and restore what was lost would be great.
Lindsey Hazelton
10/16/2021 16:25:25
Wildfires are something that I often pay close attention to when I see them happening in the news. It is very scary to me how a wildfire can get so out of control in a matter of minutes. Last year I took a Forestry course so I learned about the benefits of controlled fires that actually help the environment. However, a lot of the fires occurring out West are more detrimental than anything. They are destroying ecosystems and also affecting humans. I am not surprised that climate change leads to an increase in wildfires, though it is very unfortunate. If something is not done, wildfires could get out of control, as could other natural disasters like hurricanes.
Michelle Kim
10/17/2021 22:56:17
I found this blog interesting to read because my blog was also about wildfires. It so sad to hear how a natural cycle of forest fires are becoming a lot more endangering now because it was onc just a part of life, but now we have to make sure it doesn't happen due to our bigger, more damaging impact to the world.
Mikaela Owen
10/18/2021 12:55:06
I agree that talking about wildfires and becoming more educated on them in areas that they are not common is important. Sure, many people know there are wildfires in California, but on this side of the country, I feel as though that is shrugged off as a "not our problem" situation. The issue with that is that it will be our problem, and is in some areas. If everyone comes together to learn more about the prevention of wildfires, we can eliminate unnecessary and unhealthy damage they are currently causing.
Rochelle Durand
10/18/2021 14:01:23
I think it is really interesting how forest fires are supposed to be essential for the growth of ecosystems, but now they are so out of control that they are causing damage. It’s sad knowing that now 95% of wildfires are caused by climate change. I really liked how you pointed out that since we are geographically further away from the majority of wildfires out West, we tend to turn a blind eye to the issue. It really is important that we increase our knowledge and awareness of wildfires and the effects of climate change so we can prevent Wildfires from spreading out to the Midwest. Great job on this article!!
Collin Houston
10/18/2021 17:44:45
The number of wildfires are increasing and I just assumed it was due to climate change. More droughts lead to more fuel for the fire. But it seems like every year a bigger wildfire occurs destroying environments, homes, and causing severe damage. In the news I have seen a lot of talk about wildfires especially in California and Australia recently, and I hope we are able to slow down the effects of the forest fires soon.
Rachel Mangulabnan
10/18/2021 20:02:25
Every year I here about the increasing wildfires happening, and how their severity continues to worsen. However, like you mentioned, it really isn't talked about much around Michigan. It is always devastating to see the mass destruction left behind after the fires but it is hard to fully know just how difficult it is to live in an area were wildfires are a yearly threat. It's also scary to think that every year they seem to get worse and worse and it is hard to imagine how bad it will be in the future. It's also scary to see the amount of habitat loss caused by these wildfires, not only in the US but across the globe. It's very disheartening and we can only hope that the worsening conditions of these wildfire will help people open up their eyes to how harmful climate change really is.
Cameron Cornellier
10/18/2021 20:43:35
I think that natural, controlled wildfires are really important for the health of a forest. However, when the wildfires aren't sporadic and aren't controlled, they can be harmful for the forests and the communities surrounding them. It is important to keep our climate in check and prevent these wildfires from happening to preserve the health of the forests.
Juliana Witt
10/18/2021 23:15:07
I found your blog post very interesting and very thoughtfully set up. The information you found was very astounding and you wrote it in a powerful way. I like how you related it to your life and to the midwest. I also have lived in Michigan all my life and knew of wildfires but not to this extent. I new that wildfires were supposed to be good for forests and their ecosystems but did not know that the rate that they are happening at can actually be bad for the forests. it is really unfortunate that humans are causing such a high amount of wildfires and that not only is it destroying ecosystems but people's home too. I believe that the information found should be portrayed in the media more and at a level that is understandable for all because having something so devastating as a fir burning down your neighborhood is enough to cause anyone to want to fight for change.
Jackson Gifford
10/18/2021 23:21:43
I thought that this was interesting because it shows how wildfires are quickly turning from a natural part of keeping forests healthy to something that could destroy our forests completely. It displays how natural processes that are positive can quickly become dangerous when our environmental systems become unbalanced.
Meghan Richardson
10/18/2021 23:28:51
Living in Michigan my whole life the only fires I have seen, in person, have been from vehicles or buildings. Never have I had to witness a wildfire in person. My cousins live in California, and for the past few years had to deal with wildfires happening all around them. Though controlled wildfires can be beneficial to the ecosystem, most of the fires on the news are not controlled. The extremes that are being caused by climate change are detrimental to our environment. I did not know that the types of forests that come back after a fire were different. I had always thought it would just need time to restore itself. These fires push animals out of their homes and in to our cities. Causing even more harm. We need to start taking steps to counteract climate change. That way these fires don't get worse.
Jenin Kaddoura
10/19/2021 00:08:10
When I first read your article, my initial thought was the wildfires that took place in Southeastern Europe and West Asia over the summer. An enormous and unexpected surge of fires took place around the same time during the summer, due to climate change being the primary cause. It is unfortunate that although many people are not concerned with climate change, they also do not stress on finding ways to limit or stop the spreading of the wildfires. A very interesting fact that caught my attention while reading your summary was that researchers resort to obtaining coal samples from bodies of water, in order to determine historical patterns of wildfires ignition sources. Another astonishing fact was that wildfires are actually healthy when controlled. However, due to the lack of efficient approaches to solve the issue of climate change and the other issues it encompasses, fire seasons will continue to grow. Consequently, the negative effects will trump the healthy and natural impact of wildfires. The precautions you listed can make a great difference as well. In the end, it all goes back to the same matter which is climate change, and leaves us questioning which is the most efficient way to solve the global issue while also considering all the aspects?
Tommy Maloney
10/19/2021 08:35:35
I feel like the reason a lot of people care little about the wildfires in the US is because the majority of them occur on the west side, not affecting everyone throughout the country. It is good to recognize the benefits of wildfires, but the rates and sizes we are seeing are definetly mot safe or normal. We need to do more to try to prevent losing so much of our forests at a time.
Katherine Millican
10/19/2021 09:15:17
It's sad that climate change has turned a natural process into something detrimental to the environment. I never learned much of anything about wildfires growing up since it's not really something we have to deal with in Michigan, but I feel like we should still have learned more about it and why they are important to control. It's scary how much the amount of wildfires have been increasing over time.
Hailey Finnen
11/2/2021 23:22:20
I have been trying to tell my friends, how about those wildfires? How about those floods? Droughts? Remember when Hurricane Katrina happened, and that was crazy? So much more is coming! It is hard to explain to climate deniers the link between wildfires (and other natural disasters) and climate change. Your blog post did a good job of defining some key points. Especially the fact that the fire season has grown 2.5 months longer than it was in the 1970's. Not good at all. Leave a Reply. |
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