Results for: Fire Management

Australia experienced its biggest bushfire season in over a decade in 2023, with fires burning across 84 million hectares of desert and savannah in northern Australia. These fires were driven by heavy rainfall and lightning strikes in dry fuel loads, and burned at an incredible speed. Indigenous fire management practices have been proven to be effective in reducing the severity of these fires, and efforts are being made to incorporate these practices into future fire management strategies.

A new study reveals that half of the global area scorched by fires annually is attributed to deliberately set and controlled burns rather than wildfires sparked by lightning, accidents, or arson. This finding suggests that the projected increase in wildfire-affected areas due to climate change may be underestimated by current computer models.