TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It might surprise you to learn wildfire activity has declined. That's according to a new study co-authored by a University of Arizona professor.
Hundreds of scientists collected and studied fire scar data from almost 2,000 sites across the country. Similar to tree rings determining a tree's age, fire scars help scientists learn how many fires happened in the area and when.
"What we found is that fire is occurring much less in all those sites, and that's the fire deficit that we're facing," said Don Falk, professor at the U of A School of Natural Resources.
He says fires help stabilize forest ecosystems.
"When you keep fire from occurring in its natural frequency, which is usually every five to 10 years, what happens is that fuels start to accumulate," Falk said.
Falk says previous frequent fires cleared out dry debris and dead wood, but now, non-fire years have changed the natural cycle.
"The fuels which are basically dry and living vegetation, as they accumulate, that's the key thing that is giving us the extremely destructive wildfires of today," he said.
Falk tells me the fuel build-up is massive and needs to be reduced by thinning out the forest. Noting how the Rincon Mountains are a great example of fire playing its natural ecological role.
"It's a proof of concept that actually by letting fire back into the system on a more frequent basis, we would get out of this box that we've painted ourselves into."
He explained how this research represents the collaboration between universities like the U of A and federal scientists.
"This is not obscure academic research that nobody cares about. This is how we figure out how to maintain our forest systems in a condition that's healthy and sustainable given climate change, but also reduces the risk to our communities. And if we don't do this well, we saw the results in Los Angeles and we saw the results in Hawaii and we've seen the results everywhere in the United States. If we're not tending to returning our forest to a healthy, sustainable condition, we’re going to pay the price. That's one of the reasons why this research is so critical to continue," Falk said.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
