Wildfire

A University of Utah study used data from wildfires in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California to look at how private forests for industrial timber harvest were impacted by severe fire weather, brought about by climate change.

Historically dry fuels and long stretches of fire weather have led to the conditions driving one of Colorado’s biggest wildfires. Some experts are saying that climate change, which creates these conditions, could make these kinds of fire the new normal.

Wildfires throughout the Mountain West have caused significant air quality problems this summer, even for communities miles away from the fires. CU Boulder’s Joost de Gouw says that’s because of how particles in the smoke interact with the atmosphere.

Hot, dry weather and abundant fuels created the perfect storm for lightning-caused fires on the Western Slope and in southeastern Utah. Drought forecasters are predicting little relief later this summer.

Colorado’s most devastating wildfire was caused by very specific circumstances, but researchers say a changing climate and human infrastructure are increasing the risk of severe and destructive fires.

As of the latest update on Monday morning, the brush fire burning south of Parachute and Battlement Mesa had burned around 2,900 acres and was about 37% contained.

Last year saw vicious wildfires tear through Colorado. That included the three largest blazes in the state’s history and the Grizzly Creek Fire, which…

Record-breaking wildfires in 2020 turned huge swaths of Western forests into barren burn scars. Those forests store winter snowpack that millions of…

National Park Service hydrologist Erin White likes to call Yellowstone “America’s first water park.” It’s home to the headwaters of multiple major rivers…

Major wildfires have burned through the Western U.S. in 2020, breaking records for their scale and damage. As firefighters tamp down their immediate effects, those who live nearby are coming to grips with the lingering danger of wildfires. Even long after the flames are gone, residents face a serious increase in the threat of flooding.