Wildfires in West Increasing Burn Area at Nearly One Denver per Year

Just as wildfire season is getting off to a heated start, a new study has found that in the last 30 years in the western United States, both the number of fires and the area that they burn have increased.  The study, published by the American Geophysical Union, looked at the 17-state region stretching from Nebraska to California.  It found that wildfires over 1,000 acres in size increased by about seven fires a year from 1984 to 2011.  It also found that the amount of area these fires burned increased each year at about 140 square miles, or 90,000 acres, per year — an area about the size of Las Vegas and nearly the size of Denver.

The researchers assert that these trends are likely due to climate change and associated shifts in rain patterns and temperature norms, rather than local factors.  The study does not directly link the findings to human-caused climate change, but it says the observations fit well with the predictions of climate models for the region.

Wildfires in West Increasing Burn Area at Nearly One Denver per Year, Study Finds