Wildfires Out West

Climate Central

This video from ClimateCentral looks at the way climate conditions can affect vegetation in the West, and what influence this has on wildfires. Drought and rainfall can have very different wildfire outcomes, depending on vegetation type, extent, and location.

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Notes from our reviewers

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This video would augment any unit on climate and weather, the water cycle, and the ecology of wildfires. It can be used to set the stage for further exploration. For example, students could explore and identify how changes in climate conditions can affect the health and function of ecosystems, and their vulnerability to wildfires.
Video discusses the increase of wildfires in the American West since 2006. The relationships among rainfall, drought, vegetation type, and the severity and location of wildfires are reviewed. The role of satellites in identifying wildfire location and vegetation profile is also discussed. Comment from expert scientist: Note that green vegetation only shows potential for photosynthesis. The Nevada vegetation burns not when it is wet and green but in the summer after the rain when the landscape dries. The two ecosystems don't burn as a result of different processes but as a result of dry and hot conditions. The fact that the forest always has a high fuel load due to dense vegetation and the desert burns best during a wet year when vegetation grows does not mean that these are different.