An official website of the United States government
Recent dramatic and deadly increases in global wildfire activity have increased attention on the causes of wildfires, their consequences, and how risk from wildfire might be mitigated. Here we bring together data on the changing risk and societal burden of wildfire in the United States. We estimate that nearly 50 million homes are currently in the wildland–urban interface in the United States, a number increasing by 1 million houses every 3 y. To illustrate how changes in wildfire activity might affect air pollution and related health outcomes, and how these linkages might guide future science and policy, we develop a statistical model that relates satellite-based fire and smoke data to information from pollution monitoring stations. Using the model, we estimate that wildfires have accounted for up to 25% of PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter <2.5 μm) in recent years across the United States, and up to half in some Western regions, with spatial patterns in ambient smoke exposure that do not follow traditional socioeconomic pollution exposure gradients. We combine the model with stylized scenarios to show that fuel management interventions could have large health benefits and that future health impacts from climate-change–induced wildfire smoke could approach projected overall increases in temperature-related mortality from climate change—but that both estimates remain uncertain. We use model results to highlight important areas for future research and to draw lessons for policy.
more »
« less
Wildfire, Smoke Exposure, Human Health, and Environmental Justice Need to be Integrated into Forest Restoration and Management
Abstract Purpose of Review Increasing wildfire size and severity across the western United States has created an environmental and social crisis that must be approached from a transdisciplinary perspective. Climate change and more than a century of fire exclusion and wildfire suppression have led to contemporary wildfires with more severe environmental impacts and human smoke exposure. Wildfires increase smoke exposure for broad swaths of the US population, though outdoor workers and socially disadvantaged groups with limited adaptive capacity can be disproportionally exposed. Exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with a range of health impacts in children and adults, including exacerbation of existing respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, worse birth outcomes, and cardiovascular events. Seasonally dry forests in Washington, Oregon, and California can benefit from ecological restoration as a way to adapt forests to climate change and reduce smoke impacts on affected communities. Recent Findings Each wildfire season, large smoke events, and their adverse impacts on human health receive considerable attention from both the public and policymakers. The severity of recent wildfire seasons has state and federal governments outlining budgets and prioritizing policies to combat the worsening crisis. This surging attention provides an opportunity to outline the actions needed now to advance research and practice on conservation, economic, environmental justice, and public health interests, as well as the trade-offs that must be considered. Summary Scientists, planners, foresters and fire managers, fire safety, air quality, and public health practitioners must collaboratively work together. This article is the result of a series of transdisciplinary conversations to find common ground and subsequently provide a holistic view of how forest and fire management intersect with human health through the impacts of smoke and articulate the need for an integrated approach to both planning and practice.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10349201
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Current Environmental Health Reports
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2196-5412
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 366 to 385
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract In the last decade, wildfires have surged in frequency, as highlighted in the 2024 National Interagency Fire Center report, and continue to rise, making them a worldwide concern due to their environmental and public health impact. Climate change and shifting fire patterns contribute to this growing challenge. This review addresses the complex relationship between wildfires and public health, facilitating informed decision‐making in response to this global challenge. Wildfires intricately affect human health, encompassing physical, psychological and social dimensions. Beyond immediate risks like respiratory issues, cardiovascular incidents, and burns, their enduring effects include prolonged exposure to poor air quality, population displacement, disrupted healthcare, psychological trauma and negative economic impacts. As research methods advance, it is vital to systematically review the existing literature to consolidate knowledge, identify gaps, and guide policies and interventions. Our review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the health consequences linked to wildfires by synthesizing findings from diverse studies. We systematically reviewed 139 peer‐reviewed studies published between 1997 and 2023, retrieved from Web of Science, to synthesize evidence on wildfire exposure metrics, health impacts, and population vulnerabilities. We seek to outline the spectrum of health outcomes, explore potential impact mechanisms, and identify vulnerable populations. Additionally, we critically assess study methodologies, evaluate evidence quality, and pinpoint areas requiring further exploration.more » « less
-
Abstract Wildfire smoke is an increasing disturbance across much of the globe that has received little attention as a selective force in animal behavior. Animals may have evolved behavioral strategies to cope with smoke exposure, but what those strategies are and how they affect health outcomes are poorly described. Here we introduce a tiered “Stay, Shift, Go” framework to characterize animal responses to wildfire smoke disturbance. During periods of toxic smoke, animals may (1) stay, resisting changes in behavior (2) shift, altering their behavior to reduce negative impacts, or (3) go, relocating to places with cleaner air. Responses will be constrained by animal traits, such as locomotion, and may scale depending on the extent, duration, and intensity of smoke exposure. We hypothesized that American robins (Turdus migratorius), a highly mobile, partial migrant songbird living in a fire-prone habitat, would utilize a Go strategy to avoid smoke from nearby wildfires during the post-breeding season. However, we found that they made shorter-distance movements as wildfire smoke intensified. Robins did not alter orientation behavior relative to the direction of the wind under light smoke, but they were more likely to orient into the wind when heavy smoke was present, which tended to reduce smoke exposure. Our results suggest that American robins shift their behavior during wildfire smoke events, potentially to reduce exposure to toxic air. While they do not immediately relocate, they may use different strategies as smoke becomes more intense—supporting our hypothesis that animal responses to wildfire smoke are complex and dose-dependent.more » « less
-
Large‐scale wildfires are becoming increasingly common in the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest (USA), with predicted increases in fire prevalence under future climate scenarios. Wildfires can alter streamflow response to precipitation and mobilize water quality constituents, which pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and downstream drinking water treatment. Research often focuses on the impacts of high‐severity wildfires, with stream biogeochemical responses to low‐ and mixed‐severity fires often understudied, particularly during seasonal shifts in hydrologic connectivity between hillslopes and streams. We studied the impacts of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest where rare pre‐fire stream discharge and chemistry data allowed us to evaluate the influence of mixed‐severity fire on stream water quantity and quality. Our research design focused on two well‐studied watersheds with low and low‐moderate burn severity where we examined long‐term data (pre‐ and post‐fire), and instantaneous grab samples collected during four rain events occurring immediately following wildfire and a prolonged dry summer. We analysed the impact of these rain events, which represent the transition from low‐to‐high hydrologic connectivity of the subsurface to the stream, on stream discharge and chemistry behaviour. Long‐term data revealed total annual flows and mean flows remained fairly consistent post‐fire, while small increases in baseflow were observed in the low‐moderately burned watershed. Stream water concentrations of nitrate, phosphate and sulfate significantly increased following fire, with variance in concentration increasing with fire severity. Our end member mixing models suggested that during rain events, the watershed with low‐moderate severity fire had greater streamflow inputs from soil water and groundwater during times of low connectivity compared to the watershed with low severity fire. Finally, differences in fire severity impacts on concentration‐discharge relationships of biogenic solutes were most expressed under low catchment connectivity conditions. Our study provides insights into post‐wildfire impacts to stream water quality, with the goal of informing future research on stream chemistry responses to low, moderate and mixed severity wildfire.more » « less
-
Abstract Climate communication scientists search for effective message strategies to engage the ambivalent public in support of climate advocacy. The personal experience of wildfire is expected to render climate change impacts more concretely, pointing to a potential message strategy to engage the public. This study examined Twitter discourse related to climate change during the onset of 20 wildfires in California between the years 2017 and 2021. In this mixed method study, we analyzed tweets geographically and temporally proximal to the occurrence of wildfires to discover framings and examined how frequencies in climate framings changed before and after fires. Results identified three predominant climate framings: linking wildfire to climate change, suggesting climate actions, and attributing climate change to adversities besides wildfires. Mean tweet frequencies linking wildfire to climate change and attributing adversities increased significantly after the onset of fire. While suggesting climate action tweets also increased, the increase was not statistically significant. Temporal analysis of tweet frequencies for the three themes of tweets showed that discussion increased after the onset of a fire but persisted typically no more than 2 weeks. For fires that burned for longer periods of more than a month, external events triggered climate discussions. Our findings contribute to identifying how the personal experience of wildfire shapes Twitter discussion related to climate change, and how these framings change over time during wildfire events, leading to insights into critical time points after wildfire for implementing message strategies to increase public engagement on climate change impacts and policy.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00355-7
