Wildfires will likely get worse in western North America

The massive wildfires that burned in California, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia in 2017 exhibited a disturbing trend: a marked increase in the amount of area burned. While it may have been an exceptional year in some respects, new research predicts that years like 2017 are likely to become more common over time. States in the interior western United States, in particular, may be faced with large increases in total wildfire area burned, potentially beyond anything that has been experienced in the past, according to the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE on December 15, 2017, as the 2017 fire season was ending. The study projects where the greatest increases in area burned are likely to occur across the western U.S. and Canada in coming decades, suggesting that large fires years, such as the recent ones in southern and northern California may become more common.