Raging Wildfires Demand Co-Existence Rather Than Control

Wildfires can be devastating when they rage out of control. That's why learning what drives them and how to manage them is crucial as the human population expands into wildfire-prone areas. Now, scientists have found that the debate over fuel-reduction techniques is only a small part of the much larger fire problem that will make society increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic losses due to wildfires.

"We don't try to 'fight' earthquakes-we anticipate them in the way we plan communities, build buildings and prepare for emergencies," said Max Mortiz, the lead author of the new paper, in a news release. "We don't think that way about fire, but our review indicates that we should. Human losses will only be mitigated when land-use planning takes fire hazards into account in the same manner as other natural hazards, like floods, hurricanes and earthquakes."

In order to better understand wildfires, the researchers examined different kinds of natural fires, what drives them in various ecosystems, and the ways in which the public responds. In the end, the researchers found infinite variations on how these factors can come together.

"It quickly became clear that generic one-size-fits-all solutions to wildfire problems do not exist," said Moritz. "Fuel reduction may be a useful strategy for specific places, like California's dry conifer forests, but when we zoomed out and looked at fire-prone regions throughout the Western United States, Australia and the Mediterranean Basin, we realized that over vast parts of the world, a much more nuanced strategy of planning for coexistence with fire is needed."

Instead, the researchers point out the necessity of planning for co-existence with wildfires. Fire needs to be managed on par with other naturally occurring hazards, such as planning for evacuation and early warning systems. Because wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems and can have a positive long-term influence on a landscape, it's important to not try to completely stop these fires.

"A different view of wildfire is urgently needed," said Moritz. "We must accept wildfire as a crucial and inevitable natural process on many landscapes. There is no alternative. The path we are on will lead to a deepening of our fire-related problems worldwide, which will only become worse as the climate changes."

The findings are published in the journal Nature.