Elizabeth Hidalgo

Wildfires Today

As we may have seen, there has been an increase in wildfires within the past few years.

This impacts our everyday lives including our activities, health, and cost of our lives. There is an

economic damage because wildfires can reach homes and business which typically generate a lot

of money and are either badly damaged and cant be reopened or are damaged partially where

they are closed for a few months. There mat be some changes that needs to occur in the way that

we deal with wildfires opposing what we are currently doing now. In the aftermath, somehow the

forest begins to grow again.

One of the major impacts is our weather throughout the year. When we have more fires,

atmospheric aerosols are being released into the atmosphere. This can be bad as that decreases

the albedo. The more wildfires we have in a year, it impacts the snowpack. It causes the snow to

melt earlier in the year which then results in the snow melting earlier in the year. During that

time, it can cause flash flooding. This can be devastating to nearby cities, houses because houses

and business can also be destroyed. An earlier melting of the snow, means that we may have a

dry summer. A dry summer can make it so that vegetation is dry, easier to burn, and a lot quicker

to burn. All the combined can result in more wildfires in the year which can end up being a cycle

each year if the weather doesnt change as much and keeps increasing.

Our Summer activities can decline. If we get less rain throughout the year, have an earlier

snow melting process, we may get lower water levels in our lakes. This will certainly not cause

for a major attraction to people who camp or go to lakes since it can be less enjoyable. In a way,

it can also cause the business of the campgrounds or lake areas to decrease as some of those
depend on the funds to keep the place running and clean. In Utah, we already have bad air

quality as it is. There are tons of people who suffer because of the bad air quality., with wildfires

a lot of CO2 is release into the air which is not good for our health or atmosphere.

The particulate matter can make it worse for people who already must deal with Asthma.

Smoke from wildfires can cause congestive heart failure, pulmonary disease, and bronchitis as

some of the fire events have seen in the clinics. (2012, September 24).

One of the harder things I think is being evacuated. Sometimes fires are not contained

and continue to spread to nearby cities, or houses. Many times, the evacuations are on a very

short notice. During that time, experts declare the evacuation when the wildfire is spreading and

depending on the containment. This is something that personally impacts lives as you must grab

everything that is most valuable to you and leave your own home. People dont always have

relatives or friends they can go to and stay, so they must use money to stay at a hotel in the

meantime the fire is being brought down or if they are displaced from the fire destroying their

home. Houses are not cheap and not easily replaceable, and usually result in a huge cost for the

homeowner depending on how much insurance covers.

We have changed the way that we combat fires throughout the years, but with the

increase we may need to consider a different process as this can be bigger than the people

fighting it. The changes can result in a big cost. The federal land-management agencies estimate

it is about $1 billion a year. (2016, May 25). Wildfires are unpredictable, we always need to be

prepared for the worst while its spreading or once it starts. This includes changes in the weather

as the climate in different regions can affect the way a fire goes.
 Climate change is said to have been a factor in more wildfires each year. Seasonal

temperatures seem to be climbing and rainfall decreasing. This causes for land to be more

susceptible to droughts and wildfires. From 1984 to 2011, wildfires have seemingly increased in

the western portion of the United States. According to a study, wildfires increased from

Nebraska to California by 7 fires a year. (2015, June 19). The larger the wildfires have grown

about 350 acres a year.

Based on the current trends, fire management strategies would possibly have to adapt to

the climate changes. As the years go, the climate trends change each year. One suggested change

is we will need to adapt to the climate change rather than relying purely on human control to help

decrease the wildfires that come through. (Pechony, O., & Shindell, D. T. 2010, March 19). The

current situation in California, the weather is not helping maintain the fires. There has been a lot

of wind, causing the fires to be more difficult to contain. These are the types of fires that can be a

big concern since it is very large, and not a lot of it is being contained.

Regrowth

The rate at which the fires spreads can have a lot to do with the vegetation. When the

vegetation is dry, it is easier for the fire to burn. When the vegetation is healthy, the vegetation

burns a lot slower. The regrowth process can be quick. Depending on how bad the fire burned

the vegetation, is what will determine the regrowth in some cases. If the fire damages only the

top root of the plant, the plants will usually have a better chance of a quick regrowth since the

deeper root of the plant is not damaged. If the fire does reach the deep root of the plant, it will

have a lesser chance of regrowth. Many plants or trees need heat to release buds or seeds. Once a

fire reaches some of those plants, a bud will drop or be released close the roots for chance of

growth. (Moench, R.) This is a form of how plants adapt to certain situations.
 There are steps and precautions that we can take to help prevent loss. We can take things

into consideration such as where we live. We can choose areas that are not as susceptible to

wildfires which for the most part are dry areas or areas of drought. Other things that can help us

prepare or prevent this is also being aware of climate change. One of the things we can do is,

prevent or try to prevent deforestation as well.

The more that we get to learn about the wildfire trends throughout the year, the better

chance we must come up with solutions to help prevent them or decrease the size of the fires.

Although, most of it is destructive, it is a part of the earths process. For the most part, we can all

agree they are nightmares and can cause of a lot destruction. The aftermath of the regrowth can

be a beautiful process, everything coming back to life after such a devastation.

Moench, R. (n.d.). Forestry. Retrieved from https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/06307.pdf

Pechony, O., & Shindell, D. T. (2010, March 19). Driving forces of global wildfires over the past

millennium and the forthcoming century. Retrieved December 07, 2017, from

http://www.pnas.org/content/107/45/19167.full

Westerling, A. L., Hidalgo, H. G., Cayan, D. R., & Swetnam, T. W. (2006, August 18). Warming

and Earlier Spring Increase Western U.S. Forest Wildfire Activity. Retrieved December 07,

2017, from http://science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5789/940.full

Dennison, P. E., Brewer, S. C., Arnold, J. D., & Moritz, M. A. (2015, June 19). Large wildfire

trends in the western United States, 1984-2011. Retrieved December 07, 2017, from

https://utah.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/large-wildfire-trends-in-the-western-united-states-

1984-2011
Western US wildfires in an increasingly warming climate. (2016, May 25). Retrieved December 07,

2017, from http://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.5.4021/full/

Bowman, D. M., Balch, J. K., Artaxo, P., Bond, W. J., Carlson, J. M., Cochrane, M. A., . . . Pyne, S.

J. (2009, April 24). Fire in the Earth System. Retrieved December 07, 2017, from

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/324/5926/481.full

Rappold, A. G., Cascio, W. E., Kilaru, V. J., Stone, S. L., Neas, L. M., Devlin, R. B., & Diaz-

Sanchez, D. (2012, September 24). Cardio-respiratory outcomes associated with exposure to

wildfire smoke are modified by measures of community health. Retrieved December 07, 2017,

from https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-069X-11-71