Wildfires have become a significant concern in the United States, causing substantial economic, environmental, and agricultural losses. The financial burden, regional impact, and seasonal length of wildfires have increased in recent decades, raising national and global concerns. In fact, since 2015, three of the five largest wildfire years for acreage burned in the United States have occurred.
Several factors have contributed to the increased wildfire risks and the extended wildfire season, including increased wildland urban interface areas, extreme climatic shifts (rapid fuel accumulation followed by intense drought), human ignitions, and the growing number of people moving into rural lands. The Great Plains region has been particularly affected, with up to 95% of major wildfire events in the continental United States between 1984 and 2019 including some rangelands, and 54% occurring primarily in rangelands.
In this recent publication that came out of the Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries department, one of the key findings is that human-caused fires are a leading contributor to the recent shifts in wildfire activity. Human-caused fires accounted for 86% of all wildfires between 2001 and 2021 and have a significantly longer season than lightning-caused fires. The Great Plains has experienced the most significant increase in human-related wildfire events in any U.S. ecoregion. As more people and infrastructure expand into rural landscapes, the impacts of wildfires increase due to the extended fire season and the growing expanse of wildfire-affected acres.
Wildfire events can have devastating economic consequences for communities. In 2021, the annual cost of federal wildfire suppression exceeded $4 billion, a more than 210% increase since 2000. In addition, wildfires have resulted in significant agricultural losses in the Great Plains.
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and expanding seasonally and spatially, with the Great Plains ecoregion particularly vulnerable. While a future with wildfire is inevitable, long-term, strategic planning and tactical solutions are essential to lessen the extent of wildfires and their subsequent damages.
For more information be sure to check out the full publication here!