Megafires May Change the Southwest Forever

Fires sweeping through remote areas is a natural occurrence. But the same can’t be said about the record-setting megafires raging in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The megafires, large and intensely hot, more regular in occurrence and more destructive, could permanently alter the ecology of that region of the United States, writes Brandon Keim for Wired. Drought has exacerbated fires, and mountainside Ponderosa forests could vanish. Keim describes University of Arizona researcher Don Falk’s expectations: “A small burned patch will soon regrow, as seeds arrive via breeze and bird. But if severely burned patch is thousands of acres across, it can take years for seeds to reach the center, said Falk. In the meantime, soil will blow away. Drought conditions also affect the type of plants that will regrow.” Fire is a natural part of the Southwest ecology, and researchers caution that attempting to extinguish every small fire is mismanagement that will result in bigger problems. – YaleGlobal