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Satellite data and artificial intelligence, researchers have mapped two crucial forest fire risk indicators鈥攃anopy base height (CBH) and canopy bulk density (CBD)鈥攚ith an impressive resolution of 100 meters. These detailed maps play a pivotal role in fire behavior modeling, enabling better strategies for wildfire mitigation in an era of escalating fire risks driven by climate change. The study holds particular significance for regions prone to extreme fire events, providing a new approach to fire prevention and managements.

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Students from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) chose to spend spring break in Georgia, engaging in prescribed burns 鈥� a forestry management practice that involves intentionally setting fires to promote forest health, support wildlife biodiversity, and increase resilience to future wildfires.

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Wildfire victims have a very wide range of needs, including mental health support and information about wildfire smoke, according to a UC Davis study.

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For decades, PFAS, which stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been a staple in firefighting foams because of their ability to smother liquid fuel fires. But as concerns over their environmental and health impacts grow, researchers are racing to find safer alternatives.聽 Brian Lattimer, head of the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been at the forefront of this challenge.

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Severe weather events have left millions of people without power for days, sometimes weeks or months, raising questions about whether the United States power infrastructure needs an overhaul. Joseph Vantassel, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, believes moving power lines underground could be a solution.

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A groundbreaking new artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Israeli researchers promises to revolutionize wildfire prediction, with a particular focus on lightning-induced blazes that are growing increasingly common due to climate change.

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El humo se ha disipado, pero los ni帽os afectados por los incendios forestales de enero en Los 脕ngeles todav铆a pueden estar procesando su dolor.

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The smoke has cleared, but children affected by Los Angeles鈥� January wildfires may still be processing their grief. Parents can help by keeping lines of communication open and helping children, tweens and teens feel a sense of control, said Rebecca Hedrick, MD, a Cedars-Sinai child and adolescent psychiatrist.

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Researchers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, have partnered with the Alabama Forestry Commission and NASA鈥檚 FireSense initiative to study prescribed burns in the聽Geneva State Forest in South Alabama.

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Nearly 3 out of every 4 older Americans have experienced at least one extreme weather event in the last two years, a new poll finds. And living through such an event appears to make a big difference in how they view the potential impact of climate change on their health and that of future generations.

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Florida State University researchers will use new funding from the National Science Foundation to investigate mechanisms that drive wildfire spread.

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A new national study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers finds patients whose facility was impacted by a wildfire disaster during recovery from lung cancer surgery had longer length of stay than similar patients treated at the same facility, but at times when no disaster occurred.

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In a new study published by Risk Analysis uses recent, disaster-related data from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) to train a computer model to predict the length of household displacement and return outcomes after a disaster. The study is the first to use state-by-state data from the U.S. Census Bureau to quantify the contribution of different factors (including household size, tenure status, educational attainment, and income per household member) on household displacement and return.

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A century of fire suppression, climate change, and drought has worsened wildfires in the Western U.S. While prescribed burns help reduce fuel, a 鈥渇ire deficit鈥� increases wildfire risks, with significant health and environmental impacts. Deforestation and pests further limit carbon storage. Emulating Indigenous practices, a new study shows that combining physical harvesting of dead wood with thinning reduces wildfire risks, lowers carbon emissions, and boosts carbon storage through products like biochar.

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Schools and families are seeking reliable advice on how to protect kids from the poor air quality resulting from the wildfires that devastated swathes of Los Angeles.

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Heavy rain might seem like a welcome relief after a blazing wildfire, but scorched earth is susceptible to mudslides. Wildfire destroys vegetation like trees and shrubs, whose roots fortify soil and protect against these dangerous, natural events.聽 Alba Yerro-Colom, assistant professor in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, researches how vegetation and rainfall can predict and prevent mudslides.

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It can be difficult to know what to say to those experiencing a crisis, and whether what you say is helping the person cope鈥攂ut there鈥檚 no need to wing it.

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Researchers and land managers have long known that reducing the amount of forest fuel helps reduce wildfire severity. But not all fuel is created equal, and the vertical location of that fuel may matter more than the sheer amount, especially when weather conditions are hot, dry and windy. Recent research from NAU, using data collected from NASA spaceborne lidar, shows that large-scale maps of ladder fuels can help predict areas at greatest risk from wildfires and suggests that a focus on reducing ladder fuels may be the most direct means to reduce wildfire severity.