A Fire Deficit Persists Across Diverse North American Forests Despite Recent Increases in Area Burned

A fire deficit persists across diverse North American forests despite recent increases in area burned

Rapid increases in wildfire area burned across North American forests pose novel challenges for managers and society. Increasing area burned raises questions about whether, and to what degree, contemporary fire regimes (1984–2022) are still departed from historical fire regimes (pre-1880). We use the North American tree-ring fire-scar network (NAFSN), a multi-century record comprising >1800 fire-scar sites spanning diverse forest types, and co

New study in journal Nature: North American fires were 4 times more prevalent from 1600-1880 (Little Ice Age) than 1984-2022

New study: North American fires were 4 times more prevalent from 1600-1880 (Little Ice Age) than 1984-2022 (“unprecedented” global warming). From 1984-2022 the non-fire years were &#822…

New Study: North American Fires Were Four Times More Prevalent From 1600-1880 Than 1984-2022

“Based on the historical fire-scar record, NAFSN [North American tree-ring fire-scar network] sites collectively would be expected to have burned 4346 times from 1984–2022, yet they burned 989 times, or only 23% of what would be expected under the historical fire regime.”  — Parks et al., 2025 According to the prevailing alarmist narrative, the recent decades of “unprecedented” warming across North America was supposed to have been the driver of…