More catastrophic wildfires just waiting to happen. This is the situation now facing the American West. Wildfire frequency, severity, and damages are increasing because of rising temperatures, drying conditions, and more lightning brought by global warming, combined with decades of fire suppression that allowed unsafe fuel loads to accumulate, a severe bark beetle infestation that is rapidly decimating trees, and ever expanding human settlements in and near forests.

Increased Risk of Catastrophic Wildfires: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the Western United States (PDF help)

Hear the full story from Amanda Staudt, NWF's global warming scientist:

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