Fire ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

About two thirds of coniferous forest in the western United States are projected to be exposed to changes in fire frequency, burn severity, and productivity under a 2 °C increase scenario, but increased fire resistance could reduce burn severity in many of these forests, suggests an analysis of model projections based on climate analogs.

To link aboveground fire ecology with belowground microbial trait ecology, the authors conduct laboratory experiments followed by analysis of field data from northern Canada. Fast-growing species initially dominate but decline between 1 and 5 yr post-fire, while neither fire survival nor adaptation to a post-fire environment are strong determinants of success.

A global assessment shows that the wildland–urban interface occurs on all continents, showing its broad-scale patterns and providing a basis for future research on dynamics and socioeconomic and biophysical processes.

Climate change and unsustainable land-use practices are causing megafires in South America. Here we call for rigorous scientific coordination and global cooperation to claim back landscape planning, mitigate fire risk and foster resilience in the region.

Akshat Chulawat describes how graph theory can be used to predict the vulnerability of the built environment to wildfire.

Humans have influenced global fire activity for millennia and will continue to do so into the future. Given the long-term interaction between humans and fire, we propose a collaborative research agenda linking archaeology and fire science that emphasizes the socioecological histories and consequences of anthropogenic fire in the development of fire management strategies today.