Climate change, which brings intense heat, longer droughts and dry atmospheric conditions, has been the primary driver of wildfire risk in the West for the last two decades — and traditional methods of managing and fighting them are proving less effective.
‘We’re losing our ability to manage forest fires’ as West becomes hotter and drier, researcher saysToday's fast-moving megafires can jump highways and race past fire breaks hundreds of yards wide, a researcher points out, warning that calls to thin America's forests and other prevention tactics may not work as well in the future.www.sltrib.com