Four million acres of land was burned in California on September 9th, which is shown to be the largest wildfire in recorded history. From 2011-2020, the wildfires in California have equaled an astonishing 10.8 million acres of land. Climate change has a lot to do with these fires. In addition to this, the heightening of temperatures results in drier soils from increased evaporation, which leads to many wildfires in the West.

Fires in California have impacted the people and led to them having to evacuate their homes and breathing in unhealthy air. Wildfires are a natural part of many environments. It helps the new growth of plants and also eliminates dead litter in forests. Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at the University of California-Merced said, “Even within a single fire, we have to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad and focusing on the area burned doesn’t allow us to do that.”

Some fire scientists say public messaging should focus on the community impact: the number of people evacuated and homes threatened. Fire scientists are also trying to educate people on why regular wildfires are good for ecosystems and how we can prepare for one. 

Four million acres of burnt land seems like a lot, but a study shows that the fires in California are actually meant to be. California’s forests are adapted to regular burning. Crystal A. Kolden, a professor of forests and range land, said “If you don’t allow fire to burn in those places regularly, you get a build up of too many trees, too many shrubs in the understory and that is what we have seen is driving a lot of these really large fires.”

Categorizing the speed and intensity of wildfires could really help the communities by informing people how much time they have to evacuate. In recent years, many fire evacuees have had alarmingly similar stories: with just minutes to spare, they fled their homes as a fast-moving wildfire closed in. Some haven’t made it. More communication about the speed and intensity could help the public to better understand the threat and take evacuation orders more seriously. It would be very similar to the way that they categorize hurricanes.

Describing how wildfire seasons are shifting could help the public understand how climate change can cause a cascade of effects. “This is going to become more common, especially with a warming climate.”