Western Wildfires

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Citation of Original Publication

John Rennie Short, Western Wildfires, https://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2015/10/13/western-wildfires

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Abstract

We are on record to have another devastating fire season in the western states of the USA. More than 8 million acres are now burning each year. There are two main reasons behind the growing number of fires. Fire suppression policies that snuff out fires as they appear, which leads to the build up of fuel that is the raw material for larger, more devastating fires, and climate change that is making the west hotter, drier and more vulnerable to fire.