Wildfires Are One of Hurricane Helene’s Lasting Legacies

There were dozens of other fire in Georgia and West North Carolina, which were both hard-heets by Hurricane Helin. In some regions, fallen trees can act as fuel and promote the fire shortly and long-term, according to Virginia Eglesius, who study the effects of climate change in the socio-environmental system of Colorado Boulder University.

“After the hurricane, a lot of dead trees were spread on the ground, and allowed the sun to reach the ground.” “And with it, it is easier to promote the fire if there is an ignition for biomass. This is short -term. Another consequence of this fire is that they present an access issue for firefighters. So there are lots of logs blocked ”” “

This happened in the Polk County of Northern Carolina last week, where firefighters fought to move into the fallen trees, and about 500 acres of fire in the region were on fire, Blue Ridge Report Public RadioThe These fallen trees can cause fire infestation over the years after the hurricane, especially in the southeast, where dried pine needles are extremely combustible.

For example, in 2018, Hurricane Michael Florida decimates about 1.3 million acres of Longlif Pine habitat in Panhandle, which Subsequently dry and fuel In 2022, the fire on the Bertha Swamp Road, which was burned by more than 5 acres.

Some fire experts are also concerned that excess sunlight in the landscape can trigger the growth of plants like Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel for the Landscape, which can burn sharply when they catch fire.

“And now we have found the whole sunlight in these regions that have never received the whole sunlight before,” Gary Sea Wood, a retired North Carolina Forest Service worker who is now coordinating the management of wild fire for the southeast of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council, Post and told the courierThe “So that things can be truly increased, growth-based and it can have a possible impact from the firearms” “

Fire

Although widespread studies are clearly seen that climate change is burning more intense fire in the West, scientists are still establishing a direct climate connection for the southeast blaze. However, some studies have shown that warming is setting up situations that are successful throughout the region.

“Due to climate change, the drought is expected to become more intense and more frequent in the southeast and other regions of the country,” Iglesius said. It can dramatically increase the amount of burnt forests among the Applachaians in the southern, according to this 2024 studyThe

To fight against it, the forest directors of this region are often known as the burning of the fire, which helps to clean the dry plants before fueling the larger inferns. However, this technique has a few road blocks. In the United States, more than 50 percent of the 751 million acres of forest land is owned by more than 50 percent of the land, and these owners decided how their land was operated. This means that government agencies need permission from homeowners before clearing down trees after the storm or allowing them to burn on their land. Northern Carolina homeowners have a growing push from a few groups to help hug this fire control technique, Griest ReportThe

Another snake is that climate change land directors can reduce the number of days that can practice in southeast -east combination 2024 studyThe The plants need to be dry enough to burn and burn, but the temperature and air should be moderately low to prevent the fire from the outside – the communications that growing less than global temperature rise. Like the fire, the prescribed burns can also reveal air pollution, which can negatively affect the quality of the air. My colleague Lee Hegepath This problem is the coverWhich is currently happening in Birmingham in Alabama.

At the same time, the Trump administration has Keep funds and recruits in programs that support the fire of the Wildland Experts say, in recent weeks, the country’s large swaths are left unattractive to take large fire.