Across the American landscape, a quiet revolution is running on smoke and science. After decades of trying to stamp out every spark, land managers are bringing back planned, low-intensity burns – prescribed fire – to head off the infernos that turn skies orange and towns anxious. These carefully timed burns mimic the small, frequent ...
Stand beneath a smoke-darkened sky during a major fire and you can feel the atmosphere turn restless, almost electric, as if the blaze is rewriting the rules above your head. Across the world’s fire-prone regions, scientists are documenting a remarkable phenomenon: intense wildfires that grow tall enough and hot enough to spawn clouds, winds, and ...
I remember the first time I stood at the edge of a burn scar in the Sierra foothills and felt the ground radiate heat hours after sundown. That visceral heat tells a bigger story: California’s fires aren’t just more frequent; they’re behaving differently, with longer seasons, faster runs, and more stubborn nights. Scientists have pieced ...
