Wildfire

Australia's 2019 to 2020 wildfires destroyed more than 3,000 homes. New research shows how they also temporarily depleted the ozone layer.

Here's How Wildfires Can Destroy the Ozone Layer

Massive blazes like the ones in Australia three years ago deplete the crucial blanket surrounding our planet through chemical reactions in the atmosphere

Ponderosa pines at Yosemite National Park

California's 'Zombie Forests' Are Cheating Death—but Maybe Not for Long

A fifth of conifer forests in the state’s Sierra Nevada mountains are stranded in unsuitably warm conditions

Dead aspen trees, shrunken by drought, wither near Grant Lake in California last October.

California Lost 36 Million Trees to Drought Last Year

The die-off is expected to continue despite this winter’s rain storms

The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit relies on sagebrush for food and shelter, but the shrub has nearly disappeared. It's also slow to regrow: it takes about two decades, or ten pygmy rabbit lifetimes.

Planet Positive

Can Scientists Save the World’s Tiniest Rabbit?

In Washington State, the race is on to save a diminutive bunny as wildfires threaten its already shrinking habitat

A mountain lion, P-22, known to live in the Los Angeles area

L.A.'s Cougars Were Driven to Extremes by Wildfire

With less suitable habitat, the big cats traveled further and crossed dangerous roads more often

King Fire Self Portrait by Jeff Frost (2018)

See How California Artists Process Wildfires Through Their Work

A new exhibition showcases art that seeks to make sense of destruction

Fires burn in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil on August 31, 2022. 

Wildfires Reached a Five-Year High in the Brazilian Amazon

Rapid deforestation has made the rainforest more vulnerable to flames, experts say

Aerial view of the usually submerged ruins of the village of Aceredo in northwestern Spain on February 15, 2022

This Summer’s Drought Is Europe's Worst in 500 Years. What Happened Last Time?

The 1540 megadrought brought mass suffering to the continent, but European society quickly bounced back

An inmate firefighter monitors flames as a house burns in the Napa wine region of California on October 9, 2017.

Untold Stories of American History

The History of California's Inmate Firefighter Program

The initiative, which finds prisoners working as first responders and rescuers, dates back to the 1940s

A flash flood in Moab, Utah outside Arches National Park. 

Southwestern Flash Floods Submerge Cars, Strand National Park Visitors

Millions were under flood watch over the weekend as rains overwhelmed a wildfire-scorched landscape

Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias has reopened after the Washburn Fire.

Yosemite's Grove of Giant Sequoias Reopens After Month-Long Fire Closure

Park officials say that decades of prescribed burns helped keep the historic trees safe

Forests are grappling with wildfires, insect infestations, extreme weather events, invasive species and other challenges.

U.S. Will Plant One Billion Trees to Combat Climate Change

The Forest Service plans to tackle a reforestation backlog of 4.1 million acres

A firefighting aircraft drops retardant to stop the spread of the Oak Fire in California

A Fast-Moving Wildfire Is Spreading Near Yosemite National Park

The Oak Fire has forced thousands of Mariposa County residents to evacuate

A forest fire in Louchats, southwestern France, on July 17, 2022

Heat Wave Scorches Europe

Scientists say climate change is making heat waves hotter, longer and more frequent

Firefighters from the Brigadas de Refuerzo en Incendios Forestales (BRIF) tackle a forest fire in Avila, Spain, on July 18, 2022.

Our Forests Can't Handle This Much Stress

A new study suggests that climate change is making life more difficult for forests to adapt to new stresses to the environment

Smoke and flames rise as the forest burns at Yosemite National Park in California on July 10, 2022.

Wildfire Burns in Yosemite National Park, Threatening Giant Sequoia Trees

The Washburn Fire has scorched more than 2,000 acres since it was first reported on Thursday

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A Surprisingly High Number of Wildfires Are Caused by Electrocuted Birds

Researchers determined 44 wildland fires were ignited by avian electrocutions in the contiguous United States from January 2014 through December 2018

Participants in First Nature Tours help mitigate damages from wildfires in Central Oregon.

Regenerative Tourism Invites Travelers to Get Their Hands Dirty

Vacations that allow tourists to participate in conservation activities, such as habitat restoration, are growing in popularity

Spotted tree frogs are critically endangered in New South Wales.

Critically Endangered Spotted Tree Frogs Released Into the Wild in Australia

Bushfires, fungal disease, predation and other threats have pushed these amphibians to the brink of extinction

Wildfires blazed through Big Sur in January 2022.

We Are Changing Climate Faster Than We Can Adapt, New IPCC Report Warns

Despite the 'irreversible' impacts of a warming planet, scientists emphasize there is still time to act

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