Key Points:
– Researchers have developed a new tool called REBURN.
– REBURN can simulate large forest landscapes and wildfire dynamics over long periods of time.
– The tool can simulate the consequences of different wildfire management strategies.
– It can simulate conditions of extinguishing all wildfires or allowing certain fires to return to uninhabited areas.
– REBURN can also simulate conditions where more benign forest landscape dynamics have fully recovered in an area.
Hot take:
So, scientists have come up with a fancy tool called REBURN that can simulate wildfires and their consequences over several decades or centuries. Basically, they’re playing SimCity but with a lot more flames. They can use this tool to see what happens when we extinguish every little wildfire or when we let some fires roam free in uninhabited areas. It’s like watching a forest-themed reality show, but instead of drama, we get to see how the forest structure changes. It’s pretty cool that they can also simulate when everything goes back to normal and the forest is all happy again.
Original article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230821114327.htm