A wildfire is a natural or human-caused fire that occurs in the wild. It can be a destructive and complex natural process that requires a big team and lots of time to bring under control or put out.
A significant portion of the world’s terrestrial habitats are characterized by seasonal occurrences of fire. Wildfires are important and natural processes that shape Earth’s landscapes, contributing to biodiversity and ecological balance. They also release large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which exacerbate climate change.
To grow and spread, wildfires need two things: fuel and ignition. Fuel is any organic material that will burn when ignited. This includes everything from grasses and twigs to pine needles and bark. The availability and aridity of fuel are key factors in wildfire behavior, impacting how fast a fire grows, how intense it is and its ability to be contained.
Firefighters and air tankers create breaks in fuel (i.e., control lines) around the edge of a wildfire to stop it from spreading further and threatening structures or other values at risk. This can be accomplished by removing fuel from the ground, using aircraft to drop water or chemicals on the fire or simply creating space between burned and unburned material so it cannot spread.
In many places, wildfire occurrence and severity have declined. This is largely due to century-long fire suppression efforts and changing land management practices. However, fires are still common in many areas of the world and their effects are influenced by local conditions, including vegetation composition and the availability of fuel.
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