PubTalk 10/2015 — Fire-climate Relationships in the Sierra Nevada

Surprises relevant to future fire regime forecasts

by Jon E. Keeley, USGS Research Scientist

• Historical variation in annual fire activity is tied to climate only in the montane forests.
• Fires are largely insensitive to winter temperatures but significantly affected by spring and summer temperatures.
• Future impacts of global warming on fire activity are largely dependent on the seasonal patterns of warming.
• Lower elevation foothill shrublands and savannahs are not strongly affected by high temperatures in any season.