Focusing on fire synchrony, or patterns in climate and fire that occur at the same time across different regions, Southwest CASC-supported researchers sought to determine whether climate patterns and wildfire events in the past were connected, and whether these relationships remained consistent over time.

Using tree-ring reconstructions of soil moisture to represent historical climate (1750–1880) and their shaping of widespread fire events across North America, the researchers' findings indicate that patterns of wildfire occurrence in North American forests were correlated with climate patterns at multiple spatial scales, particularly in western regions. 

This suggests that large, climate-driven fire events are not entirely new and that similar patterns are likely to continue. Evaluating regions based on shared patterns of climate and fire could help inform wildfire management plans.

Learn more about this research in the Southwest CASC news story: "Tree-ring Reconstructions Show Climate and Fire are Historically Linked"