Readings the Tea Leaves Season 5 Episode 4 - 2024 Post Season Roundup

The fire season is wrapping up in many parts of the western U.S. and can be characterized by extreme fire behavior in some novel areas. In this webcast, Research Ecologist, Dr. Matt Reeves takes stock of fire activity that has occurred in 2024 and quantifies some of the fuel characteristics leading to extreme fire behavior. In addition, he compares some of the early projections of fire activity with what has actually happened so far. Oregon was a standout and saw a 250 percent increase in burned area which affected nearly 5 percent of the sagebrush extent in that state. Overall, the indicators used to project where large wildfires might occur are working reasonably well but the results suggest more work is needed. Dr. Reeves reminds listeners that the indicators primarily reflect non-forest conditions and may not be applicable to some of the more deeply forested areas of the western U.S. All Past recordings are located on the Reading the Tea Leaves page.