Forest Ecosystems: Current Research Regional Fire/Climate
Relationships in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond Fire exerts a
strong influence on the structure and function of many
terrestrial ecosystems. In forested ecosystems, the factors
controlling the frequency, intensity, and size of fires are
complex and operate at different spatial and temporal scales.
Since climate strongly influences most of these factors (such as
vegetation structure and fuel moisture), understanding the past
and present relationships between climate and fire is essential
to developing strategies for managing fire-prone ecosystems in
an era of rapid climate change. The influence of climate change
and climate variability on fire regimes and large fire events in
the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and beyond is the focus of this
project. There is mounting evidence that a detectable
relationship exists between extreme fire years in the West and
Pacific Ocean circulation anomalies. The El Niño/Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) influences fire in the Sou