Setting fire to a million acres of California could cut smoke by half



Firefighters in California during a prescribed burn
San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
You can fight fire with fire, even in the flammable forests of the western US.
According to an analysis of California’s record-breaking 2020 fire season, intentionally burning land can reduce the severity and amount of smoke from wildfires that burn those areas later on, even when accounting for smoke from the intentional fires themselves. “We show that there is a net benefit,” says Makoto Kelp at Stanford University in California.
The idea of “prescribed burning” is…
You Might Also Like
The surprising new idea behind what sparked life on Earth
Sparks between water droplets may have started life as we know itShutterstock/Perry Correll The first molecules necessary for life on...
Saturn has 128 new moons – more than the rest of the planets combined
Saturn now has a total of 274 moonsNASA/JPL/Space Science Institute A further 128 moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn, bringing...
Thousands join Stand Up for Science rallies across the US
Stand Up for Science rally in Washington Square Park in New York City on 7 MarchJames Dinneen Thousands of people...
Norovirus vaccine pill shows promise against ‘winter vomiting’ bug
An artist’s impression of the norovirusScience Photo Library/Alamy An early trial of a norovirus vaccine pill has shown promise at...