Climate change to increase forest fire danger in Europe

Areas devastated by forest fires in Europe could double by 2090, according to a new research published in the Regional Environmental Change. Authors warn that climate change related temperature rise and longer droughts can make forests more susceptible to fires, reports Red Orbit. One solution could be preventive fires, according to the study.

"There is still a big debate on the effectiveness of prescribed burning as a forest fire management tool. This study shows that it can be a promising option to protect European forests from the impacts of climate change," says IIASA Ecosystems Services and Management Program Research Scholar Nikolay Khabarov, who led the study.