Controlled fires, as a method, refer to the deliberate ignition and management of fire under predefined environmental, spatial, and temporal conditions to achieve specific experimental, ecological, or land-management objectives. In research and applied settings, they are implemented using standardized ignition patterns, fuel preparation, and meteorological criteria to manipulate fire intensity, spread rate, and residence time while maintaining safety and reproducibility. Controlled fires enable systematic study of fire behavior, combustion processes, vegetation and soil responses, emissions, and post-fire ecological dynamics, and they often require detailed planning, monitoring instrumentation, and adherence to regulatory and risk-mitigation protocols.
On a perfect, crisp fall day with blue skies, scientists in yellow safety coats gather in the sprawling desert north of Reno. They watch as flames consume a burning bush and quickly spread through the surrounding grass. The ...
Earth Sciences
7 hours ago
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Summer days featuring conditions that promote wildfire ignition, intensity and spread have more than doubled across large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy and Greece since 1981, according to a study in Scientific ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2026
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New UC Berkeley-led research indicates that continued climate change could severely increase wildfire above natural levels in Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks.
Environment
Jul 30, 2026
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11
Peatlands are the unsung heroes of nature. These ancient wetlands form when dead and decaying plants partly decompose in wet, low-oxygen conditions. Over thousands of years, this plant material builds up and turns into a ...
Environment
Jul 28, 2026
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Wildfires are becoming a feature of the UK's hotter, drier climate. In July 2026, major fires swept through parts of the UK in a matter of days—notably setting Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano in the center of Edinburgh, ...
Environment
Jul 24, 2026
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10
A new study found that giant sequoias were nearly four times as likely to survive extreme wildfires in forests managed with prescribed burns, which decrease tree mortality. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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Scientists are calling for wildlife surveys to be conducted within hours of prescribed burns after new research revealed that evidence of animal deaths can disappear in less than two weeks, significantly underestimating the ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 20, 2026
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Prescribed fires are vital for reducing wildfire risk and sustaining forest biodiversity. But they also contribute significantly to air pollution and smoke exposure, according to new research from the University of Georgia. ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 2, 2026
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A new study finds that burning 500,000 acres (202,000 hectares) of California conifer forests each year with prescribed fire could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by roughly 10% over a decade.
Earth Sciences
Jun 11, 2026
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52
Fire began crackling like approaching rain on a recent morning in the Xerente Indigenous Territory in Tocantins in northern Brazil. But the Indigenous residents weren't afraid and didn't rush to put it out.
Environment
Jun 7, 2026
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13
