What is causing the wildfires in the US? You will be surprised to know

Have you ever wondered what is causing those wildfires in the US? You will be surprised to know that it isn’t any invasive plant species or a plant in the forest that is causing them. It is actually the grass in your lawn that is responsible for much of the wildfires that are being reported across the US. The grass can wreak havoc under the right weather conditions with just a spark which is sufficient to trigger these wildfires that are destructive. Many houses have been destroyed, in recent times due to these wildfires.

Grass:

It has been noted that grass fires are typically shorter and less intense than forest fires but has the capacity to spread fast, challenge the firefighting resources and burn down houses that are being constructed close to the wildfire prone areas. It has been noted that the moisture in the grass can easily dry up within a short period of time making it vulnerable to wildlife fires. Another feature that has been noted is that continuous rains lead to growth of grass. This then leads to warmer and drier seasons resulting in wild fires.

Climate change:

Further, climate change has added to the chaos with its less precipitation, increase in global temperatures which are resulting in drier areas. This is resulting in wildfires caused by burning grass. In America’s grasslands, there lies an ideal situation for grassfires. It is in this region that massive fires are being reported. The region is seeing more mega wildfires such as the Smokehouse Creek fire and the Colorado Marshall Fire which burned more than 1000 homes in 2021. The western states of the US are dry and have been found to be vulnerable to effects of climate change.

Destruction of homes:

In the western states, a study found that more than two-thirds of the homes burned over a period of 30 years. Of these, more than 80% were burned in grass and shrub fires. One reason has been that people are constructing homes close to the wild land-urban interface. Over 44 million houses were constructed in this region up to 2020. In this region, over 80,000 homes were burnt down.

FAQs:

Which are three main deserts in the state of California?
In the state of California, there are three main deserts. They are the Mojave, the Colorado and the Great Basin deserts. They are some of the most unique and fragile eco-systems in the world.

How many wildfires were reported in the US in 2023?
The National Interagency Fire Centre has revealed that there were 56,580 wildfires reported in the US in 2023. This burnt over 2.7 million acres of land.