Fire in the South: The Southern Wildlife Risk Assessment

摘要

The South is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation, with an estimated population growth of 1.5 million people per year. The South also consistently has the highest number of wildfires per year. Population growth is pushing housing developments further into natural and forested areas where most of these wildfires occur. This situation puts many lives and communities at risk each year. For example, in 2006 most of the wildfires that occurred in Texas were less than two miles from a community. In that same year, the 10-year average of fires from October through March in a three parish area near New Orleans was 2,350 fires, which burned 27,000 acres. The frequency of fires occurring in the South is highly variable, due in large part to the variability in weather patterns. Dry weather patterns can increase fire frequency and fire size.