Fires are now destroying twice as much forest cover globally than at the turn of the century, the vast majority within the boreal forest, “probably” due to climate change, according to a study released Wednesday.
Compared to 2001, wildfires now destroy roughly 3 million hectares more each year, an area the size of Belgium, according to satellite data compiled by Global Forest Watch (GFW), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and University of Maryland. .
70% of the area consumed by flames in 20 years is related to boreal forests, which cover much of Russia, Canada and Alaska and are among the largest carbon sinks on the planet.
In Russia, 53 million hectares have burned since 2001, almost as much as France.
Fires, according to the study, account for more than a quarter of the total loss of forest cover since the beginning of the century, while the rest is caused by deforestation or other natural causes (storms and floods).
In the end, the loss of forest cover due to fires increases by about 4% per year, or an additional 230,000 hectares. And about half of that increase is due to larger fires in boreal forests, “likely a result of warming temperatures in northern regions,” the researchers note.
They say climate change is “likely a major factor” in these increases, with extreme heat waves that dry out forests now five times more likely today than they were a century and a half ago. .
Closer to us, Brazil has seen an 8% increase in forest fires compared to last year on August 1. The most destructive months in terms of forest fires in the Amazon are usually August and September. However, it is during this period that it is drier, there is less rain and therefore the forests are more vulnerable.
Forest destruction from these fires, exacerbated by drought and high heat, leads to massive greenhouse gas emissions, which further exacerbate climate change through the mechanism of a “fire-climate feedback loop,” they add. This dynamic , the study warns, could eventually cause boreal forests to lose their status as carbon sinks.
The researchers call on governments to improve forest resilience by halting deforestation and limiting some local forest management practices, including controlled burning, which is very dangerous during periods of drought. “Forests are one of the best defenses we have against climate change,” McCarthy said.
Trees burned in a massive wildfire last year near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, April 2017
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– Robyn Beck (AFP/Archive)
