The world’s northernmost forests in Canada, Norway, Alaska and Russia are burning - and it’s helping to drive climate change.
The world’s northernmost forests in Canada, Norway, Alaska and Russia are burning at a greater rate - and it’s helping to drive climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fires in the northern ‘boreal’ forests have almost tripled since 2001 - part of a wider surge of 60% in forest fire related emissions.
Emissions from forests outside the tropics (known as ‘extratropical’ fires) are now emitting half a billion tonnes more CO2 than two decades ago. Previous research has shown that fires in these remote areas are often started by lightning, with storms becoming more likely due to climate change.
Dr Matthew Jones, a NERC Independent Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, said: “The steep trend towards greater extratropical forest fire emissions is a warning of the growing vulnerability of forests and it poses a significant challenge for global targets to tackle climate change.
“We know that forests rebound poorly after the most severe fires, so there is huge interest in how the observed increases in fire severity will influence carbon storage in forests over the coming decades. This demands our close attention.”
Why are fires increasing in northern forests?
A major new study reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from forest fires have increased everywhere - but in particular in the northern ‘boreal’ forests, also known as taiga.
Boreal forests account for 27% of the world’s forest area, and have seen emissions from fires nearly triple between 2001 and 2023.
The change is linked to climate change, the researchers believe.
The emissions are linked to the ‘hot-dry conditions seen in heatwaves and droughts.
Climate change is also driving increased rates of growth, which provides more ‘fuel’ for fires.
Both trends are aided by rapid warming in the high northern latitudes, which is happening twice as fast as the global average.
