Removing dead trees will not save us from fast-moving wildfires

Policymakers and communities are racing to find ways to tackle the risk of fast-moving fires. These fires are increasingly common as climate change intensifies the fire impacts on landscapes that are often dominated by people. Blazes can race through an area at a rate of more than 16 km2 in a single day (1). Fast fires burn grasslands, shrublands, logging debris, and parched (but still-green) forests under weather anomalies that produce high winds, fuel aridity, and extreme temperatures. Under these conditions, fires are nearly impossible to extinguish and often spill into urban areas, where houses and other buildings are the primary fuel source.