ENVIRONMENT
Watch our video to see how fires are fought from land, sea, and air.
Map by Geoff McGhee, David Kroodsma, and Erik Hazzard
Discussion Ideas
- According to Nat Geo News, what three major factors have contributed to 2015’s devastating fire season?
- Drought. California and the rest of the West are experiencing the fourth year of a crippling drought.
- Heat. 2015 is on track to be the warmest year on record.
- Fire suppression. Some policies have led to an near-total exclusion of fire in some forests, allowing understory vegetation to build up under the canopy. Some conservationists argue that this can cause an unnatural buildup of fuel in some forested areas.
- Zoom in on the fascinating interactive map. Be sure to look at the legends on the right hand side, including an annual summary, a list of fires, and a color key. What is the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. today? Where is it burning? How long has it been burning?
- There are two large fires burning similar acreage.
- The Sushgitit Hills Fire is burning in Central Alaska. It was first reported on June 22, 2015.
- The Okangan Fire is burning in north-central Washington, near the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. It was first reported on August 15, 2015.
- There are two large fires burning similar acreage.
- What is the largest fire burning in California? Are any federal lands threatened by this fire?
- The Fork Complex Fire is burning in Northern California, between the cities of Eureka and Redding.
- The Fork Complex Fire is threatening Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
- What fire has scorched the most land this year? Where did it burn?
- The Big Creek Fire burned about 460,536 acres in Central Alaska, near the Yukon River.
TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT
Nat Geo: Watch Western Wildfires Burn After Years of Drought
Nat Geo: Fire Bombers video
EcoWest: Wildfires in 2015 interactive map