IDAHO, USA — Wildfires are becoming less frequent across the western United States, but they are burning significantly more land when they do occur, according to new research from a Boise State University doctoral student.
The study analyzed approximately 750,000 wildfires across the western United States from 1990 to 2025, and found the total number of wildfire ignitions declined by 31%, while the total area burned increased by 40%.
“Everyone is talking about the increasing wildfire, but no one talks about what do you mean by increasing,” said author Amirhossein Montazeri, a doctoral student at Boise State University. “Are the numbers increasing? Is the burned area increasing? And what’s the reason for that?”…