Some experts argue, however, that full suppression is part of the issue that makes wildfires so large and expensive in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese Western ecosystems are adapted to fire; they need fire, and they’ve burned for thousands of years. Roughly 150 years ago, we started suppressing fires, and in large swaths of the Western forests, that led to an accumulation of fuels,\u201d Winslow Hansen, ecologist with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, tells TIME. Fuel can refer to any vegetation, twigs, branches, or organic soils that may be prone to catching fire\u2014especially in the hot, dry conditions that are more prevalent nationwide due to climate change, he explains.<\/p>\n
The combination leads to more fuel and drier fuel for fires, Hansen says, and \u201cthat leads to more intense fires, larger fires, and even faster fires.\u201d<\/p>\n