David Bowman and colleagues incorrectly cite our work to support their claim that politicians and the media misled the public by blaming Australia’s 2019–20 wildfires on inappropriate land management (D. Bowman et al. Nature 584, 188–191; 2020).
In our article (M. A. Adams et al. Glob. Change Biol. 26, 3756–3758; 2020), we emphatically acknowledged that hot, dry weather (and generally drying climates) had created conditions that typically precede large Australian fires. We also offered empirical data showing that loads of litter fuel — which drives fire intensity — had reached critical levels. Although a political issue, litter fuels can be managed to mitigate fire risks (see F. Moreira et al. Environ. Res. Lett. 15, 011001; 2020).
Our empirical data (see M. Neumann et al. Ecosphere 12, e03693; 2021) are backed by an extensive literature on litter decomposition. As climates dry, decomposition slows and litter fuel accumulates faster. Measured fuel loads frequently exceed those predicted by Bowman et al. (see, for example, D. M. J. S. Bowman et al. Plant Cell Environ. 44, 347–355; 2021), based on models with arbitrary limits reached within 10–20 years of previous fires.
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August 31, 2021 at 04:24PM
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Australian bush fires and fuel loads - Nature.com
"fuel" - Google News
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