21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions

With climate change, frequent forest fires and prolonged fire period occur all over the world. Moreover, carbon emission from forest fire affects the carbon cycle of the forest ecosystem. However, this effect varies by region with no uniform conclusions, and fewer comparative studies exist on such differences between regions. In this paper, net primary productivity (NPP) data MOD17A3 were used as an important parameter of forest carbon absorption, along with MODIS fire spot data MCD14DL and burned area data MCD64A1. Forest carbon lost under forest fire interference in the northeast and southwest natural forest areas of China was studied to explore the role of forest fire in the carbon cycle process and its differences in the unlike regions of China. Here, by means of kernel density analysis and M-K trend test, the characteristics of forest fires in China’s southwest and northeast forests were calculated. Forest carbon emission under forest fire disturbance was quantified by reference to the forest fire emission factor list. We show that (1) the total number of forest fire spots in the southwest region from 2001 to 2020 was 1.06 × 105, 1.28 times that of Northeast China. However, the total burned area in the southwest was only 67.84% of that in the northeast. (2) The total carbon emissions from forest fires in the southwest from 2001 to 2020 was 37,559.94 Gg, 10.77% larger than the northeast forest, CH4 and CO2 were 13.52% and 11.29% larger respectively. Moreover, the carbon emissions of forest fire in the northeast showed a downward trend, R2 = 0.16 (p < 0.1), while it remained basically unchanged in the southwest. The contribution of carbon emissions from forest fires changed with forest types, it was shown as: evergreen needleleaf forest (14.98%) > evergreen broadleaf forest (10.81%) > deciduous needleleaf forest (6.52%) > deciduous broadleaf forest (5.22%). (3) From 2001 to 2020, under the premise that the NPP both manifested upward trends, the NPP of the burned areas showed a significant downward trend in the southwest forest, with R2 = 0.42 (p < 0.05), while it increased in the northeast forest, with R2 = 0.37 (p < 0.05). It showed negative correlation between NPP of burned areas and forest fire carbon emissions, and forest fire disturbance had no significant effect on forest NPP in Northeast China, while net carbon loss occurred in Southwest China. In general, under different forest fire characteristics, NPP, which represents forest carbon uptake, and carbon emissions from forest fires show differences. The impact of forest fire disturbance on forest carbon process varies with regions. The study can provide some ideas on the effects of forest fire disturbance on climate change.

As global climate change continues to accelerate,the frequency and intensity of forest fires continue to grow.Forest fires,which play an important ecological role in forest ecosystems,have a very significant effect on carbon emissions and carbon sinks,and also play an important role in the carbon cycle. Although the impact of forest fires on carbon emissions has been analyzed in detail,studies that scientifically and accurately measure carbon and carbonaceous gas emissions from forest fires are lacking. Carbon dioxide( CO2) emissions from temperate forest fires are usually calculated based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines( IPCC 1997) and only include direct effects of burning.Forest fires have been shown to release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and play a significant role in theglobal carbon cycle and carbon balance. In this study,we estimated the level of emissions from forest fires for carbon and carbonaceous gases including CO2,carbon monoxide( CO),methane( CH4),and non-methane hydrocarbons( NMHC)from 1953 to 2012 in Heilongjiang Province,China. We used a geographic information system based modeling approach to simulate emissions using a two-step procedure. First,we calculated total carbon released from forest fires in Heilongjiang for selected years between 1953 and 2012 by merging and analyzing measurements of several parameters. Second,we calculated the amounts of four carbonaceous gases released during the burn,CO2,CO,CH4,and NMHC,using several different experimentally derived emission factors. The origin of each of the inputs used in our models was based on a combination of analysis of forest fire inventory,forest resources inventory,field research,and laboratory experiments.Direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in Heilongjiang during 1953—2012 were about 5. 88×107t,and mean annual carbon emissions were about 9. 80 ×105t per year,accounting for 8. 66% of the direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in China. Carbon emissions of four trace gases,CO2,CO,CH4and NMHC,from forest fires were 1. 89×108,1.06×107,6.33×105and 4. 43×105t,respectively; mean annual emissions of CO2,CO,CH4and NMHC were 3. 15×106,1.77×105,1.05×104and 7. 38×103t,respectively,accounting for 7. 74%,6. 52%,9. 42% and 6. 53% of the amounts of CO2,CO,CH4and NMHC released from forest fires in China,respectively,during that period. Our results indicate that combustion efficiency of coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest is lower than other forest types. The mean annual burned area for this type of forest accounts for 57. 54% of China's total burn area,while this area's fires account for only 38. 57% of carbon total emissions from forest fires. We propose the following forest fire management strategy. First,our studies show that the area's mean annual forest fire carbon emissions have an important impact on the regional carbon balance. So,we suggest strengthening the management of forest fuels( fine fuels,heavy fuels,etc.) as part of the regional forest fire management strategy. Fuels on the ground do not decompose easily in Heilongjiang's cold and dry temperate forests. Land managers should implement a reasonable prescribed burning plan designed to reduce the accumulation of combustible fuels.A policy for conducting periodic prescribed burning will reduce the incidence of forest fires. Prescribed burning should help land managers to control and limit the incidence and intensity of wildfires while allowing them to improve the condition of the ecosystem. Finally,we should give full consideration to the role of forest fires in maintaining the ecological balance of forest ecosystems.

Carbon emissions from forest fires release large amounts of carbon and have important implications for the global and regional carbon cycle and atmospheric carbon concentrations. Considering the significant spatial and temporal variations in different forest fires, this study explores the relationship between different forests and carbon emissions from forest fires. This study developed a high-resolution (0.05° × 0.05°) daily global inventory of carbon emissions from biomass burning during 2016–2022. The inventory estimates of carbon emissions from biomass burning are based on the newly released FY-3 data product, satellite and observational data of biomass density, and spatial and temporal variable combustion factors. Forest fire carbon emissions were assessed using active fire data from FY-3 series satellites from 2016 to 2022, and it was linearly compared with GFED, FEER, and GFAS data on time and spatial scales with R2 of 0.7, 0.73, and 0.69, respectively. The results show spatial patterns of forest cover and carbon emissions, with South America, Africa, South-East Asia, and northern Asia as high-emission zones. The analysis shows an overall upward trend in global forest fire carbon emissions over the study period. Different types of forests exhibited specific emission patterns and temporal variations. For example, most needleleaf forest fires occur in areas with low tree cover, while broadleaf forest fires tend to occur in areas with high tree cover. The study showed that there was a relationship between inter-annual trends in forest fire carbon emissions and land cover, with biomass burning occurring mainly in the range of 60–70% tree cover. However, there were also differences between evergreen broadleaf forest, evergreen needleleaf forest, deciduous broadleaf forest, deciduous needleleaf forest, and mixed forest indicating the importance of considering differences in forest types when estimating emissions. This study identifies the main sources of carbon emissions from forest fires globally, which will help policymakers to take more targeted measures to reduce carbon emissions and provide a reliable basis for appropriate measures and directions in future carbon mitigation actions.

Abstract. New burned area datasets and top-down constraints from atmospheric concentration measurements of pyrogenic gases have decreased the large uncertainty in fire emissions estimates. However, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the contribution of deforestation, savanna, forest, agricultural waste, and peat fires to total global fire emissions. Here we used a revised version of the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford-Approach (CASA) biogeochemical model and improved satellite-derived estimates of area burned, fire activity, and plant productivity to calculate fire emissions for the 1997–2009 period on a 0.5° spatial resolution with a monthly time step. For November 2000 onwards, estimates were based on burned area, active fire detections, and plant productivity from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. For the partitioning we focused on the MODIS era. We used maps of burned area derived from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) and Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) active fire data prior to MODIS (1997–2000) and estimates of plant productivity derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) observations during the same period. Average global fire carbon emissions according to this version 3 of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED3) were 2.0 Pg C year−1 with significant interannual variability during 1997–2001 (2.8 Pg C year−1 in 1998 and 1.6 Pg C year−1 in 2001). Globally, emissions during 2002–2007 were relatively constant (around 2.1 Pg C year−1) before declining in 2008 (1.7 Pg C year−1) and 2009 (1.5 Pg C year−1) partly due to lower deforestation fire emissions in South America and tropical Asia. On a regional basis, emissions were highly variable during 2002–2007 (e.g., boreal Asia, South America, and Indonesia), but these regional differences canceled out at a global level. During the MODIS era (2001–2009), most carbon emissions were from fires in grasslands and savannas (44%) with smaller contributions from tropical deforestation and degradation fires (20%), woodland fires (mostly confined to the tropics, 16%), forest fires (mostly in the extratropics, 15%), agricultural waste burning (3%), and tropical peat fires (3%). The contribution from agricultural waste fires was likely a lower bound because our approach for measuring burned area could not detect all of these relatively small fires. Total carbon emissions were on average 13% lower than in our previous (GFED2) work. For reduced trace gases such as CO and CH4, deforestation, degradation, and peat fires were more important contributors because of higher emissions of reduced trace gases per unit carbon combusted compared to savanna fires. Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation, degradation, and peatland fires were on average 0.5 Pg C year−1. The carbon emissions from these fires may not be balanced by regrowth following fire. Our results provide the first global assessment of the contribution of different sources to total global fire emissions for the past decade, and supply the community with an improved 13-year fire emissions time series.

In December 2010, parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to encourage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from forest losses with the financial support of developed countries. This important international agreement followed about seven years of effort among governments, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and the scientific community, and is called REDD+, the program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. REDD+ could achieve its potential to slow emissions from deforestation and forest degradation either as a new market option to offset emissions from developed nations, or as a mitigation option for developing countries themselves. Aside from representing an important step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a growing list of potential co-benefits to REDD+ include improved forestry practices, forest restoration, sustainable development, and biodiversity protection. Indeed the agreement is heralded as a win–win for climate change mitigation and tropical forest conservation, and it could end up contributing to a global economy based on carbon and ecosystem services.

A larger amount of carbon is stored in forest ecosystems than in the entire atmosphere. Thus, relatively small changes in forest carbon stocks can significantly impact net carbon exchange between the biosphere and atmosphere. Changes in forest stocks can result from various disturbances, such as insect pests, windstorms, flooding, and especially forest fires. Globally, the impact of forest fires has been enhanced due to ongoing warming of the climate. The current study reported an evaluation of carbon emissions from historical forest fires in China during 1988–2012 with observational data collected from national agriculture statistics. Historical fire trends and fire‐induced carbon emissions were described over space and time at both national and regional levels. The results indicated that no significant increases in fire occurrence and carbon emissions were observed during the study period at the national level. However, at the regional level, there was a significant increasing trend in fire occurrence, and drought severity was a major driver of fire activity. Most carbon emissions were from north and northeast China, and these emissions contributed significantly to total carbon emissions. The results also showed that annual fire‐induced emissions ranged from 0.04 Tg C to 7.22 Tg C, with an average of 1.03 Tg C. Large interannual and spatial variabilities of carbon emissions were also indicated, and these were attributed to spatial and temporal variations in fire regimes. The results improve understanding of fire characteristics and provide significant information for reducing model‐related uncertainty of fire‐induced carbon emissions.

Forest fire has been one of the compelling issues in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. To promote regeneration, clearing fields for agriculture, hunting, and security reasons, local people deliberately set forests on fire. In this paper, active fire incidents, temperature, precipitation, and the changes of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Carbon monoxide (CO) value associated with forest fire were evaluated. The active forest fire incidents obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite are supplemented by the ERA5-land dataset to see the relation between precipitation and temperature with forest fires. MODIS and Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) sensor datasets were used to see the changes in AOD and CO in the region. MODIS sensor detected more than 30,462 active fires incidents in March and April 2021 in the study areas. Shan State of Myanmar recorded the maximum number of active fire incidents which is due to the practice of shifting cultivation and minimum in Bhutan due to the awareness campaigns and technology improvement. The temperature recorded in the study sites shows an increasing trend as compared to the reference period (2010-2020). Apart from Shan and Bago of Myanmar, precipitation in the study sites is also less during the study period. AOD and CO values show prominent peaks in a fire season which coincide with days of the maximum number of fire counts inferring the influence of forest fire on air quality. Developing countries like Nepal, India, Myanmar, and Bhutan are willing to take part in climate finance and are bound to accept expensive insurance premium due to forest fire incidents. Unless forest fires are effectively managed and mitigated, achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and global agendas, including United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is onerous.

Between 2000 and 2020, global wildfires emitted approximately 7.32 billion metric tons of CO2, constituting about 18.5% of fossil fuel-related emissions. Despite a decrease in the global burned area, wildfire carbon emissions showed no significant trend. This is because carbon emission of forest fires is increasing, and thus compensates for the reduction in carbon emission from savanna fires. Forest fires is about 5% of global burned area but contribute roughly 20% (1.5 billion metric tons) of these emissions. Increases in forest fire carbon emissions, particularly in the northern high latitudes, are attributed to climate change and human activities. In recent years, the rise in extreme wildfire emissions affects over 40% of global vegetated lands, often linked to extreme fire weather conditions. Addressing this requires the development of advanced forest fire risk identification and prevention technologies.

Forest fires are one of the major environmental issues globally. In Nepal, substantial amounts of forest biomass and carbon are lost due to fire. Nepal’s high value lowland forests are particularly vulnerable to fire. However, there are limited studies on the estimation of biomass loss and carbon emissions due to fire. Thus, this research addresses the information gap in the tropical mixed broad-leaved forests of Nawalparasi District. The forests were divided into three strata: Lower Tropical Sal Mixed Broad-leaved Forest, Hill Sal Forest and Riverine Forest, and from these four community-managed forests were selected for estimating above ground biomass. Ninety-two sample plots were set out for above ground biomass estimation in burnt and non-burnt areas. Forest fire incidences from 2001 to 2017 were acquired from the MODIS fire data. Forest biomass and carbon emissions were estimated using standard allometric equations. The fuel fraction consumed during the fire was estimated through field surveys during the forest fire season. The results show that every year, over 3158 ha of forests are burnt, resulting in some 1108 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to approximately 4066 t CO2, 2581 t CO and 1474 t CH4. Among the forests, the Hill Sal Forest was more vulnerable to fire. Forest management strategies, therefore, should include construction of fire lines and conservation ponds along with capacity building and raising awareness among local communities and stakeholders.

Forest and wildland fires are a natural part of ecosystems worldwide, but large fires in particular can cause societal, economic and ecological disruption. Fires are an important source of greenhouse gases and black carbon that can further amplify and accelerate climate change. In recent years, large forest fires in Sweden demonstrate that the issue should also be considered in other parts of Fennoscandia. This final report of the project “Forest fires in Fennoscandia under changing climate and forest cover (IBA ForestFires)” funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, synthesises current knowledge of the occurrence, monitoring, modelling and suppression of forest fires in Fennoscandia. The report also focuses on elaborating the role of forest fires as a source of black carbon (BC) emissions over the Arctic and discussing the importance of international collaboration in tackling forest fires. The report explains the factors regulating fire ignition, spread and intensity in Fennoscandian conditions. It highlights that the climate in Fennoscandia is characterised by large inter-annual variability, which is reflected in forest fire risk. Here, the majority of forest fires are caused by human activities such as careless handling of fire and ignitions related to forest harvesting. In addition to weather and climate, fuel characteristics in forests influence fire ignition, intensity and spread. In the report, long-term fire statistics are presented for Finland, Sweden and the Republic of Karelia. The statistics indicate that the amount of annually burnt forest has decreased in Fennoscandia. However, with the exception of recent large fires in Sweden, during the past 25 years the annually burnt area and number of fires have been fairly stable, which is mainly due to effective fire mitigation. Land surface models were used to investigate how climate change and forest management can influence forest fires in the future. The simulations were conducted using different regional climate models and greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Simulations, extending to 2100, indicate that forest fire risk is likely to increase over the coming decades. The report also highlights that globally, forest fires are a significant source of BC in the Arctic, having adverse health effects and further amplifying climate warming. However, simulations made using an atmospheric dispersion model indicate that the impact of forest fires in Fennoscandia on the environment and air quality is relatively minor and highly seasonal. Efficient forest fire mitigation requires the development of forest fire detection tools including satellites and drones, high spatial resolution modelling of fire risk and fire spreading that account for detailed terrain and weather information. Moreover, increasing the general preparedness and operational efficiency of firefighting is highly important. Forest fires are a large challenge requiring multidisciplinary research and close cooperation between the various administrative operators, e.g. rescue services, weather services, forest organisations and forest owners is required at both the national and international level.

Forest fires are a primary disturbance in forest ecosystems,and can reallocate carbon among different carbon pools by influencing ecosystem structure and processes,thus significantly decreasing carbon stored in vegetation and soil.Large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere from forest fires each year,which has significant effects on the carbon cycle and carbon storage.Forest fires are a significant source of a number of important trace gas species to the atmosphere;thus they significantly contribute to variations of atmospheric concentrations of carbon-containing trace gases.Accurate estimations of carbon emission from forest fires are critical to the understanding of effects of forest fires on atmospheric carbon balance mechanisms.Daxing′anling Mountain is the only cold temperate coniferous forest in China,and is the area in China with the most forest fires.Therefore,assessment of the atmospheric contribution of fires in the Daxing′anling Mountain forest is critical to the understanding of regional carbon balance. In this paper,we estimated emissions of carbon(C) and carbon-containing trace gases,including CO2,CO,CH4,and nonmethane hydrocarbons(NMHC) from forest fires in Daxing′anling Mountain of Heilongjiang Province from 2001 to 2010,using a combination of forest fire inventory,forest resources inventory,field research,and laboratory experiments.Our results suggest that the total carbon emissions from forest fires of the forest types in Daxing′anling Mountain was about 5.36×106 metric tons(t) during this period,and mean annual carbon emissions from forest fires in Daxing′anling Mountain come to about 5.36×105 t per year,which is the sum of the atmospheric emissions of four trace gases as follows:(1) 1.73×107 t CO2,mean annual 1.73×106 t CO2;(2) 1.10×106 t CO,mean annual 1.10×105 t CO;(3) 7.10×104 t CH4,mean annual 7.10×103 t CH4;and(4) 3.50×104 t NMHC,mean annual 3.50×103 t NMHC. Our study indicates that carbon emissions for three major Larix gmelinii forests in the region(i.e.,Larix-Rhododendron,Larix-Ledum,and Larix-grass forests) are significant,accounting for total carbon emissions of 83.08%,and including carbonaceous gases emissions for CO2,CO,CH4,and NMHC of 83.36%,82.25%,57.96%,and 81.00% respectively.Average area annual carbon emissions were also found to have an important impact on the regional carbon balance.Our study indicates that fire-induced carbon emissions are considerable interannually,but have remained relatively low and stable since 2001 because of the use of fire suppression policies.Large spatial variation in fire-induced carbon emissions exists because of spatial variability in climate,forest types,and fire regimens. Our investigation suggests that the management strategy for forest fires should be to strengthen the sustainable management of forest fuel.As the Daxing′anling Mountain boreal forest is cold and dry,fuel can not easily be broken down on the ground.We should implement reasonable prescribed burning to reduce the accumulation of combustible fuel on the ground.Prescribed burning is a fundamental measure to reduce forest fires,allowing us to control the rate of fire incidence within the larger state of the ecosystem.At the same time,we should give full play to the effects of forest fires as factors in the role of forest ecosystem balance.

Increasing the net carbon sequestration of forests is the only way for Russia to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In this context, along with measures to increase the area and quality of stands, ways to reduce carbon emissions due to human activities and natural disturbances are important. The article uses regression models of panel data to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of carbon emissions in the Russian forests in 2009–2021 as measured by Global Forest Watch project tools, depending on economic (volume of logging, government spending on forest management, forest protection and forest fire measures) and natural (scale of forest fires and outbreaks of mass reproduction of insect pests) factors. Logging and forest fires are expected to have the greatest impact on forest carbon losses, while spending on the performance of state functions in the sphere of forest relations has almost no response in the reduction of carbon emissions. Thus, in fact, the goal of preserving forests through public investment in appropriate measures has not yet been achieved. The resulting set of regression models can be used to predict the dynamics of the regional effects of forest carbon losses under changes in logging volumes and various trajectories of the dynamics of forest fire activity. Such analysis will be critically necessary for the formation of regional plans for greenhouse gas emission reduction, taking into account the maximum use of the potential of forests’ net carbon sequestration build-up.

The forest resource of Heilongjiang province has important position in china. On the basis of the six times of national forest inventory data (1973–1976, 1977–1981, 1985–1988, 1989–1993, 1994–1998, 1999–2003) surveyed by the Forestry Ministry of P. R. China from 1973 to 2003, the carbon storage of forests in Heilongjiang Province are estimated by using the method of linear relationship of each tree species between biomass and volume. The results show that the carbon storage of Heilongjiang forests in the six periods (1973–1976, 1977–1981, 1985–1988, 1989–1993, 1994–1998, 1999–2003) are 7.164×108t, 4.871×108t, 5.094×108t, 5.292×108t, 5.594×108 t and 5.410×108t, respectively., which showed a trend of decreasing in early time and then increasing. It indicated that Heilongjiang forests play an important role as a sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide during past 30 years. Based on the data of forest fires from 1980 to 1999 and ground biomass estimation for some forest types in Heilongjiang Province, it is estimated that the amount of mean annual consumed biomass of forests is 391758.65t–522344.95t, accounting for 6.4%–8.4% of total national consummation from forest fires, and the amount of carbon emission is 176 291.39t–235 055.23t, about 8% of total national emission from forest fires. The emission of CO2, CO, CH4 and NMHC from forest fires in Heilongjiang Province are estimated at 581761.6–775682.25 t, 34892.275–46523.04 t, 14091.11–18788.15 t and 6500–9000 t, respectively, every year.

Aims Forest fire is a major disturbance factor for forest ecosystems and an important pathway of decreasing vegetation- and soil-carbon storage. Scientifically and effectively measuring carbonaceous gases emission from forest fire is important in understanding the significance of forest fire in carbon balance and climate change. However, carbon emissions from forest fire remain unclear. Our objective was to estimate carbon emissions from forest fires from 1965 to 2010 in Daxing’an Mountains of Heilongjiang Province, China. Methods We used a geographic information system (GIS) based modeling approach to generate emission estimates using a two-step procedure. First, we calculated total carbon released from forest fires in Daxing’an Mountains for selected years between 1965 and 2010 by merging and analyzing several measurement parameters. Second, we calculated amounts of four carbonaceous gases released during the burns, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH 4 ), and nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC), using several different experimentally derived emission factors. The origin of each of the inputs used in our models is based on a combination of analysis of forest fire statistics, forest resources inventory, field research and laboratory experiments. Important findings Direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in Daxing’an Mountains during 1965–2010 are about 2.93 × 10 7 t, and mean annual carbon emissions are about 6.38 × 10 5 t per year, accounting for 5.64% of the direct total carbon emissions from forest fires in China. Carbon atmospheric emissions of CO 2 , CO, CH 4 and NMHC from forest fires were 1.02 × 10 8 t, 9.41 × 10 6 t, 5.41 × 10 5 t and 2.11 × 10 5 t, respectively, and mean an- nual emissions of CO 2 , CO, CH 4 , and NMHC from forest fires were 2.22 × 10 6 t, 2.05 × 10 5 t, 1.18 × 10 4 t and 4.59 × 10 3 t, respectively, accounting for 5.46%, 7.56%, 10.54% and 4.06% of the amounts of four carbonaceous gases released from forest fires in China, respectively. Our results indicate that combustion efficiency of coniferous broad-leaved mixed forests is lower than other forest types, and burned area of coniferous broad-leaved mixed forests accounts for 21.23% of total burned area, but carbon emissions accounts for 7.81% of total carbon emissions.

Climate change has intensified the scale of global wildfire impacts in recent decades. In order to reduce fire impacts, management policies are being proposed in the western United States to lower fire risk that focus on harvesting trees, including large-diameter trees. Many policies already do not include diameter limits and some recent policies have proposed diameter increases in fuel reduction strategies. While the primary goal is fire risk reduction, these policies have been interpreted as strategies that can be used to save trees from being killed by fire, thus preventing carbon emissions and feedbacks to climate warming. This interpretation has already resulted in cutting down trees that likely would have survived fire, resulting in forest carbon losses that are greater than if a wildfire had occurred. To help policymakers and managers avoid these unintended carbon consequences and to present carbon emission sources in the same context, we calculate western United States forest fire carbon emissions and compare them with harvest and fossil fuel emissions (FFE) over the same timeframe. We find that forest fire carbon emissions are on average only 6% of anthropogenic FFE over the past decade. While wildfire occurrence and area burned have increased over the last three decades, per area fire emissions for extreme fire events are relatively constant. In contrast, harvest of mature trees releases a higher density of carbon emissions (e.g., per unit area) relative to wildfire (150–800%) because harvest causes a higher rate of tree mortality than wildfire. Our results show that increasing harvest of mature trees to save them from fire increases emissions rather than preventing them. Shown in context, our results demonstrate that reducing FFEs will do more for climate mitigation potential (and subsequent reduction of fire) than increasing extractive harvest to prevent fire emissions. On public lands, management aimed at less-intensive fuels reduction (such as removal of “ladder” fuels, i.e., shrubs and small-diameter trees) will help to balance reducing catastrophic fire and leave live mature trees on the landscape to continue carbon uptake.