As global climate, land use, and fire management strategies continue to change, so do patterns of wildfire. These changing patterns have led to challenges associated with the relationships between people, fire, and ecosystems. Coinciding with these challenges has been the emergence of a transdisciplinary field, pyrogeography. Here, we offer a review of pyrogeography as a field, supported by five foundational (but nonexhaustive) core tenets: that fires create pattern, that fire patterns are inextricably linked to socioecological systems, that they are dynamic, that a human-derived pyrome is homogenizing many of the world’s pyromes, and that a diversity of human-influenced fire regimes and pyromes must be reinstated to maintain socioecological resilience. We identify a few key priorities for pyrogeography. Elements of a common pyrogeography framework must coalesce, and complex social dimensions need to continue to be integrated into the way we study fire.

Wildfires are a major natural hazard causing extensive ecological damage and endangering human survival. Previous studies on wildfires in China have mostly focused on specific regions or individual drivers, with limited systematic assessments at the long-term and national scales. The spatiotemporal patterns of wildfires and their multiple driving mechanisms under China’s diverse climatic regimes remain insufficiently understood. To bridge this gap, we combined MCD64A1 burned area data (2001–2023) with multi-source natural (meteorological, vegetation, and topographic) and anthropogenic factors, using random forest models at both the national and regional scales to examine the spatiotemporal patterns, dominant drivers, and response mechanisms of wildfires in China. The results revealed that: (1) Spatially, wildfires were concentrated in northeastern and southern China, which accounted for 86.20% of the total burned area. Temporally, northern wildfires were primarily a spring-dominated fire regime, with peak activity in March and April, whereas southern wildfires were winter-dominated, peaking in February. (2) At the national scale, elevation was the key topographic factor influencing wildfire occurrence (relative importance = 0.49), with low-elevation and gentle-slope areas being more fire-prone. At the regional scale, the driving factors exhibit spatial differentiation, forming a spatial pattern of topography-dominated and climate-dominated. (3) Partial dependence plot analysis revealed nonlinear and threshold responses. Fire probability increases rapidly when the soil moisture is below 20 mm, while extremely high land surface temperatures in arid regions suppress fire occurrence due to fuel limitations. This study enhances the understanding of spatially heterogeneous wildfire drivers in China and provides a scientific basis for region-specific wildfire prevention and management strategies.

Frequent forest fires cause serious damage to ecosystems and socioeconomic systems, increasing the importance of fire prevention and risk assessment. Forest fuel is a fundamental determinant of forest fire behavior and a key component of fire risk management. However, a systematic synthesis of its global research evolution and emerging scientific challenges remains relatively insufficient. On the basis of 1257 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2010–2025) with the themes of “wildfire fuel” and “forest fuel,” this study employed CiteSpace for bibliometric analysis to systematically investigate research trends, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolution. The results show that forest fuel research has exhibited sustained growth overall, with notable peaks in 2016 and 2020, and reaching a historical high in 2023. The United States dominated both in publication output and institutional collaboration networks, forming a core research cluster together with Australia and Canada. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analyses revealed a shift in research hotspots—from early focus on forest fuel models and risk assessment at the wild–urban interface (WUI)—toward concerns about climate-change-driven fire seasonality, fuel moisture dynamics, and emergency response issues, reflecting the growing influence of climate change on wildfire patterns. Notably, this study identified several critical research gaps, including limitations in cross-regional integration of fuel moisture studies, insufficient attention to ignition prevention in WUI residential settings, and a lack of reproducible, open bibliometric workflows. By systematically mapping the knowledge structure and evolutionary trajectory of forest fuel research, this study provides a globally informed knowledge framework for the future advancement of forest fuel science and its deeper integration with forest fire management and policy making.

Abstract Climate change alters the frequency and intensity of wildfires, but its impact on the seasonal patterns of wildfires remains underexplored. Here, we quantify historical changes in wildfire seasonality across different ecoregions in North America and assess how climate change may affect these seasonal patterns. Our study finds that boreal and taiga forests have experienced a clear advance in seasonal wildfire activity, whereas Mediterranean and desert regions show delayed and extended late‐season burning. Prairie and humid forest regions exhibit comparatively muted change. Attribution analysis shows that atmospheric dryness is the dominant control, while antecedent temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture indirectly shape wildfire risk through vegetation and fuel continuity at different lag times. These findings provide a basis for interpreting future region‐specific changes in wildfire seasonality and emphasize the need for region‐specific assessments of future wildfire activity.

The distribution of wildfires on Earth will change as climate, land-use, and vegetation change. We use global empirical models of burnt area, fire size and fire intensity to explore future wildfire trajectories under ~1.5 and 3-4 °C warming with middle of the road future socio-economic conditions. Even under ~1.5 °C warming we find a change in wildfire patterns by the end of the 21st century with reduced burning in tropical regions driven by changes in human activity but larger and more intense wildfires in extra-tropical regions driven by changes in climate and CO2. With low climate change mitigation, burnt areas increase greatly across all vegetation types, overwhelming the current global decline. These findings suggest that even with ambitious climate change mitigation, current fire-suppression policies will fail in much of the world and mitigation scenarios that rely on expanding forest areas will be unrealistic unless they are designed with wildfire risks in mind.

Abstract Pennsylvanian time was characterised by widespread transgressive depositional systems that spanned non‐marine to fully marine environments across the North American midcontinent. This study presents new palynological and Rock‐Eval pyrolysis data from 113 samples from five cores in the northern Forest City Basin within a depositional‐environment framework previously published which integrated a wide range of physical, chemical and biogenic attributes. A total of 153 palynomorph taxa were identified and we interpret depositional environments within a Palaeozoic hydrosere framework. Swamp forest assemblages are dominated by arborescent lycopods (~40%), sub‐arborescent lycopods (~15%) and ferns (~25%), with gymnosperms and sphenopsids each composing <10% of the population. Kerogen analyses reveal abundant charcoal, and the ratio of elongated to detrital charcoal decreases upwards from the Kilbourn Formation to the Swede Hollow Formation, reflecting both spatial and temporal changes in wildfire occurrence and charcoal transport processes. Rock‐Eval pyrolysis of 30 samples confirms dominantly terrestrial organic matter with Type III and Type IV kerogen. The prevalence of Type IV kerogen and abundant charcoal fragments point to frequent palaeo‐wildfires. Stratigraphically, the Kilbourn Formation represents the wettest interval, whereas the overlying Kalo and Floris formations record increased representation of fluvial floodplain and upland assemblages, indicating drier climatic intervals. The Swede Hollow Formation marks a partial return to wetter conditions, coinciding with renewed marine influence recorded by the Oakley Shale. Collectively, these results reveal that the Early–Middle Pennsylvanian landscape of the Forest City Basin was a complex mosaic of swamp forest, floodplain and fluvial upland environments influenced by climatic fluctuations, base‐level changes and periodic wildfire activity. The integration of palynological and geochemical data provides the first detailed reconstruction of ecosystem gradients and wildfire patterns across this midcontinent basin, highlighting its role as a key sediment transfer zone and ecological link between continental and marginal marine systems during Pennsylvanian time.

Wildfires pose significant challenges globally, including in Iran. This study analyzes wildfire occurrences in Iran from 2001 to 2022, using NASA FIRMS' active fire detections MCD14DL data. To enhance the reliability of this satellite-based dataset, particularly in data-scarce regions like Iran, we applied a multi-sensor cross-validation framework before modeling. We also aim to examine the country's wildfire dynamics over two decades, employing k-means clustering to categorize wildfires into ten clusters, delineating fire zones. Two random forest regression models explore the relationships between annual CO2 emissions, indicative of human activities, and average temperature, a proxy for climate variability, with wildfire occurrence. Our findings reveal a notable escalation in the frequency and intensity of wildfires across Iran during the study period. Specifically, the western and southwest regions, designated as Zone 05, emerge as highly affected areas, recording 162,734 fires despite their smaller size. The years 2015-2018 stand out as critical, marked by heightened wildfire activity and rapid annual fluctuations. Interestingly, the regression analysis shows a strong correlation between CO2 emissions and wildfire activity, which highlights the significant influence of human activities. In contrast, the weaker link with the average temperature suggests that climate variability plays a comparatively smaller role in shaping wildfire patterns in Iran during the study period . This study provides insights into Iran's wildfire patterns, revealing that the wildfire regime in Iran is evolving mainly through event frequency rather than fire intensity. These results emphasize the need for stakeholders to understand these dynamics thoroughly for effective mitigation strategies against the environmental and economic challenges posed by wildfires in the region.

Public lands are sources of valuable ecological, social, cultural, economic, scientific, and recreational resources in the United States. Wildfires may threaten the continued provision of some of these benefits. Fire management on public lands is increasingly challenging due to the growing array of human activities responsible for fires, including recreational target shooting. We used detailed information in agency fire reports from 1992 to 2020 to advance our understanding of contemporary wildfire ignition sources and patterns on a subset of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): the National Conservation Lands (NCL) system. We used a multi-scale approach, first exploring patterns of wildfire causes across 17 NCLs. Natural ignitions were dominant within 71% of NCLs and accounted for 73% of all ignitions. Although less frequent, human-caused ignitions have increased since 1992 across all NCLs, indicative of a potential departure from regional patterns. Second, we focused on a case study site, the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey (MONE) National Conservation Area. MONE represents an exception among and potential future state for other NCLs. We found that 25% of all BLM NCL ignitions from 1992 through 2020 were within MONE and furthermore, 68% of ignitions at MONE were attributed to human activities, predominantly firearms and explosives use (34%). Previous work exploring national patterns in ignitions has shown that the non-coastal western US has more natural ignitions, but we found that MONE, with its high rate of human-caused ignitions, serves as an example of ignition patterns in a conservation area with intense recreational use and diverse human impacts. Ultimately, we emphasize the need for targeted outreach and regulatory approaches to reduce recreational shooting ignitions and advocate for increased use of improved reporting standards for fire cause data.

Abstract. Wildfires increasingly threaten human lives, ecosystems, and climate, yet a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving their future dynamics and emissions remains elusive, hampering mitigation efforts. In this study, we assessed how future climate change would influence global burned area (BA) and carbon emissions between 2015 to 2100 using the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5) with active biogeochemistry and fires. The model reasonably captures observed spatial and seasonal patterns of BA and emissions during the present-day reference period. Under two future scenarios – SSP1-2.6 (low warming) and SSP3-7.0 (high warming) – CLM5 projects global BA increases of +6400 and +7500 km2 yr−1, respectively. Northern extratropics, particularly the boreal regions, emerge as the dominant hotspot with BA increasing by 200 % and fire-related carbon emissions by +4 to +7 Tg yr−1, while in tropical regions BA remains comparatively stable or slightly declines. These shifts are associated with warming-induced changes in vegetation productivity and fuel dryness, particularly in boreal ecosystems. Enhanced vegetation carbon contributes to fuel availability, while declines in relative humidity and soil moisture increase flammability. Elevated atmospheric CO2 also contributes to these effects by enhancing biomass growth through fertilization and increasing water use efficiency, thereby affecting fire risks and carbon emissions. These findings underscore the need to integrate climate-vegetation-fire interactions into global policy frameworks for effective mitigation and adaptation planning of future fire-related threats.

Can the adjoining councils influence the wildfire patterns? The role of spatial heterogeneity to assess the public forest policy against fires

Wildfire dynamics and their interactions with climatic variables pose significant challenges in Mediterranean ecosystems. This study investigates spatiotemporal wildfire patterns in Campania, southwestern Italy, for the period 2001–2020 during the peak fire season (June–September). Burned area, land cover/use, land surface temperature (LST), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) dataset are employed. First, the Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator are applied to each land cover/use class within each province. Next, Pearson's correlations among NDVI, LST, and precipitation are estimated at the pixel level, and their interconnections with fire activity are studied at the province level. The results reveal significant declines in grasslands across all provinces, with the strongest (−17.69 km 2 /year) in Avellino, and increases in grassy woodlands, e.g., +16.51 km 2 /year in Avellino and + 11.41 km 2 /year in Benevento. LST shows the strongest positive correlation with burned area in Caserta ( r = 0.67), while NDVI correlates negatively with fire, with the highest magnitude in Avellino ( r = −0.70). Precipitation–fire relationships are generally weak to moderate and negative, with the strongest in Benevento ( r = −0.52). NDVI–LST correlations are significantly negative across all provinces, with the strongest ( r = −0.79) in Benevento, highlighting vegetation stress under thermal extremes. To complement the regional assessment, a case study of the 2017 wildfire on Ischia Island is also presented, employing Sentinel-2 imagery for differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) mapping and dynamic world land cover data for detecting short-term post-fire land cover changes. The findings highlight the importance of integrating low to high-resolution satellite images to capture both broad-scale climate–fire interactions and localized fire dynamics, supporting improved wildfire susceptibility assessment in Mediterranean landscapes. • Spatiotemporal wildfire patterns in Campania for the period 2001–2020 are studied. • MODIS products, Sentinel-2, Dynamic World, and CHIRPS precipitation data are employed. • Wildfire and climate in the five provinces of Campania and Ischia Island are studied. • Strong decline in grasslands and increase in woodlands are observed except in Napoli. • Greenness and temperature are negatively correlated in Campania in the fire season.

This study analyzes the spatial and temporal patterns of wildfires in the Kohat Division of Pakistan using Landsat satellite imagery from 2013 to 2022. Kohat Division falls in the extension of Hindukush and Sufaid Koh ranges, drained by Kurram and Kohat Toi rivers. The study area is an ecologically diverse region with a variety of tree species. The Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) index and Delta Normalize Burn Ratio (dNBR) indices were applied to map burnt areas and assess wildfire intensity. The results revealed that wildfire incidents peaked in 2016 and 2020, causing extensive damage in the Kurram and Orakzai districts. Temporal analysis showed an increasing frequency of wildfire associated with higher pre-fire temperature and prolonged dry conditions. The findings highlight the growing vulnerability of forest ecosystems in Pakistan and underline the need for continuous satellite-based monitoring and proactive forest management strategies.

Unveiling two millennia of ecosystem changes in the Azores through elementome trajectory analysis

Background Fuel is a key driver of wildfire patterns but the impacts of changing climate on fuel hazard and availability to burn is often poorly understood. Aims To examine future landscape patterns in fuel hazard and availability across a broad climate- to fuel-limited gradient of native vegetation. Methods We used six future climate projections to predict fuel hazard (proxy for fuel load and structure) and fuel availability (using vapour pressure deficit) across 11 bioregions in Victoria, Australia. We evaluated shifts in fuel hazard ratings and fuel availability between two time periods: 2020–2039 and 2080–2099. Key results The greatest shifts in fuel hazard were increases in near-surface and elevated fuel in ecosystems closer to the middle of the climate- to fuel-limited gradient. Fuel hazard was not predicted to change in the most climate-limited areas but predicted increases in vapour pressure deficit indicated more frequent availability to burn. Conclusions Global climatic change will likely shift landscape fuel patterns, and any changes will vary depending on an ecosystem’s position along fuel- to climate-limited gradients. Implications Fuel management will need to consider the risks associated shifting patterns of fuel hazard and availability with the acknowledgement that risk is changing under changing climates.

Global forest wildfires are increasing in both frequency and intensity, resulting in significant ecological degradation and posing substantial threats to human health. This study focused on the Dongjiang River Basin in southern China and investigated the seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of forest wildfires in the research region from 2003 to 2023 using geographic information system technology. This study employed the random forest (RF) model, a machine learning algorithm, to predict the danger level of wildfire across different seasons and quantitatively interpret the seasonal wildfire driving mechanisms using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The results indicated that forest wildfires in the Dongjiang Basin were predominantly concentrated in the eastern region of the Dongjiang Basin, with significant seasonal variation in the spatial distribution. The frequency of fire events exhibited distinct seasonal patterns, with higher incidence in spring and winter and relatively lower frequency in summer and autumn. The random forest model demonstrated high predictive accuracy for the wildfire danger in all the seasons. Furthermore, the analysis of the driving factors showed that, despite some seasonal variability, the underlying mechanisms of wildfire occurrence could be effectively quantified using the SHAP values. Notably, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and anthropogenic disturbances consistently emerged as the dominant driving forces behind forest wildfires across all the seasons.

As climate change-driven wildfire patterns collide with the legacy of a century of fire suppression in Western United States forests, there is growing recognition of the need for forest restoration via fuels reduction treatments such as thinning. But the economics of ecological thinning do not work without changes to the system of demand for small-diameter and unmerchantable timber. A landscape architectural design studio at the University of Pennsylvania researched forest maintenance practices and typologies of wood processing facilities that can help support the economics of forest restoration, such as the wood utilization campus typology. Spatial design opportunities exist in the configuration, sizing and co-location of elements in these facilities. Design can also support increased public literacy of fire ecology and acculturate publics to prescribed burning, while design imaginaries can expand opportunities for increasing Indigenous cultural burning and supporting Tribal-owned forest enterprises. Examples drawn from design research elucidate the interconnections between wildfire risk, forestry, wood products manufacturing, land ownership and labour.

The United States has seen a recent steady increase in the intensity and size of wildfires, especially in the Western states. This is largely attributed to the impacts of climate change, which is greatly altering historic wildfire patterns by creating warmer, drier conditions and also prolonging the fire season. Wildfires can have devastating impacts on roadways, both directly and indirectly. Direct impacts include physical damage caused by flames and heat to the pavement surface and other ancillary assets (e.g., culverts). Indirect impacts can include erosion, settlement, slope instability, structural damage to the pavement structure owing to post-fire flooding and debris flow, and the damage caused owing to debris hauling and other response and recovery efforts. This paper summarizes the existing body of knowledge on impacts of wildfires on pavement systems while also identifying where gaps in knowledge and practice exist that require future research. Lessons learned from highway agency experiences in managing wildfire impacts are also discussed. Specific actions that can be taken by highway agencies today to improve the resilience of pavement systems to wildfire events are highlighted. Other topics covered in the paper include post-fire pavement condition evaluation methods, impact of response and recovery activities, and approaches to repair and rehabilitate damaged pavements.

Frequent, large-scale wildfires threaten ecosystems and human livelihoods globally. To effectively quantify and attribute the antecedent conditions for wildfires, a thorough understanding of Earth system dynamics is imperative. In response, we introduce the SeasFire datacube, a meticulously curated spatiotemporal dataset tailored for global sub-seasonal to seasonal wildfire modeling via Earth observation. The SeasFire datacube consists of 59 variables including climate, vegetation, oceanic indices, and human factors. It offers 8-day temporal resolution, 0.25° spatial resolution, and covers the period from 2001 to 2021. We showcase the versatility of SeasFire for exploring the variability and seasonality of wildfire drivers, modeling causal links between ocean-climate teleconnections and wildfires, and predicting sub-seasonal wildfire patterns across multiple timescales with a Deep Learning model. We have publicly released the SeasFire datacube and appeal to Earth system scientists and Machine Learning practitioners to use it for an improved understanding and anticipation of wildfires.

The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires pose significant threats to forest ecosystems, particularly in Chinas diverse climatic regions. This review focuses on the impacts of wildfires on forest soil properties in China, highlighting changes in soil physiochemical properties, nutrient cycles, enzyme activities, and microbial communities. Wildfires often lead to the loss of soil organic matter, disruptions in nutrient availability, and alterations in microbial dynamics, which are essential for nutrient cycling and ecosystem recovery. The severity of these impacts is closely linked to fire intensity, soil depth, and post-fire management practices. While short-term recovery of soil properties is possible, long-term effects on soil health, especially on microbial diversity and nitrogen cycling can persist for years. This review underscores the importance of region-specific research and long-term monitoring to better understand the complex interactions between soil and vegetation post-fire. Future research should focus on the influence of climate change on wildfire patterns, the role of innovative restoration techniques, and the development of comprehensive management strategies tailored to Chinas unique forest ecosystems

The paper presents the results of spatiotemporal patterns of large wildfires in Serbia from 2012 to 2024, utilizing GIS and VIIRS data from the FIRMS platform. Thirty-two large fires (FRP > 100 MW) were identified, most often occurring during July-October due to high temperatures and drought, while in April, fires are mostly caused by agricultural burning. Fires are most prevalent in Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohija, while they are almost non-existent in western and most of Eastern Serbia. The riskiest areas are characterized by low to medium altitudes, gentle slopes, southern exposures, and moderate annual precipitation, with proximity to agricultural areas, roads, and settlements. The analysis shows that human activities have a decisive influence on the occurrence of fires, while natural factors shape their intensity and spread. The integration of GIS and satellite data provides valuable insight for risk assessment and improvement of fire protection strategies in Serbia.