Editing Wildfire (section)

== History ==
{{Further|Fossil record of fire}}
[[File:Deerfire high res.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Elk Bath]]'', an award-winning photograph of elk avoiding a wildfire in [[Montana]]]]

The first evidence of wildfires is fossils of the giant fungi ''[[Prototaxites]]'' preserved as [[charcoal]], discovered in [[South Wales]] and [[Poland]], dating to the [[Silurian]] period (about {{ma|430}}).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61929966|title=Earliest evidence of wildfire found in Wales|date=27 June 2022|via=www.bbc.com|access-date=30 July 2022|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601163528/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61929966|url-status=live}}</ref> Smoldering surface fires started to occur sometime before the Early [[Devonian]] period {{ma|405}}. Low atmospheric oxygen during the Middle and Late Devonian was accompanied by a decrease in charcoal abundance.<ref name="Glasspool">{{cite journal|last1=Glasspool|first1=IJ|last2=Edwards|first2=D|last3=Axe|first3=L|year=2004|title=Charcoal in the Silurian as evidence for the earliest wildfire|journal=Geology|volume=32|issue=5|pages=381–383|bibcode=2004Geo....32..381G|doi=10.1130/G20363.1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=D.|last2=Axe|first2=L.|date=April 2004|title=Anatomical Evidence in the Detection of the Earliest Wildfires|journal=PALAIOS|volume=19|issue=2|pages=113–128|bibcode=2004Palai..19..113E|doi=10.1669/0883-1351(2004)019<0113:AEITDO>2.0.CO;2|s2cid=129438858 |issn=0883-1351}}</ref> Additional charcoal evidence suggests that fires continued through the [[Carboniferous]] period. Later, the overall increase of atmospheric oxygen from 13% in the Late Devonian to 30–31% by the [[Late Permian]] was accompanied by a more widespread distribution of wildfires.<ref name="Scott2006">{{Cite journal|last1=Scott|first1=C.|last2=Glasspool|first2=J.|date=Jul 2006|title=The diversification of Paleozoic fire systems and fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen concentration|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=103|issue=29|pages=10861–10865|bibcode=2006PNAS..10310861S|doi=10.1073/pnas.0604090103|issn=0027-8424|pmc=1544139|pmid=16832054|doi-access=free}}</ref> Later, a decrease in wildfire-related charcoal deposits from the late Permian to the [[Triassic]] periods is explained by a decrease in oxygen levels.<ref name="Pausas 594">Pausas and Keeley, 594</ref>

Wildfires during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods followed patterns similar to fires that occur in modern times. Surface fires driven by dry seasons{{clarify|does this mean annual dry seasons or erratic droughts?|date=October 2015}} are evident in Devonian and Carboniferous [[progymnosperm]] forests. ''[[Lepidodendron]]'' forests dating to the Carboniferous period have charred peaks, evidence of crown fires. In Jurassic [[gymnosperm]] forests, there is evidence of high frequency, light surface fires.<ref name="Pausas 594" /> The increase of fire activity in the late [[Tertiary]]<ref name="cenozoic-division">Historically, the [[Cenozoic]] has been divided up into the [[Quaternary]] and [[Tertiary]] sub-eras, as well as the [[Neogene]] and [[Paleogene]] periods. The [http://www.stratigraphy.org/upload/ISChart2009.pdf 2009 version of the ICS time chart] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229003212/http://www.stratigraphy.org/upload/ISChart2009.pdf|date=29 December 2009}} recognizes a slightly extended Quaternary as well as the Paleogene and a truncated Neogene, the Tertiary having been demoted to informal status.</ref> is possibly due to the increase of [[C4 carbon fixation|C<sub>4</sub>]]-type grasses. As these grasses shifted to more [[mesic habitat]]s, their high flammability increased fire frequency, promoting grasslands over woodlands.<ref>Pausas and Keeley, 595</ref> However, fire-prone habitats may have contributed to the prominence of trees such as those of the genera ''[[Eucalyptus]]'', ''Pinus'' and ''[[Sequoia (genus)|Sequoia]]'', which have thick bark to withstand fires and employ [[serotiny#Fire-mediated serotiny|pyriscence]].<ref>Pausas and Keeley, 596</ref><ref>[http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/Redwood/Redwood2.html "Redwood Trees"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901062508/http://www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/Redwood/Redwood2.html|date=1 September 2015}}.</ref>

=== Human involvement ===
{{See also|Control of fire by early humans|Deforestation#Historical causes|Environmental history|History of firefighting|Native American use of fire}}
[[File:Burning mountains Thailand.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Aerial view of deliberate wildfires on the [[Khun Tan Range]], [[Thailand]]. These fires are lit by local farmers every year to promote the growth of a certain mushroom.]]
The human use of fire for agricultural and hunting purposes during the [[Paleolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] ages altered pre-existing landscapes and fire regimes. Woodlands were gradually replaced by smaller vegetation that facilitated travel, hunting, seed-gathering and planting.<ref>Pausas and Keeley, 597</ref> In recorded human history, minor allusions to wildfires were mentioned in the [[Bible]] and by classical writers such as [[Homer]]. However, while ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Roman writers were aware of fires, they were not very interested in the uncultivated lands where wildfires occurred.<ref name="RackhamFire">{{cite journal|last=Rackham|first=Oliver|author-link=Oliver Rackham|date=November–December 2003|title=Fire in the European Mediterranean: History|url=http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln54/rackham.html#hist|url-status=live|journal=AridLands Newsletter|volume=54|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011110940/http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln54/rackham.html#hist|archive-date=11 October 2008|access-date=17 July 2009}}</ref><ref name="RackhamHist">Rackham, 229–230</ref> Wildfires were used in battles throughout human history as [[early thermal weapons]]. From the [[Middle Ages]], accounts were written of [[occupational burning]] as well as customs and laws that governed the use of fire. In Germany, regular burning was documented in 1290 in the [[Odenwald]] and in 1344 in the [[Black Forest]].<ref name="Goldammer">{{cite conference|last=Goldammer|first=Johann G.|date=5–9 May 1998|title=History of Fire in Land-Use Systems of the Baltic Region: Implications on the Use of Prescribed Fire in Forestry, Nature Conservation and Landscape Management|url=http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon_1.htm|publisher=Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816155656/http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon_1.htm|archive-date=16 August 2009|access-date=9 December 2018|book-title=First Baltic Conference on Forest Fires|place=Radom-Katowice, Poland}}</ref> In the 14th century [[Sardinia]], firebreaks were used for wildfire protection. In Spain during the 1550s, [[sheep husbandry]] was discouraged in certain provinces by [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] due to the harmful effects of fires used in [[transhumance]].<ref name="RackhamFire" /><ref name="RackhamHist" /> As early as the 17th century, Native Americans were observed [[Native American use of fire|using fire]] for many purposes including cultivation, [[Smoke signal|signaling]], and warfare. Scottish botanist [[David Douglas (botanist)|David Douglas]] noted the native use of fire for tobacco cultivation, to encourage deer into smaller areas for hunting purposes, and to improve foraging for honey and grasshoppers. Charcoal found in sedimentary deposits off the Pacific coast of Central America suggests that more burning occurred in the 50 years before the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]] than after the colonization.<ref>{{cite journal|date=Summer 2000|title=Wildland fire – An American legacy&#124;|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fmt/fmt_pdfs/fmn60-3.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Fire Management Today|volume=60|issue=3|pages=4, 5, 9, 11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401085836/http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fmt/fmt_pdfs/fmn60-3.pdf|archive-date=1 April 2010|access-date=31 July 2009}}</ref> In the post-World War II [[Baltic region]], socio-economic changes led more stringent air quality standards and bans on fires that eliminated traditional burning practices.<ref name="Goldammer" /> In the mid-19th century, explorers from {{HMS|Beagle}} observed [[Australian Aborigines]] using fire for ground clearing, hunting, and regeneration of plant food in a method later named [[fire-stick farming]].<ref>''Fire. The Australian Experience'', 7.</ref> Such careful use of fire has been employed for centuries in lands protected by [[Kakadu National Park]] to encourage biodiversity.<ref>Karki, 27.</ref>

Wildfires typically occur during periods of increased temperature and [[drought]]. An increase in fire-related [[debris flow]] in [[alluvial fan]]s of northeastern [[Yellowstone National Park]] was linked to the period between AD 1050 and 1200, coinciding with the [[Medieval Warm Period]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Meyer|first1=G.A.|last2=Wells|first2=S.G.|last3=Jull|first3=A.J.T.|date=1995|title=Fire and alluvial chronology in Yellowstone National Park: Climatic and intrinsic controls on Holocene geomorphic processes|journal=GSA Bulletin|volume=107|issue=10|pages=1211–1230|bibcode=1995GSAB..107.1211M|doi=10.1130/0016-7606(1995)107<1211:FAACIY>2.3.CO;2}}</ref> However, human influence caused an increase in fire frequency. [[Dendrochronological]] fire scar data and charcoal layer data in [[Finland]] suggests that, while many fires occurred during severe drought conditions, an increase in the number of fires during 850 BC and 1660 AD can be attributed to human influence.<ref>Pitkänen, ''et al.'', 15–16 and 27–30</ref> Charcoal evidence from the Americas suggested a general decrease in wildfires between 1 AD and 1750 compared to previous years. However, a period of increased fire frequency between 1750 and 1870 was suggested by charcoal data from North America and Asia, attributed to human population growth and influences such as land clearing practices. This period was followed by an overall decrease in burning in the 20th century, linked to the expansion of agriculture, increased livestock grazing, and fire prevention efforts.<ref>{{cite journal|author=J.R. Marlon|author2=P.J. Bartlein|author3=C. Carcaillet|author4=D.G. Gavin|author5=S.P. Harrison|author6=P.E. Higuera|author7=F. Joos|author8=M.J. Power|author9=I.C. Prentice|date=2008|title=Climate and human influences on global biomass burning over the past two millennia|journal=Nature Geoscience|volume=1|issue=10|pages=697–702|bibcode=2008NatGe...1..697M|doi=10.1038/ngeo313}} [http://pmr.uoregon.edu/science-and-innovation/uo-research-news/research-news-2008/september-2008/climate-change-human-activity-and-wildfires-1/ University of Oregon Summary, accessed 2 February 2010]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927051047/http://pmr.uoregon.edu/science-and-innovation/uo-research-news/research-news-2008/september-2008/climate-change-human-activity-and-wildfires-1/|date=27 September 2008}}</ref> A meta-analysis found that 17 times more land burned annually in California before 1800 compared to recent decades (1,800,000 hectares/year compared to 102,000 hectares/year).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stephens|first1=Scott L.|last2=Martin|first2=Robert E.|last3=Clinton|first3=Nicholas E.|date=2007|title=Prehistoric fire area and emissions from California's forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands|journal=Forest Ecology and Management|volume=251|issue=3|pages=205–216|doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2007.06.005|bibcode=2007ForEM.251..205S }}</ref>

According to a paper published in the journal ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'', the number of natural and human-caused fires decreased by 24.3% between 1998 and 2015. Researchers explain this as a transition from [[nomadism]] to settled lifestyle and intensification of [[agriculture]] that lead to a drop in the use of fire for land clearing.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=30 June 2017|title=Researchers Detect a Global Drop in Fires|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90493|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208175626/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90493|archive-date=8 December 2017|access-date=4 July 2017|website=[[NASA Earth Observatory]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Andela|first1=N.|last2=Morton|first2=D.C.|display-authors=etal|date=30 June 2017|title=A human-driven decline in global burned area|journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|volume=356|issue=6345|pages=1356–1362|bibcode=2017Sci...356.1356A|doi=10.1126/science.aal4108|pmc=6047075|pmid=28663495}}</ref>

Increases of certain tree species (i.e. [[conifers]]) over others (i.e. [[deciduous tree]]s) can increase wildfire risk, especially if these trees are also planted in [[monoculture]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fires spark biodiversity criticism of Sweden's forest industry|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-07-biodiversity-criticism-sweden-forest-industry.html|website=phys.org|access-date=9 August 2018|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709215426/https://phys.org/news/2018-07-biodiversity-criticism-sweden-forest-industry.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Great Lie: Monoculture Trees as Forests &#124; News & Views &#124; UNRISD|url=https://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BE6B5/(httpNews)/531DAFFB8B319F69C125792E00499ED1|website=www.unrisd.org|access-date=16 November 2020|archive-date=6 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806171045/https://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BE6B5/(httpNews)/531DAFFB8B319F69C125792E00499ED1|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some [[invasive species]], moved in by humans (i.e., for the [[pulp and paper industry]]) have in some cases also increased the intensity of wildfires. Examples include species such as [[Eucalyptus]] in California<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plant flammability list|url=https://www.state.sc.us/forest/scplants.pdf|access-date=10 January 2021|archive-date=6 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606073831/https://www.state.sc.us/forest/scplants.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Fire-prone plant list|url=https://www.firesafemarin.org/plants/fire-prone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809183717/https://www.firesafemarin.org/plants/fire-prone|archive-date=9 August 2018|access-date=9 August 2018}}</ref> and [[gamba grass]] in Australia.