California Wildfires

How have wildfires in California changed over time?

Use the slider below to change the year in order to see how many fires and prescribed burns burned in a given year.

What is a prescribed burn?

A prescribed fire is a purposefully set fire, set in order to help protect the health of the environment and of the public. According to the National Park Service, "the fire may be designed to create a mosaic of diverse habitats for plants and animals, to help endangered species recover, or to reduce fuels and thereby prevent a destructive fire." Notice the relationship between prescribed burns and fires over time, California has increased the number of prescribed burns in recent years. Click here to learn more

What contributes to wildfires?

Over time both the number of fires in California per year as well as the size of the fires has increased. Why is this? Use the checkboxes below to see how the most common causes of fires in California have changed over time. Click here to learn more