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Forest Fires: Why The Large Year-to-Year Variation in Forests Burned?

Author

Listed:
  • Jerome Apt
  • Dennis Epple
  • Fallaw Sowell

Abstract

Quantifying factors giving rise to temporal variation in forest fires is important for advancing scientific understanding and improving fire prevention. We demonstrate that eighty percent of the large year-to-year variation in forest area burned in California can be accounted for by variation in temperature, precipitation, housing construction, electricity transmission, and ocean surface temperatures in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Equatorial Pacific. California is of particular interest because of its large acreage burned and proximity of fires to human populations. We believe our model is the first unified treatment of climatic factors and human activities that affect forest area burned.

Suggested Citation

  • Jerome Apt & Dennis Epple & Fallaw Sowell, 2023. "Forest Fires: Why The Large Year-to-Year Variation in Forests Burned?," NBER Working Papers 31738, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31738
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    1. Pullabhotla, Hemant K. & Souza, Mateus, 2022. "Air pollution from agricultural fires increases hypertension risk," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Marco Turco & Maria Llasat & Jost Hardenberg & Antonello Provenzale, 2013. "Impact of climate variability on summer fires in a Mediterranean environment (northeastern Iberian Peninsula)," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 665-678, February.
    3. McCallum, Bennett T., 2010. "Is the spurious regression problem spurious?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 321-323, June.
    4. Moeltner, K. & Kim, M.-K. & Zhu, E. & Yang, W., 2013. "Wildfire smoke and health impacts: A closer look at fire attributes and their marginal effects," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 476-496.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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