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Frequency of wildfires in Alaska concerns scientists

The site of the site of Three Mile Creek fire that occurred in 2015 in central Alaska. (Dan Grossman)
The site of the site of Three Mile Creek fire that occurred in 2015 in central Alaska. (Dan Grossman)

One state was mostly spared from this year’s wildfires: Alaska. But there’s evidence that the frequency and intensity of burning in that state have increased in recent decades — and that has scientists worried.

As Daniel Grossman reports, they fear that the carbon released by fires in the high-north Boreal forests could speed up climate change.

This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a project aimed at strengthening the media’s focus on the climate crisis. WBUR is one of 400+ news organizations that have committed to a week of heightened coverage around the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Check out all our coverage here.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.