(University of Queensland) Logging of native forests increases the risk and severity of fire and likely had a profound effect on the recent, catastrophic Australian bushfires, according to new research.In the wake of the country's worst forest fires in recorded history, University of Queensland researchers have been part of an international collaboration, investigating Australia's historical and contemporary land-use.

Wildfires leave behind a patchwork of forest densities that can give bats more room to fly and hunt

Greenery is sprouting from scorched tree trunks as the forests regrow their canopies

The Delaware Forest Service is seeking new recruits for its upcoming wildfire training classes at the Delaware State Fire School (1461 Chestnut Grove Road, Dover, DE 19904). No previous experience is needed. Candidates should be over 18, physically fit, motivated to learn, and willing to travel for at least two weeks (usually during the summer) for out-of-state fire assignments. This year’s training will take place over two separate weekend sessions: The first is on October 21 and 22 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day (lunch included). The second is on November 4 and 5 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day (lunch included). The cost for each session is $50. Register by October 16 by contacting the State Fire School at (302) 739-4773 or email: fire.school@state.de.us.

More than $20,000 in grants is now available to help volunteer fire companies fight wildfires in their communities. The Delaware Forest Service's Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants are designed to help fire companies purchase the specialized equipment needed to meet the unpredictable threat of wildfires in fields, forests, open spaces, and marshes. Applicants can request up to $4500 per year. Funds can be used to acquire items such as ¾-inch to 1-½ inch forestry hose, safety gear, brush unit pumps/skids, and hand tools. All grants require a 50-50 cost-share match in cash or in-kind services and priority will be given to applicants that have not received funding in the past three years. Last year, seven volunteer fire companies received $23,020 through the VFA grant program to purchase wildfire suppression equipment.

TAOS, N.M. (AP) — The top administrator of a national forest in northern New Mexico says there’s an elevated risk of human-caused wildfires due to drying conditions and negligence by some forest visitors....

Title: Wildfires Send Kids to ERs for Breathing Problems
Category: Health News
Created: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM

Three new wildfires have broken out in the radiation-contaminated evacuation zone around the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Around 500 people have been forced to flee their homes due to raging wildfires in the Florida Panhandle, authorities have confirmed.

A certain Commander in Chief says that wildfires are being made 'so much worse by the bad environmental laws.' Here's what's really happening.

When you buy a burger, it could be from a cow raised on Brazilian soy feed. That's a problem.

Lorraine Toussaint, 59, who plays Yvonne 'Vee' Parker in the hit prison drama, sold the six-acre plot in Malibu (pictured) for $600,000.

After conducting a review of 57 climate change research papers, UK and Australian scientists say human-induced climate change promotes conditions that make wildfires spread.

In a phone call between the leaders, Trump is said to have offered American assistance to help stem the blaze, which has now engulfed in excess of 7 million acres of Siberian woodland.

Tech giants are sending millions of N95 masks to healthcare workers in the US to help with the shortage, but the donations are raising questions to why these firms have a stockpile.

In recent months, telecommunications companies in the United States have purchased a new part of the spectrum for use in 5G cellphone networks. Weather forecasters are concerned that these powerful signals could swamp out weaker signals from water vapor—which are in a nearby band and important for weather prediction. Freelance science writer Gabriel Popkin joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the possible impact of cellphone signals on weather forecasting and some suggested regulations. In other weather news this week, Sarah talks with Pengfei Yu, a professor at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, about his group’s work using a huge smoke plume from the 2017 wildfires in western Canada as a model for smoke from nuclear bombs. They found the wildfire smoke lofted itself 23 kilometers into the stratosphere, spread across the Northern Hemisphere, and took 8 months to dissipate, which line up with models of nuclear winter and suggests these fires can help predict the results of a nuclear war. This week’s episode was edited by Podigy. Ads on this week’s show: KiwiCo.com Download the transcript (PDF)  Listen to previous podcasts. About the Science Podcast

Experts urge water industry to study plastic pipes’ vulnerability