Forest worker observing a controlled burn. Photo: iStock/AscentXmedia
Study Explores Climate-Friendly Actions to Reduce Wildfire Risks
To prevent destructive wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service thins forests and places the cuttings, called residue, into piles for burning. However, a recent study led by Jake Barker ’24 MF and a team of researchers projected that a significant amount of carbon dioxide is released during these events, which works against climate-change mitigation goals. The burns are also financially costly.
The residue burns by the Forest Service are being used to prevent catastrophic fires that have been fueled by logging, drought, climate-change, and previous government-mandated fire suppression that have led to the accumulation of debris and dense stands of small trees, which provide fuel for enormous blazes.
The study, published in Frontiers for Global Change, simulated residue burning across western U.S. forests, and estimated that the burns contributed over 1.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. The researchers found that that costs for labor and equipment were also notably higher than had been reported.
The authors suggest that alternatives to burning residues, such as using them for biofuels or burying them to sequester carbon, could help reduce fire risk and carbon emissions. Steep forest terrain makes removing residues for other uses difficult and costly. They recommend the Forest Service seek subsidies to aid in funding infrastructure for climate-friendly alternatives.
“Forests play a big part in natural climate solutions,” Barker said. “We’re demonstrating the opportunity for novel and creative pathways to transform residues into a natural climate solution.”
February 25, 2025
More News in Brief
Federal Ginseng Rules Poorly Predict Plant Health
A YSE-led study published in Environmental Research Letters found that current federal rules regulating American ginseng harvest — based on plant age and leaf count — poorly predict the biological traits that matter most for conservation.
Ginseng, a wild plant prized in traditional medicine, can only be legally harvested once it's at least five years old and has three leaves. However, when researchers measured hundreds of ginseng plants, they found that age was a weak guide to how large a plant's root had grown or how many seeds it could produce.
The authors say switching to size-based harvest limits could do more to protect ginseng in the wild, while also making the rules easier for harvesters and forest farmers to follow.
The study was led by Karam C. Sheban ’26 PhD, and co-authored by Mark Bradford, the E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology, and Marlyse C. Duguid, the Thomas J. Siccama Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology.
July 15, 2026
Mark Bradford
E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology
Marlyse Duguid
Thomas J. Siccama Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology; Research Scientist; Director of Research, Yale Forests
Most Americans Say Climate Change Is Raising Their Bills
A new survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication finds that two-thirds of registered voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States a view shared across the political spectrum. Energy is the cost Americans feel most acutely: a quarter of voters point to energy costs as the expense most impacted by global warming, more than food, transportation, or insurance. Looking specifically at utilities, 66% of registered voters think global warming is causing their home utility bills to rise. The findings suggest energy affordability could be a unifying entry point for climate conversations, offering a way to discuss climate change that resonates regardless of political affiliation
Read the full Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2026 report from YPCCC.
June 22, 2026
Anthony Leiserowitz
JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication; Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)
The Importance of Tracking Earth-System Methane Fluxes
Methane is one of the most powerful levers for slowing near‑term warming, yet the world still lacks the tools to track it with confidence. Sparkle Malone, assistant professor of ecosystem carbon capture, explains why a coordinated global observation system is essential for understanding both human and natural methane emissions.
Read the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture Q&A with YSE faculty Sparkle Malone.
May 07, 2026
Sparkle Malone
Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Carbon Capture