Area Burned By Wildfires in the U.S. Declines

This article is published in collaboration with Statista

by Katharina Buchholz

In 2023, federal fire suppression costs in the United States dropped to $3.2 billion compared to $3.6 billion in the year prior. The area affected saw an even more pronounced decline with 2.7 million acres burnt in 2023, the lowest figure since 1998.

Taking a long-term look at the destruction caused by wildfires in the U.S., the acreage that burned increased over the past 40 years. While in the 1990s, 13 to 16 million acres of burned area per 5-year period were the norm, this changed to upwards of 30 million in the 2000s and 2010s. Climate change is fueling wildfires due to higher temperatures and drier conditions, extending fire seasons. Between 2004 and 2008 a high of more than 41 million acres burned in the country, according to numbers from the National Interagency Fire Center.

While the acreage destroyed by fires has been increasing, so has the cost of wildfire mitigation and the cost of fire damages. This is due to human settlements expanding further into forested regions, making it increasingly more expensive to protect and save homes from fires.

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