Burning land to help prevent future wildfires may seem counterintuitive, but a recent study by Stanford shows that the practice can actually be helpful.

Wildfire impacts are widespread from smoke and air quality to threatening livelihoods. Scientists are continually trying to find ways to limit the damage of these wildfires.

The study done by Stanford found that prescribed burns (defined as controlled and low intensity fires) can reduce the severity of wildfires later by an average of 16%. That’s not the only impact though. The study also found that net smoke pollution was also reduced by 14%.

Scientists came to this conclusion after they analyzed smoke emissions, land management records and high-resolution satellite images. They looked specifically at areas that had prescribed burns between late 2018 and spring 2020 compared to nearby unburned areas that later were all a part of the extreme wildfire activity in 2020. The analysis found that regions that had prescribed burns produced less smoke and burned less severely. 

There was one particular area they found this wasn’t always the case. Researchers note that prescribed burns were more helpful in zones where homes are not meeting wildland vegetation. 

Smoke pollution was a big emphasis of this study as wildfire smoke is now considered a major public health threat. It’s known that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfires can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. 

While researchers say prescribed burns are not the only solution, prescribed burns in the right circumstances could certainly be a tool that could be utilized in the future to help minimize the impacts of wildfires.