The Devastating Link Between Wildfire and Sprawl

On Tuesday at COP21, the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, global leaders are talking about forests, and how to protect and restore the world’s remaining wooded lands. The focus is primarily on halting global deforestation, which comes largely from industries like logging, agriculture, and ranching. But officials would be wise to keep in mind that deforestation is also occurring as a result of suburban housing development.

A 2013 report prepared for the California Energy Commission found that development in California results in an annual loss of 110 acres of trees— deforestation that releases stored carbon dioxide and adds to atmospheric warming. That’s a small amount of land compared to the number of acres used for logging in California, but it is significant, especially considering how development along forest fringes is spreading all over the West. As this development sprawls into naturally forested areas, it contributes to climate change.