Hidden Dead Trees Discovered by Artificial Intelligence Contributed to Catastrophic 2020 California Wildfires [Study]

The 2020 California wildfires were a historic environmental and ecological disaster during the country's wildfire season at that time. It lasted from mid-February 2020 to early January 2021, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of people, as well as the destruction of thousands of structures, as reported by local authorities. The fires not only affected communities but also local ecosystems too.

Since then, scientists have studied the bizarre series of blazes during the 2020 California wildfire season, with causes ranging from high temperatures to drought conditions and extreme heat. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the unprecedented wildfire seasons from 2020 to 2022 across the Western United States were driven by drought and prolonged heat.

While weather- and climate-related factors have been attributed behind the Golden State fires in recent years, a new study revealed a strange culprit that fueled the 2020 California wildfires. Artificial intelligence (AI), used by researchers at Denmark's University of Copenhagen, discovered millions of dead trees. These plants reportedly existed among living trees prior to the said historic wildfires.

2020 California wildfires

Dubbed "megafires," the 2020 California wildfires involved the occurrences of approximately 9,900 wildland fires that burnt a total area of 4.3 million acres in 2020. It was also this period when a series of travel restrictions and lockdowns were imposed by the US Government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the catastrophic blaze and wildfire smoke disrupted communities in different parts of the state.

In its May 2022 report, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) stated the 2020 California fires killed a total of 33 people, in addition to economic losses reaching more than $19 billion USD. The wildland fires between 2020 and 2021 in California engulfed more area than the previous seven years combined. With this, UC Davis is calling for better management to reduce fire severity, instead of acres burned.

Also Read: Wildfire Map: US Government Outlines 11 California Counties Most at Risk of Raging Wildland Fires

Hidden Dead Trees

In previous research, the climate crisis and drought in the Western US has been linked to the 2020 California wildfires. The NOAA stated "drought and persistent heat" triggered the massive wildfire seasons of 2020-2022 in many states across the West. The US Government agency emphasized that climate change has increased the frequency and size of Western US wildfires over the last two decades.

However, the new study by University of Copenhagen researchers concluded that hidden dead trees or scattered tree death in California contributed to the 2020 California wildfires due to "substantial forest loss." Based on their findings, the study's authors identified 91.4 million dead trees. They covered an area of more than 27.8 million hectares, including vegetation.

The Denmark research team conducted their study under the context that a high number of tree mortality events have been linked to global change worldwide. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications earlier this year on January 20 and highlighted that vegetation, whether alive or not, also contributes to wildfire growth and spread.