Human-made forest shapes France wildfire risk

Scientists say the wildfires burning near Bordeaux are being driven by extreme heat and drought linked to climate change, but the area’s history also helps explain why the flames have spread so quickly. The pine forest in southwestern France was created in the 19th century under Napoleon III after wetlands were drained and replanted for timber and resin production. Experts say that because it is a largely uniform, humanmade forest with sandy soil that holds little moisture, fire can move through it more easily than through a more diverse natural forest. The article describes widespread evacuations in France and Spain, where fires have destroyed homes and forced more than 250,000 people from their homes in France alone. Fire scientists say the fires are becoming so intense that they are generating their own weather patterns, including pyrocumulonimbus clouds and strong winds, adding to the challenge for firefighters.