ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) — Catastrophic wildfires are on the rise in the western United States and a set of conditions may be contributing to a perfect storm for more fires, according to NAU's Scott Anderson, professor in the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability. Anderson said increased fuel loads in the forest are a result of fire suppression, a practice that, when combined with a projection of increasingly drier climates ahead, spells a recipe for increasing disaster for forested ecosystems.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227111050.htm