Ecologist to investigate wildfire frequency in Southwest
A landscape ecologist has been awarded $400,000 to investigate how summer rainfall patterns affect the incidence of wildfires.
New Mexico State University says Debra Peters, who works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service but is also a NMSU faculty member, will take part in a five-year study that will investigate how monsoonal patterns in the state affect plant life and fire frequency.
"This new project on the effects of monsoons in the Southwest is part of a large regional effort that will provide scenarios of vegetation change resulting from climate change," said Peters. "Long-term data provide the historical context for understanding and predicting the future."
Though there are no wildfires currently burning in New Mexico, but the state experienced its worst year on record for fires this year. Peters says it could have been worse but the current mix of grasses in the Chihuahuan Desert prevented the fires from covering more ground.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, one of the costliest wildfires on record was in Cerro Grande, New Mexico, in 2010. The blaze caused approximately $175 million in insured losses, which includes homeowners insurance claims as well as auto and business insurance.
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