Ecologists have long debated whether wildfires in boreal forests are becoming more severe because of rising temperatures or because of decades of fire suppression that has allowed dead wood to accumulate. Researcher Lindqvist hypothesizes that fuel accumulation is the primary driver of severity in recent fires.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support Lindqvist's hypothesis?
- Acheck_circle
Recent severe fires have occurred almost exclusively in forests where dead wood has built up to historic highs, regardless of temperature trends.
- B
Boreal fires have grown larger in regions where the average summer temperature has risen by 2 degrees Celsius.
- C
Indigenous communities have long used controlled burns to manage forest health.
- D
Some boreal tree species depend on periodic fires for seed germination.
Explanation
B isolates fuel accumulation as the variable correlated with severity even when temperature varies, supporting Lindqvist's view. A would support the temperature hypothesis. C and D are tangential.