Victorian bushfires have become more severe

Bushfires in southern Australia have become more severe over the last 30 years, according to Australian research. The study found that the number of bushfires each year that were larger than 1,000 ha increased significantly between 1987 and 2017, a trend that was mostly due to an increase since 2000. They also found an increase in the area burnt at high-severity during that period and a shift in the landscape configuration of high-severity patches. The authors say if these trends continue they may have cascading effects on forest ecology, highlighting the increased threat posed by changing fire regimes to forests ecosystems.