Researchers study wildfire risk increase in drought-stricken Midwest forests

A severe drought and unusually warm temperatures have left boreal forests in northern Minnesota exceptionally dry, raising questions about how climate change may be amplifying wildfire hazards in a region historically less prone to large fi

First covered Sep 14, 2026 · 2:00 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

Researchers study wildfire risk increase in drought-stricken Midwest forests — Image via insideclimatenews.org

Coverage

12d Inside Climate News Is Wildfire Risk Increasing in the Midwest? — On the night of July 6, a storm moved over northern Minnesota near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Primary sources

research.fs.usda.gov Midwest | US Forest Service Research and Development

More coverage from around the web

mprnews.org Wildfires and a warming climate puts Minnesota's boreal forests at risk | MPR News

climatehubs.usda.gov Minnesota Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis | USDA Climate Hubs

startribune.com Drought and dry forests fueled Boundary Waters wildfires

startribune.com Minnesota’s wildfire season is changing. The Boundary Waters fires show how.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Short-interval wildfire and drought overwhelm boreal forest resilience

Appeared in: 2026-09-14 (#16)

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