India, Nov. 6 -- Afforestation can increase forest cover supply and aid in addressing the issue of Climate Change. However, transforming open land to afforested land can alter the behavior of wildfires. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), afforestation was associated with a 26% higher probability of fire occurrence and a 23% larger burned area.

The study analyzed 67,248 land areas that were transformed from non-forest land to planted forests between 2001 and 2023. Through satellite data analysis, the researchers looked at changes in fire incidence before and after these transformations, taking into consideration climate, accessibility, and land area. The findings varied considerab...