Climate Change and Wildfire Impacts in Southwest Forests and Woodlands

Southwest forests are complex systems that are influenced by climate variability. Wildfires naturally occur in these forests and woodlands, but with an increasing population, land management decisions are becoming more difficult. This publication is a result of discussions from the "Workshop on Climate Variability and Ecosystem Impacts" that was sponsored by UA Cooperative Extension in February 2005. It provides a summary of the current situation, a summary of climate change science for land management, and a brief description of suggested future research in climate science as it relates to forests and woodlands.