-This Figure Shows Annual Totals for Area Burned by Wildfires

question 19

Multiple Choice

-This figure shows annual totals for area burned by wildfires in the U.S. from 1983 to 2015. Which of the following accounts for the trend shown?

• A) Fire suppression has resulted in an accumulation of kindling for larger and more catastrophic wildfires during dry years.
• B) We now fight fires more aggressively than we did in the 1980s, and the annual number of acres burned reflects these efforts.
• C) Arsonists are starting more wildfires than they did 30 years ago.
• D) Forest cover has been increasing in the U.S. since the 1980s, so we see an associated trend in the amount of forest burned annually.
• E) There is no consistent trend in the figure. More forests burn during dry years than wet years.

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