Maine has seen more wildfire smoke in recent years, and the culprit is climate change.
MAINE, USA — Wildfire smoke has been in the headlines constantly the past few summers. And some of you have asked: have we seen more wildfire smoke in Maine in recent years?
The short answer is yes, and the reason? Climate change.
According to Michael Waddington from McMaster University, climate change is intensifying the hot and dry conditions that are ideal for wildfires, and 2025 is on track to be the second worst Canadian fire season on record behind 2023.
Canadian fire activity, which is where most of the smoke in Maine comes from, has increased dramatically starting in 2005, which coincided with a drier trend after a much wetter 1990s.
Moisture deficits increased due to rapid warming and increased evaporative demand. These decreases in moisture altered fire fuels and made them more flammable.
Land use and fire suppression tactics have also contributed to increased wildfires, but with more mitigation of these in recent years, it leaves climate change as the main culprit.
“In addition to the increased likelihood of extreme fire weather in any individual ecosystems, human influence on the climate has also increased the likelihood that large areas of [Canada] will experience severe fire weather during a single fire season,” according to a 2020 to 2024 study published in Communications Earth & Environment.
The extent, magnitude, and location of the wildfires in recent years has made mitigation extremely difficult. Canada is home to some of the largest boreal forests, and their remoteness makes prescribed burns and brush removal nearly impossible.
According to that same 2024 study, changes attributed to human-influenced climate change are expected to further intensify with additional warming, including longer fire seasons, more extreme fire weather, and larger burned areas.
“Given the current and projected climate trajectory, it is likely that the potential for wildfire will continue to increase in the upcoming century,” according to a 2023 study published in the Nature journal.
As the Canadian wildfire season continues to worsen, more smoke will be emitted into the air, and that smoke will continue to reduce the air quality in areas like Maine.
What is the solution here? Just like with a lot of extreme weather events of late, it all comes down to the mitigation of human-caused climate change.
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