Fire and vegetation in the fossil record Researchers used fossilised vegetation to link changes in forest fire risk to past changes in climate. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock Scientists predict that in the near future there will be an increase of approximate 50 % when it comes to forest fire risk. They also predict a longer fire season, but the theoretical models on which such predictions are based still lack supporting data. The EU-funded 'Fire interactions with life on Earth' (FILE) project was established to provide information on how major changes in climate have influenced fire risk in the past. The project aimed to link fire frequency in the fossil record with changes in the shape and type of vegetation. FILE studied the flammability of 45 different plant types with different leaf sizes and shapes, and created a flammability index based solely on leaf dimensions. This measure of flammability was applied to the fossilised vegetation record from two periods of climate change. Vegetation types from the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum period and the Miocene to Mid Pliocene era both changed in response to climate change. Importantly, FILE showed that these changes did have a major effect on the risk of fire in those vegetation types. The major contribution of FILE has been the creation of a method to study fire risk in the fossil record. The data obtained are set to improve models of fire risk in a changing climate. Keywords Fire, vegetation, fossilised vegetation, forest fire, flammability, climate change
