Isidro A. Pérez
Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and coordinator of the Atmospheric Pollution research group at the University of Valladolid
The main drawback of this article is that the title does not reflect most of its content, as this study focuses on the benefits of carrying out controlled burns in California to minimise the effects of large wildfires. This is a technique which, alongside mechanical thinning, helps to prevent severe fires. It is worth highlighting the scale of the fires in that state, both in terms of the area burned and the population affected.
The concentration of fine particulate matter is introduced as a secondary factor and is calculated based on the severity of the fire. At the end of the analysis, the study presents the simulated changes in fine particulate matter concentrations, where the highest values are associated with the largest fires—a result that seems to fall within the realm of the expected.