Source: Geohealth
Forest fires slip into urban environments with an alarming frequency, and they are linked to health problems ranging from breathing disease to hypertension to anxiety. The study of the links between forest fires in these areas and health is difficult because forest smoke and ashes contain a mixture of chemicals of buildings, cars and electronics, leaving researchers and communities with many unanswered questions.
Barkoski et al. Recently published the Geohealth for Wildland Urban Interface Fire framework to help researchers quickly visualize relationships between urban forest fires and health results, as well as to identify data gaps and future research priorities. It also aims to improve coordination between the different groups working to support the preparation, response and recovery of forest fires. Researchers built the frame using the example of 2020 Walbridge Firewhich burned more than 55,000 acres (about 22,258 hectares) in the County of Sonoma, California. This example helped them understand the types of geoscience and health data available and which are necessary after a fire of wild-urban interface.
To apply the framework, users define a question, then cartocate various forest and health factors and the ways they are connected. For example, they can select environmental factors preceding a specific fire, such as the use of land and recent weather conditions; Characteristics of the fire, including its size and the types of materials it has burned; And factors that have influenced its spread, such as firefighters’ response, wind and topography. The team suggests drawing data from sources such as US Geological Survey, NASA, NOAA, EPA, electronic health files and public inquiries.
These inputs and known and supposed connections help users to identify pollutants that a fire can generate, how humans can meet these pollutants (as by air or drinking water), and how these meetings can affect the probability of physical or mental consequences.
Researchers also note that the framework can be extended and adapted to apply to new research issues. For example, if researchers want to better understand how exposure to forest fires affects the biological mechanisms of the disease, they could integrate epidemiological, toxicological and clinical research into the framework. These studies could include more detailed information on how forest fires harm health, such as genes of genes that predispose people to asthma. (Geohealth,, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GH0013802025)
—Saima May Sidik (@ saimamay.bsky.social), Scientific writer
