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Scientists Expect Wildfires to Increase as Climate Warms in the Coming Decades
Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences found that the smoke and particles resulting from increased wildfires, due to climate change, will adversely affect air quality. The study, funded by grants through EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was published in the June 18th issue of Journal of Geophysical Research. The study investigated the consequences of climate change on future forest fires and on air quality in the western United States, and determined that increased wildfires would result in diminished air quality that could lead to smoggier skies and adversely affect those suffering from lung and heart conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. The tools and models developed in the study will help State and local air quality planners as they assess future air quality and provide tools to quantify the influence of wildfire upon air quality in their planning.
The award to Harvard was one of three EPA grants on climate change and forest fires. These three research projects help EPA understand the complex relationships and feedbacks between fires, climate change and air quality. It has been shown that climate change will affect the frequency and intensity of wildfires, which will in turn influence air quality. Harvard researchers used historical records and predictive models to estimate the rate of increase in forest fires and how those fires will impact future air quality. The Harvard research project contributes to a more accurate description of the “climate penalty” of wildfires on air quality. Harvard’s research team showed that wildfires are a major driver for organic carbon concentrations in the Western U.S.
They inferred that climate change will increase summertime organic carbon and aerosol concentrations as fire activity increases.
For more information on the Harvard grant: Investigation of the Effects of Changing Climate on Fires and the Consequences for U.S. Air Quality, Using a Hierarchy of Chemistry and Climate Models
Eurekaalert press release: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-07/hu-sew072809.php 
Harvard press release: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/newsandevents/pressreleases/072809_logan_fires.html