Grass species that facilitate the rapid spread of a fire and over time favor more frequent fires are an important part of the “cocktail” of factors that give rise to the destructive fire fronts that we see more and more frequently in the era of the climate crisis, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation.

Unlike the broad leaves of trees, the fine grass dries easily and quickly, especially in hot conditions, making it an ideal kindling in summer.

At the same time, according to the WSJ, the grass spreads rapidly, is more resistant and recovers significantly faster compared to other plants after a fire. This means that after a forest burns the first thing that grows on a large scale is usually grass.

However, without tall trees and thick bushes acting as “windbreaks”, the speed of the winds in the fire-affected areas increases. Therefore, if a fire breaks out again in the same area, the combustible grass layer and unimpeded gusts will allow the fire to spread rapidly and make extinguishing it much more difficult. After all, one of the characteristics of the most dangerous fires at the time of the climate crisis is that they immediately take on dimensions and acquire enormous thermal intensity.

In other words, some types of grass are not alone fuel for starting and spreading a fire, but at the same time they make the areas where they grow more vulnerable to future fires. This phenomenon, notes the WSJ, is known as the “grass-fire cycle”.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that around the world human communities and settlements are being built closer and closer to the natural environment, with the result that, in the event of a fire, flames have to travel a short distance to reach homes.

The WSJ feature primarily covers grass species introduced to the Americas from other continents, but notes that large fires that spread by burning grass have recently been seen in many parts of the world, including Greece.