The smoke from both prescribed fires and wildfires is dangerous to the health of wildland firefighters as well as the communities that live near forests. Further research has indicated that the particulate in the smoke creates long-term health hazards.
Wildfire Smoke May Be Far More Dangerous Than Scientists Thought
The forests in Northern Arizona are lie in the dry southwestern part of the United States. The warmer, drier climate has caused an increase in wildfire severity across the United States. The Nature Conservancy has been performing thinning operations on overstocked Ponderosa pine forests in Northern Arizona and elsewhere to mitigate wildfire risk and increase carbon absorption by 9-18%.
Large-scale forest restoration stabilizes carbon under climate change in Southwest United States
https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.1979
This Nature Conservancy Fact Sheet illustrates the benefits of thinning operations in an overstocked forest:
California’s forests can be managed to become more resilient to megafires.
https://www.scienceforconservation.org/products/wildfires-and-forest-resilience
The University of Washington’s Center for International Trade in Forest Products (CINTRAFOR) has done research and analysis to provide insight into environmentally sound and economically viable forest industries. Their analysis of forests in Washington State shows that managed forests sequester carbon at a significantly greater rate than the state’s unmanaged forests. You can read their research brief here: “Combating climate change: CINTRAFOR pioneers research on the role of Washington forests in mitigating global warming.”