The fires in the Amazon have been of major concern for many people over the last few weeks. People have learned that the fires were due to deforestation efforts and not natural but given the size of the rain forest, the question can be asked, can it even burn down? The answer is unfortunately yes.

Under normal circumstances the rain forest stays plenty moist to avoid fires. Fires in wooded areas usually coincide with drought conditions otherwise everything is to wet to burn much. As deforestation changes the landscape, it is making the conditions needed for fires worse.

Deforestation and roads are opening up parts of the land for sunlight to get through and dry things out a well as invasive grass. Although not at the tipping point, these conditions are favorable for fire. The only thing to stop this is strong conservation efforts of the area.