Counteracting wildfire misinformation

Jones et al discuss wildfire misinformation. Wildfire mitigation requires accurate information about drivers of wildfire change, the impacts to society and ecosystems, and actions that alter trends. Misinformation confuses people about the causes, contexts, and impacts of wildfire and substantially hinders society's ability to proactively adapt to and plan for inevitable future fires. The cyclical nature of wildfire misinformation presents opportunities to anticipate and prepare "prebunking" strategies, which can combat wildfire misinformation before it spreads. Prebunking warns of the potential for misinformation and explains why it is false. It can help the public, policy makers, and land managers prepare for common forms of wildfire misinformation, and "debunk", or deftly respond to misinformation when it begins spreading.