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Wildfires Are Turning Forests in the American West Into Shrubland

NYT Science Sunday 23 August 2026, 09:00 UTC By Eric Niiler and Nic Coury 1 min read

Key Points

Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.

the American West (LOCATION) Shrubland Towering (LOCATION) West (LOCATION)

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