By Lindsay Garcia, 2022-2025 FFAR Fellow
at Oregon State University
The devastating impact of wildfires has grown to be a worldwide concern. In recent years, the most notable destructive wildfires were the 2023 Canadian wildfires and the 2020 Australian bushfires. The 2023 wildfire burned around 4% of Canada’s forest land, marking the largest forest loss in the nation’s recorded history. Meanwhile, the 2020 bushfires became Australia’s most costly wildfire disaster. While the visible destruction of wildfires often captures the media’s attention, there are less obvious effects that can be equally significant. One such impact is in agriculture, specifically vineyards. Smoke from wildfires contains compounds that pass through the grape skin, altering the flavor of the wine. These smoke compounds, called volatile phenols, produce smoky, ashy, and medicinal sensory attributes to the affected wine. Since many wine consumers dislike smoky characteristics in their wine, winemakers lose thousands of dollars from reduced sales. Combined with the physical damage to vineyards, wildfires lead to significant financial losses. For example, the wine industry was hit with an estimated loss of $3.7 billion from the 2020 wildfires alone.