-This Figure Shows Annual Totals for Area Burned by Wildfires

Multiple Choice

-This figure shows annual totals for area burned by wildfires in the U.S. from 1983 to 2015. Which of the following accounts for the trend shown?

A) Fire suppression has resulted in an accumulation of kindling for larger and more catastrophic wildfires during dry years.
B) We now fight fires more aggressively than we did in the 1980s, and the annual number of acres burned reflects these efforts.
C) Arsonists are starting more wildfires than they did 30 years ago.
D) Forest cover has been increasing in the U.S. since the 1980s, so we see an associated trend in the amount of forest burned annually.
E) There is no consistent trend in the figure. More forests burn during dry years than wet years.