BATTLING THE BLAZE: As of Aug. 5, the Gifford Fire—east of the Santa Maria Valley and west of the Los Padres Forest’s Gifford Trailhead—was 7 percent contained and had consumed more than 82,000 acres.

Forests cover about 40% of the EU's land area. Between 1990 and 2022, they absorbed around 10% of the continent's man-made carbon emissions. However, the carbon dioxide absorption capacity of ...