WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Trees in Kansas pose a mounting wildfire risk as they continue to take over grassland around the state, according to a new study.

Initial research from the University of Nebraska also suggests a link between the proliferation of trees in the Great Plains and an increase in the size and frequency of wildfires.

"Trees promote more extreme wildfire behaviors that are much more difficult to suppress," said Victoria Donovan, a researcher at the university, told KCUR-FM radio Monday. "In the Great Plains, in general, if you have woody vegetation we see a higher wildfire risk."

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