Region Archives: Canada

British Columbia has already spent about $387 million battling fires so far this year, as crews brace for more lightning-caused starts in the coming days, the director of provincial operations for the province’s wildfire service said Tuesday. Cliff Chapman told a news conference that the price tag marks about a 17% decrease from the amount spent by this time last year. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the province spent about $1 billion fighting fires in 2023, the worst season on record for total area burned. The BC Wildfire Service said hot and dry weather paired with 29 consecutive days of lightning has led to the more than 400 active wildfires burning across the province. Chapman said there were roughly the same number of fires burning across the province last year, but they were much larger.

…The industry, known as “wildfire salvage,” is on the rise. In almost every year since 2018, logging cutblocks in five wildfire zones in B.C.’s Interior were each larger than the city of Vancouver… According to an email from B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, wildfire salvage logging in 2022 made up about 10 per cent of the province’s annual cut — a 100-fold increase over the past decade. In B.C., wildfire salvage typically means clear cutting a burned area. Salvage logging offers an opportunity for companies to access discounted wood at a time when the forest sector is in crisis following a century of industrial logging, wildfires and beetle infestations. As mills close and workers are laid off, the B.C. government has announced policies to expedite wildfire salvage logging, making it cheaper and faster for companies to harvest in burn areas. But “salvage” is not always the right word. 

Summer is usually the quietest time of the year at CNC with staff and faculty taking their vacation and planning for the fall semester. The opposite is true for our Applied Research team. During a recent tour of CNC’s Research Forest, they gave college employees a glimpse into their busiest season and the vital environmental stewardship studies they are undertaking. CNC’s Applied Research team spends about 90 percent of their summer in remote forest areas around Prince George setting up and assessing various research sites. Planting fungi, creating wildlife corridors, monitoring beaver ponds, mapping vegetation, restoring logging roads and streams… it’s a quick snapshot of the day-to-day work that goes into creating a local and resilient forest ecosystem. …The Research Forest is comprised of 12 units of provincial forest land totaling approximately 12,500 hectares, all of which are located within 100 km of Prince George.

About 30,000 cubic metres of debris from the Chilcotin River landslide was successfully caught by a debris trap in the Fraser River near Hope. It was a momentous moment for the partnership between the province and Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation. “Overnight success at the Fraser River Debris Trap!” said Minister Bowinn Ma. It trapped 30,000 cubic metres of woody debris from the Chilcotin landslide.” …The debris — which mainly consisted of logs — was successfully caught by the trap on Aug. 6 after water overflowed the dam, formed by the landslide, on Aug. 5. Shxw’ōwhámél signed the Fraser River Debris Trap Co-Management agreement with the B.C. government back on June 17, 2023. …In operation for over 40 years now, the Fraser River Debris Trap reduces the volume of woody material flowing into the lower reaches of the Fraser River and Salish Sea. …The wood collected by the trap will eventually be repurposed.

Ken Hodges, the veteran forester who years ago warned Parks Canada about the potential for a catastrophic wildfire in Jasper, is now worried about wildfire hitting hard in Banff and Canmore. Hodges, retired in Canmore, was pained by what he sees as government inaction in the lead up to the Jasper wildfire. “Was there anything that could have been done to stop it? Maybe.” …Hodges, for 35 years a forester for the BC government, worked in the Prince George region. …Government logging, prescribed burns and clearing of deadfall has been carried out on public land around Canmore, but nothing is being done on some large tracts of private land around town, Hodges said. “That creates a major issue.” …After the devastating Waterton National Park fire of 2017, Hodges and fellow forester Emile Begin prepared a report for Jasper town and park officials on the dangers of a major fire.

It has been another intensive wildfire season with thousands of fires in both B.C. and Alberta burning more than a million hectares of forest. …But the fact that 70 per cent of Jasper was saved is a testament not only to the commitment of the firefighters but also to the FireSmart program put in place to help protect the community. The losses would have been much greater without years of preventative wildfire mitigation. Similarly, mitigation work conducted by the Penticton Indian Band helped firefighters contain and prevent the spread of the recent wildfire above West Bench. Sixteen homes were evacuated but ultimately only two sheds were lost. As a community surrounded by wildland, the District of Summerland has also been undertaking fuel modifications in interface areas to help fortify the town in the event of a wildfire. 

JASPER, Alberta — A large wildfire ripped through Jasper, Alta., last month, destroying hundreds of buildings and turning much of the west side of town into a wasteland. It’s a jewel of Canada’s national parks, with a tiny picturesque townsite nestled in the forested folds of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Now, parts of Jasper are a scorched landscape with years – if not decades – of recovery ahead. On July 22, 2024, thousands of Jasper residents and tourists were ordered to evacuate as wildfires – started by lightning and fuelled by catastrophic drought conditions – threatened the town and the surrounding national park. Within 48 hours, firefighters faced a nighttime battle against a wall of flames propelled through surrounding valleys by howling winds. By morning, when the sun rose above Roche Bonhomme, about one-third of the townsite was rubble, with many more buildings damaged. Here’s a more detailed look at that timeline.

David Suzuki

Last summer, during a record-breaking wildfire season, a podcast host asked Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about the connection between fires and climate change and her government’s opposition to federal climate policies. “I think you’re watching, as I am, the number of stories about arson,” she said. “I’m very concerned that there are arsonists.” She’s not alone in blaming arson, lightning or forestry policies for increasingly intense wildfires and lengthening wildfire seasons. Those are factors, but not the point. Whether fires are ignited by arson, lightning or accident, human-caused global heating is making them more likely and more furious. …Because we’ve already released so many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we’ll be facing escalating wildfires for years to come. We can reduce future risk by shifting from polluting fossil fuels to cleaner energy and protecting green spaces, but good forest management is also necessary.

FORT ST. JOHN, BC – The District of Chetwynd has announced its support for ForestryWorksforBC. …The district received a letter from a group of forestry-based organizations asking for the council’s support in a grassroots initiative to raise awareness about forestry. The letter detailed the importance of forestry, the industry’s critical role in rural and urban communities, and the struggles within the industry due to decreasing harvest levels and reduced government revenue. ForestryWorksforBC is advocating for reliable access to allowable annual cut (AAC), the annual amount of timber that can be harvested on a sustainable basis. “Without reliable and timely access to the AAC, we have a lot more to lose than mills,” the organization wrote. Mayor Allen Courtoreille and councillors unanimously agreed to lend the district’s support to ForestryWorksforBC’s message and voted to write a letter of support addressed to the provincial government.