Wildfires may fade from view in the fall, but the danger — and need for action — remains. More than 880,000 hectares burned in B.C. this year; that’s 75 per cent higher than the 20-year average. With the likelihood of more extreme fire seasons ahead, work to prepare for and mitigate the wildfire risk needs to happen year-round, not just when we smell smoke. And registered forest professionals are at the forefront of that preparation.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Forests provided a $620,000 grant to Forest Professionals BC to expand the role of forest professionals in reducing wildfire risk. The funding is helping strengthen professional standards, develop new training programs, and build a connected community of practitioners who share knowledge and stay current with the fast-changing realities of managing wildfire in forests.

This work is vital. Preventing destructive wildfires isn’t just about having firefighters on the front lines—it also depends on technical decisions made months or even years in advance, like planning fuel treatments and improving access. With government support, more forest professionals are deepening their expertise to help lead the way.

Better preparation means managing forest fuels—what feeds a wildfire. Historical forest management choices, coupled with years of fire suppression and a changing climate, have left many forests packed with small trees and brush that can quickly carry flames into the treetops. Forest professionals design treatments that change how fire behaves. Treatments can include thinning trees to create space between crowns, pruning lower branches to prevent flames from climbing, and clearing dry debris that fuels fast-moving fires. These aren’t photo-op cleanups—they’re science-based prescriptions built from forest data, fire weather indices, and models that predict how a fire could behave on a bad day.

Next is the wildland–urban interface—the zone where homes meet the forest. In these areas, small details can make a big difference: how much dry fuel is on the ground, whether emergency vehicles can get in and out, and where fuel breaks are placed. Forest professionals apply FireSmart principles to fit each location—deciding which trees to keep, where to widen access routes, and how to treat debris without causing smoke to settle in valleys.

Landscape-level planning is also key. Forest professionals identify high-value areas—homes, watersheds, cultural sites, wildlife habitat—and design harvesting plans, roads, and fuel breaks to help slow or redirect wildfires. The goal isn’t to stop every fire from starting—it’s to prevent fires from growing into massive, hard-to-control events. These decisions require clear accountability—and forest professionals are trained to deliver it.

Christine Gelowitz

Partnerships are essential, especially when using fire as a tool. In B.C., wildfire risk reduction must include Indigenous knowledge—particularly cultural burning practices that have shaped fire-resilient landscapes for thousands of years. Many forest professionals work with First Nations to co-develop plans for intentional burning and expand prescribed fire capacity. These efforts blend cultural goals—like restoring berry patches or protecting heritage sites—with technical requirements such as permits, smoke management, and emergency preparedness.

Of course, wildfire prevention isn’t free. Treatments require upfront investment, but the benefits are long-term—slowing fires at fuel breaks, giving crews safe access, and helping communities avoid evacuations and weeks of smoke. Forest professionals help make these efforts more cost-effective.

Wildfire isn’t a problem one group can solve alone—it’s a challenge that affects all of society. It involves forest management, fire science, public safety, Indigenous rights, and emergency response. If we want fewer catastrophic wildfire seasons, we need to empower the work guided by forest professionals: fund multi-year treatment programs, fast-track permits for well-designed prescribed burns, reward projects that show measurable risk reduction, and keep the work in the hands of people who are trained, tested, and accountable to the public.