WAKEFIELD, QC – The world is more dangerous and divided. In response, Canada’s new government is focused on what we can control: building a stronger, more independent, and more sustainable country. As we build Canada strong, we are protecting what matters most, including the magnificent land and waters we have inherited. The beauty of Canada’s natural environment is increasingly under threat. Climate change, pollution, and industrialisation are causing global habitat loss, an increase in invasive species, and more destructive wildfires and floods. Tackling this issue is both a moral duty and an economic imperative. To protect Canada’s lands and waters, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today launched A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature. With an investment of $3.8 billion, Canada’s new nature strategy will protect and restore critical habitats, ensure industrial strategies complement our conservation efforts, and mobilise new capital for nature.
It’s a well-established fact that forests and water are deeply connected. For decades, paired-watershed experiments have shown that when we lose forests, the total amount of water flowing through our rivers tends to rise. But a critical question has remained unanswered: does this extra water come from previous reserves, or is it simply “new” rain that the land is failing to hold? Is forest loss causing our watersheds to lose their internal integrity and leak like a sifter? Our recent study at the University of BC analyzed 657 watersheds across the globe. By using a tool called the Young Water Fraction, we found that forest loss significantly accelerates how fast precipitation travels through a landscape. We estimate that for every 1% of forest lost, the “young water” in our streams increases by about 0.17%. Crucially, our research reveals that… the way we arrange forest patches can either aggravate or mitigate this leakage.
2025 was Canada’s second-worst wildfire season on record. Canada’s air quality was worse than the United States in 2025, thanks to a record-breaking wildfire season last summer, according to a new report by IQAir. Canada doesn’t have the worst air quality in North America: That designation goes to Mexico, which landed at 50 on IQAir’s 2025 list of most polluted countries and regions. Wildfires pushed Canada to 117 in 2025, with the United States taking the 120th spot. These wildfires not only made Canada more polluted than the United States, but they were also large enough to affect air quality in Europe as smoke crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Between May 2025 and November 2025, Canada experienced its second-worst wildfire season ever, with over 6,000 wildfires and 8.3 million hectares burnt across the country. …Health Canada estimates that air pollution contributes to 15,300 premature deaths each year in Canada. 
The Province has introduced changes to the Environmental Assessment Act to enhance transparency and predictability by improving how issues raised by First Nations are identified and resolved during environmental assessments, helping ensure responsible resource development. In 2018, the act introduced new mechanisms for First Nations collaboration in environmental assessments to provide a clear and timely path for projects to move through the assessment process, while respecting Indigenous rights, values and culture. Dispute resolution under the act enables the use of a third-party facilitator if the Province and a First Nation are unable to reach consensus at milestones during the environmental assessment. It was included in the act to help support reconciliation and enhance timeliness and predictability in environmental assessments. Updates are being proposed to better meet these intended objectives.
…Wildfires scorched 2.9 million hectares of Saskatchewan forest last year, forcing thousands of people from their homes and destroying more than 450 dwellings across the province, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). Some experts are warning this year could be just as bad. A relatively dry fall and unusual winter conditions are setting the stage, said Colin Laroque, a professor of environmental science at the University of Saskatchewan. …Finance Minister Jim Reiter called this year’s provincial budget “essentially” the status quo for wildfire preparation and response. The province announced a $20-million increase for the SPSA earlier this month, bringing its total budget to $140 million. The increase includes an additional water bomber. …Eric Lamb, a professor at U of S, said extreme weather conditions are no longer rare and require a different approach focused more on preventative measures, like prescribed burns, before a wildfire season begins.
The Okanagan Screen Awards, a two-day celebration of film, creativity, and community, took place March 28–29, 2026 in the sunny paradise of Kelowna, BC. The Okanagan Screen Awards are proudly presented by the Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking (OSIF), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for independent filmmakers in the Okanagan region. Congratulations to “BC is Burning” for winning 1st Place in the Feature Docs category! 
The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) will be jointly working on two fuel reduction measures near Lytton, one in Botanie Valley and the other near Highway 1 north of the town, and one in the Hat Creek Valley. The Hat Creek cultural burn will cover an area of up to 40 hectares, approximately 15 kilometres west of Cache Creek in the Upper Hat Creek Valley. The project, known as the Harry Lake Grasslands cultural burn, is in partnership with the Thompson Rivers Natural Resource District and Bonaparte First Nation. The burn is part of a multi-year project meant to introduce fire into the Upper Hat Creek Valley. Key goals of the burn include revitalization of cultural burning practices by St’uxwtéws (Bonaparte) First Nation; reintroduction of fire to a fire deficit ecosystem; and ecological maintenance and improvement of grasslands. It is also part of a research initiative being undertaken by the University of British Columbia into prescribed fire in the area.
Recovery operations are ongoing after 19 log bundles ended up on beaches in the PQB area after rough weather caused a log boom to break open at Mosaic Forest Management’s Northwest Bay waterfront facility two weekends ago. Mosaic said more than half of the bundles have been retrieved, but crews need favourable tides and calm weather to safely recover the remaining logs. “We’re hoping to have suitable conditions in the next few days to complete the recovery as quickly and safely as possible,” Mosaic told the PQB News on March 24. Mosaic notified the provincial regulator and is in direct contact with Rathtrevor Provincial Park representatives about its plans and timeline. The province has declared the area where the logs went astray as a “closed area in so far as the marine salvage of logs is concerned”. END
Wildfire fuel mitigation will remain a priority for the city, despite the B.C. government’s plans to stem the flow of FireSmart funding. At its March 23 meeting, city council received a presentation by Assistant Fire Chief Carmen Guidos, who was seeking direction on a couple of matters. One had to do with the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP) currently under development. The other was in regard of fuel mitigation work already planned for Coyote Park, South Canoe, and a small treatment area on Mt. Ida. The connecting thread prompting Guidos’ presentation was recent changes by the BC government to how it funds community FireSmart initiatives. The province introduced the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports (FSCFS) programs in 2018, providing approximately $175 million since then for communities to hire coordinators, conduct education campaigns and pay for fuel management efforts.
A new website and film showcasing wildfire mitigation efforts have been launched by the Logan Lake Community Forest. New branding has been launched alongside the release of a movie that delves into the community forest and its role in wildfire risk reduction and recreation. In a news release, Randy Spyksma, general manager for Logan Lake Community Forest, said the new, refreshed branding “better reflects who we are today and where we are going.” “It is a visual highlight of our commitment to responsible forest stewardship while supporting the long-term sustainability of our community.” …“Our film speaks to the heart of what we do as a community forest and allows us to share this work through storytelling,” Spyksma said.
A commentary by two forest ecologists who lead Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s Forest Conservation Program, and Raincoast’s executive director, who is a Southern Gulf Islands resident. The Islands Trust recently invited public input to help update its Trust Policy Statement, a document that guides how land-use decisions are made across the Trust Area in the Salish Sea. While the draft includes some overdue updates, it drifts from its mandate of environmental protection and fails to connect words in a policy document to decisions on the ground. To work properly, the Trust Policy Statement must clearly show how the Islands Trust will carry out its environmental protection mandate. The Islands Trust is a unique form of government. When it was established 50 years ago, its role was clear: to prevent unrestrained growth and development in the Trust Area of the Gulf Islands. The legislation recognized that the islands’ natural environment and rural character were fragile and irreplaceable.
US Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) has introduced legislation that would nullify the 2001 Clinton administration Roadless Rule and permanently restore active forest management on National Forest System lands, saying the restriction has blocked access and increased the risk of catastrophic wildfires across the West. Hageman introduced the bill in Washington with original cosponsors including Representatives Troy Downing (R-MT), Celeste Maloy (R-UT), Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Tom Tiffany (R-WI). Her measure would codify the Department of Agriculture’s recent rescission of the Roadless Rule and direct future road construction to support missions such as timber harvesting, watershed management, and wildfire prevention. …Congresswoman Hageman framed the legislation as an effort to return National Forests to their original multiple‑use mandate. “Our Forest Service lands were always to be managed and providing commodities, a continuous supply of timber, a continuous supply of water to be used for grazing, multiple use, etc.,” she said.
Mountains that normally see their peak snowpack in March are brown this year, thanks to a spring heat dome that baked the western U.S. for much of the second half of March. That’s raising alarm bells for the fire season, which is already ramping up. John Abatzoglu, a professor of climatology at the University of California Merced, said everything is “lining up for a potentially nasty fire season across the west… the warning signs are flashing.” The heat wave eased over the weekend after a sustained run of temperatures 11 to 17 C above normal — with highs in the 30s and 40s in some states. This would be “virtually impossible” without climate change caused by human CO2 pollution, mainly from fossil fuels. Early snow-melt has been linked to a longer fire season, as it dries out the landscape and provides more time and opportunity for fires to ignite and spread
Oregon’s congressional Democrats are asking federal officials to give the public more time to learn about and comment on new plans that would open up millions of acres of federal forests in Oregon to logging activity not seen since the 1960s. The Bureau of Land Management in late February announced it would change the Western Oregon Resource Management Plans that have governed logging and conservation in Oregon counties for decades. The stated goals were “maximum” timber production to “advance Trump administration priorities,” including logging in areas that are home to federally protected, vulnerable species. The announcement kicked off a month-long public comment period that ended March 23, but the agency did not hold any public meetings. Officials said in the announcement they would not hold any meetings before releasing a draft proposal for new logging. Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and [others], all Democrats, said such generational change in logging practices deserves far more public scrutiny.
A new satellite-based study indicates widespread drought stress and insect damage across the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, with significant implications for wildfire risk, forest management and long-term ecosystem change. Researchers found roughly one in four ponderosa pines are experiencing moderate to high levels of drought and insect damage. More than half show signs of “fading,” a condition tied to prolonged moisture loss, though the severity varies by ranger district. The study analyzed tree “greenness” across the forest, a key indicator of health derived from satellite imagery. The Apache-Sitgreaves spans roughly 6 million acres in northern Arizona, including the White Mountains, among the state’s wetter regions. Despite that reputation, the findings reinforce a growing body of research showing that decades of drought, increasingly severe wildfires and bark beetle infestations are reshaping these forests. In some areas, ponderosa pine stands have failed to recover following high-intensity fires, particularly where drought stress was already severe.
After firing about 3,400 employees nationwide and instituting a seasonal hiring freeze last year, the U.S. Forest Service is planning to hire 2,000 seasonal workers this year. A Colorado lawmaker wants more information about the U.S. Forest Service’s plans to hire seasonal staff again this summer, after the agency cut thousands of positions and did not employ seasonal help last year. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, whose district includes Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Routt and Summit counties, penned a letter to Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz earlier this month describing the impact that massive cuts to staffing have had on the agency and the importance of seasonal workers. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California, also joined the letter. “As you know, seasonal employees play a critical role in the maintenance and stewardship of some of our most treasured public lands and national forests,” Neguse wrote, noting that more than 130 million people visit the country’s national forests annually.
A large chunk of private forest land near Mount Spokane is now permanently protected from development. The Idaho Department of Lands announced Wednesday that more than 22,000 acres of Inland Empire Paper Co. is now protected under a conservation easement. Inland Empire is owned by the Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review. The property is between Mount Spokane and Spirit Lake in Bonner and Kootenai counties. …It includes habitat for a variety of wildlife, such as elk, deer and westslope cutthroat trout, according to a Department of Lands news release. It also covers part of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which provides drinking water for people in Spokane and Kootenai counties. The deal locks in public access for the property, which has long been used by hunters, hikers, berry pickers and other recreationists.
As the Trump administration wages war on Iran, it’s citing national security to seek an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico — a move alarming environmental groups who say it could set a dangerous precedent for future fossil fuel projects. Environmentalists argue the government hasn’t followed proper procedure and they’re seeking to block the move before Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes the Endangered Species Committee on Tuesday. The committee, nicknamed the “God Squad” by groups who say it can determine the fate of a species, is comprised of six high-ranking federal officials plus a representative for states involved. …The Center for Biological Diversity sued last week to block the committee meeting. …The committee was established in 1978 as a way to exempt projects from the Endangered Species Act. …The committee has only convened three times in its 53-year history and issued only two exemptions. 
MICHIGAN — A disastrous ice storm last spring gut-punched Michigan’s multi-billion-dollar forestry sector. One year later, experts say the damage from that storm – which coated and snapped trees with up to an inch of ice accumulation across millions of acres of Northern Michigan forests – will ripple through timber markets for decades. The March 28-30, 2025, storm wiped out years of future logging contracts and reshaped forestry plans across the heart of the state’s “wood basket.” “It’s going to take 100 years to get this sorted out,” said Dan Heckman, forestry planning and modeling specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The storm was so disruptive to existing logging plans that the state had to recalibrate its latest 10-year forest management plan. Northern Michigan’s red pine plantations and aspen stands took the brunt of the damage. Public and private foresters have spent the past year trying to salvage what financial value they can. 
