OTTAWA – The federal government has set up Canada’s first-ever reserve of firefighting aircraft to help provinces and territories respond to the 2026 wildfire season. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, or CIFFC, has leased 10 aircraft and two unspecified support assets for 150 days starting this month, thanks to a $317-million spending allocation in the federal budget. The government said that the Pan-Canadian Aerial Asset Program will boost national firefighting surge capacity by increasing provincial and territorial access to aircraft during periods of intense wildfire activity. Provincial and territorial wildfire agencies will be able to request the use of four air tankers, one spotter plane and five heavy lift helicopters to fight wildfires. The fleet will be sourced from British Columbia-based firms Conair Group, Coldstream Helicopters and VIH Helicopters. …This is the first time a national fleet of aircraft will be available to respond where needed.
TORONTO – Since 2023, communities across Canada and around the world have been experiencing record-breaking wildfires and working to help restore forested landscapes in their aftermath – but the best practices behind forest recovery in the wake of extreme wildfires are evolving. To better understand the decisions and approaches for post-wildfire forest restoration in Canada, Forests Canada surveyed and interviewed forest managers and tree planting practitioners and is presenting the findings in a report titled Forest Restoration After Wildfire: Knowledge Gaps and Future Needs Analysis. “The aim of the report is to identify how decision-making processes for post-fire recovery are changing in the wake of the increasing intensity and severity of wildfires,” Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Canada, says. “How are practices changing to maximize the successful establishment of forests…? We know the vast majority of Canadians believe that forests are a vital part of our national identity, so these questions are very important.”
HAZELTON – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices of BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and timber sale licence holders in the Kispiox Timber Supply Area (TSA) portion of the Skeena Business Area, starting Monday, June 1, 2026. The audit will examine harvesting, roads, silviculture, protection activities and associated planning. These activities will be assessed for compliance under the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. BCTS operates throughout the Kispiox TSA, within the Skeena Stikine Natural Resource District. Activities in the audit area are administered from the Hazelton Field Office. The audit area overlaps the territories of the Gitxsan, Wet’suwet’en, Gitanyow, Nisga’a, Lake Babine Nation, Kitselas, and Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha First Nations. …The area includes mountainous terrain, rivers and lakes that support recreation, wildlife habitat and important fish populations, including several salmon species, bull trout, Dolly Varden and lake trout.
Local residents are being invited to help shape the next decade of local forestry management at an upcoming public open house in Coldstream. The provincial government, in partnership with local First Nations groups, are hosting a joint engagement session on Monday, June 8, to gather community feedback on the development of the tmíxʷ naqscn Forest Landscape Plan (FLP). …The new FLP framework is a legal mechanism designed to replace older Forest Stewardship Plans. Once established by the chief forester, the 10-year plan will govern all timber harvesting, road layout and silviculture activities for BC Timber Sales and local forest licensees across the region’s watersheds. …The finalized FLP will shift the focus toward long-term ecosystem health, addressing critical modern challenges such as wildfire risk reduction, climate change adaptation, old-growth protection, and biodiversity, while maintaining a predictable and sustainable timber supply
A province-wide public tour this June will bring a citizen-led proposal for forest management reform to communities across BC, with stops in Campbell River on June 11, Quadra Island on June 13 and Courtenay on June 15. Jennifer Houghton, campaign director of the New Forest Act Proposal, will lead a series of public presentations called the 2026 New Forest Act Roadshow on the future of B.C.’s forests, watersheds and forest-dependent communities. …“Right now, B.C.’s forest laws are built around maximizing timber extraction,” Houghton said. “The New Forest Act is a proposal to shift forestry toward ecological limits, stable communities, and long-term ecological function instead of short-term liquidation. …Spearheaded by the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, the proposal has been developed with contributions from forest ecologists, including forester Herb Hammond. …More information the full 
Three years ago, Barb Round heard heavy machinery chewing through the urban forest behind her home in Campbell River, a small city on east Vancouver Island that bills itself as the salmon capital of the world. Round waved down a man in a hard hat and asked why the excavator was working in the greenway, which is a haven for birds, dotted with pocket wetlands and adjacent to Simms Creek, home to four salmon species. “He explained to me that the property had been sold,” Round, a retired nurse, tells The Tyee. “Everyone in the neighbourhood thought it was protected land.” When residents found out a local developer planned to cut down much of the forest and fill in the wetlands to build a large housing development near the creek, “they were gobsmacked,” Round says.
With Oregon facing what state leaders say could be another difficult wildfire season, questions are emerging about whether major changes inside the U.S. Forest Service could eventually impact how quickly fires are detected and attacked across the West. “All indications suggest a more challenging fire season ahead of all of us,” said Oregon Governor Tina Kotek… The warning comes after a historically warm winter, low snowpack levels, and worsening drought conditions across parts of Oregon. At the same time, the Forest Service is undergoing major national restructuring efforts, including consolidating research facilities and closing its nine regional offices nationwide. …Still, federal firefighters and local fire leaders say they do not expect major disruptions to wildfire response this season. “I think there’s just a growing amount of apprehension about what it’s gonna look like on the ground level in a couple of years’ time,” said Kieran Evans, a squad leader with the Forest Service.
AccuWeather has released its latest outlook on what Oregon could expect for the 2026 fire season, forecasting another active year for wildfires for much of the western half of America. Experts said that 2026 may see fewer fires overall, however, drought conditions, dry vegetation and extreme heat are likely to cause fires to spread more quickly and grow larger before crews are able to contain them, resulting in more land burned. According to the company’s newly released wildfire forecast, between 65,000 and 80,000 wildfires are expected nationwide this year, burning an estimated 5.5 million to 8 million acres. That compares to 77,850 fires that burned 5.1 million acres in 2025. …Forecasters said the highest wildfire risk this year is expected across the Southwest, Rockies, Great Basin and Interior Northwest, including parts of Oregon and Washington. AccuWeather meteorologists said drought and prolonged heat are continuing to intensify wildfire conditions across much of the west.
Colorado’s top forest health concern is a mountain pine beetle outbreak on the Front Range that has expanded by nearly 150% from 2024 to 2025, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report. The report shows the continued spread of mountain pine beetles and other forest insects during the second consecutive year of above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation. Trees in forests across Colorado are stressed following a record warm winter and low snowpack, and infestations of bark beetles and western spruce budworm are expected to intensify and expand. “Heat and drought are stressing our forests, turning many areas into tinderboxes and making it harder for trees to fight off bark beetles and other insects,” said Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the CSFS. …Trees killed by drought, insects or disease can potentially alter wildfire behavior should there be ignition from lightning or other sources. 
Spain is one of the southern European countries on the front line of climate change as higher average temperatures stoke heatwaves, droughts and forest fires. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented what he called Spain’s biggest-ever campaign against forest fires on Thursday after deadly blazes devoured a record amount of land last year. Spain is one of the southern European countries on the front line of climate change as higher average temperatures stoke heatwaves, droughts and forest fires. The country sweltered through its hottest summer on record in 2025, when almost 4,000 square kilometres of land went up in smoke, the highest figure registered by the European Forest Fire Information System. “We will put in place all the resources” available to the government “to mitigate this emergency situation as much as possible and to prevent it happening again on this scale,” Sánchez said at the Torrejón airbase outside Madrid.
PORTUGAL — Devastating wildfires gripped Portugal in 2025, when more than a quarter of a million hectares of land burned. With fears that this year could be even worse, Portugal has mounted an intensive nationwide operation to clear fallen trees and dry leaves – the tinder that wildfires thrive on. Citizens are being asked to clear the land around their homes – known to be one of the most effective ways of saving lives – as well as flagging up blocked roads to authorities as these could prevent emergency services from getting to them. …As part of this anticipatory approach, specialist reconnaissance teams will be deployed in each of the country’s sub-regions, tasked with providing the operations commander with essential information on the risk and type of fire. …999 fires were recorded on Portuguese soil in 2025, burning 284,012 hectares. The burned area was twice that of 2024, making 2025 the second-worst year of the last decade.