Anthony Taylor

LABRADOR — A forest ecologist says abnormal weather is becoming more common and will likely cause more wildfires like the ones that threatened Labrador towns in recent weeks. Anthony Taylor of the University of New Brunswick told CBC News in a recent interview that climate change is a factor in the number and severity of forest fires this summer in Labrador. “You’ll see an increase in the frequency of years where you have big fires, and it’s directly related to the fact that you’re going to have an increase in the frequency of weather that’s more conducive to fires,” said Taylor, who researches how climate change affects forests. …Although there has been close to normal amounts of rainfall in Labrador, he said, higher temperatures cause increased evaporation and drier forests, likely contributing to conditions that are conducive to fire.