OTTAWA — Emissions from wildfires hit a new record in 2021 as the blazes that raged in Western Canada and Ontario produced more greenhouse gases than the oil and gas sector and heavy industry combined. Canada’s forests are relied on heavily to absorb the carbon dioxide we emit when we burn fossil fuels, but when those same forests burn, much of that trapped carbon gets released back into the air. …With a total estimated carbon footprint of 270 million tonnes, wildfire emissions were the single biggest source of greenhouse gases in 2021. But they were not included when Canada tallied its total emissions for the year, because wildfires aren’t considered to be directly under human control. Kate Lindsay, senior VP at FPAC, said people who work in forest management are trying to learn from the data and guide their plans on where to log, in part to reduce the fuel available there when a fire hits.