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Nova Scotia is heading into wildfire season with improved moisture levels compared to last fall — but officials say the weeks ahead remain a critical period for fire risk. Scott Tingley, manager of Forest Protection with the Department of Natural Resources, says winter snow and rain helped offset dry conditions that developed late last year. “The snow and rain were certainly welcome over the winter — we needed it,” Tingley said. “We went through the fall in a significant rainfall deficit.” However, he says that benefit begins to fade as temperatures rise and snow cover disappears. “As that snow starts to disappear, the risk does start to increase,” he said. “One of our biggest risk periods is this time of year before things green up.” That “spring risk period” typically lasts until late May or early June, when vegetation begins to green up and moisture levels improve.