Tackling a future of expected 'extreme' wildfires in B.C.
It’s only May, but there’s already been 113 wildfires in B.C. this year.
It might seem like a lot, but compared to last year, those numbers are significantly lower due to a cold, wet spring.
“Our temperatures are looking below seasonal," said Erika Berg, a provincial wildfire information officer. "As well, we’ve had some pretty fair precipitation, even in areas like the Interior.”
But a good start to the season doesn’t mean B.C. is out of the woods long-term.
“Due to the effects of climate change, extreme weather events like the heat dome that we experienced last year are that much more likely,” said Berg. “Meanwhile, fire seasons are that much more extreme.”
So how does B.C. prepare for a future with more “extreme” wildfires? A former wildland firefighter turned researcher has some ideas.
“One of the things that we can do … a little bit more proactively is shifting what there is available to burn and actually create … fire breaks on the landscape,” explained Mathieu Bourbonnais, assistant professor of earth, environment and geographic sciences at UBC Okanagan.
“That could be through mechanical thinning or hand thinning in forests around communities and space out fuels and reduce the fuel loads.”
Bourbonnais said prescribed burns are another means of lowering the intensity of wildfires when they happen.
“People are tending today to call it good fire, putting fire back on the landscape in kind of a controlled manner to reduce the overall fuels that are available,” he said.
Reducing wildfire risk may also mean looking at how replanting is done and replanting with more fire-resistant trees like Aspens.
“There’s a lot of … forests out there that are very much single-species forest and single-age stands, that if a fire gets into that, it can spread rapidly, so thinking a little bit differently about how we replant (is important),” Bourbonnais said.
His research includes using sensors flown from aircraft or drones to develop three-dimensional models of forests.
“We can look at how a forest is structured, both vertically and horizontally, to understand how the fuels are configured and if a fire happened there, where are your most high-risk zones and how we might mitigate that,” he said.
He believes building resilience to extreme fires requires a more proactive approach.
And despite the slow start to the fire season, all that could change in an instant.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.