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
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Pro-Palestinian protests roiling U.S. colleges escalate with arrests, new encampments and closures
The student protests of Israel's war with Hamas that have been creating friction at U.S. universities escalated Tuesday as new encampments sprouted and some colleges encouraged students to stay home and learn online, after dozens of arrests across the country.