CHANGING CLIMATE FUELLING INCREASE IN FOREST FIRES: REPORT

A Natural Resources Canada report says that by the end of this century a changing climate is expected to at least double the area burned each year by forest fires in Canada. The 2015 assessment says a warming climate will contribute to a 50 per cent increase in large fires, new tree diseases and more insect infestations. “Climate change is gradually imposing an increasing trend on forest fires,” it says. The study builds on scientific evidence that became politically charged last May when a wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alta., and ended up covering almost 590,00 hectares of boreal forest. Scientists say it is difficult to link any single natural disaster, such as a flood or fire, to man-made global warming, but that the frequency and intensity of such events has been increasing and is likely to continue.