Is BC ready for wildfire season?
Last year was the most destructive wildfire season in BC’s recorded history. According to provincial data, a total of 2,245 wildfires burned more than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land—a number that doubles the last record of 1.35 million hectares burned in 2018.
“The area of forests burned both in BC and across Canada in 2023 was horrific,” says Jens Wieting, senior policy and science advisor at the Sierra Club of BC. “It’s a really emotional topic because the trends are very concerning.”
It begs an important question: is the Province properly ready for this year?
The 2024 wildfire outlook seems grim, and not just in BC. Alberta already announced an early start to wildfire season in February, when it typically starts March 1.
“We have definitely seen in the last 20 years a major change in the way that fire is spreading and heating in our forests,” says Lori Daniels, the Koerner Chair of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at UBC.
This intensification can be dually attributed to climate change and over 100 years of land-use change, Daniels says. Since the early 2000s, larger areas are burning, fires are becoming more intense, and wildfire seasons are getting longer.
“Drought continues to affect many parts of the province, and wildfire risk is higher than usual for this time of year,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, during the Province’s seasonal update in March. Without heavy spring rains, we could also be in for a difficult summer. That’s why the Province is being proactive and taking action “earlier than ever,” added Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
In the update, officials warned of an early start to the season given widespread drought conditions in many parts of the province, with the average snowpack being 66 per cent lower than usual, and El Niño causing warmer temperatures.
“That’s very foreboding for the 2024 fire season,” Daniels admits.
The Province is making some big investments in order to prepare. BC
Wildfire Service received $38 million to boost hiring, and applicants for wildland firefighters doubled from 2023 after an extended hiring window. There are nearly three times the number of prescribed and cultural fires for 2024 than occurred in 2023. The Province is spending at least $77 million on securing more aircraft and other firefighting equipment. The government has also put up millions to strengthen drought preparedness, including $83 million for agricultural producers.
Even with these commitments, Daniels says we’re still not ready yet.
“We have been chipping away at the problem for the last 20 years,” she says. “We’re working at a snail’s pace.”
She argues that we haven’t done anything to “revitalize or revolutionize” the forestry industry: “We continue to harvest 150,000 hectares per year, with many other forest management practices contributing fuels to the problem.”
Current forestry practices are outdated and unsustainable, Daniels explains, because they focus on cutting the biggest trees that can produce two-by-fours, then pulp and paper.
“The rest of it we pile on the side of the road and burn into the atmosphere,” she says. “Not really acceptable.”
She also notes that historically, less than 10,000 hectares per year are proactively treated for wildfires across the entire province. “So,” she says, “we need to
rebalance those numbers.”
Wieting agrees that forestry practices must be reformed, especially when it comes to protecting old growth and primary forests, which have been proven to reduce climate change impacts.
“We really have to move away from clear-cutting to selective logging,” he says. “And protect more forests.”
Ultimately, Wieting says that BC needs to do a better job of addressing the source of the problem.
“Unless we take stronger climate action to reduce emissions faster and protect old growth forests as part of climate action, this will be a drop in the bucket,” he says, referring to the province’s drought investments. “There is simply not enough funding available to address all these climate impacts without addressing the root cause.”
In the meantime, Lower Mainland residents without industry-altering power can still do their part. It’s important to be careful not to start fires when bans are in place; to report illegal fires that you come across; and to implement Fire Smart suggestions (such as having an evacuation plan in place, and, if you’re a homeowner, keeping gutters and roofs clear of debris).
“The onus is on all of us to be part of the solution,” Daniels says. “Not part of the problem.”