In last issue’s editorial, I discussed the fact that the rise in number and intensity of forest fires over the last few years was not something that could be laid at the feet of any one political party, but was both a symptom of the way forestry has been managed for decades, as well as a response to climate change.
A new report by BC’s Forest Practices Board picks up on that theme, calling for “urgent action by the provincial government” to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the province.
“Fire prevention and suppression policies over the past century have led to a buildup of fuel in our forests, and have contributed to the loss of natural firebreaks in some areas,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “These shifts, combined with forestry policies and climate-change effects greatly increase the risk of catastrophic wildfire. We’re already seeing the consequences this year, with its unusually early start and record-setting wildfires.”
According to data from the province itself, nearly half—45 percent—of public land in BC is at high or extreme threat of wildfire. “Catastrophic wildfire impacts human health and safety, housing and infrastructure, wildlife, climate and the economy,” says the report. “The direct cost of suppressing wildfire is rising and now averages $1 billion annually in Western Canada.”
“We can’t afford to continue the status quo,” Atkinson said. “We need the BC government, jointly with First Nations, to lead the development of a vision and action plan that will align provincial priorities and actions to restore landscape resilience and coexistence with fire. Landscape fire management is the way to achieve this.”
The last six years have seen three of the worst years for fires in BC, and 2023 is on its way to the top of that list.
Landscape fire management can proactively reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and restore landscape resilience through forest-fuel reduction strategies, such as creating fuel breaks, increasing the diversity of tree species, densities, and ages, and the use of cultural and prescribed burning,” says the report. These strategies create a more resilient landscape that is less vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.
“Implementing this scale of change to land management can only happen with strong leadership and collaboration,” Atkinson said. “This is not a task that can be accomplished by one agency, but will require all levels of government, industry, and the BC public to work together to do things differently. The payoff will be a reduced risk of catastrophic wildfire, and a more resilient landscape for future generations.”
However, “Bold and immediate action” is required. Historically, people co-existed with fire on the landscape, says the report. “Wildfire returned to certain landscapes frequently and, together with Indigenous fire stewardship, played an important role in maintaining resilient ecosystems.”
Over the last 100 years, we have fought instead to prevent and suppress fires, allowing fuel to accumulate, leading to “fire deficits”, which contribute to an increase in fire severity.
“Furthermore, because wildfires emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, increases in wildfire scale and intensity make it even more challenging to meet BC’s emission reduction goal.”
In 2021, it cost $800 million to directly suppress wildfire, with an estimate of $24 billion in other costs.
Achieving this paradigm shift toward landscape resilience and co-existing with fire will require a province-wide vision and action plan that aligns policies and programs across all levels of government, and integrates Landscape Fire Management into the land management framework in BC. It needs cross-jurisdictional collaboration and coordination to enable timely action at the scale necessary to make meaningful progress. This report calls on the provincial government to act now and lead BC’s transition toward landscape resilience.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
