Wildfires raging in six of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories have wreaked havoc across the country over the past six weeks, forcing mass evacuations and burning more than 3.3 million acres of land, larger than the state of Maryland stabbed.
As the smoke billows toward the East Coast of the United States, affecting 75 million Americans, the grave threat to Canada’s forests has come into sharp focus.
Some blame lax forest management, arguing that not enough controlled burns are being committed thanks to campaigns by environmentalists.
In 2020, four scientists wrote a paper published Advances in disaster science saying that Canada was not spending enough money on forest management.
“Wildlife firefighting agencies in Canada are at a tipping point,” they wrote.
‘Presuppression and repression costs are increasing, but program budgets are not.’
In July 2021, the editors of the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail warned that more needed to be done to control burns and reduce the problem of wildfires running out of control.
Smoke billows from the fire at the Donnie Creek Complex, south of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, on June 3
Smoke rises from a planned ignition by firefighters tackling the wildfire at the Donnie Creek Complex south of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, June 3, 2023
A swimmer in Cameron Lake before the Cameron Bluffs wildfire near Port Alberni, British Columbia, on Tuesday
But others say climate change is directly responsible, due to global warming.
Canada had an extremely dry and snow-free winter, as a result of which all 10 provinces are currently experiencing conditions called abnormal drought, moderate or severe drought, according to the Canadian government’s drought tracker.
Late last month, Canada experienced its hottest day on record when the town of Lytton, in British Columbia, hit 121 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record of 113 degrees.
It tied Death Valley in California as the hottest place in North America that day.
As a result, wildfire season has started incredibly early.
More than 1,400 percent of the normal amount of acres has burned for this time of year — 8.7 million acres so far by 2023, an area the size of Vermont. In an average year, 6.2 million hectares will burn as a result of wildfires.
Dry, warm weather also brings more lightning.
Half of Canada’s wildfires are caused by lightning; the other half by humans.
However, lightning-induced fires are more destructive than human-caused: they are responsible for more than 85 percent of wildfire destruction.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “This wildfire season has already been devastating to communities across the country.
“We are taking action to keep people safe, support those affected and ensure that the provinces and territories get the help they need.”
Enormous parts of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec are currently ablaze, as is British Columbia.
A water bomber was seen over Port Alberni, British Columbia, on Tuesday
A waterbomber helicopter drops water on British Columbia’s Cameron Bluffs on Tuesday
All 10 provinces in Canada are currently affected by abnormally dry conditions, thanks to an exceptionally dry winter
On Wednesday, Joe Biden said the United States is sending firefighters to help.
“We deployed more than 600 U.S. firefighters, support personnel and equipment to support Canada in its response to record wildfires — events intensifying due to the climate crisis,” he tweeted.
Donald Trump repeatedly blamed wildfires on poor land management rather than seeing it as a result of climate change.
Wildfires are not caused by climate change and occur naturally. But the changing climate, with drier conditions, is bringing more kindling and making their impact more serious.
Some scientists believe rising global temperatures could affect the flow of the jet stream, weakening it. That allow air to sit and warm up longer.
Canada’s natural resources agency says climate change could potentially double the amount of burned area by the end of this century.
For Canada, this represents a potential problem for the timber industry, as well as the destruction of valuable ecosystems.
The Canadian government said on Monday that the outlook for the rest of 2023 is very worrying the fires are expected to get worse.
“Current June projections point to the potential for continued, higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country through the 2023 wildfire season due to continued drought and long-term forecasts for warm temperatures,” they said.
Before June, warm and dry conditions will increase the risk of wildfires across most of Canada, from British Columbia and Yukon eastward to western Quebec and the Atlantic region.
“In July, the wildfire potential is expected to expand into Yukon, although the eastern fringe will recede from western Quebec to central Ontario.”