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Articles on Wildfires

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Thick plumes of heavy smoke fill the Halifax sky as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spreads, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents on May 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

Wildfire preparedness and response must include planning for unhoused people and other vulnerable populations

There is an alarming lack of disaster preparedness plans in Canada that consider the unique risks and needs of unhoused people during wildfires.
Wildfire warning signage seen in the Blairmore area, about two hours south of Calgary, Alta., in this handout image provided by the Government of Alberta Fire Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS

Wildfires in Alberta spark urgent school discussions about terrors of global climate futures

School systems need to wake up from ‘business as usual’ learning. Teachers can draw on terror management theory in their work on the front lines with students navigating the climate crisis.
The Bald Mountain Wildfire in the Grande Prairie area in Alberta in May 2023. Much of B.C. and Alberta is already experiencing higher-than-usual wildfire risk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Government of Alberta Fire Service

As we fight the Alberta and B.C. wildfires, we must also plan for future disasters

High-risk, high-uncertainty events like earthquakes tend to fall out of view when we are occupied with more predictable seasonal events like wildfires, which have very visible effects on our lives.
Satellite image of a forest fire in July 2021 in northern Saskatchewan (Wapawekka Hills). The image covers an area of about 56 kilometres in width and is based on Copernicus Sentinel data. (Pierre Markuse), CC BY 2.0

Forest fires: North America’s boreal forests are burning a lot, but less than 150 years ago

North America’s boreal forests have been burning a lot, probably more and more over the past 60 years. Yet the long-term trend indicates that they are burning less than they were 150 years ago.
Smouldering fire in a drained peatland near Fort McMurray, Alta. produces smoke from underground. These ecosystems are affected by rising temperatures, drought, wildfire and various human actions including drainage. (Leyland Cecco)

Up in smoke: Human activities are fuelling wildfires that burn essential carbon-sequestering peatlands

New research shows that northern peatlands may not help regulate our climate by the end of the century.
Fires are increasing in high mountain areas that rarely burned in the past. John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service

Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment

Fires here can affect meltwater timing and water quality, worsen erosion that triggers mudslides, and much more, as two scientists explain.
Hotter-burning fires and a warming climate make it harder for seedlings to survive. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The West’s iconic forests are increasingly struggling to recover from wildfires – altering how fires burn could boost their chances

Over 50 fire ecologists across the Western U.S. took an unprecedented look at how forests in thousands of locations are recovering from fire in a changing climate. The results were alarming.
The fire risk goes beyond rising temperatures and dry conditions. Samuel Corum / AFP via Getty Images

Western wildfires destroyed 246% more homes and buildings over the past decade – fire scientists explain what’s changing

More homes are burning in wildfires in nearly every Western state. The reason? Humans.

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