By Clara Marinozzi

 

Approximately 9.6 million acres of forest have been lost to wildfires in Canada since mid-May 2025. This has forced the evacuation of nearly 40,000 people and caused massive damage to the ecosystem (Elk, 2025). In Manitoba alone, 22,000 people have been displaced from rural and northern communities, prompting the announcement of a province-wide state of emergency on May 28th. More than half of the communities affected are First Nations, totalling 34 tribes in almost every province (Hoye, 2025).

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On average, in Canada, around 2.1 million acres of forest are lost to wildfires annually. Usually, wildfires provide natural and vital ecological benefits to Canada’s ecosystems. However, 9.6 million acres have currently been lost in 2025, more than quadrupling the yearly average (Hoye, 2025). The total area burned has increased in the last couple of years despite improvements in fire suppression effectiveness and coverage (Coogan et al., 2021). Aggressive and persistent fires threaten the resilience of forests and their ability to bounce back from other disturbances. This is compounded by other human impacts such as deforestation, pollution, and other habitat modifications. When grasslands, brush, and forests experience excessive reburns or fires in quick succession, their soils can be irreparably damaged, and massive shifts in forest composition and structure may occur (Coogan et al., 2021). However, more moderate fire cycles are an important part of these ecosystems. Therefore, complex fire management strategies are required to deal with changing climates and fire landscapes.

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An Introduction to Wildfire Ecology

 

Wildfires have been recognized, in the last 50 years, as an important ecological process in Canadian forests. Disturbance is a key factor in stable and biodiverse ecosystems rather than a rare or negative occurrence. Wildfires, in cycles of high-frequency and low-severity, regenerate and increase the heterogeneity of forests, improving forest composition and increasing biodiversity (Bergeron & Dubue, 1988; De Grandpré et al., 1993). For example, crown fires that spread along canopies reduce shading on the forest floor caused by trees and shrubs. This releases nutrients through combustion and exposes the soil to new, fast-growing species.

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Post-fire species are often shade-intolerant and are therefore perpetuated by fire cycles that open up space for them on the forest floor (Coogan et al., 2021). Moderate yearly wildfires have also been found to improve soil nutrient dynamics, forest hydrology, and carbon cycling (Coogan et al., 2021). Therefore, over the years, Canadian wildlife services have implemented a “modified” wildfire response strategy rather than complete suppression. This means that, under the appropriate circumstances, fires are intentionally left burning as long as they pose no harm to humans. Modified wildfire responses contain fires within an allowable perimeter, which keeps them from spiralling out of control (Wang et al., 2022).

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Alternatively, strategies that completely suppress wildfires have a series of detrimental effects on the environment. Biodiversity decreases because new species are unable to establish on the shaded forest floor, which increases landscape homogeneity and reduces forest stability. When fires do occur, they are more intense and severe since dried vegetation accumulates and provides an excellent fuel source. Cross-scale effects have also been studied that link fire suppression to outbursts in insect and disease epidemics (Wang et al., 2022). Despite their importance in forest ecosystems, there has been a dramatic increase in wildfires linked to climate change and poor forest management.

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Climate Change and Elongated Fire Seasons

 

Climate change increases the length and severity of the fire season, the area burned by wildfires, and the emissions released as a result. This increase in area burned is projected to double wildfire greenhouse gas emissions by 2100 (Coogan et al., 2021). Climate change causes generally hotter, drier and windier weather in Canada and more severe fire weather. This increases the receptivity of fuels to combustion as well as the spread of fires. Warmer temperatures allow the air to hold more moisture, which lowers the water table and further dries the dead fuel on the forest floor (Coogan et al., 2021; Wotton et al., 2010).

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While fires are often caused by humans, around half are caused by lightning strikes. Lightning fires often burn more area because they can occur in remote areas where there is limited road access and emergency responses are slower (Coogan et al., 2020). Increasing temperatures from climate change lead to greater lightning activity, which causes more ignitions (Krawchuk et al., 2009). Such changes in fire seasons and behaviour require new management strategies and dramatic innovations in wildland fire science.

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Forest management solutions

 

While implementing effective and immediate policies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions can mitigate many of the effects of climate change, additional steps can be taken in wildfire management to reduce wildfire hazards. For example, many Indigenous Peoples light prescribed fires for cultural and land management purposes. This creates smaller, controlled fires that limit the spread of more severe ones across the landscape. However, colonial policies and laws have banned burning, and many First Nations no longer have control over their traditional lands, meaning the practice has been suppressed for generations (Boutsalis, 2020). As Indigenous rights are reestablished and better recognized in Canada, many of these practices are returning.

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Additionally, western wildfire science is further developing to incorporate Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in landscape and resource management.

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Other strategies for management include the development of remote sensing and machine learning technologies that allow scientists to monitor active fires and study their dynamics. This can improve predictions on where new fires are likely to occur or spread to. In turn, we can develop more localized and effective emergency responses (Coogan et al., 2021). Fire treatments can be tailored to specific forest types and geographies, and different fuel treatments can be applied to modify fire behaviour (Coogan et al., 2021). This allows wildlife services to control the spread and occurrence without having to suppress fires completely.

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Another strategy is to regenerate deforested areas to include a more diverse range of deciduous tree species that mitigate fire risks. Timber production values even-aged conifer species, which are more flammable and grow in dense stands with low-hanging branches. All these factors increase the spread of fires and create more vulnerable landscapes (Coogan et al., 2021; Girardin & Terrier, 2015). Diverse forestry strategies that prioritize forest health grow both conifer and deciduous species in uneven-aged systems. These systems are more stable and reduce fire risks (Coogan et al., 2021).

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By incorporating equitable perspectives and new research into wildfire and landscape management, humans can adapt to the harsher effects of climate change. Wildfires are a natural part of the environment that humans must coexist with. It is important that we develop a broad set of strategies to cope with its realities.

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References

 

1. Bergeron, Y., & Dubue, M. (1988). Succession in the southern part of the Canadian boreal forest.

2. Vegetatio, 79(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044848

3. Boutsalis, K. (2020). The art of fire: Reviving the Indigenous craft of cultural burning. The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/indigenous-cultural-burning/

4. Coogan, S. C. P., Daniels, L. D., Boychuk, D., Burton, P. J., Flannigan, M. D., Gauthier, S., Kafka, V., Park, J. S., & Wotton, B. M. (2021). Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 51(2), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2020-0314

5. De Grandpré, L., Gagnon, D., & Bergeron, Y. (1993). Changes in the understory of Canadian southern boreal forest after fire. Journal of Vegetation Science, 4(6), 803–810. https://doi.org/10.2307/3235618

6. Girardin, M. P., & Terrier, A. (2015). Mitigating risks of future wildfires by management of the forest composition: An analysis of the offsetting potential through boreal Canada.

7. Climatic Change, 130(4), 587–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1373-7

8. Hoye, B. (2025, June 23). Manitoba lifts province-wide state of emergency as wildfire conditions improve. CBC News.

9. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-wildfire-update-june-23-2025-1.756 8502

10. Krawchuk, M. A., Cumming, S. G., & Flannigan, M. D. (2009). Predicted changes in fire weather suggest increases in lightning fire initiation and future area burned in the mixedwood boreal forest. Climatic Change, 92(1), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-008-9460-7

11. Wotton, B. M., Nock, C. A., & Flannigan, M. D. (2010). Forest fire occurrence and climate change in Canada. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 19(3), 253–271. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF09002