“If we don’t protect our forests, they can’t protect us” - Lori Daniels professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia (Cyca, 2023). The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre labeled 2023 as the worst wildlife season on record in the country. The fires started in early May and ended in late October (a record early start time & end time). By September 5th 2023, more than 6,132 fires burned 16.5 million hectares of land (an area larger than Greece and more than double the 1989 record) across Canada (Government of Canada). Unlike other years, the fires in 2023 were widespread from the West Coast to the Atlantic provinces and the North. By mid-July, there were 28 mega-fires, each exceeding 100,000 hectares (Government of Canada). Wildfires are a natural and necessary event that maintains the health of boreal forest ecosystems and creates habitat that support native animals and plants that are adapted to fire, however, the 2023 fires were the worst Saskatchewan had seen since 1981. Over the past five years, the province has had an average of 120 wildfires, but there were 209 in June 2023 and 30 active fires (NASA). Boreal forests conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change, however, in recent years forests have become an emitter of carbon due to wildfires, pathogens, and invasive insects, taking advantage of the vulnerable conditions left by the aftermath of a wildfire.
