Canada needs to rethink how it tackles wildfires – Niagara Falls Review
October 23, 2023
It’s beyond frustrating to see us collectively ignoring the incredible advantage forest management can bring to Canadians, Murray Wilson writes.
I grew up in a small town in the Northwest Territories, which left me with a passion for trees and our natural ecosystems. In 1977, I started my forestry career, starting with a wildfire suppression crew, and spent four decades learning and working in our forests — developing a profound respect for the ever-evolving forest environment and the different stages it goes through.
But now, it’s beyond frustrating to see us collectively ignoring the incredible advantage forest management can bring to Canadians.
Wildfires ravaged Canada’s landscape this year, scorching over 17 million hectares. From Halifax to West Kelowna to Yellowknife, fires consumed an area larger than England and more than double the previous record set in 1995. Throughout the nation, tens of thousands were evacuated, hundreds of properties were reduced to ashes, and heavy smoke choked our skies and extended its reach far beyond our borders into large American cities.
