Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildland fire globally, and Canada is no exception. To deal with this new reality, we must transform the ways we manage for wildland fire. Research and technological innovation are critical to this process, but there are growing gaps in what we know – changes in how wildland fire behaves, its impacts on ecosystems, and the short- and long-term effects it will have on people. To keep up, more science investment is needed. This presentation will look at wildland fires in Canada, detail expected trends in wildland fire occurrence and severity, current gaps in knowledge, and the impacts on Canadian lives and livelihoods. It will also look at the efforts being made to encourage new investments and new participants into wildland fire science.
CI/CS 2020 plenary Lecture by Stacey Sankey, Senior Policy Analyst and Dr. Chris Stockdale, Fire Research Scientist, both from Natural Resources Canada’s Northern Forestry Centre.