A UBC Forestry expert says BC’s Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic may be partly to blame for the tough wildfire season. Speaking on the Jill Bennett Show, Lori Daniels says the infestation helped create the perfect conditions for intense fires. “Some of the forest fires we see burning up in the Cariboo, and up in the…
You don’t need a PhD in geochemistry to know that fire and ice don’t play nice together. You do, however, need a degree or two to figure out what the hell that means for Alaska — the icy wonderland currently being engulfed by wildfires. It would be especially nice to know what all that fire is doing to the…
As climate change is fingered as a culprit behind the early rash of forest fires across Northern and Western Canada, experts say the most prudent approach at this stage is to, whenever possible, let the fires burn. It’s a grim situation. But those studying the issue say the human toll of wildfire needs to be balanced against…
A mass of unusually warm water in the northeast Pacific, christened the “warm blob” by researchers, is being partially blamed for British Columbia’s forest fires, California’s drought and an unusually active hurricane season. As it wreaks havoc, the blob provides a preview of what climate change holds in store for the West Coast, according to…
Holly Chandler booked a holiday in Whistler and she got Beijing instead. That’s how the Toronto realtor compared the air quality Tuesday as Whistler village choked on smoke drifting in from the Elaho and Boulder Creek forest fires. “It’s like Beijing,” she said in an interview. “I was there about 10 years ago. Just like…
Saskatoon firefighter Lieutenant Bruce Siemens is seeing and feeling the forest fires at close range in La Ronge. “It’s amazing how you can drive by an area that’s completely green,” he said, “and you’re forced out five minutes later.” He’s part of a 15 person crew from Saskatoon dispatched to La Ronge to help tackle a forest fire…
As noted in previous articles on 250 News, the Harper Conservative government promised $1 billion in funding for the BC Interior to address the devastation of the pine beetle epidemic but, according to its own budget figures, only delivered $200 million before the funding was suspended in 2009 (and folded into a country-wide “Community Adjustment…
A faint glow emitted from plants during photosynthesis could be key to measuring the health of large areas of forests and croplands in real time. The glow can be detected by spectrometers aboard orbiting satellites. Currently, the standard technique for measuring photosynthesis, called eddy covariance, relies on ground-based, tower-mounted detectors that monitor only smaller tracts…
Woodlot owner organizations are “about making change happen,” according to Canadian Federation of Woodland Owners (CFWO) President Peter deMarsh. He told the recent Federation of Nova Scotia Woodlands Owners’ annual meeting that the CFWO is working on developing a carbon credit program—for which there is no government support—to reward small woodland owners for reducing greenhouse…
As the majority of fires burning in BC, including two on Vancouver Island, are deemed to be human-caused, the Province says it will be focusing efforts on finding those responsible. Fires caused by people can be by accident or on purpose but officials with the Wildfire Management Branch of BC says efforts will be made to…