Green Forest

Forest Edge

With their destructive effect on Canada’s western landscape, Alberta and B.C.’s wildfires have dominated Canadian headlines this summer. It is hard to see what, if any, good can come from such devastation. But it may surprise you that, despite its seeming fury, fire is a key factor in the continuation of maintenance and the diversity of Canada’s forest ecosystems. 

Canada’s western boreal forest is a region of national and international interest due to its immense economic and ecological values. The region’s hydrocarbons, timber, arable land, and minerals are a source of great economic potential, but also carry risks to wildlife and their habitat due to the cumulative effects of dispersed and often overlapping impacts of resource development.