In 2017 and 2018, British Columbia experienced unprecedented wildfire seasons. Over the course of both wildfire seasons, approximately 2.6 million hectares of forest lands burned. The majority of fires in 2017 burned in the south-central regions of BC, while the 2018 fires burned primarily in the north-central regions. Research into the impacts of these large fires is underway to better understand how combined effects of disturbances such as insect infestations, decades of fire suppression, and a warming climate affected fire behaviour, as well as to document post-fire effects.
The research is being conducted through a collaboration with the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, the University of British Columbia, the Canadian Forest Service, and the University of Northern British Columbia, with funding from the Government of British Columbia (Forest Carbon Initiative and BC Wildfire Service) and the Government of Canada (Emergency Management Strategy Program).
Research in northern BC, undertaken by the Bulkley Valley Research Centre, is focused on sub-boreal and montane landscapes.
