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Climate Change

Fire suppression efforts over the last century have resulted in unintended consequences. By stopping fire from naturally occurring, forests and other landscapes have become drier and overgrown. We are also experiencing extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts, thunder, and lightning. Add in a warming climate and these are the perfect conditions for even greater wildfires, exposing our ecosystems, communities, and wildlife to risk.
To adapt, we need to better understand our evolving climate and the potential effects that it will have on the landscape and ecosystems. With this improved understanding, we can work together to create proactive plans that look for opportunities and prepare for expected future changes.
Wildfire in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, B.C. Canada
A sea otter – a species of special concern in B.C.
A humpback whale, endangered
Devastated farmland in Abbotsford after flooding.
A fire on the landscape
A helicopter fighting wildfire near Port Alice, B.C.
A volunteer operates a boat while rescuing people stranded due to floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS – Darryl Dyck
A prescribed fire in a B.C. forest.
Grizzly bears are listed as species of “Special Concern”.
Debris from fire in Lytton, B.C.
Many populations salmon are listed as endangered.
Damage to railroad tracks after flooding in Abbotsford.

How climate is changing landscapes

Forests

B.C.’s forests cover almost 2/3 of the province (over 55 million hectares) and contain more ecosystem diversity than any other province in Canada.

B.C. is home to over 4000 plant and animal species, of which, 1/3 rely on forests for some portion of their life cycle. Additionally, B.C.’s forests provide numerous other benefits, including providing clean water and air, recreation, wildlife habitat, timber, carbon storage, climate regulation, and economic values through rangeland and forage, recreation and forest products. Climate change is already changing forest health and productivity, and this is expected to continue over the next decade. Anticipated changes to forests from climate change:

  • More severe and frequent forest fires
  • Extreme weather events (e.g. prolonged drought and/or heat) will cause some tree species to become stressed and maladapted to their current habitats, causing difficulties in both natural and assisted regeneration
  • Ecosystems are likely to migrate to higher elevations or latitudes
  • Assisted migration as a silviculture practice may help to mitigate the adaption of trees into changing environments
  • Changes in forest structure may result in ecosystem shifting, which could lead domination by shrubs and herbaceous vegetation
  • Forest pests and pathogens will increase, resulting in more tree mortality, fuel buildup, making forest more susceptible to wildfire
  • Changes in climate will result in changes to ecosystems, species distributions and density

B.C.’s forests cover almost

2/3

of the province

Forest Disturbances

Climate change will increase the frequency and/or severity of forest disturbances, such as insect outbreaks, the establishment of invasive species, wildfires, and storms or high wind events causing tree blow down. This can reduce forest productivity and force some species to migrate to higher elevations and latitudes where temperatures are more conducive to their survival.

Group 42

Soil organic matter in grasslands contains roughly

1/3

of the terrestrial carbon stocks with the majority in the top 15 cm of the soil profile.

Grasslands

In B.C., grassland vegetation covers less than one percent of land area but provides habitat for more than 1/3 of the rare and endangered species in the province. Grasslands are an essential part of our province’s unique biodiversity and natural heritage and provide many other benefits to species including aquifer recharge, habitat for pollinators, food and forage production, and recreational opportunities. Anticipated changes to grasslands from climate change:
  • Expanded range of grassland ecosystems (in Canada)
  • Increased competition between native and invasive plants
  • More frequent drought cycles
  • Increased demand on soil nutrients and water resources that fuel plant growth
  • Decrease in soil nitrogen due to elevated CO2
  • Rising CO2 will stimulate production depending on available water resources

Wetlands

Wetlands are areas where soils are water-saturated for an extended length of time. They encompass a wide range of ecosystems, from fens, bogs, and swamps to semi-aquatic marshes, estuaries, and shallow open water. Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse, productive, and important life support systems on earth and make up around 5.3 million hectares (13 million acres), or approximately 5% of B.C’s land base. These water-saturated landscapes are integral to many important ecosystems and life forms in B.C. They also provide a wide range of beneficial services, from flood control and water supply to recreational opportunities. While some wetlands are thought to be more resilient to climate change, others, such as perched wetlands and bogs, are more vulnerable, meaning that these ecosystems are more likely to diminish in size or have their function affected in future climate scenarios. Anticipated changes to wetlands from climate change:
  • Loss of carbon stored in the soil
  • Changes in soil structure, chemistry, and hydrology
  • More frequent drying or flooding
  • Changes in plant and animal communities
  • Saltwater intrusion into freshwater coastal wetlands
  • Changes in timing and amount of water available to wetlands fed by snowmelt or precipitation
  • Loss of wetland habitats and associated species that rely on them

Alpine

Alpine ecosystems occur at high elevations throughout B.C. and have the harshest climate of any of the biogeoclimatic zones in the province, accounting for more than 12% of the land base. There is a short growing season in the alpine as temperatures are cold for most of the year, with much wind and snow. In summer, a variety of wildlife use alpine ecosystems for forage, breeding, and to escape predators and pests, including caribou, Roosevelt Elk, black-tailed deer, marmots, and a larger variety of birds such as the golden eagle and the white-tailed ptarmigan. Climate change is expected to change alpine ecosystems in a particularly severe way, posing a very serious threat to the species that rely on them. Anticipated changes to alpine from climate change:
  • Receding alpine glaciers
  • Degrading of permafrost layers, causing slope instability, rockfalls and landslides, which releases carbon into the atmosphere.
  • Increased impacts of pests and pathogens that were previously limited by the colder temperatures at high altitudes
  • Reduction of the alpine areas acting as fire breaks that prevent fire from burning over top of the mountains
  • Changes in plant or animal communities through range expansion or contraction

Aquatic Ecosystems

Aquatic ecosystems are critical components of the environment. Not only are they essential contributors to biodiversity and ecological productivity, they also are relied on by humans for drinking water and irrigation, recreational opportunities, as well as critical habitat for vertebrate and invertebrate life. More variable temperatures and longer dry seasons are likely to worsen the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Increases in water temperatures can have detrimental effects on aquatic species and can have serious consequences for resident fish populations and the aquatic invertebrates they rely on for food. Timing of snowmelt and seasonal patterns of precipitation will change the hydrology and could affect aquatic resources and productivity. Increased water temperatures can result in increased productivity with negative consequences including algae blooms leading to detrimental effects on water quality. Anticipated changes to aquatic ecosystems from climate change:
  • Changes to snow melt (freshet), amount of snow, and overall precipitation patterns throughout different times of the year will change how much, when and how (overland or underground) water reaches a stream or other lake
  • Changes to vegetation structures will change the amount and timing of how water reaches the stream
  • Aquatic habitat features will change and may cause stress to aquatic life (invertebrates and fish) in all life stages

Wildfire escalation

A history of aggressive and highly effective wildfire suppression in B.C. has resulted in a significant build-up of forest fuels, greater tree encroachment on grasslands, and ‘in-filling’ of once open, dry forests. We are also experiencing extreme weather events, such as drought, hotter and drier conditions, and increased thunderstorms and lightning.

This combination is resulting in larger, more frequent wildfires, negatively impacting biodiversity, forest health, and threatening nearby communities.

Human impacts

Flooding

A flood is an overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods are caused by several factors, including weather-driven events and human-related factors, such as how we manage waterways (via dams, levees, and reservoirs) and the changes we make to the landscape. Past land management mistakes, such as fire suppression, have unintentionally contributed to an increase in large-scale wildfires, which can dramatically alter the terrain and ground conditions. Normally, vegetation absorbs rainfall, reducing runoff. However, wildfires leave the ground charred, barren, and unable to absorb water, creating conditions ideal for flash flooding and mudflow.

Water Contamination & Quality

Higher temperatures can increase photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems and cause algae blooms that can be harmful to humans and animals. When wildfires burn with high-intensity, as they are predicted to in future climate scenarios, they remove most of the vegetation that functions to trap sediments, filter nutrients, and reduce the effects of water erosion. When this vegetation is consumed, erosion and debris flows become more likely. Increased sediments and nutrients have negative impacts on water quality and increase treatment costs for human consumption.

Health, Infrastructure & Economy

Extreme weather events can negatively impact our physical and mental health, our infrastructure and the economy. For example, wildfires, floods and landslides can damage homes, properties, highways and bridges – sometimes resulting in temporary relocation and a subsequent recovery period. This can also impact transportation, access to critical services, and businesses. Health impacts from these events can include stress and anxiety or respiratory disease due to smoke. The good news is that we can learn from our past mistakes (ie: fire suppression, forest management) and implement positive changes that create more resilient landscapes and healthy, more adaptive communities.

How can cultural burning and prescribed fire help respond to climate change?

Planned fire vs. wildfire

A wildfire, also called a forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation starting in rural and urban areas. Wildfires are often caused by human activity or a natural phenomenon such as lightning, and they can happen at any time and almost anywhere.

A prescribed fire or cultural burn, is the planned and controlled application of fire to the landscape. It is used as a tool to achieve specific objectives, such as preserving cultural values for Indigenous communities or maintaining the health and safety of forests, communities, and wildlife. Fire intensity and severity can be better controlled through cultural burning or prescribed fire, increasing the ecosystem benefits and mitigating the damaging effects of wildfires.

Enhancing landscape ecosystem resiliency

Ecosystem resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to absorb disturbance while maintaining essentially the same functions, structures, and controls. This concept helps us understand how ecosystems change in response to local or regional disturbances, as well as to factors like climate change.

    Ecosystem resilience can be enhanced through adaptive forest management activities designed to maintain ecological functions and support resistance to disturbance.

      One activity that can help ecosystems build resilience to future disturbances is introducing controlled fire into forests where past fire suppression has disrupted historical fire cycles.





Introducing fire into ecosystems where

historical fire cycles

have been disrupted is an adaptive forest management tactic that could promote ecosystem resilience.



Wildfire risk reduction

Wildfire risk reduction refers to proactive activities that are implemented to reduce the threat of wildfire to forests and communities. These activities are typically initiated around critical infrastructure and in areas facing a higher wildfire risk.

Depending on the goals, values, and size of the area, this may include prescribed or cultural burning, thinning, pruning, chipping, and mechanically removing fuels to reduce the amount of burnable vegetation.

Targeted grazing by livestock following treatment may be used in some cases to reduce the fine fuels on a site. This helps to reduce wildfire intensity and provides safer conditions for firefighting efforts.

Up to $50 million committed

In 2022, as part of a more comprehensive wildfire risk reduction effort, the Province committed up to $50 million over three years for wildfire risk reduction efforts on crown land. The Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction funding category targets areas of Crown land facing a higher wildfire risk near communities or critical infrastructure.
Prescribed fire and cultural burning are one type of wildfire reduction tool that can be effective in bringing back balance to our forests and reducing the risks of wildfire to our communities.

How do we adapt to this new normal?

To be able to adapt to a world with more wildfire and other landscape changes related to climate change, we need to be more proactive.

Strategically planning wildfire mitigation tactics, such as cultural burning and prescribed fire, will assist in reducing fuel build-up, maintaining forest health and creating a more resilient landscape.

We need to work together to address climate change and prepare for the threat of extreme weather events, like wildfire. Through collaboration, we can explore opportunities to improve forest and community resiliency so that we can all continue to enjoy and benefit from public and private lands and the important values that they provide.

Key Resources

BC Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy (2022-2025) Government of Canada Climate Change Concepts Adapting western North American forests to climate change (Prichard, 2021) United Nations Climate Action/Climate Change Definition Climate Risk Assessment for BC CBC: Scientists say climate change plays key roles in dire wildfires

For more resources, visit our resources page.

Case Studies

BC Timber Sales Glacier Creek Prescribed Fire 

In Spring 2021, BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and BC WIldfire Service (BCWS) completed a prescribed fire near North Kootenay Lake, BC.

See Case Study

Munro Prescribed Fire

Filmed in October 2022 outside of Peachland BC, this collaborative burn project included several partners, including the Penticton Indian Band, Westbank First Nation, Okanagan Nation Alliance, Gorman Brothers Ltd., Okanagan Shuswap Resource District, the Ministry of Forests and the BC Wildfire Service.

See Case Study

Traditional Ecological Fire Knowledge: Penticton Indian Band/Syilx Nation

This case study features several members of the Penticton Indian Band/syilx Nation, including elders and knowledge keepers. Filmed at snpink’tn, located in the Southern Okanagan Valley within the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, we discuss how fire has been used as a land management tool by the people of the syilx nation for thousands of years, the importance of ecosystem health, and the value of Indigenous culture, traditions and protocols.

See Case Study

Owl Creek Cultural Burn

Filmed in July 2022, the Owl Creek Cultural Burn was implemented by Lil’wat Nation with support from BC Wildfire Service in Mount Currie on Lil’wat Nation Traditional Territory just outside of Pemberton, BC.

See Case Study