Fire is a natural, normal process in many ecosystems and is necessary to maintain a healthy forest and the diversity of plant and animal life. Many plants and animals have not only adapted to fire but actually depend on it.
Indigenous communities have in many ways been leading wildland fire mitigation and prevention in Canada since time immemorial. Over the ages, cultural burning on the homelands shaped the lives of humans, plants, animals, and Mother Earth herself. Through repeated burning practices, the Indigenous Peoples of the land were able to shape their own environment to their own specific needs.
However, a history of aggressive and highly effective wildfire suppression in the Province has resulted in a significant build-up of forest fuels, greater tree encroachment on grasslands, and, ‘in-filling’ of once open, dry forests in areas of our Province. This has both increased the risk of devastating wildfires and negatively impacted biodiversity and forest health.