{"id":28898,"date":"2023-07-02T04:36:06","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T04:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=28898"},"modified":"2023-07-02T04:36:07","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T04:36:07","slug":"canadian-wildfire-dangers-should-prompt-more-proactive-government-mitigation-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=28898","title":{"rendered":"Canadian wildfire dangers should prompt more proactive government mitigation: experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa MvWX TjIX aGjv ebVH\">As Canada and the United States continue to feel the lasting effects of ongoing wildfires in the Great White North, environmental experts are pushing for long-term changes they say can mitigate damage from future fires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">And with climate change making such unprecedented wildfires commonplace, these experts said governments on both sides of the border must act quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">&#8220;It&#8217;s been a problem because we don&#8217;t have a strong federal government and it&#8217;s left us in this mess right now, Robert Gray, a wildfire ecologist based in British Columbia, told ABC News.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hsDd IzgM GpQC lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">Smoke rises from spreading hot spots in the Kimiwan wildfire complex in Northern Sunrise County, Alberta, Canada on June 24, 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"YNuj JGtj  ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">Alberta Wildfire via Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Gray, who has studied wildfires in both the U.S. and Canada, said warmer temperatures and drier conditions have left the land in Canada&#8217;s eastern wilderness more susceptible to larger wildfires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Even a lightning strike on a tree or brush can be damaging, as there is much more wood to keep the fire burning for a long time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">&#8220;These fires are burning back beyond fires that haven&#8217;t been that old,&#8221; he said.  &#8220;The trees come down and it&#8217;s basically available to burn again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: Flames reach up along the edge of a forest fire as seen from a Canadian Forces helicopter surveying the area near Mistissini, Quebec, Canada on June 12, 2023.\" class=\"hsDd vBqt oOra \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.abcnews.com\/images\/International\/canada-fire-rt-ml-230615_1686837033957_hpEmbed_2_19x12_992.jpg\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hsDd IzgM GpQC lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">Flames reach up along the edge of a wildfire as seen from a Canadian Forces helicopter surveying the area near Mistissini, Quebec, Canada on June 12, 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"YNuj JGtj  ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">Canadian Forces\/CPL Marc-Andre Leclerc\/Canadian Forces via Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">As for the current situation, some experts said that the terrain and severity of the fire make it difficult to put out quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">&#8220;Because of the size of the fires, weather will now be the only thing keeping them out. That means significant rain and, in some areas, possibly snow,&#8221; Gray said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">John Gradek, faculty professor and coordinator of the aviation management program at McGill University, told ABC News that Canada does not have a unified government entity that manages the country&#8217;s forests and manages disasters that occur in several provinces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Those responsibilities rest with the government of each province, and because of that, he said, there is no coordinated effort between Quebec and Ontario with the current situation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: These satellite images from June 6, from top left, June 7, June 25 and June 27, 2023, show the wind movement of smoke from wildfires in Quebec, canada\" class=\"hsDd vBqt oOra \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.abcnews.com\/images\/International\/smoke-canada4-before-after-ap-ml-230629_1688037398870_hpEmbed_5x3_992.jpg\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hsDd IzgM GpQC lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">These satellite images from June 6, from top left, June 7, June 25 and June 27, 2023, show the wind movement of smoke from wildfires in Quebec, Canada.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"YNuj JGtj  ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">NASA Worldview\/(EOSDIS) via AP<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">But even without that national oversight, Gradek said emergency response teams can begin to implement mitigation techniques that have been shown to slow wildfires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">For example, in places like British Columbia, California and Colorado, which have had more experience with major wildfires, forest crews will set controlled fires to clear the understory early in the season, Gradek said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">&#8220;In the wild lands of Quebec forests there is no prescribed program to clear the forest floor,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Gradek said government groups can also plan ahead of the warmer months by deploying fire retardants from the air to reduce the chance of a spread once wildfire season begins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Negar Elhami-Khorasani, an associate professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, told ABC News that at a minimum, local and federal governments should come up with policies and strategies that provide fair warning.  on the dangers of forest fires.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: People watch the sunset as smoke from wildfires is visible in Toronto on June 28, 2023.\" class=\"hsDd vBqt oOra \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/s.abcnews.com\/images\/International\/smoke-canada2-ap-ml-230629_1688037129303_hpEmbed_3x2_992.jpg\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hsDd IzgM GpQC lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">People watch the sunset as smoke from wildfires is visible in Toronto on June 28, 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"YNuj JGtj  ncwc Qmvg nyTI VbLm ystq akor ARhV ygKV yHyq tsIf WHLR lKuK CVfp xijV soGR XgdC aWMf \">Chris Young\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Similar to hurricane plans near coastal cities, Elhami-Khorasani said it wouldn&#8217;t take too much time or resources to warn residents who live and work near wildfire-prone areas in Canada about the dangers during the forest fire season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">&#8220;Before the event, completing a risk assessment and creating tools to predict what might happen can guide mitigation actions,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk TjIX aGjv\">Gray emphasized that the increase in wildfires is a multinational problem across North America, and both the United States and Canada must prioritize wildfire mitigation in all areas of the country, as he predicted that the events this summer they will be more common.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Ekqk yuUa lqtk eTIW sUzS\">&#8220;There&#8217;s a political will to do it, and there&#8217;s an outcry in the US that&#8217;s getting the word out about the impact,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/canadian-wildfire-dangers-prompt-proactive-mitigation-government-experts\/story?id=100478859\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Canada and the United States continue to feel the lasting effects of ongoing wildfires in the Great White North, environmental experts are pushing for long-term changes they say can mitigate damage from future fires. And with climate change making such unprecedented wildfires commonplace, these experts said governments on both sides of the border must act quickly. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a problem because we don&#8217;t have a strong federal government and it&#8217;s left us in this mess right now, Robert Gray, a wildfire ecologist based in British Columbia, told ABC News. Smoke rises from spreading hot spots in the Kimiwan wildfire&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":28899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28900,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28898\/revisions\/28900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}