fires

Fires and beetle infestations are devastating northern forestsin a cycle that is both caused by and promoting climate change, reports Charles J. Hanley of the Associated Press. As the climate warms, forests in Siberia, Europe, Alaska and northern Canada will grow weaker while pests grow stronger with milder winters. These boreal forests are key in absorbing carbon dioxide, but as they succumb to warming, they would become a source of greenhouse gases as they decay and burn.

Change is already happening in western North America, where a mountain pine beetle epidemic has killed 6.5 million acres of forest from Colorado to Washington and 35 million acres in British Columbia. The spruce bark beetle has already consumed 1 million acres in the Yukon during a 15-year epidemic. Scientists say these unprecedented epidemics are signs the climate is already changing, especially in the north.

Plant life in the north is also shifting, as warmer temperatures double the amount of shrubs and grasses on tundra, according to Bob Weber of the Canadian Press. Because the shrubby vegetation is darker, it would absorb more solar energy, possibly increasing the rate of global warming even more.

– Emily Linroth

The British Columbia Forest Service launched a program in June to train unemployed workers to fight forest fires, but many of them are still waiting to be called to duty, reports Mark Hume of the Globe and Mail. Because of the harsh wildfire season this year, the province claims on-the-job training for the new recruits is too risky. Many recently-trained firefighters are on standby while the province has brought in crews from other provinces and around the world to handle the B.C. fires. Some trainees hope the government will follow through on the program so they'll be prepared to help during wildfire season next year.

– Emily Linroth

Fire crews are feeling the heat as B.C. burns, forcing them to allow some fires to burn unchecked while they deal with others that are larger threats to communities, reports Rod Mickleburgh of the Globe and Mail. Authorities say existing fires have expanded thanks to wind, and between 100 and 150 new fires start each day. More than 5,300 citizens have evacuated so far. This year, fires came earlier than their usual August season, and fires and warnings cover almost all of British Columbia instead of just a few regions. More than 800 firefighters have been brought in from other provinces, and B.C. has not dismissed bringing in help from outside Canada.

– Emily Linroth

Eight-five percent of British Columbia faces a high or extreme danger of fires as a summer heat wave has dried the province's forests, Rod Mickleburgh reports in the Globe and Mail today. Thousands of people have been ordered out of their homes and campgrounds in the face of the oncoming flames. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, police report that an arsonist tried to start four fires in the city's best-known and -loved park, Stanley Park.