Canada faces longer and more intense wildfire seasons, forestry experts meeting in Thunder Bay this week say the country’s forests are drying out faster than ever — and that could change how we manage them in the future.
At the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s 117th annual conference, hundreds of forest professionals, researchers, Indigenous leaders and policymakers gathered to talk about the growing impacts of climate change on Canada’s forests.
One of the main concerns is how heat and drought are reducing forest moisture and increasing fuel for wildfires — things like trees, shrubs and dead wood.
“Even small increases in temperature can cause big drops in fuel moisture,” said Patrick James, an associate professor at the University of Toronto who studies forest fires and disturbances. “That makes trees, shrubs, and dead wood much more flammable.”
James said that even slight warming trends are drying out forests, making them more likely to burn quickly and severely.
“As we see more large and intense fires, there’s a real risk that forests won’t be able to recover,” he said. “If that happens, we could eventually see fewer fires — but that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
He explained that fires are a natural and important part of how forest ecosystems stay healthy.
Amy Wotherspoon, a research scientist with the University of British Columbia’s Silva21 project, said that while some forests in cooler or wetter regions may benefit from warming, others in hotter, drier climates will struggle.
“In places where it’s already dry, it’s going to get even harder for trees to grow,” she said. “We need to rethink how we manage forests — from planting and harvesting to preparing communities for wildfires.”
Wotherspoon said that approach is called adaptive silviculture, which means studying how forests are changing, testing new methods, and adjusting management plans to make forests more resilient.
“In the past, a lot of forest management focused mainly on timber and harvest value,” she said. “Now, we know we have to adapt to climate change and make forests stronger and more diverse.”
Canada’s boreal forest stores billions of tonnes of carbon, according to Greenpeace, and its decline could have serious global climate impacts. James added that understanding how fire and fuel interact is key to protecting forests — and people — from future risks.
“We need to focus on fuel management — finding and reducing areas with high fire risk before fires even start,” he said.
The Thunder Bay conference runs until October 8, with sessions on Indigenous forest stewardship, biodiversity, and strategies for building stronger, more resilient forests across the country.
“Canada was built on forestry,” James said. “By bringing together people who live, work, and study in the forest, we’re all gaining a better understanding of how to protect this essential part of who we are.”
