B.C.’s cooler, wetter June keeps early summer wildfire hazard low: BCWS
Posted June 3, 2022 11:02 am.
Last Updated June 3, 2022 11:16 am.
B.C. is in for a cooler and wetter June, keeping the Wildfire Service’s expected hazard levels low for the early summer season.
This may be welcome news for many people, after last year’s record heat across most of B.C., contributing to catastrophic fires, including the one that virtually destroyed the community of Lytton.
However, the BC Wildfire Service’s seasonal outlook shows there are still some areas of the province, including the southern Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan, and Rocky Mountain Trench regions, that are experiencing drier-than-normal conditions.
“These regions will be monitored closely,” the province said Friday.
“What we have yet to see this spring is what we call these cold lows. These cold low systems typically become detached from the jet stream. They become stationary for days, sometimes weeks at a time, and they help feed moisture into those drier belts,” explained Matt MacDonald, lead forecaster with the BC Wildfire Service. “We’re keeping a close eye out for them and this will really determine whether or not we can play catch up on the precipitation front in those drier parts of the province.”
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While the forecast for June is anticipated to remain less than summer-like, the BC Wildfire Service warns the outlook for late July and August “indicates a shift to above-seasonal temperatures,” with the potential to increase the wildfire risk.
“From record flooding to unprecedented wildfires, the last couple of years have been challenging for British Columbians,” B.C. Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy said Friday.
Explaining the devastation she and the premier witnessed over the years as a result of wildfires, Conroy stressed the importance of preventative and mitigation efforts, noting there have been many examples of such action working for the better.
“We witnessed first-hand what adaption during challenging and devastating conditions look like, and countless examples of resiliency and compassion. These communities deserve all our support, especially as the threat of wildfires appears to be increasing with the ongoing effects of climate change,” she said.
B.C. Budget 2022 includes ‘historic’ wildfire funding
As outlined in Budget 2022, the province is setting aside $359 million in new funding for wildfire response.
Conroy calls this the “largest investment in the history of the BC Wildfire Service,” adding the money will go toward transforming the organization “into a year-round service,” moving away from a reactive model to a proactive one.
“We are also better equipping the Wildfire Service to react and battle wildfires, with more than $26 million in capital funding to upgrade the agency’s facilities. This is how we’re providing our wildfire crews with the support they need to succeed,” she said, adding funding is also being provided to bolster prevention on a local level.
“That’s why we are more than doubling annual funding available for wildfire prevention,” Conroy added.
The money will go towards varying projects, including as much as $90 million will be for a new Community Resiliency Investment program, which will help local governments and First Nations with wildfire protection initiatives over the next three years. The program was first brought in in 2018.
“These programs increase community resiliency, reduce risk from wildfire, and build capacity to support these initiatives,” said Quentin Nelson, mitigation manager with the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society.
B.C. has seen a slow start to the season, with 137 wildfires reported.
-With files from Robyn Crawford
