Why can’t Canada put out all wildfires? What scientists, firefighters say

As Canada's wildfire seasons continue to get worse, the country's firefighting and prevention strategies are being scrutinized both at home and abroad.

As Canada’s wildfire seasons continue to get worse, the country’s firefighting and prevention strategies are being scrutinized both at home and abroad.

One common question has been a simple one: why can’t Canada simply put out all the fires burning across the country?

Forestry scientists and firefighters themselves say there are many reasons why that’s impossible, from environmental considerations to limits on resources to the harsh terrain where some fires are burning.

“People think it’s obviously a simple solution: you put the wet stuff on the hot stuff and that’s the end of it. But it is of course a bit more complex than that,” said Sarah Budd, a fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service.

Some of the calls for action are coming from lawmakers in the United States, where smoke from the fires has been sparking air quality concerns just as they have across Canada for much of the summer.

The federal government earlier this month announced tens of millions of dollars in funding for research projects aimed at improving wildfire prevention strategies, including community and forest management, as fire and climate patterns evolve.

“We’re increasingly looking at (wildfire strategies) more through a lens of resilience, to accepting that there is more fire on the landscape due to changing climate and adapting communities to that reality,” said Steve Taylor, a wildfire scientist at the Pacific Forestry Centre.

“There’s a lot to do” in that regard, he said.