Wildfire Trends Analysis Brief

The ten year moving average shows that the area burned per year has changed little since provincial fire suppression efforts began in earnest following World War II (figure 54). An analysis of historic fires shows that, since 1919, of the 28 communities found in our region, 24 have had a large wildfire (at least 5 hectares) come within 2 km of their municipal boundaries. RDI's 2013 poll of residents found that 47% of Basin Boundary residents agree that wildfire is a threat to their community, while 22% disagree and 30% neither agree nor disagree. The continued build-­up of forest fire fuels combined with a projected increase in area burned in the near future due to climate change suggests that fires are a more immediate threat than is perceived by residents in our region. 

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