Why are Wildfires so Common Now?

Mobilizing Alberta is an initiative aimed at increasing engagement on climate change across Southern Alberta. Through Climate Action Grants, a Climate Conversation Speaker Series, and the Preparing Albertans for Climate Change e-course, Mobilizing Alberta provides a foundation on which Albertans can build awareness and support meaningful climate action. Over the next few months, we’ll share a series of informative blog posts to answer frequently asked questions, clear up common misconceptions, and break down climate solutions in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way.

Wildfires are a natural part of the lifecycle of a forest ecosystem, but recent data confirms they’re becoming more frequent, more destructive, and more costly. Climate change plays a big role in their increased frequency — a hotter, drier climate means wildfire season lasts longer, and causes frequent and more intense fires.

Alberta has always been predisposed to wildfires. In the boreal forests of the north, a highly flammable combination of deciduous trees and conifers (including white and black spruce, balsam fir, and jack pine) rely on fire for ecological renewal. In the south and east, grasslands are predisposed to hot, flashy fires that cover long distances thanks to strong winds. The eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains combine the two — black spruce and windy conditions — to allow for fires that can burn for the better half of a year.

In recent years, Alberta’s forests have burned more frequently and with more intensity than in the past. In 2001, a fire near the town of Chisholm burned with such intensity that its smoke reached the stratosphere and generated “as much heat as four Hiroshima bombs per minute.” At the time it was considered the most intense fire the world had ever recorded, but since then Alberta has seen even bigger blazes — most notably the fire that consumed Fort McMurray, nicknamed “The Beast” for its ability to create its own weather patterns and cause green trees to explode. In 2023, more land burned in Alberta than in the province’s recorded history. University of Alberta professor Jen Beverly told CBC that “it's not unusual in Alberta to have a fire season where you have 700, [or] 800,000 hectares burned. Last year it was closer to two million.’

Climate change is considered the largest contributor to more frequent and intense wildfires, especially in Alberta. Increased pollutants in the air, which can come from a variety of sources, including burning oil, gas, and coal, create a “blanket” that traps heat, leading to changes in our climate and increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns. Canada is warming twice as fast as other countries, and it’s home to more than a quarter of the world’s boreal forests. We're experiencing firsthand the effects of a changing climate, including an overheating climate, that is making summers hotter. 

According to the Canadian Climate Institute, these changing weather patterns have several serious effects. Summers are hotter and windier, and in some regions there is less summer rainfall than in the past. “Fire weather season” starts earlier, lasts longer, and is harder to contain (“zombie fires” can smoulder over the winter). Warmer weather has increased the likelihood of lightning — and more lightning means more lightning strikes. In 2024, about half of the forest fires in Canada were started by lightning — and these fires accounted for about 90% of the total area burned. Drier conditions mean fires burn longer and hotter. 

Forest harvesting can have varying effects, depending on the ecosystem, the scale, and the techniques. While forestry companies can play an important role in forest management, practices like clearcutting can, in fact, make the risk of forest fire worse. While the natural life cycle of a forest includes wildfire, harvesting trees does not have the same benefits. Wildfires can increase biodiversity in the forest, increasing habitat for species like elk. 

Even when they don’t happen close to our communities, wildfires still affect many aspects of our lives. Albertans have already seen the damage and destruction they can cause to both built and natural environments. 

Financial costs: 

We are all paying a price for wildfires, either through higher insurance premiums or other aspects of the cost of living. The 2024 Jasper fire caused more than $880 million in insured losses. Over one-third of the town was destroyed, and more than 25,000 people were forced to evacuate. The Fort McMurray fire caused over $9 billion in both direct and indirect physical, financial, health, and environmental damage. These events devastate lives and communities, and they make insurance more expensive as massive payouts trigger increased premiums. 

Wildfires raise the cost of living for all Albertans. The cost of firefighting has increased, as we require those emergency services more frequently. The cost of wildfire protection has risen by about $150 million per decade since the 1970s, exceeding $1 billion a year for the last six years. Along with increased taxes to cover disaster recovery, our economy suffers job losses, reduced productivity, higher food prices, and more. 

Industry impacts: 

An increase in the intensity and frequency of fires also affects some of Alberta’s largest industries: agriculture, forestry, tourism, and energy. Changes in climate have effects on the yield and quality of crops on their own, but increased fires can also have an impact. Smoke in the air can reduce sunlight, which can affect plant quality and make some varieties more susceptible to disease. Increased toxins in the air can also affect crop quality and make working outside dangerous for farmers’ health. Air quality can also affect livestock, just as it does humans. Some crops are lost to burning, and fire can also destroy equipment or damage infrastructure vital to farming operations, such as power lines and farm buildings. 

The uncertainty that comes with a risk of fire or extreme weather can hamper economic growth, tourism, and development. People and companies are reluctant to invest in areas that are at risk for damage, and as those risks increase, communities experience a ripple effect. Wildfires affect tourism across the country, both in direct ways (through destruction of destinations like Jasper, or by turning visitors away with poor air quality) and through press coverage that leaves people outside Canada unsure of the scope of the blazes and reluctant to plan vacations. The insurance industry has warned about the impact of increased costs to communities, as well as the potentially disastrous effects on things like mortgages. 

Health effects: 

Toxins in the air are bad for crop quality, and they pose extreme health risks for humans, too — even hundreds of kilometres away. Particulate matter carried through the air can severely affect children, seniors, and those with heart and lung conditions. It contributes to asthma, heart disease, lung disease, and even some forms of cancer. In 2023, a single week of exposure to wildfire smoke cost the province of Ontario an estimated $1.2 billion in health impacts, including increased hospital visits for asthma attacks, bronchitis, and premature mortality. We’re still learning about the long-term impact wildfire smoke has on our health.

Impacts on mental health: 

The destruction of homes, businesses, and livelihoods has a huge effect on mental health. Evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray fires showed signs of PTSD, depression, and insomnia as a result of the fire and its aftermath. Another study comparing youth exposed to the Fort McMurray fire to youth in Red Deer found that depression, suicidal thinking, and tobacco use were significantly higher in the youth from Fort McMurray.