Experts warn of unpredictable wildfire season ahead
The wildfire season of 2023 was unlike any other in Canada, and while the snow hasn't even melted, wildfires are on the minds of many forest industry experts.
Wildfires burned roughly 18.5 million hectares of Canadian land last year, and in some provinces, they never stopped through the winter.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), 148 active wildfires have been smouldering since last summer, including two that are considered out of control.
"Things are becoming less predictable," said Jess Kaknevicius, Forests Ontario CEO. "The unpredictability of what our future holds is probably the biggest challenge, especially over the last few years."
Forests Ontario held its annual conference on Wednesday in Vaughan to discuss ways to address issues like wildfire season, climate change, invasive specials and reforestation.
"Alberta has already declared its wildfire season to have begun, well before the time we usually see it," said Rob Keen, Canadian Tree Nursery Association executive director and former Forests Ontario CEO.
Keen said his association works with a network of Canadian nurseries towards planting and reforesting Canadian land as part of the federal government's two billion tree commitment over the next decade.
Keen said cuts to the industry and a lack of skilled workers have made the large-scale operation of rejuvenating forests more challenging.
"We're going to fall behind if we don't continue to ensure we have the resources in place," he said. "In particular, (there is) a huge gap in skilled nursery workers available. There's actually no schools in Canada that teach the work that we need."
Keen said industry experts are working towards creating programming at post-secondary institutions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.