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
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.