Wildfire risk reduction and restoration projects

Parks Canada uses prescribed fire for two main reasons –to maintain and restore the health of ecosystems and to reduce the risk of wildfire. Parks Canada has also used prescribed fire to restore and maintain cultural landscapes and cultural resources such as archaeological sites. Prescribed fire is an important tool to remove excess vegetation that can fuel dangerous wildfires, recycle nutrients into the soil, and create habitats for plants and wildlife that depend on fire.

Prescribed fires are complex operations that may need several years of preparation. Before a prescribed fire is set, a detailed plan – also called a prescription – is developed. It outlines very specific conditions in which the prescribed fire must meet, before being implemented. Conditions include:

• outlining the goals of the prescribed fire. Parks Canada conducts prescribed fires for two main reasons – improve the health of ecosystems and reduce the risk of wildfire
• identifying the local weather and environmental conditions, including wind direction and speed needed during the prescribed fire
• identifying mitigations to reduce impacts on the environment and on cultural sites
• determining the resources, for example personnel and equipment, needed to complete the work

Each prescribed fire plan is peer-reviewed and requires an environmental impact assessment

Every prescribed fire requires its own detailed plan because each prescribed fire is different. Differences include the shape and size, the objectives, the fuels present, the environmental conditions and desired fire intensity. Some prescribed fires are designed to be low intensity and low complexity, such as burning grass in backcountry meadows. These fires usually make less smoke and can be finished in a day or two. Other prescribed fires are higher intensity and aim to burn most of the mature trees (stand replacing fire). These are used in areas where fire has been absent for a long time, and forest conditions are no longer following their natural cycle. These fires reduce dense, flammable trees and help a healthier, more resilient forest grow back. Although they require more planning, they also create fuel breaks in steep or remote areas where mechanical tree removal is impossible.

After the prescribed fire plan is approved, fire specialists wait for the right “burn window.” This very specific window appears when all the conditions in the fire plan are met.

Before lighting the prescribed fire, the National Fire Duty Officer, Field Unit Superintendent and the Incident Commander give final approval. They use a checklist to confirm that all conditions identified in the plan are met and ensure resources are in place for safety.

Depending on the plan, fire specialists may light the fire from the ground with drip torches, from the air with helicopters, or both. During operations, people can expect to see flames, smoke, equipment like sprinklers and hoses, and fire crews working in the area. Helicopters bucketing water may also take place. These are all part of normal prescribed fire operations.

Several tools are used to ensure a fire stays within its planned boundaries including:

• natural features such as lakes, rivers and avalanche paths
• man-made control lines such as fuel treatments and sprinkler systems
• ground crews and helicopters

Right after a prescribed fire, crews monitor the area closely. Fire crews action hotspots near the boundary of the prescribed fire area. Long-term checks continue for years to see if the goals of the burn are met. These goals can include creating wildlife habitat, restoring plant species, and protecting communities.

Lighting a prescribed fire when it’s hot out might seem counterintuitive, but there are strategic reasons for doing it under those conditions. Here’s why:

• Fuel moisture is low: Hot weather usually means dry vegetation, which burns more predictably and allows a cleaner burn to identified control lines, reducing the chance of escape. Prescribed fires located at higher elevations and/or in a confined valley may require higher than normal conditions, like temperature and dryness, to meet objectives. This is because fuels can be wetter than in the valley bottom and in areas sheltered by the wind. However, some environments, like meadows, have fuels that dry out quickly. This means that they require less hot and dry conditions to successfully burn and can burn in less hot periods – like the early spring or late fall. Fire specialists want fuels to be dry enough to ignite easily but not so dry that the fire is uncontrollable.
• Desirable fire behavior: In hot conditions, fire behavior can be more consistent and easier to regulate especially if humidity and wind are also within acceptable ranges. This helps crews manage the prescribed fire more safely.
• Meeting ecological objectives: Some ecosystems (like certain forest types) require hotter fires to stimulate native plant growth or clear out trees and vegetation. Historically, these areas naturally burned during periods of dry weather. Prescribed fires are now carefully planned and carried out during similar dry conditions to help copy natural fire patterns. Burning under these conditions allows fire to do its work on the land while still being safely managed.
• Wind and atmospheric stability: Hot days often come with unstable atmospheric conditions, which can help smoke rise and disperse rather than linger near the ground—important for air quality and visibility.

It’s all about balance – prescribed fires are only lit when very specific criteria (called a prescribed fire plan) are met. These include:

• temperature
• humidity
• wind speed and direction
• fuel moisture
• crew availability and safety resources
• desired time of year

Prescribed fires are planned to minimize impacts on people, but they can still affect residents and visitors inside and outside of the national park.

Parks Canada fire specialists make every effort to limit smoke during prescribed fire operations. Prescribed fires only go ahead if conditions allow smoke to disperse into the atmosphere. However, unpredicted changes in weather can increase and redirect smoke. Smoke can reduce visibility on sections of highways which can potentially cause delays.

Safety is always the top priority for Parks Canada in all fire management operations. During a prescribed fire, area closures are often in place until the area is deemed safe to enter.

While smoke may temporarily reduce air quality or visibility, and some areas may have restricted access, these effects are short-term and carefully managed. In the long run, prescribed fires help protect communities by reducing the risk of severe wildfires and improving forest health.

While prescribed fires may cause temporary smoke, they play a vital role in reducing the risk of severe wildfires — which can blanket communities in smoke for weeks or even months. Parks Canada uses prescribed fires and managed wildfire to reduce the likelihood and intensity of wildfires by reducing fuels during desirable conditions.