RELEASED UNDER THE ACCESS TO FORMATION ACT Quick Responses to Hot Issues WILDFIRES Issue: Calls from the public, communities and provinces for increased federal involvement in wildfire management Proposed Response + Wildland fires represent an increasing threat to our forests and our communities. Wildland fire ‘management is primarily a provincial and territorial responsibilty, © As such, | look forward to working with my provincial and territorial counterparts to enhance wildland fire management and further protect our communities from wildland fire. 00025RELEASED UNDER THE ACCESS TO FORMATION ACT Advice to Minister WILOFIRES ISSUE + The frequency and severity of wildland fires have been trending upwards in the past few decades and summer 2015 was particularly severe. As a result, there have been calls from the public, communities and provinces for increased federal involvement in wildfire management. KEY MESSAGES + Wildland fires represent an increasing threat to our forests and our communities, Wildland fire management is primarily a provincial and territorial responsibilty, + As such, | look forward to working with my provincial and territorial counterparts to ‘enhance wildland fire management and further protect our communities from wildland fire BACKGROUND Wildland Fire Roles and Responsibilities + Wildland fire preparedness and response is a shared responsibility that extends ‘over approximately 397 million hectares of forest land across the country. + Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is mandated to provide scientific expertise ‘and facilitate domestic and international cooperation to protect Canadians and our forest resources. In particular, NRCan provides critical operational support through national fire and smoke mapping and forecasts, as well as annual financial contributions to support inter-jurisdictional resource sharing (e.g., firefighters, aircraft). Research in fire and smoke behaviour, risk mitigation and predictions of trends in fire frequency and severity supports longer term policy and decision tool development. + Provinces, territories and Parks Canada are responsible for on-the-ground wildland fire management, including risk mitigation and fire suppression +The provincial, territorial and federal governments partnered through the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) to establish the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy in 2005. The Strategy calls for developing more resilient ‘communities, improving fire management approaches to balance ecological Integrity with protection of life and property, and implementing modern business practices, Governments remain supportive of the Strategy, but progress towards implementation over the past decade has been limited, primarily due to fiscal constraints, 000196RELEASED UNDER THE ACCESS TO FORMATION ACT Advice to Minister Wildland Fires in Canada Mote frequent and potentially catastrophic wildland fires are expected in Canada and they will be more expensive to manage. Rising costs ($800M annual average) are attributed to increased numbers of people and industrial infrastructure being located in forested areas, where they require protection from fire and smoke hazards. Community evacuations are trending upwards, and affect an average of 23 communities and 8,600 people each year. In particular, Aboriginal communities have faced higher levels of fire and smoke impacts due to the isolation and geographic location of some communities. ‘There can also be significant economic losses due to industrial shut-downs in resource sectors, reduced timber availabilty, and damage to cfitical infrastructure, such as pipelines or railways. 00197