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has historically spanned from late April to August—with the most damaging of these fires typically burning in June and July. But in recent years, we've seen a significant change in when wildfires burn; they are no longer a seasonal phenomenon.

For example, in 2024, Alberta's wildfire season due to the province's warm and dry conditions. Québec recorded its fourth earliest wildfire since 1973 in mid-March of the same year. British Columbia then of the season shortly after.

In 2023, Canada had one of its most catastrophic wildfire years—with over burned. These wildfires caused approximately to be evacuated from their homes in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Québec.

The huge number of wildfires that burned in 2023 released the total CO₂ emissions of Canada's entire transportation sector produces in a year. This catastrophic wildfire season also started burning far earlier than normal.

Changing wildfire patterns represent a growing danger to Canadians and our nation's communities, ecosystems and air quality.

Recipe for a wildfire

The is simple and needs only three ingredients: fuel (combustible vegetation), ignition (either from human or natural causes—such as lightning) and favorable weather conditions (hot, dry and windy weather).

But drought can act as a key accelerating factor. As a professor who specializes in sustainable land and water management, I have spent over 15 years researching the impacts of climate change on natural disasters. My most recent research has highlighted the role that in in Canada.

Droughts not only dry vegetation—which gives wildfires more fuel—they also prolong hot, dry and windy weather. This further creates a high-risk environment for wildfires to .

Canada may appear to be a water-rich country, with vast networks of lakes, rivers and considerable amounts of annual precipitation. But these rich resources suffer from .

For example, even British Columbia, where many towns average more than , experiences —particularly during the summer months.

At the end of 2024, 43% of Canada was classified as . About 35% of the country's agricultural land was directly impacted. These conditions of even water-rich regions to long, dry seasons.

During 2023, there was a strong link between soil moisture levels measured between May and October and wildfire activity. Areas with the lowest soil moisture levels experienced heightened wildfire activity. This underscores the critical role of drought conditions in amplifying wildfire risks.

Wildland and urban development

In , California experienced one of the most in the state's history.

At least tragically lost their lives. have been destroyed or severely damaged, and approximately from their own homes.

The total economic damage and losses are estimated to be more than . This catastrophic crisis has clearly highlighted the growing impacts of climate change on densely populated areas at the interface of wildland and urban zones.

was a that exacerbated these wildfires.

But another important factor that significantly contributed to the damage caused by these wildfires in California was the (WUI). These are areas where natural, undeveloped vegetation meets human development. This creates a high-risk zone where flammable plants and structures combine—increasing the chance of wildfires spreading from wildlands to communities.

In Canada, the WUI is rapidly expanding as large cities . But this is putting even more Canadians at risk from potentially detrimental wildfires. The recent, severe wildfires in California's WUI areas offer a clear warning for Canada, highlighting an urgent need to address the risks associated with these rapidly growing zones.

Safeguarding strategies

One way of safeguarding Canada's expanding WUI zones is by using the (LAI). This is a measure of vegetation density.

The more dense the vegetation in a particular region (which means it has a higher LAI value), the greater that area's . This is because densely wooded areas contain significant fuel sources for wildfires, making them capable of sustaining and intensifying fire spread.

British Columbia's coastline, Eastern Canada, Southern Ontario and parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (including Halifax and Saint John) are all densely vegetated, highly populated areas that are highly susceptible to wildfire threats—especially during periods of drought and high temperatures.

By pinpointing Canada's most vulnerable regions, targeted wildfire prevention strategies can be carried out to mitigate risks and enhance community resilience in the face of escalating wildfire threats. This might include reducing the amount of dry vegetation, carrying out controlled burns and building fire-resistant infrastructure.

Canada announced a new goal to . For these houses to be built, parts of WUI zones will need to be used. It will be important for planning and development policies to ensure resilience against wildfires.

Canada stands at a pivotal moment in wildfire risk management because of expanding WUI zones, prolonged drought conditions and intensifying fire weather converge. Without a multi-pronged strategy, wildfires will only continue to be a growing threat to ecosystems, infrastructure and public safety.