Predictions are coming true. This year’s devastating fire season appears to be part of an escalating deterioration of the planet’s life-support system. BC's dangerous drought seems to be part of an intensifying global warming, which has also produced unprecedented heat waves and fires in Europe, the US, Australia, Africa, Russia and Asia this year.
by Jim Cooperman
There were army camps in the schoolyards, evacuees in community centres and churches and water bombers and helicopters in the skies. We watched the news daily to see how far the enemy fire had advanced hoping we would be safe from invasion for another day. And we made an unimaginable sacrifice by enduring a total ban on venturing into the countryside that was punishable by fines and jail.
The drought affected nearly the entire province, as the cities nearly ran out of water and where there was smoke or smog, the air was not safe to breathe. And the problem will not go away when the rains come as the next low-snowpack winter and hot, dry summer is likely to be just around the corner. British Columbia’s dangerous drought certainly seems to be part of an intensifying global warming, which has also produced unprecedented heat waves and fi res in Europe, the US, Australia, Africa, Russia and Asia this year.
Predictions are coming true. This year’s devastating fi re season appears to be part of an escalating deteriora tion of the planet’s life-support sys- tem. Of great concern is the apparent snowballing effect as climate change impacts feed further impacts. For ex- ample, warmer winters result in more pine beetles, which kill more forests, which contribute more fuel for big- ger fi res. The hot summer shut down logging operations, which means the beetles could end up spreading to more forests this fall. And the fi res add even more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, leaving fewer forests to absorb the carbon dioxide and deliver oxygen, critical for us. The fi res in BC this year produced an estimated 15 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, which represents about one-quarter of the province’s yearly total greenhouse gas output.
When Premier Campbell made his obligatory visit to Kelowna, he was quick to blame “Mother Nature” for the devastation. Likely he was hoping to defl ect criticism from his government for neglecting the advice of experts on how to help prevent in- terface forest fi res from incinerating communities. As well, he no doubt wanted to avoid any blame that has resulted from his government’s mas- sive budget cuts and contracting out services that has likely curtailed the forest service’s ability to cope with this year’s destructive fi re season. The premier was also avoiding any suggestion that climate change is part of the problem. No mystery here, as his government opposes the Kyoto Accord, while it promotes oil, coal and gas exploration and use which will increase carbon emissions.
The Campbell government needs to vigorously support measures to reduce carbon emissions and promote alternative energy and transportation. It needs to work with communities and spend what is needed to reduce the risk of fi res in interface forests near communities. Well-spaced, un even-aged, diverse forests could help prevent fires. Since 50 years of fire suppression has helped contribute to the fire problem by allowing dead wood to accumulate, more prescribed burning is also needed.
Early in October, Campbell announced that the ex-Tory Premier of Manitoba, Gary Filmon, would conduct a review of this year’s devastating fires. In addition to investigating how well the fires were fought, Filmon will look at what needs to be done to reduce the potential for interface forest fires. He should not have to look very far for suggestions, as there is already a wealth of knowledge and experience on the topic. For example, in the Rocky Mountain Trench, community fish and wildlife and environmental groups, ranching and agricultural associations and provincial and local government agencies have worked for years to establish “Fire Maintained Ecosystem” guidelines and identify priority fuel reduction projects. And the community of Rossland has worked with the Canadian Forest Service in a pilot project to establish a fuel-reduced “fire-break,” that also provides for environmental and recreation values, around settled areas of the town. Even though the cost for fire prevention strategies is far less than the cost of fighting fires and paying for the damage, the Campbell government has been unwilling to spend the money and even cancelled some existing programs while it continued to provide forest companies with many millions of dollars for ineffectual intensive silviculture treatments.
Many conservationists are concerned that because so many of this year’s fires occurred in parks, that the government will attempt to argue that logging is needed in parks, which is just what Campbell suggested this fall. Also, there is a concern that BC could imitate the US Bush administration’s $12-billion decade long, bogus effort to reduce fire threats that is resulting in the unnecessary logging of old growth forests. The Valhalla Society bravely pointed out in a press release how the BC government failed to follow the fire management plan for Okanagan Mtn. Park that called for prescribed burns to minimize the fire risk from accumulated forest fuels. As well, they criticized the government for failing to adequately fund fire management strategies for all parks.
It seems the future that scientists have been predicting is already here. BC’s summer of ferocious fires should be a wake-up call to everyone, including government and industry. Urgent action is needed on climate change and new land-use policies are needed that could help this province address and survive the destructive impacts of global warming. As well, Filmon needs to hear from the environmental community that climate change and five decades of fire suppression is increasing the potential for more destructive forest fires and all levels of government must take immediate action to reduce these risks.
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From 1990 to 2000, Jim Cooperman was editor of the B.C. Environmental Report and coordinated the BCEN forest caucus. He continues to monitor forestry issues as well as serve as president of the Shuswap Environmental Action Society (SEAS). Jim and his wife Kathi live above Shuswap Lake where they faced the threat of the Niskonlith Lake fire for over two weeks this summer. The SEAS website at www.seas.ca contains maps of this year’s fires as well as other useful forestry information. Jim can be reached at jcoop@direct.ca