An unprecedented wildfire season that is already estimated to have broken records in parts of the country is increasingly threatening Canada’s wildlife, land and water, experts say.
As of June 14, nearly 5.3 million hectares of land had been torched by 2,607 wildfires across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Animals, in general, are adapted to wildfires and migrate to safety. But the severity of this year’s season could create problems for some species as the amount of overall habitat needed for them to thrive is reduced, said Lisa Venier, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
“It definitely puts pressure on species,” she told Global News.
Wildfires are an essential part of the landscape and ecosystem as they help with regeneration, creating younger forests and providing habitat and food sources for wildlife.
There are however “negative consequences” for animals that interact directly with fire, said Patrick James, an associate professor in forestry at the University of Toronto.
As large areas of land are consumed by flames, much depends on the distance the animals have to travel, their ability to leave where the fires are happening, and then return when the forest is regenerating, he said.
“They’re relatively resilient and recolonize these areas that have been burned.”
“The big concern can emerge when multiple disturbances, multiple factors occur in rapid succession in the same area,” James told Global News.
High-intensity fires also impair the regeneration capacity of the landscape, making it harder for the vegetation to recover quickly.
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Several studies have looked at the environmental impacts of wildfires over the years.
A 2021 global analysis published in the Ecological Society of America showed that wildfires had “significantly negative effects,” and that expanded areas of high-severity fire can impact tree regeneration, soil erosion, and water quality.
Another study by the Canadian Forest Service from last year suggested that wildfires in many regions will not maintain sufficient habitat for caribou — species that are already at risk of extinction — under the current conditions.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said Monday that Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season of the 21st century.
With months of hotter temperatures still ahead, there are fears things will only get worse for Canada’s wildlife.
“I do expect a lot of animals to be displaced or killed,” said Karen Hodges, a biology professor at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus.
“I do expect some populations in some regions to be gone, or small, for decades to come as a result of this year’s burns,” she told The Canadian Press.
Matthew Mitchell, research associate at the University of British Columbia’s faculty of land and food systems, said the carbon monoxide and particulate matter in wildfire smoke can have “acute” health effects on animals, some of which may not be realized for years.
“It can affect their lungs, it can change blood chemistry, lower oxygen levels, and so then you can also have effects on the immune system,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.
“Those sorts of things can lead to changes in the demography, or the survival, growth and reproduction of animals as well.”
Is there a threat of extinction?
Almost half of the 452 wildfires currently active in Canada are burning out of control.
Uncontrollable wildfires are “basically a recipe for disaster” for the environment, said Tanzina Mohsin, a professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences at the University of Toronto.
Climate-driven increases in forest fires have severe impacts on the intervention between plants and insects, which in turn affects the forest ecosystem, causing unknown or new diseases, she explained.
“We should have measures in place to prevent these wildfires, specifically the ones that are prone to expand in a faster pace,” she told Global News.
A grim national report published in November 2022 said that more than 2,200 plants, animals, fish and other wildlife in Canada are at some level of extinction.
While experts don’t see any immediate threats of extinction due to this year’s wildfires, the drastic changes in the ecosystem could make some species increasingly vulnerable, they warn.
“It would be the compounded effects of large areas burned in addition to large areas that have been opened up to harvesting that leaves fewer options for wildlife in terms of habitat,” said James.
For plant and animal species that are already on the verge of being extinct, the impact on them can be “irreversible,” said Mohsin.
“We are basically fast-pacing the process” of extinction, she said.
“When species cannot migrate at the pace we see the changes are happening related to wildfire or climate conditions then we will see those extinctions happening sooner than anticipated.”
— with files from the Canadian Press