Climate Change Could DoubleWildfire Extent in Canada by 2100

Warming temperatures and a changing climate are expected to at least double the acreage consumed by wildfires every year in Canada by the end of the century, according to a new report by the scientific agency, Natural Resources Canada. The number of large forest fires in the country is also expected to increase 1.5-fold over the same period due to milder, drier conditions, the report said. In 2015, 7,068 wildfires burned about 3.9 million hectares of Canadian forest. The annual report, The State of Canada’s Forests, noted that even if the world manages to limit global warming to an average 2 degrees Celsius, Canada could still experience a temperature rise of 4 degrees C by 2100. The report said such warmer conditions will change the species composition, size, and age distribution of Canada’s forests, a natural resource that generated more than $22 billion in gross domestic product for the country in 2015.