Forest fires, pests pose threat to forestry sector growth, federal report says
OTTAWA — A new government report on the state of Canadian forests shows that the area burned last year by fires jumped nearly three-fold compared to the year before.
In 2017, almost 3.4 million hectares of forest burned, up from the 1.4 million in 2016, said the latest analysis from Natural Resources Canada.
The numbers may be even higher in next year’s report.
British Columbia saw a record-setting year in 2017 for fires, and then surpassed that record earlier this year, according to local officials.