So far this year, things have been much quieter when it comes to wildfires. To date, BC has seen 540 total wildfires, about half of the provincial 10-year average. That said, conditions this past week have been hot and dry and campfire bans are beginning to take effect in parts of the province. At the time of writing, campfire bans are in place across all of southern B.C., with large open fires banned throughout the province.

An increase in wildfire activity over recent weeks has private forest land managers prepared now for what may lie ahead this summer. But what will this summer bring for wildfires in BC?

As the weather is (finally!) becoming more seasonal with temperatures on the rise, private managed forest landowners are thinking about the risk of wildfire on their properties and what they can do to reduce the potential for damaging wildfire while improving overall forest health and wildlife habitat.