Mr. Speaker, due to Alberta's unusually early wildfire season, which began on February 20, 2024, and was fueled by widespread drought conditions in 2024, there was not a period in which the prescriptions required for controlled ignition could take place. The elevated fire risk associated with these conditions made it unsafe and contrary to prescriptions required to carry out such operations. Prescriptions for fires have the following science-based considerations: wind speed, fuel moisture, drought code, landscape topography, barriers to fire spread and fuel type that is present, that is, what you are planning to burn and what is in the area.
Parks Canada utilizes a variety of wildfire management tools and strategies, including prescribed fires, forest thinning and the creation of community fire guards, to mitigate the impacts of wildfires and protect public safety, local communities and critical infrastructure.
A prescribed fire is a carefully planned and controlled fire ignited by trained fire management professionals. It mimics the low- to medium-intensity fires that naturally occur in ecosystems adapted to fire, helping to restore and maintain ecological health and biodiversity. Parks Canada employs prescribed fires as a vital tool to promote ecosystem conservation, reduce wildfire risks to surrounding communities and protect cultural heritage sites.