For a brief period this month, Alberta experienced something that would normally be almost unthinkable in the middle of wildfire season: not a single wildfire was burning in the province’s Forest Protection Area.

As of Aug. 17, there were zero active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, according to Alberta Wildfire. The agency said it was the first wildfire-free day recorded in August in the past 40 years.
The unusual milestone comes after an exceptionally wet summer that has kept forests and other vegetation damp and wildfire danger low across much of Alberta.

The Forest Protection Area, or FPA, covers about two-thirds of the province, or roughly 33 million hectares of forested land. It stretches along Alberta’s western boundary and across much of northern Alberta to the Saskatchewan border, including the Slave Lake area.

Within the FPA, Alberta Wildfire is responsible for wildfire protection, including wildfire detection and suppression and issuing fire permits. Cities, towns and some other jurisdictions within the FPA have their own responsibilities, while areas outside the FPA generally fall under local fire departments or other authorities.

The designation is particularly relevant to northern Alberta, where large areas of forest can make wildfire suppression a major undertaking. Wildfire season in Alberta officially runs from March 1 to Oct. 31, although fires can occur at any time of year. The province says wildfires are most common in spring and summer, when hot, dry and windy conditions can make vegetation more susceptible to ignition and allow fires to spread quickly.

August falls well within that period of heightened risk.

Historically, Alberta has recorded substantial wildfire activity throughout the summer. In 2022, for example, the province recorded 208 new wildfires in August, making it the second-busiest month for new fires after May. Alberta recorded 1,246 wildfires that year, with 38 per cent caused by lightning and 61 per cent caused by human activity.

The reason for the August risk is not simply that it is hot. By late summer, forests and other fuels can have been drying for months, while warm temperatures, low humidity and wind can increase the potential for a fire to start and spread. Lightning from summer thunderstorms can also provide a significant source of new ignitions.

This year, however, repeated rainfall has largely prevented that drying process from taking hold.
Edmonton had already broken its record for the wettest summer on record before August began. More than 530 millimetres of rain had fallen in June and July, surpassing the previous record of 417 millimetres set in 1953.

By Aug. 19, the Weather Network reported that Edmonton had received about 562 millimetres of rain for the summer, more than twice its seasonal average of 213 millimetres. The persistent moisture has left soils and vegetation wetter than usual and helped suppress wildfire risk across much of the province.

The wet conditions have also had an impact on Alberta’s firefighting resources.
Alberta Wildfire said the reduced fire activity has allowed the province to send firefighters and wildfire support staff to areas where they are needed most, rather than having as many personnel committed to fires within Alberta.

The respite does not mean wildfire season is over.

Alberta Wildfire continues to monitor conditions, and warmer and drier weather can quickly increase fire danger.

Some parts of the province have already begun to see conditions change as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes less frequent.

The Slave Lake Forest Area is part of the provincial Forest Protection Area, meaning the same provincial wildfire system that recorded the unusual August milestone includes the forests surrounding the community.

For now, however, the province has been given a rare break from the kind of wildfire activity that normally makes August one of the most challenging parts of the fire season.

And after years in which Alberta summers have been increasingly associated with large wildfires, smoke and evacuations, a day with no active fires burning in the province’s Forest Protection Area stands out as an unusual consequence of a very wet summer.

William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader