A number of forestry experts commented on the fire destroying large parts of Fort McMurray.
UBC forestry dean John Innes told CBC that while fires are a part of forests’ natural regeneration, everything is drying out much earlier than usual due to less snowfall and declining snowpack in northern B.C. extending into Alberta. “We’re in a territory that we’ve never seen before,” said Innes.
David Andison, an adjunct forestry professor at UBC, told Maclean’s that as the fire season is growing longer, communities should consider managing their surrounding forest to make it harder for fires to start and spread.
Similar articles appeared in the Huffington Post, CBC and MSN.
