There’s been a significant lack of forest fires in Northwestern Ontario this year, across the whole province actually.

To some it’s surprising, however to Chris Marchand who is a Fire Information Officer with Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services, says this is good because of a few factors.

He notes that the longer winter helped keep more moisture in the ground which means it was less likely to start smoking and cause a fire. Marchand also notes that the fairly frequent precipitation has aided Ontario’s landscape as a whole because there haven’t been mass drought periods with large rainstorms coming to flood the lands.

Last year was a record breaking year for forest fires as there was 782, 119 hectares (1.4 million football fields) of land affected by fire, compared to this year where there’s only been 2416.9 hectares  (4516 football fields) that’ve caught ablaze.

With just over a thousand forest fires this year, Ontario has only had to deal with 16 per cent of last years total number of fires to date.

Marchand notes that there are still risks of them happening even though the odds are in our favour.

Campfires should be:

Built close to a water source and sheltered from the wind
Built on bare rock or mineral soil
No larger than 1 metre wide or tall
No closer than 1 metre from flammable material and 3 metres from overhanging branches and vegetation
Never left unattended
Fully extinguished when leaving the site

Burn piles should be:

Lit no sooner than 2 hours before sunset and extinguished 2 hours after sunrise
No larger than 2 metres wide, 2 metres high and kept 2 metres away from flammable materials
Burned one pile at a time
Tended by a responsible person, with water and hand tools, until fully extinguished

There’s a few questions that are good to ask yourself before you light a fire.

Are there restrictions in place against fires at your location either through a MNRF Restricted Fire Zone, or a locally administered municipal fire ban?
What is the fire hazard in my local area?
What size of a fire do you have in mind? Fires over 1 metre wide and tall have different rules to follow.

If your fire is over 1 metre in width and height, it is a ‘pile’ which are subject to rules designed to avoid outdoor burning in peak daytime burning conditions when winds are typically highest and relative humidity is lowest. Daytime burning of piles is not permitted during the fire season (April 1 to Oct. 31).

It’s recommended that chipping or composting woody debris when possible

The answers to all of these questions can be found at our website at Ontario.ca/forestfire, or in the case of a municipal fire ban – your local fire department

In Ontario

Fires to date – Last Year
1079
Hectares to date – Last Year
782,119
Fires to date – 10 Year Avg.
669
Hectares to date – 10 Year Avg.
174,195