Alberta remains under a state of emergency due to dozens of wildfires burning throughout the province. Thousands of residents have evacuated their homes as firefighters battle the wildfires amid unusually hot, dry weather and strong winds.

Over the past 60 years, there has been a general trend of increasing fires in North American boreal forests, in part due to climate change. But what about the long-term trend? Did the forests in the past burn more or less than today?

This is the question posed by Victor Danneyrolles, postdoctoral researcher at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), and his colleagues, in a new article in La Conversation Canada’s boreal forest series. By collecting data on the age of trees, the team of researchers made an astonishing discovery: forests burned much more 150 years ago than they do today.

What explains this downward trend over the long term? “Obviously, climate change is one of the suspects. The period from 1700 to 1850 was the end of what is known as the Little Ice Age, a period known for being colder, but probably also drier and, therefore, more conducive to fires,” they write.

But they haven’t finished their investigation. Further research will shed more light on these findings, in hopes of better predicting what awaits our forests in a rapidly changing climate.

Also today:

• How colonial racism fuels Saskatchewan’s criminalization of Indigenous men
• Indigenous women in Northern Canada creating sustainable livelihoods through tourism
• Could public health guidelines help stop loneliness? 7 tips that show how crucial social connection is to well-being
• Plastic rats and playoff beards: Superstitious behaviours in hockey fans and players increase during the playoffs

All the best,