Unless specified otherwise, the month corresponds to the start date for the number of forest fires and to the extinguished date of the area burned. Fire policies attempt to balance suppression costs with values at risk, while recognizing the natural role of fire in managing the landscape. A fire regime intergrates many natural and cultural influences. It changes only with significant shifts in climate or fire policies, or when humans profoundly alter the fuel structure. The fire season in Canada ranges from April through October.
Fire is a central part of the life cycle of many Canadian ecosystems.
Although fire burns the boreal forest regularly, robust new trees quickly emerge to replace the aged forest. Even as fire kills a mature stand of jack pine, it also opens the seed cones, allowing the species to reproduce and survive. Completing the symbiosis, jack pine grows on dry sites and is highly susceptible to stand replacing fires. The history of Canada' s boreal forest is a cycle of destruction and renewal by fire. Fire Management Fire management in Canada is a provincial responsability, except on federal lands.