GFMC: Forest Fires in Canada, 10 August 2000

over the last 24 hours:	23 fires for 20,089 ha
season summary:	4,218 fires for 520,373 hectares

According to the National Forest Fire Situation Report of 2 August 2000 (updated every Friday), that the fire activity remains below average in most areas, activity is increasing.

current	uncontrolled	controlled	active modified
current	36	208	198
	2000 (to date)	10-year average	in % of normal	Prescribed burning
Number	3,773	5,934	64%	40
Area (ha)	314,979	1,747,898	18%	7,863

The Fire Monitoring, Mapping, and Modelling (FireM3) is a collaboration of the Canadian Forest Service and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. Through the Map Link at the FireM3 web site you can access daily hotspot images. An Internet Map Server, which is like a simple GIS running on the host computer, allows you to zoom in on any fire or other area of interest and view the image and map data at full (1 km) resolution. You can also click on any fire and get information about that fire.

The satellite image, the daily fire overview map and the season-to-date hotspot map for 8 August 2000
display the current significant fire events
(Source: FireM3)

The Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System is a part of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System and consists of six components that account for the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behavior. The first three components are fuel moisture codes and are numerical ratings of the moisture content of litter and other fine fuels, the average moisture contentof loosely compacted organic layers of moderate depth, and the average moisture content of deep, compact organic layers. The remaining three components are fire behavior indexes which represent the rate of fire spread, the fuel available for combustion, and the frontal fire intensity; their values rise as the fire danger increases. For futher information please see the Summary Information.

Fine Fuel Moisture Code	Duff Moisture Code	Drought Code
Initial Spread Index	Buildup Index	Fire Weather Index
	Fire Danger Rating

The Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System is an other part of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System and provides quantitative estimates of head fire spread rate, fuel consumption, fire intensity, and fire description. With the aid of an elliptical fire growth model, it gives estimates of fire area, perimeter, perimeter growth rate, and flank and back fire behavior. For futher information please see the Summary Information.

Foliar Moisture Content	Surface Fuel Consumption	Rate of Spread
Total Fuel Consumption	Head Fire Intensity	Fire Type

The Saskatchewan Daily Forest Fire Situation Report (9 August 2000) is listing all forest fires currently burning in Saskatchewan and their current status. This report also gives statistics on the total number of fires to date. The whole report and further information can be accessed at the fire management website of "Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management" (SERM).

fires burning in the province today:	29
extinguished in the past 24 hours:	0
new fires:	1
total number of fires to date this year:	377
total up to this date last year:	580
five year average for this date:	612

British Columbia Forest Service Wildfire Report (8 August 2000):
B.C. Firefighters head to U.S.
Fifty firefighters and staff from B.C. head to Kamloops today for a briefing before they fly to Great Falls, Montana, where they will battle wildfires in the areas of greatest need in the U.S. The U.S. is facing its worst fire season in 50 years. Over 60,000 wildfires have been reported this year due to widespread drought and dry lightning. Before sending crews and equipment out-of-province, fire managers ensure B.C. has enough resources available for expected activity. Fire staff can be recalled on 24 hours notice if required. "We are comfortable with the situation in B.C.," said Ross Wilde, provincial fire control officer. "We have adequate resources here and we are looking forward to being able to help our U.S. neighbours. We will analyse the situation in B.C. every day and may be able to provide them with more crews." "We have a great team here, and some of us have been working together for more than six years," said Campbell Blair, crew leader of the Princeton Sierras 20-person unit. "We have been fighting fires in B.C. for years and we are familiar with the conditions and geography here. This will take us into a different environment where we can apply our skills." The Princeton firefighters will join another unit crew from 100 Mile House as well as crew bosses, field observers and agency representatives for the trip to Great Falls. Kamloops is also the marshalling area for firefighting crews coming from the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan.

Number of Fires Burning:	151
Number of New Fires (Lightning):	109
Number of New Fires (Human Caused):	38
Total Lightning Fires:	534
Total Human Caused Fires:	442
Total Fires to Date:	976
Total Area Burned (ha):	12,752