Experts keep a close eye on conditions as N.S. wildfire season starts

Nova Scotia is getting ready for the wildfire season.

The snow has barely disappeared from Nova Scotia’s woodlands, but the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) is already keeping a close eye as wildfire season begins.

“It will be important to see with the weather moving forward. So, the next six to eight weeks, getting through March to April and the first part of May, typically is when we get the most of our fires. When grass isn’t dried out from winter and the trees haven’t leafed out,” says Scott Tingley with Nova Scotia’s DNRR.

Burn restrictions in Nova Scotia are now in effect and will remain until Oct. 15.

Under the restrictions, no domestic brush burning or campfires are allowed between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Burn restrictions are updated each day on the Nova Scotia government’s website at 2 p.m.

“When the humidity is lower, temperatures are higher and then you mix in some high winds, that’s generally a recipe for fires starting and spreading,” said Tingley.

“And then what we call fuel conditions, so fuel moisture. So, how much moisture is in your things, like grasses or twigs, things like that,” says Tingley

These fuels dry out in the spring, peaking in late April into early May.

Liam Gamble with All Green Tree Care says his company is already getting some calls and prepping people’s backyards.

“The main thing would be really those brush piles and extreme proximity of specifically dead trees to the house,” said Gamble.

“If you have a lot of burned trees, for example from previous fires like in Hammonds Plains, those can serve as a good fuel for another fire.”

Gamble reminds people to be mindful and respectful of the environment.

“Think about the implications of the things you might do. You know, it was a lot of fun to have big bonfires as a kid, but our environment isn’t great for that anymore,” says Gamble.

For those having campfires when permitted, Tingley reminds campers that a fire could still be burning even if you think you put it out.

“Soak it down, stir it, and then soak it again. It really should be cold almost to the touch by the time it’s considered extinguished,” he said.

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