‘Huge concern’: Manitoba loggers worried as industry continues to feel impacts of wildfires

Alex Karpa reports from Elma, Man., where wildfires are threatening homes, forests and the local economy.

ELMA, MAN. – As the logging industry continues to feel the impacts of ongoing, raging wildfires across Canada, loggers including Grant Kurian say the “supply has definitely dwindled.”

Kurian, who is the operations manager of Seer Logging in Elma, Man. has been involved in the industry for nearly 50 years.

He says his hands are tied because he is only allowed to cut so many trees a year and “the fires have gotten a lot worse.”

“In Manitoba, it’s called your allowable cut for the year,” he said. “There’s so many cubic metres that contractors are allowed to cut. When you get a fire, you get a void in that inventory, so that means it’s going to hit you. It’s going to impact you down the road.”

Kurian says another concerning trend involving the industry is that a lot of the fires in the last couple of years have been hitting forestry plantations, which are areas where trees have been systematically planted.

He says that’s a bad thing, as these planted areas are the future of logging.

“They replant every year,” he said. “When you start burning the plantations, you’re really making a hole in their inventory.”

Kurian says that impact is already being felt.

Last year’s wildfires burned nearly nine million hectares across Canada, including over two million hectares in Manitoba.

“It is getting really concerning. There are a number of other factors that play into this as well, but fire is definitely making its dent in our forest.”

Canada’s forest sector employs about 200,000 people and contributes more than $20 billion to the economy, according to the Government of Canada.

Analysts say wildfires create a ripple effect across the industry by reducing the timber available for mills.

“This is a seasonal thing where we get fires which are around longer and longer as it goes, but the bigger problem is, as the fire is burning, that takes away more fiber for mills, and a lot of times you have to go back and salvage what you can,” said Russ Taylor, the president of Russ Taylor Global.

He says there are a number of factors that companies in the industry face when natural disasters like wildfires occur.

“If you’re near the fires, you can’t operate,” he said. “There’s a fire hazard warning reading that you can’t operate if it’s high, so you have to close during high temperatures or windy conditions, so that’s the first thing, and then secondly, if you’re in the smoke area, it’s hazardous to your health.”

He said this puts those in the industry in a tough position, because it impacts the economy if loggers are not able to work.

The loss of timber through wildfires also threatens jobs, particularly in rural and northern communities that rely on forestry.

‘Active wildfire season’

There are over 950 active wildfires across the country, with around 240 deemed out of control.

Experts say the already active season could become worse as the summer moves on.

“The rest of the summer looks hot across much of Canada,” said Mike Flannigan, who is a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.

“It looks like a very active season. It’s kind of reminiscent of 2024, which had a quiet start and then picked up, and that’s exactly what 2026 is doing. I also expect the 2026 fire season to go well into the fall.”

Flannigan says this is concerning.

“As we see more fire, we’re going to see more smoke, and unfortunately, the fires this year are burning deeper than in previous years and are generating more emissions and more smoke,” he said.

Flannigan says Canadians should be prepared if they are in a fire prone area.

“Have a go bag ready,” he said. “Take a look at fire smart principles and make sure your building materials are not flammable.”

Calling for better provincial, federal support

Despite the challenges, Kurian said he’ll keep doing everything he can to keep his operation running.

He is calling on the provincial and federal governments to invest more in wildfire prevention and suppression, saying stronger firefighting efforts are critical to protecting an industry that has become increasingly difficult to sustain.

“I don’t believe that they’re paying enough attention and I don’t believe that they’re putting in the money for firefighting equipment,” he said.

“We have in all the provinces, very well-trained firefighters, whether it’s your local fire department or the guys that go to work for forestry on the fire side, there’s a lot of training that’s involved, but they do not have the equipment to fight the fires properly.”

CTV News reached out to the federal minister of energy and natural resources for comment, but did not hear back.