Climate Change, Wildfires

Pine Beetle Infestation at Manning Park, BC

I took the photo last month, before the area was consumed by wildfire. Central BC has had a state of emergency due to 533 wildfires as of 8-14-18. When we left the smoky province the count was at about 40. Canadian troopers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been called in to assist firefighters. I did not mean to sound facetious or dismissive in my recounting of BC wildfire. They are no joke. Folks are being evacuated. Sure, we heard Canadians crack wise about “California, eh? You bring the wildfires?” Or ” the smoke is blowing up from California,” as one wag put it. But the forest was tinder-dry. It hadn’t rained hard in weeks, being the driest year on record. It was a record-setting heat wave. Lightning strikes set fires all over the steep forested terrain. Firefighters trench and back-burn to save communities. We were lucky we could just drive south to get out of the way.