{"id":461828,"date":"2026-08-10T09:57:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=461828"},"modified":"2026-08-10T09:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:57:21","slug":"canada-wildfire-data-vs-fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=461828","title":{"rendered":"Canada Wildfire Data vs. Fears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By  Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Traffic moves along One World Trade Center in New York City amid smokey haze from wildfires in Canada.Andy Bao \/ AP June 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s been a lot of concern this summer about Canada wildfires along with claims about global warming\/climate change being the cause.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is to provide data and history as context for understanding what happens in this boreal forest.  First an update from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS).<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The map shows the current distribution of wildfires in Canada and hotspots as of August 6, 2026. The Eastern part has now reduced down greatly. The action now is in the West along the US border. The infographic provides the data on Active fires, new fires and extinguished fires. There are numbers for year to date and 10 yr. averages. The graph on the left shows area burned each year from 2017 through 2026 to date. Humans caused 42% of the number of wildfires, and nature caused 92% of the area burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Chris Martz pointed out in an interview, boreal forests burn every year as part of their natural life cycle. Also Canada forests are vast and remote so that management is challenging. A previous post here mentioned that some practices can and should be improved, especially since recent years have been more active and destructive, especially 2023, 25 and now 2026. Martz also provided some data contradicting the notion global warming is the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The drought and heat wave indices are where climatic effects would show up. Yes there are recent spikes, but also numerous precedents in the past. In neither case do the patterns reflect rising CO2, let alone human hydrocarbon use. In fact there is a significant decrease in the worst of the drought categories despite the spike in 2023\u201324.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a lot of concern this summer about Canada wildfires along with claims about global warming\/climate change being the cause. <\/p>\n

This post is to provide data and history as context for understanding what happens in this boreal forest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":461844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"There's been a lot of concern this summer about Canada wildfires along with claims about global warming\/climate change being the cause.\n\nThis post is to provide data and history as context for understanding what happens in this boreal forest","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691820083,691818056,691819743,691818087,691818913],"class_list":["post-461828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-canada","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-propaganda","tag-global-warming","tag-wildfires","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1W8Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":262230,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=262230","url_meta":{"origin":461828,"position":0},"title":"Unraveling the Enigma: Canadian Wildfires, a Stroke of Misfortune","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/15\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The weather conditions in Quebec preceding the wildfire event were largely normal, and the high pressure over southern Canada, responsible for the warming, has no proven association with climate change.","rel":"","context":"In \"Canadian wildfires\"","block_context":{"text":"Canadian wildfires","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=canadian-wildfires"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0prothomalo-english_2023-06_21ff7ab1-e53a-4240-83da-d71ac73b0c63_CANADA_WILDFIRES_FORESTRY.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0prothomalo-english_2023-06_21ff7ab1-e53a-4240-83da-d71ac73b0c63_CANADA_WILDFIRES_FORESTRY.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0prothomalo-english_2023-06_21ff7ab1-e53a-4240-83da-d71ac73b0c63_CANADA_WILDFIRES_FORESTRY.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0prothomalo-english_2023-06_21ff7ab1-e53a-4240-83da-d71ac73b0c63_CANADA_WILDFIRES_FORESTRY.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0prothomalo-english_2023-06_21ff7ab1-e53a-4240-83da-d71ac73b0c63_CANADA_WILDFIRES_FORESTRY.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":262119,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=262119","url_meta":{"origin":461828,"position":1},"title":"Wrong, Mainstream Media, Climate Change Didn\u2019t Cause Canadian Forest Fires or the Smoke in U.S. Cities","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/14\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, mainstream media outlets were abuzz with stories claiming that smoke from wildfires in Canada visibly polluting the skies in New York City, Washington, D.C., and many other cities in the northeastern United States was due to climate change. This is false.","rel":"","context":"In \"Canada\"","block_context":{"text":"Canada","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=canada"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0032951139_web1_230601-RDA-Canada-Nova-Scotia-Wildfires_1-1536x968-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C756&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":265619,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265619","url_meta":{"origin":461828,"position":2},"title":"Check Your Facts, Yahoo News and New York Times, Neither Canadian Wildfires nor Heatwaves Are Getting Worse","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Smoke from Canada\u2019s ongoing wildfires continues to darken skies in the United States, and mainstream media outlets like Yahoo News and the\u00a0New York Times\u00a0blame climate change. They are wrong. Data disproves a causal connection between the modest warming the Earth has experienced over the past century to Canada\u2019s wildfires and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Canadian wildfires\"","block_context":{"text":"Canadian wildfires","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=canadian-wildfires"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0OIG-11.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0OIG-11.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0OIG-11.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0OIG-11.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":261638,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261638","url_meta":{"origin":461828,"position":3},"title":"What the media won\u2019t tell you about \u2026 Wildfires\u2013Roger Pielke\u00a0Jr","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"With this post I discuss some of the aspects of wildfires that I see as missing in the public discussion. 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Ground based data, where available, and satellite data both show that wildfires have declined in number and acreage lost over the past century, even as the Earth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"2021 Sixth Assessment report\"","block_context":{"text":"2021 Sixth Assessment report","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=2021-sixth-assessment-report"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AQMkpt7UOrhg2-7jFpvSKAAUpRuwWibRM9_ICphtZYGHavznOxnNPD3uRAsbEmdoUzT0hSkzkrQp7Q485ikqhdS6Y7sdWBpLCh3v5Qm_pUyPvMuum_m0d3Q66oYwH3qNKv29yNqrRwCmdTM-yEO5mQodZ3mZ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-ChatGPT-Canada-Wildfire-Data-vs.-Fears.png?fit=1536%2C1024&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=461828"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":461846,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461828\/revisions\/461846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/461844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=461828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=461828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=461828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}