Overview
The Alberta Wildfire Mitigation Strategy is a comprehensive framework that guides how Alberta can best mitigate the negative impacts from wildfires. It aims to use best management practices developed in collaboration with industry, wildfire experts and government agencies to reduce wildfire risk across the province.
Wildfires in Alberta are increasing in frequency and severity, leading to many challenging wildfire seasons over the past 20 years. Thousands of Albertans have felt the impact due to loss of property, evacuations, damage to communities and infrastructure as well as poor air quality caused by smoke.
The impacts of wildfires are broad and go beyond economic, geographic and social boundaries. An Alberta strategy that involves cooperation through the entire province will help foster resilience as we look to the future.
Whole-of-society
The strategy takes a whole-of-society approach to reduce risk associated with wildfires—because it will take all of us working in coordination to have a lasting impact.
Mitigating wildfires and their impacts will take many years and require the collective efforts of residents, Indigenous communities, civil society organizations, industries, municipalities and governments.
By working together under a shared strategy, Alberta can strengthen its ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from wildfires.
Key themes
Empowering individuals and communities with knowledge allows them to actively engage in reducing wildfire risks while recognizing the vital role fire plays in maintaining the health of Alberta’s ecosystems.
Incorporating Indigenous leadership, cultural practices and traditional knowledge for wildfire mitigation in Alberta allows for appropriate actions to be taken.
Appropriate governance facilitates the effective coordination of efforts among various organizations. Where needed, gaps can be addressed to improve practices across the whole of society.
Continue to assess and adopt advanced technologies and innovative practices that enhance wildfire mitigation. By leveraging enhanced data and tools, we can improve decision-making, strategic planning and the overall effectiveness of mitigation efforts.
Incorporating wildfire risk and mitigation into land use planning—including forest management plans, regional and sub-regional plans and municipal development plans—will help stakeholders identify high fire-risk areas and plan actions to reduce this risk.
Fuel management at the homeowner, community and broader landscape levels can collectively reduce the negative effects of wildfires.
How we got here
Stakeholders and Indigenous partners were able to share feedback to help inform an Alberta Wildfire Mitigation Strategy to improve and strengthen Alberta’s resilience to wildfires through collaborative actions.
This includes FireSmart™ education, building community fireguards, partnering with communities on hazardous fuels reduction and more.
Learn more about the Alberta Wildfire Mitigation Strategy engagementFederal strategy
The Canadian Council of Forest Ministers have asked all areas of society to participate in the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy to ensure greater wildfire resilience in the future.
The Alberta Wildfire Mitigation Strategy aligns with this pan-Canadian strategy to mitigate the negative impacts of wildfires to all Albertans.
Read the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation StrategyContact
To connect with the Forestry Division:
- Hours: 8:15 to noon and 1pm to 4pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
- Phone: 780-427-6807
- Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
- Email: [email protected]
To report a wildfire:
- Phone: 310-FIRE (3473)
- Toll free: 1-866-FYI-FIRE (394-3473)
- Email: [email protected]