As of July 2023, more than 11.5 million hectares of land had burned in Canada because of forest fires. This was already the largest annual land loss due to wildfires since records started. The number of forest fires in Canada stood at around 4,600 from January to July 2023.
The cost of Canadian wildfires
In Canada, estimated property losses due to forest fires from 1970 to 2020 amounted to almost 250 million Canadian dollars. The province of British Columbia was by far the most affected, with losses of 115.4 million Canadian dollars, followed by Ontario with 57.9 million Canadian dollars.
Wildfires have been wreaking havoc around the world in recent years. In 2022 alone, around 5.2 million hectares of tree cover were lost due to wildfires. A year earlier, wildfire tree cover loss reached the peak of the century so far, with more than seven million hectares. In the past century, Russia has seen the largest annual tree cover loss due to wildfires, with an average of 2.5 million hectares. Canada is the second most impacted country in the world, with an average annual loss of roughly 1.3 million hectares during the same period.
Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023
(in hectares)
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CIFFC. (July 24, 2023). Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in hectares) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/
CIFFC. "Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in hectares)." Chart. July 24, 2023. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/
CIFFC. (2023). Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in hectares). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/
CIFFC. "Area of Land Burned by Forest Fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in Hectares)." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Jul 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/
CIFFC, Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in hectares) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Area of land burned by forest fires in Canada from 2000 to 2023 (in hectares) [Graph], CIFFC, July 24, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/553520/area-burned-of-forest-fires-canada/