Quebec was fortunate this year to benefit from a season during which a very small area of forest burned.
In a report drawn up on Thursday, the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (SOPFEU) underlines that barely 242.9 hectares (ha) of forest have been affected by the fire in the Intensive Protection Zone (ZPI). This is one of the smallest areas burned since statistically comparable data became available. For example, 6,995.9 ha had burned in 2021, a figure that was 52,469.4 ha a year earlier.
Thus, since 1984, only the years 2004 and 2008 could be compared to the last season.
The 389 forest fires recorded this year were also well below the annual average for the last ten years in Quebec, of 472 fires.
Dry spring…
However, the start of the season proved to be particularly busy for the SOPFEU teams. From April 30 to May 14, no less than 212 fires started, which corresponded to 55% of all fires recorded during the entire season.
SOPFEU explains that the abnormally dry weather from the start of the day and particularly high temperatures meant that the fire danger varied from high to extreme during this period.
However, the dry spell ended soon after due to favorable weather conditions characterized by the passage of several low-pressure systems which continued regularly throughout the summer.
… and rainy summer
SOPFEU observed that the months of June and July were marked by regular and significant amounts of rain, above normal for the season. There was no drying out of the vegetation.
The relatively calm season allowed SOPFEU to help fight forest fires in Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New York State.
Despite the satisfactory data for the 2022 season, SOPFEU points out that 73 fires are attributable to cigarette butts thrown on the ground, 66 others originated from a poorly extinguished campfire and 82 forest fires were caused by burning. scrap.
Overall, 94% of the fires started in Quebec this year were caused by human activity.