Wildfire season is no longer something that comes and goes; it’s becoming a year-round concern. In BC, wildfires can shape the entire year, and we want to know what’s coming, what’s at risk and how to prepare.

Across both UBC campuses, the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence is finding solutions to protect communities—all with the help of donors.

UBC Okanagan—on the front line

“The wildfires I see now aren’t the same wildfires I saw 10 to 15 years ago. They’re a different beast,” says Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, a former wildland firefighter who now conducts wildfire coexistence research at UBC Okanagan. “We’ve got to realize that new approaches are needed.”

UBC Okanagan’s wildfire research spans dozens of separate projects across multiple faculties, bringing together experts in engineering, environmental science, social sciences, Indigenous studies and more. Through partnerships with emergency agencies, provincial ministries, communities and industry, the campus serves as a hub for applied, interdisciplinary solutions.

Dr. Bourbonnais and his team employ a network of sensors that monitor conditions such as heat, wind and humidity. That data feeds into forecasting tools that help communities anticipate risk to ensure lives, infrastructure and ecosystems are protected.

“This work isn’t just about emergency response,” says Dr. Bourbonnais. “One of the benefits of our sensor network—especially in partnership with BC Wildfire Service and the Kelowna Fire Department—is supporting prescribed burns. That’s where resilience begins.

“Cameras and tech alone don’t reduce risk unless we’re actively using them to manage the landscape and prevent disasters before they start.”

Together, research happening across the UBC Okanagan campus marks a shift—from reacting to fires to co-existing with them. It is science rooted in care: for this place, future generations and everyone living in a hotter, drier world.

You can support this vital research with a gift to the Okanagan Wildfire Coexistence Fund today.

UBC Vancouver—living safely with fire

Professor Lori Daniels has a vision to realize greater resilience to wildfire in British Columbia and beyond. At UBC’s Faculty of Forestry, she is building a multidisciplinary team to address the growing challenge of wildfire in the province, across Canada and globally.

Dr. Daniels’ solutions-oriented research through Centre for Wildfire Coexistence advances proactive fire and forest management, as well as eco-cultural restoration. This approach is designed to mitigate the destructive risks from wildfire by making landscapes and communities more resilient.

Through strong partnerships with Indigenous Nations and organizations throughout BC, the Centre prioritizes respectful collaborations to advance research co-led by Indigenous peoples and Western scientists.

“Historically, low-severity fires—including cultural fires—sustained diverse forests across BC’s interior,” says Dr. Daniels. “Ignited by lightning and Indigenous fire stewardship, these fires thinned forests, curbing intense blazes and nurturing renewed plant growth, while rejuvenating wildlife habitats.”

The cutting-edge research and field work of Dr. Daniels and her team will identify new paths forward to better enable communities at risk to live safely with forest fire.

“Wildfire has burned almost seven million hectares of forest in BC over the past seven years, with a direct cost of over $3 billion and an incalculable cost to ecosystems, economies, human health and wellbeing,” she says. “Moving forward, we need well-informed solutions to build resilience to wildfire that both protect and empower communities, enabling them to thrive in the face of mounting uncertainty.”

You can support this vital research with a gift to the Vancouver Centre for Wildfire Coexistence today.