Forest fires
Forest fires have many consequences for Quebec’s ecosystems and communities. In addition to the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats, these fires have an impact on air quality, affecting the health of local populations. Remote communities are particularly hard hit, suffering from evacuations in addition to material, economic and social losses. Forest fires also have significant economic consequences, particularly for the forestry, mining and energy industries, as well as costs associated with the destruction of infrastructure such as roads or housing.
Socio-economic impacts
Remote communities
Forest fires have a significant impact on remote communities in Quebec. These communities are often located in forested areas, and they face extra challenges when dealing with such events. They are vulnerable because of limited access to resources and issues with rescue coordination, forest fire crew deployment times and communication with the authorities.
Remote communities are also vulnerable to disruptions to essential services such as electricity, drinking water, telecommunications and food supplies. They often depend on fragile infrastructure and can be cut off in the event of fire, directly affecting the delivery of essential services.
Approximately 60 forest fire evacuations take place every year in Quebec. They occur mainly in remote and/or Indigenous communities.
Physical health
Forest fires have numerous impacts on human health, both for the populations directly affected and for the surrounding regions. The smoke emitted by these fires can travel great distances, causing respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies. It can also cause eye and throat irritation.
The fine particles in smoke can enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and blood pressure problems. In addition, forest fires can contaminate water sources, leading to water consumption risks in regions where purification infrastructure is absent or outdated.
Certain population groups, such as Indigenous communities, children, people with chronic health problems and the elderly, are more vulnerable to the health effects of forest fires.
The health costs associated with forest fires in Quebec are not available. However, a Canadian analysis estimates the health costs associated with short-term exposure to forest fire smoke at between $410 million and $1.8 billion annually. The long-term health effects are estimated at between $4.3 and $19 billion a year.
Mental health
Forest fires can have a detrimental effect on the mental health of some communities, particularly those that are evacuated. These people face immediate and ongoing psychological trauma, which can lead to cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly in children and adolescents.
Indigenous communities, which are regularly exposed to evacuations, also report great stress due to relocation and the loss of their social structure. Forest fires can also provoke solastalgia, which is psychological distress associated with environmental change and a reduced sense of connection to the home environment.
Impacts on infrastructure
Forest fires have a significant impact on infrastructure, including roads, power grids, homes, telecommunications networks and industrial facilities for mining and forestry. They can directly destroy or damage infrastructure, and have indirect effects such as power failures.
They can also damage and destroy housing, community infrastructure and public buildings such as schools and health centres, entailing major reconstruction efforts and costs.
Impacts on ecosystems
Forest fires are necessary for the health of Quebec’s ecosystems. However, the increase in their frequency and intensity due to climate change can have undesirable effects. An increase in wildfires, particularly in the boreal forest, can impair regeneration capacity and alter ecosystem composition and structure. Too frequent or intense fires can reduce biodiversity by eliminating key habitats and disrupting ecological interactions. However, some ecosystems may benefit from the new environmental conditions created by fire.
More intense forest fires can also modify forest composition in Quebec, favouring the growth of certain coniferous and deciduous species with good regeneration potential after a fire, to the detriment of other species with slower regeneration. Forest fires can also lead to regeneration accidents, which occur when trees are not mature enough to produce seeds, thereby changing the composition of forests or even making them disappear.
It should be noted that an increase in wildfire frequency may lead to an increase in the proportion of deciduous trees in the landscape, which could have an impact on neighbouring ecosystems.
Impacts on air, water and soil quality
Forest fires create air pollution and, at the same time, cause a short-term increase in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. In addition to health impacts, poor air quality can threaten the survival of certain species of flora and fauna and disrupt migration patterns.
The structure and quality of the soil can also be damaged. Heat and the combustion of organic matter reduce the soil’s water infiltration capacity, which can lead to increased erosion and runoff rates when there is heavy precipitation or rapid snowmelt. Flooding can then occur, accompanied by debris flows and landslides.
Forest fires can also have an impact on aquatic ecosystems. Deposits of ash and sediment in watercourses can affect water clarity and cause a rise in phosphorus and nitrogen levels. Forest fires also give rise to deforested drainage basins, making debris flows from nearby contaminated soils more likely.
The cost of forest fires in Quebec
At present, data on the costs of forest fires in Quebec is either lacking or very fragmentary. However, given the extensive damage they cause, it’s clear that forest fires have a major economic impact on the province.
These impacts include direct losses linked to physical and psychological health care costs and the evacuation and relocation of communities. Direct losses from forest fires also include the costs associated with the destruction of essential infrastructure and buildings. Forest fires can have an economic impact on a number of sectors, such as the energy, forestry and mining industries, by disrupting their operations.
The indirect economic impacts are also numerous. Examples include the loss of economic resources due to infrastructure damage, such as power outages caused by broken distribution lines, and the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity.
