10/16/2026
Are the fuel maps you’re working from older than the vegetation that was classified to create them?
Nearly all fuel maps used for wildfire planning and operations in Canada are outdated to varying degrees. Some areas of these products are classified based on assessments of vegetation over 50 years old. Since then, there have been fires, harvesting and a lot of regrowth. Our Fuel ID project funded by Innovative Solutions Canada closes that gap using remote sensing.
The Phase 1 Fuel ID prototype completed in 2023 has been developed further in Phase 2.
What does better fuel information mean for you?
- Fire managers can use more reliable maps to help increase accuracy of fire behaviour predictions.
- Land managers can prioritize funding allocation for treatment and mitigation strategies where hazardous fuels exist.
- Quantified estimates of forest structure provide insights to fire hazard beyond the less detailed vegetation inventories used for fuel type classifications.
None of this happens alone. We’re grateful to be working with the Government of Alberta, the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, the Alberta Wildfire Utility Coalition, and UBC.
Leading the project is Joe Rakofsky. If you’re heading to the Wildland Fire Canada Conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this October, come say hi to Joe. He’d love to hear what fuel information would make the biggest difference in your area.
