The 2024 Jasper Fire caused $880M in damages, destroyed homes, ecosystems, and history. Recovery efforts include FireSmart practices, Indigenous knowledge integration, multi-partner collaboration, and building resilience through education and infrastructure.

Parks Canada Initiative: protect people, reconnect cultural ties (incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to facilitate sustainable fire prevention tactics and efforts) and support ecosystem recovery
FireSmart Canada: idea of shared responsibility and duty among residents and businesses to reduce fire hazards and manage fire incidents

The 2023 East Prairie Métis Settlement Fire destroyed homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods. The Kapawe’no First Nations had to work together to put out the fire, receiving little help from outside entities, highlighting systemic neglect of Indigenous communities. Recovery focuses on cultural dialogue, policy change, FireSmart practices, and collaborative emergency management.

Destroyed infrastructure
Lack of external aid or assistance and fire-fighting equipment
Community effort to extinguish the fire
Smoke pollution, quick spreading fire due to area being grasslands, strong winds
Economic loss on forestry, transportation and oil/gas industry
Suppression of Indigenous knowledge and practices on fire safety

Center on community members perspective and ensure culturally appropriate dialogue is shared
Tailor the system and resources to fit the needs of different Indigenous communities
Immediate policy change and efforts as wildfires will only increase and worsen as the globe warms
Indigenous communities should be provided with proper resources and assistance to withstand and extinguish fires to protect their safety, land, community and culture

An Emergency Management Assistance Program for on reserve Indigenous communities to get assistance with repairing infrastructure and providing evacuee support
Increased Funding by $166 million to assist with fire response and prevention specifically for Indigenous communities (40 nations across Alberta)
Implementing Indigenous Fire Protection Strategy and Climate Leadership Programs to provide fire safety infrastructure and recognizing importance of Indigenous knowledge on fire and dealing with these incidents

Wildfires harm habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystems. Animals are targeted firsthand by wildfires and are often unable to relocate or evacuate to safety. Prevention efforts include prescribed burns, caribou habitat recovery, vegetation management, and policies to restore forests and protect wildlife such as maintaining parks and creating protected areas.

Impacts on habitats, natures routine, wildfires’ food accessibility and shelter
Negative impacts on soil health, air quality, carbon emissions (increased), the ecosystems regular cycle (how it removes waste, cycles through oxygen, etc), nutrient cycling and pollination

FireSmart initiatives that focus on fuel mitigation measures like tree thinning, mulching, and creating fire breaks to slow down fires spreading.
Indigenous lead prescribed burns which are used to control fires and restore native vegetation and improve habitat diversity
The government of Alberta supports research into new forestry technologies and policies to create/ maintain parks and protected areas.