Wildfire season has officially ended, and fire permits are no longer required. However, safe burning practices remain important year-round. Learn how to safely burn brush, vegetation or woody debris on your property.
Report wildfires by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area remains low.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 85 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, burning a total of 13,103.27 hectares. Currently, there are no active wildfires in the region.
To date, 38 wildfires were caused by lightning, burning 13,095.68 hectares; 39 were human-caused, burning 6.48 hectares; and seven were incendiary (this is a wildfire that has been intentionally lit, which includes but is not limited to arson), burning 1.01 hectares. One wildfire remains under investigation, having burned 0.1 hectare.
The causes of wildfires this year are consistent with the 2023 wildfire season, though we did see a slight increase in both lightning- and human-caused wildfires in the region. Thank you to everyone who did their best to prevent wildfires by having responsible campfires and following fire bans!
Provincially, Alberta Wildfire has responded to over 1,220 wildfires so far this year, which is slightly above the 5-year average of 1,060 wildfires. Over 715,000 hectares of forest have burned so far this year, slightly more than the 5-year average of 640,000 hectares.
For the most up-to-date wildfire information, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
JOIN THE 2025 WILDFIRE TEAM
There are a few more days left to apply! Alberta Wildfire is looking for hard-working and dedicated individuals to join the team as wildfire crew members for the 2025 season. Apply here.
For more information on available roles and to apply, visit our recruitment page.
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day - May 3, 2025
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day offers neighborhoods and communities the chance to receive a $500 award from FireSmart Canada, along with an event kit to help make your event a success. Starting a FireSmart conversation in your community may seem overwhelming at first, but Wildfire Prep Day is designed to help you begin your FireSmart journey or continue the great work you’re already doing.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Apply for your chance to receive $500 to support a FireSmart event or project in your street or community. Applications are now open until January 31, 2025.
If you have questions, looking for ideas or would like support with your event, contact Allanah McLean at 403-418-5023 or allanah.mclean@gov.ab.ca.
TREE CUTTING PERMITS FOR PERSONAL USE
Personal Use Forest Products Permits (PUFPP) are for small-scale personal use only (no resale) for Christmas trees, firewood or transplants. These free permits are available online or in person at your nearest forestry office.
PUFPPs authorize Albertans to cut and remove timber from designated Crown land only. The area-specific PUFPP document must be with you at all times while cutting or transporting trees from Crown land. In one 30-day period, a person can hold up to four permits – up to one permit each for: firewood. Christmas trees, roundwood and transplants.
SMOKE MANAGEMENT AND INVERSIONS
Before you burn, check the weather forecast. If an inversion is expected, smoke can be trapped close to the ground overnight reducing visibility and causing dangerous driving conditions and can affect those with smoke related health concerns.
WHAT IS AN INVERSION?
As temperatures start to cool early in the evening, the air closest to the earth’s surface will cool faster than the air above the surface. This is opposite of what air normally does. Normally air cools with the increase of height above the surface. The heat from the surface of the land is radiated back up into the atmosphere, warming the air above this shallow area near the ground, and since cold air is denser than warm air, the areas near the surface become colder than above.
The inversion happens when cold air is trapped near the ground by warmer air. The cool air near the surface cannot escape upwards and this creates a layer in which smoke from winter burning is trapped along the ground surface as it cannot mix out and rise.
403-418-5023