Status check: The Arctic Council’s work on addressing Arctic wildland fires

Morten Høglund: We are now about half a year into the Norwegian Chairship’s Wildland Fires Initiative. How do you feel it's progressing? Would you say we are on track with our goals?

Edward Alexander: I think it's progressing well and that elevating this issue was absolutely critical.

We've hosted several events affiliated with the Wildland Fires Initiative, from the launch event in Iceland to various thematic sessions at different conferences [see box]. We have highlighted various aspects related to wildfires and engaged different communities, including Permanent Participants, scientific experts, the International Association of Wildland Fire, and Observer states of the Arctic Council.

Each step along the way has unfolded new facets and different aspects resonated with the people we have involved. I believe the initiative has sparked a new dialogue within the Arctic Council, centering our discussions on necessary actions.

Wildland fire in the Arctic is a cross-cutting issue that affects many nations, both in the Arctic and beyond. The 2023 Canadian wildfire season, with 37 million acres burning, was a significant news story, but the impact of fires extends beyond direct effects on communities. Discussions on what’s happening with fires in the Arctic, the conditions that favor wildland fires, how fires affect permafrost, and how fires are becoming a driver for global climate change are very important.

Morten Høglund:

Absolutely. For me, not being very familiar with the issue before we started this initiative, it revealed the complexity of the different aspects related to fire. There are so many facets, and we've demonstrated that the Arctic Council is dedicated to the issue and capable of bringing together various knowledge holders, from Indigenous perspectives to emergency preparedness and civil society perspectives.

We are bringing in experts and knowledge holders from different regions and areas of expertise, creating a hub for knowledge sharing on fires within the Arctic. I see many possibilities moving forward, using this network to be relevant for the communities and people affected.

I'm very pleased with everyone who has joined us at these events and shared their knowledge and expertise. It's been wonderful to see the commitment and how everyone comes on board with this important issue.

Edward Alexander:

Everyone is bringing their own expertise, and all these different puzzle pieces coming together give us a much clearer picture. Each time, we achieve a better resolution, and sometimes new insights emerge when we have these diverse perspectives in our discussions. It's been really exciting to see.

For example, Rebecca Alty, the mayor of Yellowknife, discussed the emotional impacts of fire and evacuations on the community. Indigenous youth participants at the meeting between the Norwegian Chairship and the Permanent Participants in Bodø in May talked about how wildland fires have affected them, recounting experiences of ash raining down while people were evacuated into their community. Fires also impact village economies by disrupting businesses, burning crop lines, and affecting hunting grounds, subsistence economies, and tourism. The societal effects are multifaceted.

These discussions are incredibly valuable, and it's crucial for the global South to understand the significant changes in wildland fire activity in the Arctic and what it means beyond smoky days in New York or Washington. This is a larger story, and all the different voices contribute to it.

Morten Høglund:

As you mentioned, there are many large news stories, but then there are also the personal stories. For example, during a session in Anchorage, Alaska, a woman from Fairbanks shared her experience from a few years ago when she was pregnant. Winters in Alaska can be quite harsh, so when spring and summer arrive, people want to spend time outside. However, a wildfire near her neighborhood polluted the air, and because she was pregnant, she was stuck inside. This personal story highlights how wildfires impact people’s health and quality of life, especially when they can't even enjoy the short Arctic summers.

Fires in the Arctic have many dimensions, and if we don't manage to address the issue, the implications can be catastrophic. It could change the entire way of living in parts of the Arctic.

Edward Alexander:

We've certainly seen the impact on our homelands. In my lifetime, 65% of the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge has burned. That’s an area the size of Maryland and Delaware, right near my home in Alaska.

It's important to emphasize that wildland fires in the Arctic are profoundly different from wildfires in other parts of the world. We have permafrost and deep carbon stores in our soil, like the Yedoma permafrost. If these soils thaw, they can release substantial amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, and possibly microorganisms that have been frozen for a long time.

When fires burn over these areas, the vegetation that insulates the permafrost is lost, leading to significant degradation of the permafrost in subsequent seasons. We take for granted that the system is stable, but then we find out that it's not and we see large areas of permafrost thawing and releasing various organisms into waterways that flow into our communities.

We also face holdover fires across Canada and Alaska, where the fires have gone underground and continue to burn even through winter.

Morten Høglund:

And now, as we sit here in Norway in early summer, we've already learned that the new fire season in Canada is well underway. When discussing the major fires last year, it’s important to remember that this was not an isolated event from 2023 but part of a continuous cycle. Therefore, the Arctic Council needs to maintain ongoing efforts, provide proper recommendations to policymakers, and hopefully offer effective solutions to local communities to assist them in their preparedness work.

It's also about informing and learning from each other. There is no easy fix, no quick solution, and fires will always occur. The challenge is how to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Edward Alexander:

It is a big challenge, and there are no easy answers—it requires multiple solutions.

For example, we have been reinvigorating our cultural burning practices and discussing how to promote mild fire instead of wildfire in our homeland. How do we use fire in our ecosystem to promote biodiversity, growth, and the safety of our communities? How do we promote our Indigenous knowledge and encourage the sharing of ancient wildland fire practices from our elders to our young people?

That might be one answer that works for us, but we are always interested in listening and learning from others to share best practices. There might be scientific solutions, other fire management techniques, and cross-border cooperation at the operational level. Smoke and fire don’t respect borders; they spread as they please. Therefore, we need a variety of answers.

Morten Høglund:

I like the slogan – if we want to call it a slogan – "from wild to mild fires." If we can help ensure that future fires are milder, that's a goal we will strive for.

In Berlin, we had an interesting session with firefighters and experts from Poland and Spain who shared their experiences of being sent to Arctic States to combat fires. They found it to be a completely different environment from what they were used to, which was an important learning experience. And so, educating people about what is happening in the Arctic is really important, and it's an area where we can contribute.

Thank you again for agreeing to co-chair this initiative, Edward. We look forward to working closely with you in the coming year. We have a lot of important work ahead of us.

Edward Alexander:

Let's get to it.