Are we ready when Whitehorse burns?

At this critical moment while Yukoners are deciding their future government, the Wildfire

Awareness Society has prepared a report card on three elements of the wildfire risk

reduction in Whitehorse. We believe that similar considerations apply to all Yukon

communities.

Wildfire Risk in the Forest Around Whitehorse – GRADE A

The bulk of forest land is owned by the public via governments; thus forest fuels management is a public responsibility. Since most public forest lands are managed by the Yukon Government, the Wildland Fire Management Branch (WFM) has overseen fuel reduction activities in the forests around Whitehorse.

WFM is approaching forest fuel treatments in a priority sequence based on likelihood of fire direction. The southern approaches to Whitehorse from the Carcross Valley first; next the approaches from Marsh Lake; then the northside.

Forest fuel management is costly, ranging from $8000 to $15,000 per hectare. The work to date on the Whitehorse South Fire Break (Copper Haul Road, Mary Lake to Carcross Road) is nearly complete and shows a substantial commitment of time and resources. Although fuel wood has been stacked for public pickup, virtually no biomass has been salvaged for commercial use in boilers. This means the loss of a valuable source of renewable energy for space heating. Most wood is chipped and scattered.

Work has been completed to accepted professional standards and a promising start on aspen replanting is in its sixth year. Survival rate is 90% and growth is fast. WFM will continue the fire break eastward beyond the Carcross Road assuming its funding continues. The branch looks to government for consistent, stable, and adequate funding. At current levels, WFM anticipates that the Whitehorse South work will be completed by 2030.

WFM notes that despite its substantial progress in constructing fire breaks, effective risk reduction requires widespread work applying firesmart treatments to private properties. Wildfire embers will be carried over the fuel break up to 5 km and will threaten many Whitehorse homes.

Wildfire Risk in the City – GRADE C

In 2024 the City of Whitehorse hired a FireSmart Coordinator. Three simple numbers summarize the progress to date on this topic. Whitehorse has approximately 12,000 residences; approximately 400 have received FireSmart assessments through the efforts of the Whitehorse Firesmart Coordinator; it is unknown how many of residences have actually implemented the FireSmart plan they received.

The FireSmart Coordinator is accomplishing as much as can be hoped for, given his limited resources. The fact is that the budget, the resources, and the attention allotted to changing the vulnerability of homes and buildings is miniscule compared to the pervasiveness and seriousness of the problem. This is unlikely to improve unless the City (or the Yukon Government) provides adequate resources commensurate with the risk.

In addition to the shortfall in public resources, the public is generally unaware of the true nature of the problem and their essential role in practical solutions. Although private homeowners would be the beneficiaries of reduced wildfire risk, most are unaware of what they can do themselves. Many of those that are aware are passive – either because they doubt any efforts would be effective, the activities are too expensive or because they apparently believe that reducing risks on their property is government’s responsibility. This won’t change without adding new approaches to reduce the wildfire risk within the city with more people and possibly with some financial incentives.

Evacuation Planning – GRADE D

Information on evacuation planning is difficult to obtain. The City has recently hired an Emergency Coordinator. Reportedly, Whitehorse has been divided into evacuation zones and plans have been prepared for all neighbourhoods with muster points identified.

Similarly, schools have identified safe areas for students. Current thinking does not foresee (or plan for) a general evacuation of the City, a possibility driven by heavy smoke as well as a major fire. Currently there have been no community presentations on evacuation preparedness. Without a strong public information campaign, the current arrangements aren’t going provide for safe evacuations.

The experience of the increasing number of communities evacuated by wildfire or wildfire smoke each year, shines a bright light on the serious risk for Yukon communities including Whitehorse. We note that the careful evacuation planning and public information campaign in the Town of Jasper resulted in a rapid evacuation via a single road with no loss of life in 2024 when a quickly spreading wildfire engulfed a third of the town. Whitehorse is not similarly prepared.