How BC Wildfires are Impacting Farms

It is hard to miss the smoky haze hanging over the Fraser Valley and large parts of the province. There are about 200 wildfires burning across the province ranging from small and manageable to large out-of-control blazes that are threatening homes and agriculture. The smoke and ash from these fires has now travelled hundreds of kilometers, affecting people and livestock well out of the fire danger zone. Here is how BC wildfires are impacting farms in your area.

Obviously the most direct impact is to the farms in the path of the fires, causing farmers to abandoned their homes and free their livestock to give them a chance of escaping the flames. This also affects farms that grow produce, as some farmers will not have summer crops this year.

Beyond the direct impact of the fires, the smoke and ash also has an impact on agriculture operations far away from the flames.

Coniferous forests have involved to rely on wildfires for regeneration purposes. It cycles the nutrients and changes the moisture and temperature characteristics of the soil. Ash is organic matter that is suspended in the air, it is composed of many essential ingredients that plants require. When ash falls on your fields, your plants will absorb these nutrients such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. This can be beneficial and even act as fertilizer for your organics.

While some ash can be beneficial, some farms closer to the burn zone could receive high quantities of ash which could have a negative impact on their crops. It would be the same as if you over-applied any nutrient to your plants, also there could be many other harmful chemicals released into the air as man-made objects are burned.

In addition to the ash, the smoky haze from all of the fires will have an even farther-reaching impact on local agriculture. The smoke acts as a cloud cover which reduces the direct impact of the UV rays from the sun, and also lowers temperatures. This can be good or bad depending on the crops you are growing.

The good news is, our environment and soil in BC is considered to be of the best in the world for growing produce. Part of the reason for this is the resilience of our soil and its ability to recover from natural (or unnatural) disasters such as the current wildfire situation.

Handlers is continually monitoring how BC wildfires are impacting farms in this region. As a major player in the BC agriculture industry, Handlers will continue to stay abreast of any new developments and offer whatever services we can to the farmers in this province.